Author: Richard Brooks
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1786490307
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 351
Book Description
'A devastating exposé.' Mail on Sunday They helped cause the 2008 financial crash. They created a global tax avoidance industry. They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government... The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite. Up in the high six figures, an average partner salary rivals that of a Premier League footballer. But how has the seemingly humdrum profession of accountancy got to this level? And what is the price we pay for their excesses? Leading investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping exposé of the accountancy industry. From underpinning global tax avoidance to corrupting world football, Bean Counters reveals how the accountants have used their central role in the economy to sell management consultancy services that send billions in fees its way. A compelling history informed by numerous insider interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy works and the future of accountancy.
Bean Counters
Author: Richard Brooks
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1786490307
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 351
Book Description
'A devastating exposé.' Mail on Sunday They helped cause the 2008 financial crash. They created a global tax avoidance industry. They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government... The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite. Up in the high six figures, an average partner salary rivals that of a Premier League footballer. But how has the seemingly humdrum profession of accountancy got to this level? And what is the price we pay for their excesses? Leading investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping exposé of the accountancy industry. From underpinning global tax avoidance to corrupting world football, Bean Counters reveals how the accountants have used their central role in the economy to sell management consultancy services that send billions in fees its way. A compelling history informed by numerous insider interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy works and the future of accountancy.
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1786490307
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 351
Book Description
'A devastating exposé.' Mail on Sunday They helped cause the 2008 financial crash. They created a global tax avoidance industry. They lurk behind the scenes at every level of government... The world's 'Big Four' accountancy firms - PwC, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, and KPMG - have become a gilded elite. Up in the high six figures, an average partner salary rivals that of a Premier League footballer. But how has the seemingly humdrum profession of accountancy got to this level? And what is the price we pay for their excesses? Leading investigative journalist Richard Brooks charts the profession's rise to global influence and offers a gripping exposé of the accountancy industry. From underpinning global tax avoidance to corrupting world football, Bean Counters reveals how the accountants have used their central role in the economy to sell management consultancy services that send billions in fees its way. A compelling history informed by numerous insider interviews, this is essential reading for anyone interested in how our economy works and the future of accountancy.
Car Guys vs. Bean Counters
Author: Bob Lutz
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110151602X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy that's starting to turn General Motors around. In 2001, General Motors hired Bob Lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, GM is back on track thanks to its embrace of Lutz's philosophy. When Lutz got into the auto business in the early sixties, CEOs knew that if you captured the public's imagination with great cars, the money would follow. The car guys held sway, and GM dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, GMC, and Chevrolet. But then GM's leadership began to put their faith in analysis, determined to eliminate the "waste" and "personality worship" of the bygone creative leaders. Management got too smart for its own good. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers (and much of American industry) lost their single-minded focus on product excellence. Decline followed. Lutz's commonsense lessons (with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes) will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysis-paralysis menace.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 110151602X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209
Book Description
A legend in the car industry reveals the philosophy that's starting to turn General Motors around. In 2001, General Motors hired Bob Lutz out of retirement with a mandate to save the company by making great cars again. He launched a war against penny pinching, office politics, turf wars, and risk avoidance. After declaring bankruptcy during the recession of 2008, GM is back on track thanks to its embrace of Lutz's philosophy. When Lutz got into the auto business in the early sixties, CEOs knew that if you captured the public's imagination with great cars, the money would follow. The car guys held sway, and GM dominated with bold, creative leadership and iconic brands like Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, GMC, and Chevrolet. But then GM's leadership began to put their faith in analysis, determined to eliminate the "waste" and "personality worship" of the bygone creative leaders. Management got too smart for its own good. With the bean counters firmly in charge, carmakers (and much of American industry) lost their single-minded focus on product excellence. Decline followed. Lutz's commonsense lessons (with a generous helping of fascinating anecdotes) will inspire readers at any company facing the bean counter analysis-paralysis menace.
