Accounting The Future

‘Remaining Relevant’ is practical and practiced advice for accountants to remain relevant in a ‘disrupted’ industry and has been described as “the most important business book that you will read this year.” Anthony S Bongiorno, The Bongiorno Group. The explosion of cloud computing and its impact on the accounting industry is the impetus for ‘Remaining Relevant’, which is all about the future of the accounting profession - essential reading in this manual for an accountant’s success. “Technology is enabling and will demand the accounting profession to transform. From the changing the engagement and service mix within a firm, to fixed fee billing and off shoring ... everything is up for review. As long-term industry insider and visionary, Rob has the unique capability to help accountants focus on what is important through his direct, and at times confronting, analysis of the profession. A must read.” Tim Reed, MYOB CEO “Rob Nixon is to accounting what Peter Drucker was to strategy: He creates new paradigms and fresh approaches to a discipline that would be headed for the doldrums without him.” Alan Weiss, PhD, Author, Million Dollar Consulting Rhode Island, USA “The accounting game is changing forever. Any partner who doesn’t acknowledge this is kidding themselves. The age of the dinosaur firm is coming to an end, and this book is a must for any accountant who wants to remain relevant in the 21st Century.” Chris Hooper, CEO, Accodex Adelaide, Australia

We have spent a great deal of time on the continued development of accounting and auditing standards, which are used as a primary component of corporate reporting, to reach today's financial reporting framework. However, is it possible to say that, currently, financial statements provide full and prompt disclosure? Or will they still be useful as a primary element with their current structures in corporate reporting? Undoubtedly, we are deeply concerned about these issues in recent times. This volume contains chapters to discuss the today's and tomorrow's accounting and corporate reporting phenomena in a comprehensive and multidimensional way. