A Nation of Swindlers

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Fraud Accounting, IFRS.

The chair person of the Ontario Securities Commission noted that companies and their auditors “stretch the interpretation of accounting standards beyond all reasonable limits. In many cases, the reasoning to support positions is weak or nonexistent. In other cases, it is clear that conclusions are based on narrow interpretations of a few words in a… Read more »

When to Recognize Revenue ?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Financial Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting.

Despite a reliance on umpteen pages of principles and prescriptive rules for the preparation of financial statements, much depends on professional judgment and corporate governance. That’s why the quality of the company’s reported earnings is such an important consideration for analysts and investors. REVENUE RECOGNITION The question of when to recognize revenue is quite straightforward… Read more »

The concept of Bankruptcy!

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Canadian Economy, Corporate Restructuring, IFRS.

The concept of bankruptcy is difficult to grasp and understand. Often the causes are due to Greed , Economic Conditions or Mismanagement. In essence Bankruptcy is a capitalistic concept-it is the loss of capital, an inability to pay a person’s or company’s creditors. Accounting is a tool that provides information to management, to identify the potential… Read more »

GAAP : Private Matters

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, IFRS.

“Give us standards that meet the needs of the people who use our financial statements.” That’s the message standard setters have heeded in developing new standards for private enterprises. The profession has been waiting for this for a long time and finally, things are changing. The conventional wisdom in accounting standards used to be one size… Read more »

The changeover to IFRS is a major challenge, but it’s also an opportunity for audit firms to review their procedures

Posted by & filed under IFRS.

With 2010 weeks away, many public companies are preparing for the changeover to international financial reporting standards (IFRS). Management teams, audit committees and IFRS committees are busy ensuring the transition will be effective and efficient. And the changeover is no easy task. Its success depends on the availability of adequate tools and resources, as well… Read more »

International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Background

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, IFRS.

Background Origins of IFRS A single set of global accounting standards has been under development for over three decades since the International Accounting Standards Committee (“IASC”) was first established in 1973. It wasn’t until 2005, with the advent of the European Commission’s requirement for public companies reporting within the European Union (“EU ”) to prepare… Read more »

Risky Medicine for Hospital Financing

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

In a last-minute change to the financial reforms bill, Congress allowed Wall Street to continue to sell interest-rate swaps directly, rather than isolating these derivatives in separate units. The thinking behind this move is that the interest-rate securities are benign, or at least less dangerous than credit default swaps, which the legislation requires banks to… Read more »

Scrushy Back in the News

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Video Updates.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a new review of the convictions in the government corruption case against former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman and ex-HealthSouth CEO Richard Scrushy. Questions: 1. What is the “honest services” fraud law? 2. What is a “quid pro quo” agreement? 3. A judge issued a $2.9 billion civil judgment… Read more »

Supreme Court Rules on Constitutionality of the PCAOB

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 28, 2010, that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) violates the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers principle because board members are not appointed by the president.  In a 5-4 decision, the Court stated that the president must have more power to remove PCAOB members. The five-member board… Read more »

What Do The World Cup and Public Accounting Have in Common?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Advanced Accounting, All Articles, Auditing, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Financial Reporting and Analysis, Financial Statement Analysis, Fraud Accounting, IFRS, Intermediate Accounting, International Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

OK. For all you accountants, here’s another acronym.  What does FIFA stand for? Well, it’s not an inventory method, but refers to the governing organization for the world’s biggest athletic event this summer ( the World Cup). Even if you’re not a fan, you can’t ignore World Cup fever that is sweeping the globe this… Read more »