Vol. 5 No. 6, June 2007

Contents (Sources)

How Important are Mission, Vision, Values, and Culture?
David Maister provides a practical model for creating these concepts and making them credible to the entire firm. (David Maister—Professional Business, Professional Life)

How to Assure Execution of Your Strategic Plan
L. Gary Boomer says most strategies fail. He provides the causes and the remedies. (Accounting Today)

How Partner Compensation is Changing
Consultant Marc Rosenberg lists factors that are now most important in allocating income among partners. (Management Catalyst)

*Myths of Selling an Accounting Practice
A new perspective on value, finding a buyer, and how long the seller should stay after the sale. (CPA Insider)

Acquisitions—It’s a Buyer’s Market, But
Consultant August Aquila give some practical advice for buyers. (Accounting Today)

How to Respond to Staff Unhappiness
Consultant Steve Erickson’s survey on staff attitudes and what to do about them (includes the entire original survey results). (AOMAR)

Corporate Controller Compensation—Competition for CPA Firms
Find out how much controllers earn in your area and determine if these salaries will lure your people. (Partner’s Report)

Personality and Aptitude Testing—Many Uses
Uses and benefits of the best testing systems available. (Practical Accountant)

*How Small Firms Can be More Productive
Simple policy and procedure changes can have a major positive impact on even the smallest firms. The lessons are valuable for larger firms too. (CPA Insider)

How to Choose the Right Partner
Too many people choose the wrong partners, and it can be catastrophic. Learn how to do it right. (Insight)

Strategic Planning—Doing it Right
Forget about conventional methods of strategic planning. Start by analyzing your market. Bruce Marcus tells you how. (The Marcus Perspective)

Solving the E-Mail Overload Problem
How to avoid wasting time on e-mails and ruining your productivity. (Catalyst)

Why Aren’t You Outsourcing?
Consultant Marc Rosenberg says it is just a matter of time before outsourcing becomes standard practice. (Marketing Catalyst)

*An Association of Small Accounting Firms
This article is written by CPA Connect, an association of accounting firms, to help expand its network of 220 members. (CPAConnect)

What Clients Want
You know generally what clients want—timeliness, value, quality, and caring. But here are a few unusual perspectives from accounting firms that found their clients want some surprising things. (CPA Insider)

Alleviation of Sarbanes-Oxley Burdens on Smaller Firms
The SEC will concentrate on four areas to alleviate burdens on smaller firms. (Accounting Today)

Have SOX Audit Rules Become Addictive for Accountants?
A spokesman for the American Bankers Association says auditors misinterpret rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, and do too much testing. (Accounting Today)

PCAOB Says Auditors Not Efficient
PCAOB inspectors list the frequent problems that are evidence of not using the most efficient techniques. (Accounting Today)

Fraud Detection Makes Accounting Alluring
Forensic services are booming, with fraud detection perhaps the most significant specific service. Learn how to create a fraud documentation plan. (Accounting Today)

The Most Popular Niches
Find out which niches are growing at the top 100 accounting firms. (Partner’s Report)

E-Newsletters v. Print Newsletters
E-newsletters can be effective marketing tools, providing feedback on what clients really need. (Accounting Today)

Why You Should Consider Being a Blogger
Only about 30 accounting firms write blogs, but the opportunity for using blogs to bring in new business is significant. (Inside Public Accounting)

Why You Should Consider a Sales Professional
How can a professional sales person sell a “product” when that product is a person providing a service? (Rainmaker Report)

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