December 2007 - Journal of Accountancy

     EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Act now. Start planning for succession several years in advance. Don’t wait until you’re almost ready to retire. As soon as a potential successor candidate has been identified, start the grooming process. Look for someone who is decisive, assertive and entrepreneurial. Consider an acquiring firm and

     EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Direct marketing has become a popular and successful form of CPA firm marketing with the following potential benefits: The process encourages you to define a very specific target audience of prospects most likely to buy your services. The format enables you to develop a specific message

   Fraud detection class is now in session. It’s time to put your smarts to the test and see how you score on these questions from the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. 1. According to ACFE’s 2006 Report to the Nation on Occupational Fraud and Abuse , the typical organization

       EXECUTIVE SUMMARY To adopt FASB Statement no. 159, companies must comply with the requirements of Statement no. 157, Fair Value Measurements . Companies and their auditors must consider whether the use of fair value option accounting reflects a “substance over form” decision by management rather than an

  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Statement of Position (SOP) 97-2 provides guidance on applying GAAP in recognizing revenue from software and software-related transactions. The SOP provides instruction on recognition for licensing, selling, leasing or otherwise marketing software. As technology becomes further entrenched in consumer and enterprise products, companies outside of the traditional

       EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The crux of the SEC’s interpretive guidance for management is a top-down, risk-based approach that puts risk first and foremost. Four key areas of opportunity can be used to reduce an organization’s overall SOX 404 compliance effort— risk assessment, entity-level controls, control selection and testing

       EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Statement on Auditing Standards no. 112, Communicating Internal Control Related Matters Identified in an Audit , introduced terms, definitions and guidance for identifying and evaluating control deficiencies and communicating significant deficiencies and material weaknesses. It requires an auditor to communicate in writing to a client’s