Friggin’ Bean Counters
Author: Karla Sasser
Publisher: KSasser, PL
ISBN: 0990763714
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 212
Book Description
Information technology and accounting have developed interdependently. From ancient Mesopotamia to the global economy, business growth has depended on accurate information gathered and reported in a timely fashion. So why do so many accounting IT projects fall victim to misunderstanding, miscommunication and sibling rivalry? This is the essential guide for IT and project management professionals who struggle to give auditors and accounting departments what they want. Learn how to talk the talk, walk the walk and make the friggin’ bean counters happy while completing your project on time and on budget. IT and project management professionals will learn how to: Understand the regulatory and accounting requirements within the company Implement systems and controls that satisfy such crucial regulations as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the European Union Data Protection Directive Improve IT project success rates by ensuring that new applications can be properly controlled and documented Overcome project-killing objections like “We can’t do that, because Sarbanes-Oxley does not allow it.” Reduce the risk of financial statement fraud by building a solid partnership between the IT and accounting departments.
Publisher: KSasser, PL
ISBN: 0990763714
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 212
Book Description
Information technology and accounting have developed interdependently. From ancient Mesopotamia to the global economy, business growth has depended on accurate information gathered and reported in a timely fashion. So why do so many accounting IT projects fall victim to misunderstanding, miscommunication and sibling rivalry? This is the essential guide for IT and project management professionals who struggle to give auditors and accounting departments what they want. Learn how to talk the talk, walk the walk and make the friggin’ bean counters happy while completing your project on time and on budget. IT and project management professionals will learn how to: Understand the regulatory and accounting requirements within the company Implement systems and controls that satisfy such crucial regulations as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the European Union Data Protection Directive Improve IT project success rates by ensuring that new applications can be properly controlled and documented Overcome project-killing objections like “We can’t do that, because Sarbanes-Oxley does not allow it.” Reduce the risk of financial statement fraud by building a solid partnership between the IT and accounting departments.
Death of a Bean Counter
Author: Sandra Balzo
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1448303699
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 197
Book Description
Trouble is brewing for coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when her barista's wealthy beau is murdered. Maggy Thorsen's head is spinning thanks to partner Sarah Kingston's latest idea – selling luxe espresso machines in their Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds. But Maggy soon faces a far bigger problem when her fiancé, sheriff Jake Pavlik, makes an official call on the coffeehouse’s star barista, Amy Caprese. Amy’s wealthy new beau, investment adviser Kip Fargo, has been shot dead in his bed – and Amy is the last known person to see him alive. Kip had just proposed to Amy, but she turned him down, triggering a terrible argument and making Amy the prime suspect. Determined to prove her barista’s innocence, Maggy soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Can she untangle lies, jealousy and Kip’s shady dealings in time to avert the disaster that’s brewing?
Publisher: Severn House Publishers Ltd
ISBN: 1448303699
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 197
Book Description
Trouble is brewing for coffeehouse owner Maggy Thorsen when her barista's wealthy beau is murdered. Maggy Thorsen's head is spinning thanks to partner Sarah Kingston's latest idea – selling luxe espresso machines in their Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds. But Maggy soon faces a far bigger problem when her fiancé, sheriff Jake Pavlik, makes an official call on the coffeehouse’s star barista, Amy Caprese. Amy’s wealthy new beau, investment adviser Kip Fargo, has been shot dead in his bed – and Amy is the last known person to see him alive. Kip had just proposed to Amy, but she turned him down, triggering a terrible argument and making Amy the prime suspect. Determined to prove her barista’s innocence, Maggy soon makes a number of disturbing discoveries. Can she untangle lies, jealousy and Kip’s shady dealings in time to avert the disaster that’s brewing?
