The ultimate reference
That would be the The Guinness Book of World Records, of course, but for the accounting profession, it might well be The Ultimate Accountants' Reference from the prolific Steven M. Bragg, who has written close to 20 books on related subjects. The Reference has answers for all the important issues that can arise during the course of the business day, from accounting treatments to government regulations to creating a budget, and a whole lot more. A very handy tool to have around the office.
Price: $135.
John Wiley & Sons
www.wiley.com
(800) 762-2974
Como se dice 'tax prep?'
Ranking among the great demographic revolutions in U.S. history, the recent growth of the Hispanic community has changed our media, cuisine, culture and political calculations. So why shouldn't it change tax prep? Corporate consultant Blaire Borthayre thinks that it should, and she has written two guides - Marketing to the Hispanic Community and Working Effectively with Hispanic Clients - to help preparers reach this fast-growing, and often underserved, minority. An expert in the field, Borthayre can help you make the most of the business opportunity that Hispanics represent, while avoiding many of the cultural pitfalls.
Price: Contact vendor. Quantity discounts available.
TRC Publishing Co.
www.trainingresourceclinic.com
How'm I doing?
Feedback is crucial in any relationship - just ask Mayor Ed Koch, who famously prowled the streets of New York asking for it. Tell Me How I'm Doing may phrase the question a little differently than Koch did, but this book by consultant Richard L. Williams places the same emphasis on the importance of feedback. Using a fable about an employee who is completely denied guidance of any kind, the book teaches the best and worst ways to give feedback, and will turn even the most uncommunicative manager into a feedback-giving machine.
Price: $19.95.
Amacom Books
www.amacombooks.org
(212) 903-8316
Controlling 101
As if keeping the books and creating financial statements weren't enough, the corporate controller of the 21st century is now expected to be a financial analyst, a corporate strategist, a business process expert and, often, an information technology wizard. The Controller's Function, by Deloitte principal Janice M. Roehl-Anderson and Steven M. Bragg, who has been a controller, a chief financial officer and a consulting manager at Ernst & Young, is a powerful resource for the modern controller, covering all the traditional functions and the new responsibilities, with real-world examples, technical advice and the latest information.
Price: $60.
John Wiley & Sons
www.wiley.com
(800) 762-2974
Asset-based finance
Asset-based finance accounts for over a quarter of total commercial loans in the U.S., with over $300 billion in asset-based loans and factored receivables. Sounds like something we'd like to know more about, which is where Asset-Based Finance: Proven Disciplines for Prudent Lending by Gregory F. Udell comes in. Udell, a professor at Indiana University, has written a textbook on the subject, with an introduction for newcomers, a framework for placing ABF in the financial landscape, an in-depth examination of the process, a series of cases, and a discussion of the related special issues and challenges.
Price: $79.95. Bulk discounts available.
Commercial Finance Association
www.cfa.com
Give us more money!
For some time, it has become clearer and clearer to us at New Products that we make too little money, and that chief executives make too much. Harvard Law School professor Lucian Bebchuk and Berkeley law professor Jesse Fried make this clear (at least the part about executive pay) in their book, Pay without Performance: The Unfulfilled Promise of Executive Compensation, which delves into the widespread and systemic governance flaws that have allowed execs undue influence in the setting of their own pay, and the ways in which corporate boards' role as shareholders' agents has been subverted. Their proposed solutions revolve around fixing the misincentives involved in so many pay packages, and removing the barriers that insulate directors from their constituents.
Price: $24.95.
Harvard University Press
www.pay-without-performance.com
Discovering Brazil
And now for something completely different: an adventure on foot along a 300-year-old road that takes travelers deep into the exotic cradle of Brazilian culture.
We wouldn't ordinarily bring a book like Journey on the Estrada Real to your attention, but it happens to be written by Accounting Today correspondent Glenn Alan Cheney, who covers the Financial and Governmental Accounting Standards Boards for us.
We're still trying to figure out how one person can move with such assurance between the regulatory regimes of Norwalk, Conn., and the mysteries of the mountains of Brazil.
Price: $16.95.
Academy Chicago Publishers
www.academychicago.com
