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With the credit markets tightening, a majority of the 688 CFOs and senior comptrollers surveyed by Grant Thornton see the cost of credit increasing for their companies, and the availability of credit decreasing.

Kellogg & Andelson Accountancy is expanding its presence here by acquiring the West Los Angeles office of Kelson Rood Stoll & Winkler.

The Internal Revenue Service said that certain lean-burn technology vehicles now qualify for the alternative motor vehicle tax credit.

Document management systems can reduce invoice cycle times, boost productivity and cut exposure to fraud, among many other benefits.

The International Accounting Standards Board said it is taking steps in conjunction with the U.S.'s Financial Accounting Standards Board to address the crisis in the credit markets.

World War II may have ended over half a century ago, but we are still reaping the benefits of developments initiated during that conflict. While the computer may be the most obvious, the war also saw the application of mathematics to logistics, which, in the late 1940s and early 1950s, morphed into "operations research" - many of the techniques of which have become pretty commonplace to accountants these days.One outgrowth of operations research was systems analysis - looking at things as an integrated entity, not separate pieces. Workflow analysis is an application of systems analysis to examine how the applications and tasks performed in an office or practice interact with each other, as well as with the staff performing them. Workflow software applies these analyses to make sure that the right staff member gets assigned the right task, along with the appropriate documents and data files.

Crowe Chizek has changed its name to Crowe Horwath to reflect the firm's membership in the Horwath International network.The change went into effect Sept. 1, although the firm will continue to operate for a time under its old name in states where the change has not yet been approved. Crowe initiated the change to emphasize its expanding capabilities to service clients with international needs.

With the hoopla of both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions still reverberating throughout the country and the election less than a month away, Accounting Today examines the tax plans offered by both Democratic nominee Barack Obama and GOP candidate John McCain as each vies to become the 44th occupant of the White House.The McCain plan Republican presidential candidate John McCain's plan to shake up Washington starts with some serious rattling of the current federal Tax Code, including a proposal aimed at making millions of Americans less dependent on accountants and other professional tax return preparers.

UNIVERSITIES NOT PLANNING FOR IFRS EDUCATIONNew York - Comparatively few universities will be educating students in international accounting standards this academic year, despite plans by the Securities and Exchange Commission to impose the new standards on U.S. companies.

In high school, I once tried out for a production of West Side Story. Since I could neither sing nor dance very well, the drama teacher out of pity awarded me the role of the dour Lt. Shrank. My performance quickly garnered a nomination among my cast mates for "least supporting actor." The teacher told me afterwards that I had a promising career in show business - as an usher. I knew then that there would be no second acts. On a professional level, I stick to what I know best, or, as some will tell you, where I can do the least damage.Unfortunately, some people can't take a hint, or for that matter even a stiff backhand.