April/May 2015 - Journal of Accountancy

A number of standard setters and regulators are making efforts to reduce complexity in accounting standards and simplify financial reporting. These changes may free up finance employees from some reporting duties and allow them to focus on responsibilities that add more value to their organizations.

The fourth annual JofA accounting technology round table gathers three of the top tech gurus in accounting to address issues such as the future of the spreadsheet, whether Excel will still rule, and what devices CPAs should have in their computer bag.

An accounting firm experiment hypothesizes that “there will be multiple successful business models for accounting firms of the future.” Explore the experiment’s results and different visions for public accounting’s future—and examples of that future already becoming reality.

Continuous monitoring and continuous auditing through data analytics provide internal audit with significant opportunities to provide added value to organizations. As these data-driven techniques grow in popularity, find out how the Hewlett-Packard Co. has used them to drive improvement.

Advances in data analytics allow financial statement auditors to get more in-depth information about their clients’ businesses. Technological advances have the potential to change the audit landscape considerably, but mechanization appears unlikely to reduce the need for skilled auditors.

Organizations seeking to prevent and detect fraud can greatly boost their chances of success by instituting a strong ethics program. How can you develop and deploy a good ethics program? What are the characteristics of an ethical work environment? Test your knowledge in this month’s Fraud IQ quiz.

Becoming a partner requires a shift in mindset from employee to business owner. Young partners share what they’ve learned about being leaders, setting goals, developing others, and adjusting to new roles.

Many organizations are having difficulty finding skilled talent. This infographic explores the methods employers are using to attract top candidates and innovate their talent searches.

Olivia Kirtley, CPA, CGMA, an accomplished corporate director with almost 20 years of experience serving on boards, talks about strategic, risk, and compliance issues that keep board members up at night.

This article discusses the details of some of the accounting method changes businesses may need to make to comply with the tangible property regulations, popularly known as the “repair regulations.”

This article highlights situations when a tax accountant needs to recognize that it’s time to call in legal counsel.