Icons and Idiots
Author: Bob Lutz
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101608080
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
When Bob Lutz retired from General Motors in 2010, after an unparalleled forty-seven-year career in the auto industry, he was one of the most respected leaders in American business. He had survived all kinds of managers over those decades: tough and timid, analytical and irrational, charismatic and antisocial, and some who seemed to shift frequently among all those traits. His experiences made him an expert on leadership, every bit as much as he was an expert on cars and trucks. Now Lutz is revealing the leaders-good, bad, and ugly-who made the strongest impression on him throughout his career. Icons and Idiots is a collection of shocking and often hilarious true stories and the lessons Lutz drew from them. From enduring the sadism of a Marine Corps drill instructor, to working with a washed-up alcoholic, to taking over the reins from a convicted felon, he reflects on the complexities of all-too-human leaders. No textbook or business school course can fully capture their idiosyncrasies, foibles and weaknesses - which can make or break companies in the real world. Lutz shows that we can learn just as much from the most stubborn, stupid, and corrupt leaders as we can from the inspiring geniuses. The result is a powerful and entertaining guide for any aspiring leader.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101608080
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 177
Book Description
When Bob Lutz retired from General Motors in 2010, after an unparalleled forty-seven-year career in the auto industry, he was one of the most respected leaders in American business. He had survived all kinds of managers over those decades: tough and timid, analytical and irrational, charismatic and antisocial, and some who seemed to shift frequently among all those traits. His experiences made him an expert on leadership, every bit as much as he was an expert on cars and trucks. Now Lutz is revealing the leaders-good, bad, and ugly-who made the strongest impression on him throughout his career. Icons and Idiots is a collection of shocking and often hilarious true stories and the lessons Lutz drew from them. From enduring the sadism of a Marine Corps drill instructor, to working with a washed-up alcoholic, to taking over the reins from a convicted felon, he reflects on the complexities of all-too-human leaders. No textbook or business school course can fully capture their idiosyncrasies, foibles and weaknesses - which can make or break companies in the real world. Lutz shows that we can learn just as much from the most stubborn, stupid, and corrupt leaders as we can from the inspiring geniuses. The result is a powerful and entertaining guide for any aspiring leader.
The Big Four
Author: Ian D. Gow
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1523098031
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
"Messrs. Gow and Kells have made an invaluable contribution, writing in an amused tone that nevertheless acknowledges the firms' immense power and the seriousness of their neglect of traditional responsibilities. 'The Big Four' will appeal to all those interested in the future of the profession--and of capitalism itself." —Jane Gleeson-White, Wall Street Journal With staffs that are collectively larger than the Russian army and combined revenues of over $130 billion a year, the Big Four accounting firms—Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG—are a keystone of global commerce. But leading scholar Ian Gow and award-winning author Stuart Kells warn that a house of cards may be about to fall. Stretching back to the Medicis in Renaissance Florence, this book is a fascinating story of wealth, power, and luck. The founders of the Big Four lived surprisingly colorful lives. Samuel Price, for example, married his own niece. Between the world wars, Nicholas Waterhouse collected postage stamps while also hosting decadent parties in his fashionable London home. All four firms have endured major calamities in recent decades. There have been hundreds of court cases and legal prosecutions for failed audits, tax scandals, and breaches of independence. The firms have come so close to “extinction level events” that regulators have required them to prepare “living wills.” And today, the Big Four face an uncertain future—thanks to their push into China, their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition, and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency. This account of the past, present, and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working or considering working in the industry, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
ISBN: 1523098031
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 308
Book Description
"Messrs. Gow and Kells have made an invaluable contribution, writing in an amused tone that nevertheless acknowledges the firms' immense power and the seriousness of their neglect of traditional responsibilities. 'The Big Four' will appeal to all those interested in the future of the profession--and of capitalism itself." —Jane Gleeson-White, Wall Street Journal With staffs that are collectively larger than the Russian army and combined revenues of over $130 billion a year, the Big Four accounting firms—Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and KPMG—are a keystone of global commerce. But leading scholar Ian Gow and award-winning author Stuart Kells warn that a house of cards may be about to fall. Stretching back to the Medicis in Renaissance Florence, this book is a fascinating story of wealth, power, and luck. The founders of the Big Four lived surprisingly colorful lives. Samuel Price, for example, married his own niece. Between the world wars, Nicholas Waterhouse collected postage stamps while also hosting decadent parties in his fashionable London home. All four firms have endured major calamities in recent decades. There have been hundreds of court cases and legal prosecutions for failed audits, tax scandals, and breaches of independence. The firms have come so close to “extinction level events” that regulators have required them to prepare “living wills.” And today, the Big Four face an uncertain future—thanks to their push into China, their vulnerability to digital disruption and competition, and the hazards of providing traditional services in a new era of transparency. This account of the past, present, and likely future of the Big Four is essential reading for anyone perplexed or fascinated by professional services, working or considering working in the industry, or simply curious about the fate of the global economy.
