CPAnet - Accounting Zone

Cyber Crisis Management: A Bold Approach to a Bold and Shadowy Nemesis: PwC Whitepaper

"As cybercrime runs rampant, reports of major cyber incidents and data breaches that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago pour from today’s headlines. This whitepaper highlights how R&C companies can make sure their business is well equipped to survive a cyber security incident or data breach of sensitive information by applying a new approach to cyber threat management that’s founded on the realities of the evolving cyber threat landscape..."
read more and download

Source: PwC

Get Social: Recruiting in the Accounting Industry

• Posted by Roger Philipp on September 29, 2011 at 11:00am
• View Blog

Social media. Sure, it’s a great way to stalk your buddies from college or find out up-to-the-second-but-actually-before-it-happened news about a freak earthquake in D.C, but did you know that it’s also a pretty solid way to scout out or be scouted out by your dream job?

To the Millennial Generation, a question like this might solicit a “duh.” However, tune in and you’ll be blown away by the sheer way that Social Media has transformed recruiting for the Accounting Industry.

Introducing Jenny Cohrs, a Campus Recruiter for Burr Pilger Mayer ( BPM). Well-versed in the significance of social media in the recruiting-sphere, Jenny believes that not only is social media the way of the future, but it’s the way of the present. Simply put, jump on board or be left behind.

Get Found

Q: How do you specifically incorporate social media into your job as a Campus Recruiter?

A: Social media is not going anywhere. Forums such as LinkedIn & Facebook have become necessary tools for experienced hire recruiting for many companies. It’s essential for candidates to make sure their online presence is kept clean and up to date, putting their best foot forward. The internet is a magnifying glass that can emphasize positive and negative points alike. As Campus Recruiter, I use blogs, Facebook, and Linkedin to share information about BPM’s culture and upcoming recruiting events. I try to develop forums for candidates so they have many places to find out more about our firm.

Q: Do you think it’s important for potential hires to be involved with Social Media (Facebook, Linkedin, etc.)?

A: Because a lot of companies are recruiting heavily through sites like Linkedin, if you are NOT there, you are not even in the running! If you take care, use privacy settings, and highlight the best attributes of your own professional product, you could be recruited when you’re not even looking! Another piece of advice from my friends, The Wright Brothers, “Keep social media social.” Don’t just log in when you want something. You need to make the content on your site(s) relevant, useful, and truthful. Give more than you get.

Q: Where do you see the future of firm recruiting going with the growth of Social Media?

A: Regardless of everything social media has to offer, nothing will overpower the validity of a referral. REAL networking, in person, going out to coffee, interviews, happy hours ,etc. Facetime isn’t going anywhere either. Social Media will help in the form of reaching new talent that may not have been available before, but networking is still just as important to back up your profile page.

Go Scout Out

Not only is social media a way for potential employers to 1. find you and 2. research your qualifications and candidacy, but it’s also a way for you to do your own research, as well. As Jenny previously mentioned, she spearheads BPM’s blog, Because People Matter. Blogs such as BPM’s are a great way to find out if the company is a good cultural match for you, as well. You can do all the website research you want, but a company’s social media should hopefully provide insight into their employees and culture.

Q: What are you hoping to accomplish by creating and managing your blog, “Because People Matter?”

A: Because People Matter is for readers who want to know what a day in the life of an employee at BPM is like. The blog highlights the stories that you won’t find on a website or in the news. It’s fun, helpful, and a good way to expose the world to the culture at BPM. As campus recruiter, the blog is meant to give students insight to the culture at BPM. What are some of the in house activities we do? What’s it like at the client site?

Q: Any other insider advice you’d like to share?

A: Privacy Settings! No matter what, use your privacy settings on Facebook. Students especially need to be aware that the term “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” is not true anymore with mobile technology. “What happens on the Internet stays on the Internet,” is the new thing. You can de-tag all you want, but that picture of you doing a keg stand has not been erased from the internet. People need to be more aware than ever of what is going up on the internet.

Google yourself if you haven’t already.

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GREAT DISCOUNTS & COUPON CODES for CPA EXAM CLUB MEMBERS!!!
http://www.cpaexamclub.com/page/discounts-coupon-codes

Opinion: FASB should Require Companies to Report what they Pay in Federal Taxes

Opinion: FASB should require companies to report what they pay in federal taxes

"If the Financial Accounting Standards Board were to change its rules to require companies to disclose the amount of federal income tax they pay for a given year, it would go far toward settling the debate over how to restructure corporate taxes, writes Fortune editor-at-large Allan Sloan. That is because the studies that determine how much a company pays in taxes usually associate an accounting entry called "current portion of U.S. taxes" with the taxes a company sends the IRS. However, those two numbers are rarely the same."

Source: SmartBrief | CNNMoney.com/Fortune

Making a Difference: 100 PwC Interns Conduct Project Belize

"Remember when intern projects might also include re-organizing the file cabinet in alpha order? Well, times have definitely changed. Now, our interns are invited to take part in some of our most important PwC projects. In July, 100 PwC interns from across the United States headed for the heart of Central America to conduct Project Belize. Their objective: to work for a week helping to improve the school system in Belize City by teaching business skills and refurbishing local elementary schools. Click here to watch the video and learn more about Project Belize."

Source: PwC US Careers

QuickBooks Comprehensive Training - April Contest

We are excited to announce one more giveaway! By entering our new contest, you can win a free seat in a Webucator Comprehensive QuickBooks Training class.

"CPAnet QuickBooks Training Giveaway for CPAnet members: We are excited to announce a giveaway for CPAnet members! By entering Webucator's new contest, you can win one of two free seats (one already given away in March) in our Comprehensive QuickBooks Training class. Each seat is valued at $490 each. Click for entry form!!"

