Congratulations to Thought Leaders

CPA Practice Advisor has named 25 to its list of thought leaders.  The 25 will meet February 19-21 in Dallas for what I imagine will be wide-ranging discussions. Three honorees are well known for their blogging activities:  Michelle Golden (Golden Practices), Tom Hood (CPA Success), and Rick Telberg (CPA Trendlines).  Congratulations, you are all deserving [...]

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Michelle Chmielewski’s Video Style

Last night I slept like a college student.  In other words, I slept until noon.  Then I took a mid-afternoon nap.  Unable to deny having wasted the entire day, I decided just to go with it.  Turning on my laptop and opening a YouTube window, I clicked on one of my favorites, Michelle Chmielewski First, [...]

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Sen. Levin Supports PCAOB Proposal

Potty Mouth Carl Levin (Senator and Chair of Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations), famous for his “sh*tty deal” comments to Goldman Sachs executives, has sent a letter (Jan. 3, 2012) to the PCAOB in support of a proposal to require that the lead partner’s name be disclosed (with signature) within the audit opinion attached to [...]

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Joining the Protest Against SOPA/PIPA

With this blog post, I join the protest against proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). I join the protest for two reasons.  First, the proposed laws shift the power to the accuser.  The accused must “prove” its innocence.  Second, I anticipate many “unintended” consequences that will limit academic fair use [...]

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Contest for the Best Accounting Craic

Craic is my new favorite word.  According to Wikipedia, it means fun or entertainment that makes for enjoyable conversation.  A baby boomer American might call it a hoot.  But it Ireland it is called the craic. Can accountants have the craic*?  I’m holding a contest to find out. Journalist on the Run author Janet Newenham describes [...]

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Life After College Roadmap

The baby boom generation has served well the world of accounting for three or four decades.  If you, dear reader, belong to it, do you remember what it was like starting out?  Even if you do (which is doubtful), be assured that it isn’t like that any more. As I recall, major life decisions in [...]

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Arrogance and Social Media

Bob Jensen on AECM today shared a link to a 2004 article by Sidney Finkelstein (Dartmouth College), “The Seven Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Executives.”  The seven habits are: They see themselves (and their organizations) dominating their environment They identify so completely with the organization that there is no clear boundary between their personal interests and [...]

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PCAOB’s Doty to Present Budget Before SEC

Sarah N. Lynch has a nicely written article up today at Reuters Canadian.  It’s nice to see her by-line again.  She has always written competently about accounting. In “SEC to Put U.S. Audit Watchdog Under Microscope,” January 12, 2012, Lynch reports that PCAOB chair James Doty will be presenting the PCAOB budget request of $227 [...]

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WithumSmith+Brown Videos

OK, I’m hooked.  Bill Hagaman, CEO and managing partner of WithumSmith+Brown, has created two dance videos for his firm.  Although they most definitely haven’t gone viral, they do attract viewers. The slow loading 2012 video features a flash mob, comprised of dancing WS+B accountants.  A few of the professional staffers can cut a rug (really [...]

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Turning the Accounting Classroom Upside Down

Some of my readers no doubt graduated from college before the turn of the century.  It is likely that their classes were taught traditionally.  I know an accounting colleague who is very traditional.  He lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays.  On Fridays he works homework problems that have been assigned for students to work at home.  [...]

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When IFRS?

In December, 2011, Leslie Seidman (FASB), and Hans Hoogervorst (IASB) declared convergence between U.S. GAAP and IFRS to be at an impasse.  Chief Accountant James Kroeker said the SEC would need further study on the issue.  Since then, much has been written about the prospects for the U.S. adopting IFRS at this time. Here is [...]

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Influence

I’ve never thought of myself as being influential.  As an accountant, I’m the Rodney Dangerfield of the business world.  Are you influential?  Should you be? Influence can be defined as “causing an effect through indirect action or intangible ways (Merriam-Webster).”  Influence is causing an effect not through direct force or control. Marketing folks view someone [...]

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