Economics/Accountancy

A key principle of financial reporting is that substance matters, not form. This is how auditors ensure that a firm will be viable in the future. The authors provide a checklist of goals that an organization should examine in order to determine whether it is investing in the long-run rather than being concerned with short-term goals that only provide the appearance of health. Goals that are crucial for long-term viability include: increasing customer satisfaction; retention of key employees; providing meaningful work; ensuring employee engagement; creation of an ethical tone at the top; and building a strong, positive reputation.

One researcher asserts that half of the 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States will be bankrupt within the next few decades. Change is coming whether colleges and universities like it or not. Think of what is happening to the newspapers and retailers. Unfortunately, most institutions of higher learning have a mindset that might have made sense in the industrial age but is dangerous in the knowledge economy. The institutions of higher education that survive will be the ones that learn how to eliminate waste and be efficient. This paper highlights several simple changes that have the potential of saving colleges millions of dollars. CUNY is used an example but most colleges will benefit from implementing these changes

This paper discusses a paradigm for rating college presidents that stresses factors that provide long-term value such as vision, faculty engagement, building a learning organization, providing ethical leadership, increasing student satisfaction, and enhancing the reputation of the organization. We are in a knowledge economy where creativity, skills, adaptability, and character are what matter; the old ways of running a college, that might have worked half a century ago, simply do not work today. What can really destroy a college is making changes for the purpose of padding the CVs of administrators rather than improving educational quality.

In recent years the accounting profession has undergone a number of changes, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which have created a need for more auditors at the same time as the number of accounting students was declining. During the late 1990s the American ...

There have been so many financial scandals in the last two decades that people do not trust big business. Firms and CEOs are seen as heartless and without a soul. The accounting profession, unfortunately, has been seen as part of the problem, not the solution. The authors feel that accountants should be at the forefront of those trying to inculcate values into a company. This article provides accountants with ideas on how to do this. Most are not only costless but actually help a firm. The benefits they provide are for the long term and assure growth and success for a firm and include a positive image, satisfied customers, happy and productive employees, high market share, and, probably, increased profits. Companies that are only concerned with “maximizing shareholder wealth” or “maximizing profit” will find themselves going the way Enron went.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine established leadership paradigms in the context of institutions of higher education. The old ways of running a college, which might have worked several decades ago, no longer work in the age of flux characterized by super-fast breakthroughs due to technology and the internet. Organizational change is especially difficult in academe where many faculty are tenured and satisfied with the status quo. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines and synthesizes the relevant literature in leadership and higher education administration, focusing on critical issues and recommendations to ensure the long-term viability and relevance of colleges and universities. It also describes meaningful metrics that should be monitored by university leaders to strengthen their institutions. Findings Some of the findings are as follows: the old ways of running an institution of higher learning need to be overhauled; colleges and universities need leaders ...

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese art used for exercise as well as martial art. The health (physiological as well as psychological) benefits of tai chi have been studied extensively. However there has not been much study of the effects of tai chi on learning. This paper describes an experiment to determine of tai chi has any affect on the leaning of college level accounting students.

Accountants and auditors are no longer number crunchers that are primarily concerned with examining historical data. They are being used by most firms to provide advice and as such are often the power behind the throne. As advisors, they need to understand that they play an important role in how a firm is run. The authors feel that accountants and auditors should be at the forefront of those trying to inculcate values into a company. One way to do this requires that they see their role as that of a servant leader. As servant leaders, they will understand that for firms to thrive they must be run in a manner in which caring about employees, customers, and the community are core values of the firm.

Changes in New York State's requirements for obtaining a CPA license have brought change to many accountancy departments. This study questioned how students planned to meet the 150-hour (credit) requirement for CPA licensure. In addition, this study addressed the ...