169 Posts Found

Showing results 21 to 40

The Real Value of Intangibles

There is no accepted standard for appraising the worth of nonphysical assets like brands, human capital, and managerial expertise. Yet these are the essence of 21st-century business.

Content: Article | Author: Denise Caruso | Source: strategy+business | Subjects: Accounting, Finance, Management

Fair-Value Revolution

Historical cost accounting is fading as Corporate America marches into a new era.

Content: Article | Author: David M. Katz | Source: CFO Publishing | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Are ‘Mark-to-market’ Accounting Rules on the Mark?

Mark-to-market accounting rules require toxic assets to be carried on companies’ books at fire-sale prices, based on recent trades of similar assets for far less than they would command in normal times. Many big banks say the crisis has been made worse by these rules. Not everyone agrees.

Content: Article | Source: Knowledge@Wharton | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Just-in-Time Accounting: How to Decrease Cost and Increase Efficiency

If you’re looking for a way to increase accounting department efficiency and cut costs, start by reading this remarkable new hands-on guide and learn how to:

* Reduce transaction-related work and allow employees to focus on profit-increasing activities
* Eliminate redundancy and waste
* Apply the latest technologies to your accounting process
… [ Read more ]

Content: Book | Author: Steven M. Bragg | Subject: Accounting

A New Vision for Accounting

Robert Herz and FASB are preparing a radical new format for financial statements.

Content: Article | Author: Alix Stuart | Source: CFO Publishing | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Financial Reporting Should Include Customer Equity

The basic financial statements – P&Ls and balance sheets – are not enough to help investors clearly understand a company’s capability to generate value. The paper “Customer Equity: An Integral Part of Financial Reporting” recommends that companies start reporting “forward-looking customer metrics” by providing the value of their customer base and how it changes over time. This is especially important for companies whose customers are … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Bernd Skiera, Julián Villanueva, Thorstein Veblen | Source: IESE Insight | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Goodbye GAAP

It’s time to start preparing for the arrival of international accounting standards.

Content: Article | Author: Sarah Johnson | Source: CFO Publishing | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Charles Handy

There is nothing wrong with accountancy training — for accountants. But accountants are taught to give priority to the visible financial costs and assets, not to the less quantifiable human assets, which they regard as costs. They focus on the past rather than the future, because that alone can be accurately measured and audited. Their training regards risk, uncertainty, and the unknown as undesirable.

Content: Quotation | Author: Charles Handy | Source: Across the Board (ATB) | Subject: Accounting

Biased Expectations: Can Accounting Tools Lead to, Rather than Prevent, Executive Mistakes?

Accounting techniques like budgeting, sales projections and financial reporting are supposed to help prevent business failures by giving managers realistic plans to guide their actions and feedback on their progress. At least that’s the theory. But when Gavin Cassar, a Wharton accounting professor, tested this idea, he found something troubling: Some accounting tools not only fail to help businesspeople, but may actually lead them astray. … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Gavin Cassar | Source: Knowledge@Wharton | Subjects: Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Organizational Behavior

How to Nab the Rogues: 10 Fraud Tips

Why the risk of wrongdoing has migrated from senior executives to middle management — and what to do about it.

Content: Article | Author: David M. Katz | Source: CFO Publishing | Subjects: Accounting, Finance, Management, Risk Management

How to Become a GAAP Geek

Now open to public scrutiny, FASB’s codification tool is a one-stop shop for both accounting experts and newbies.

Content: Article | Author: Sarah Johnson | Sources: CFO Publishing, FASB | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Business valuation… the wrong way

What is a company worth? The answer to this question can vary depending on who you ask and the purpose of the valuation. As a result, figures derived by an options trader, credit liquidator, and an acquiring firm will not only differ in amount but, more interestingly, in the methods used to reach them. While discounted cash flow methods are widely accepted as the most … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Author: Pablo Fernández | Source: IESE Insight | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Do International Financial Reporting Standards Live Up to Their Promise?

At a time when many barriers to global trade have fallen, countries all over the world are taking steps to harmonize their accounting standards and develop a truly global language of business. Under the lead of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), more than 100 countries have either implemented International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or plan to do so. Yet while proponents of accounting harmonization … [ Read more ]

Content: Article | Authors: Christian Leuz, Holger Daske, Luzi Hail, Rodrigo Verdi | Source: Knowledge@Wharton | Subjects: Accounting, Finance

Discretion Meets Disclosure

It has long been suspected that fear of competition spurs managers to hide better-than-average business unit profit performance. However, a new study instead finds evidence that fear of increased oversight leads managers to hide less-than-average business unit performance.

Content: Article | Author: Philip G. Berger | Source: Capital Ideas | Subjects: Accounting, Finance