Among Enemies
Author: Luke Bencie
Publisher: Mountain Lake Press
ISBN: 098859191X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 152
Book Description
Each business day, some 35,000 executives, scientists, consultants, and lawyers pass through the nation's airports to destinations across the globe. They carry, along with proprietary documents and computer files, the latest in personal electronic gear. However, carefully watching most of those travelers—beginning the moment they arrive at the airport and often sooner—are uncounted numbers of espionage operatives. These individuals work for foreign intelligence services and economic concerns and seek to separate international business travelers from their trade secrets. To succeed, they use many time-tested techniques to lure unsuspecting travelers into vulnerable or compromising positions. They also employ the latest electronic means to steal business information often at a distance from their prey. This is the 21st century, after all, and economic and industrial espionage have become multibillion-dollar enterprises, utilizing a wide array of the most sophisticated means to obtain proprietary information. Luke Bencie is a veteran of this struggle. He knows intimately the threats business travelers face and how to combat those threats. In Among Enemies: Counter-Espionage for the Business Traveler, Bencie provides everything you need to know to protect yourself and your company from attempted espionage.
Publisher: Mountain Lake Press
ISBN: 098859191X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 152
Book Description
Each business day, some 35,000 executives, scientists, consultants, and lawyers pass through the nation's airports to destinations across the globe. They carry, along with proprietary documents and computer files, the latest in personal electronic gear. However, carefully watching most of those travelers—beginning the moment they arrive at the airport and often sooner—are uncounted numbers of espionage operatives. These individuals work for foreign intelligence services and economic concerns and seek to separate international business travelers from their trade secrets. To succeed, they use many time-tested techniques to lure unsuspecting travelers into vulnerable or compromising positions. They also employ the latest electronic means to steal business information often at a distance from their prey. This is the 21st century, after all, and economic and industrial espionage have become multibillion-dollar enterprises, utilizing a wide array of the most sophisticated means to obtain proprietary information. Luke Bencie is a veteran of this struggle. He knows intimately the threats business travelers face and how to combat those threats. In Among Enemies: Counter-Espionage for the Business Traveler, Bencie provides everything you need to know to protect yourself and your company from attempted espionage.
Priceless
Author: Frank Ackerman
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1459604253
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 358
Book Description
As clinical as it sounds to express the value of human lives, health, or the environment in cold dollars and cents, cost-benefit analysis requires it. More disturbingly, this approach is being embraced by a growing number of politicians and conservative pundits as the most reasonable way to make many policy decisions regarding public health and the environment. By systematically refuting the economic algorithms and illogical assumptions that cost-benefit analysts flaunt as fact, Priceless tells a ''gripping story about how solid science has been shoved to the backburner by bean counters with ideological blinders'' (In These Times). Ackerman and Heinzerling argue that decisions about health and safety should be made ''to reflect not economists' numbers, but democratic values, chosen on moral grounds. This is a vividly written book, punctuated by striking analogies, a good deal of outrage, and a nice dose of humor'' (Cass Sunstein, The New Republic). Essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of human health and environmental protection, Priceless ''shines a bright light on obstacles that stand in the way of good government decisions''.