QuickBooks Training Giveaway for CPAnet Readers Contest

www.webucator.com

QuickBooks Training Giveaway for CPAnet Readers Contest

HERE'S THE WINNER FOR MARCH!  ONE MORE DRAWING IN APRIL. 

 CPAnet Social Network
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AICPA Launches IFRS Certificate Program

photo via www.cpalinks.com

"The AICPA has long taken a leadership role in promoting the goal of one set of high-quality globally accepted accounting standards among public companies worldwide and readying U.S. CPAs for use of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). To help CPAs understand and apply IFRS, meet marketplace demands and enjoy enhanced career opportunities, the AICPA has launched the IFRS Certificate Program. Through the program, the AICPA’s most ambitious educational resource on IFRS to date, a Certificate of Educational Achievement will be given for completion of a comprehensive and rigorous curriculum of online self-study courses that offer a broad foundation in IFRS. This marker of competence in implementing IFRS enables CPAs to demonstrate their knowledge of IFRS to current and potential employers and clients in the expanding and increasingly open global marketplace..."
For more information, visit IFRS.com and read this FAQ document

Source: AICPA

Sooooo... Does This Mean the CPA Exam is Off? | Jr Deputy Accountant

by Adrienne Gonzalez, Jr. Deputy Accountant

First, I guess we should get the background. The U.S. CPA designation has long been one of prestige and international candidates have been heading here to take their exams for as long as they've been allowed to so they can go home and say on resumes that they have passed the U.S. CPA exams. Last year, the AICPA (American Institute of CPAs, for those of you not hip to accounting's countless acronyms) announced the exam would now be administered in a handful of countries including, oddly, Bahrain. Just recently, they committed to an August launch of international testing, with Bahrain still on the list.

In analyzing locations for international testing, one of the AICPA's largest concerns has always been security. The CPA exam is proprietary to the AICPA and since the exam is meant solely to protect the interests of the profession, it would be a risk to its authority were the exam to be compromised and somehow bootlegged by unsavory international characters out to make a buck (or ruble or yuan).

Wonder if this changes the situation?

The Telegraph:

The financial district of Manama was deserted, shops and malls were shuttered and Sunni and Shiite vigilantes armed with metal pipes and clubs were in the streets after hundreds of troops rolled into Bahrain from Saudi Arabia.

State television interrupted normal programming to announce the state of emergency in the strategic Gulf state, which is home to the US Fifth Fleet and major international banks and finance institutions.

"Due to the ongoing circumstances in Bahrain ... King Hamad has announced a state of national emergency as of Tuesday for three months," it said.

This doesn't look good.

Source: www.jrdeputyaccountant.com

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Yaeger CPA Review Discount Codes
Coupon codes & specials for Yaeger CPA Review materials
http://www.cpanet.com/cpa_forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=38169

Tired of eating Ramen? AICPA scholarship programs can help!

Current scholarships offered by the AICPA scholarship program:

AICPA Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop The AICPA Accounting Scholars Leadership Workshop is an annual invitational program for minority accounting students who plan to pursue the CPA designation. The program aims to strengthen students’ professional skills and understanding of the limitless possibilities and benefits of earning the CPA credential. An all-expenses paid event, the AICPA covers the cost of student attendees’ transportation, hotel accommodation and meals. Program deadline: May 6, 2011

AICPA John L. Carey Scholarship The AICPA John L. Carey Scholarship program provides financial assistance to liberal arts and non-business degree holders who are pursuing both graduate studies in accounting and the CPA licensure. These awards are intended to encourage students with little or no previous accounting education to consider professional accounting careers. Program deadline: April 1, 2011 

AICPA Scholarship for Minority Accounting Students The AICPA Minority Scholarship awards outstanding minority students to encourage their selection of accounting as a major and their ultimate entry into the profession. Funding is provided by the AICPA Foundation, with contributions from the New Jersey Society of CPAs and Robert Half International. For four decades, this program has provided over $14.6 million in scholarships to approximately 8,000 accounting scholars. Program deadline: April 1, 2011

AICPA/Accountemps Student Scholarship The AICPA/Accountemps Student Scholarship program provides financial assistance to outstanding accounting students who demonstrate the potential to become leaders in the CPA profession. Students must have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.0 and have completed at least 30 semester credit hours (or equivalent) with at least 6 semester hours (or equivalent) in accounting coursework. Program deadline: April 1, 2011

Learn more about scholarships at www.thiswaytocpa.com/aicpascholarships

Source: AICPA 

Webcast: Implementing Financial Reform | Becker Continuing Professional Education

On Wed., March 2 at 1pm EST, you’re invited to join us for a complimentary webcast: Implementing Financial Reform. The Financial Reform Act of 2010 (also known as the Dodd-Frank Act) offers sweeping changes that affect everyone from consumers and investors to banks and insurers. This one-hour webcast will help you understand how the Act is likely to be implemented as well as its practical applications. Sign up here

New issue of CPA Exam Alert highlights changes to exam

 
photo via www.cpaexamclub.com

Read the latest issue of the Uniform CPA Exam Alert, featuring a new look and feel. The issue features the international administration of the CPA Exam, CBT-e resources available to candidates, interviews with CPA Examination volunteer committee members and a welcome to new members of the AICPA Board of Examiners. Read the new issue today.

Source: AICPA | Smart Brief

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Becker Professional Education
Becker Professional Education Continuing Professional Education from Becker covers the critical topics today’s accounting professionals need to know, such as IFRS, revenue recognition, fair value, audit, fraud and much more.