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1459604253
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 358
Book Description
As clinical as it sounds to express the value of human lives, health, or the environment in cold dollars and cents, cost-benefit analysis requires it. More disturbingly, this approach is being embraced by a growing number of politicians and conservative pundits as the most reasonable way to make many policy decisions regarding public health and the environment. By systematically refuting the economic algorithms and illogical assumptions that cost-benefit analysts flaunt as fact, Priceless tells a ''gripping story about how solid science has been shoved to the backburner by bean counters with ideological blinders'' (In These Times). Ackerman and Heinzerling argue that decisions about health and safety should be made ''to reflect not economists' numbers, but democratic values, chosen on moral grounds. This is a vividly written book, punctuated by striking analogies, a good deal of outrage, and a nice dose of humor'' (Cass Sunstein, The New Republic). Essential reading for anyone concerned with the future of human health and environmental protection, Priceless ''shines a bright light on obstacles that stand in the way of good government decisions''.
Speak Now
Author: Kaylie Jones
Publisher: Akashic Books
ISBN: 9781888451870
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
Clara Sverdlow has been stalked by her high-school lover for almost 20 years. A recently sober alcoholic in her mid-thirties, she has found happiness in a tenuous new marriage to Mark. Yet the past lurks over them like a great shadow, always encroaching on their happiness. With a miracle baby, they are trying to forget the past and learn to live normally in the world. But Clara's stalker secretly insinuates himself upon their life, with disastrous consequences. Clara and Mark's only hope is to address the past and confront the present before it's too late.
Publisher: Akashic Books
ISBN: 9781888451870
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 316
Book Description
Clara Sverdlow has been stalked by her high-school lover for almost 20 years. A recently sober alcoholic in her mid-thirties, she has found happiness in a tenuous new marriage to Mark. Yet the past lurks over them like a great shadow, always encroaching on their happiness. With a miracle baby, they are trying to forget the past and learn to live normally in the world. But Clara's stalker secretly insinuates himself upon their life, with disastrous consequences. Clara and Mark's only hope is to address the past and confront the present before it's too late.
Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance
Author: Jane Gleeson-White
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393089681
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
“Lively history. . . . Show[s] double entry’s role in the creation of the accounting profession, and even of capitalism itself.”—The New Yorker Filled with colorful characters and history, Double Entry takes us from the ancient origins of accounting in Mesopotamia to the frontiers of modern finance. At the heart of the story is double-entry bookkeeping: the first system that allowed merchants to actually measure the worth of their businesses. Luca Pacioli—monk, mathematician, alchemist, and friend of Leonardo da Vinci—incorporated Arabic mathematics to formulate a system that could work across all trades and nations. As Jane Gleeson-White reveals, double-entry accounting was nothing short of revolutionary: it fueled the Renaissance, enabled capitalism to flourish, and created the global economy. John Maynard Keynes would use it to calculate GDP, the measure of a nation’s wealth. Yet double-entry accounting has had its failures. With the costs of sudden corporate collapses such as Enron and Lehman Brothers, and its disregard of environmental and human costs, the time may have come to re-create it for the future.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 0393089681
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 226
Book Description
“Lively history. . . . Show[s] double entry’s role in the creation of the accounting profession, and even of capitalism itself.”—The New Yorker Filled with colorful characters and history, Double Entry takes us from the ancient origins of accounting in Mesopotamia to the frontiers of modern finance. At the heart of the story is double-entry bookkeeping: the first system that allowed merchants to actually measure the worth of their businesses. Luca Pacioli—monk, mathematician, alchemist, and friend of Leonardo da Vinci—incorporated Arabic mathematics to formulate a system that could work across all trades and nations. As Jane Gleeson-White reveals, double-entry accounting was nothing short of revolutionary: it fueled the Renaissance, enabled capitalism to flourish, and created the global economy. John Maynard Keynes would use it to calculate GDP, the measure of a nation’s wealth. Yet double-entry accounting has had its failures. With the costs of sudden corporate collapses such as Enron and Lehman Brothers, and its disregard of environmental and human costs, the time may have come to re-create it for the future.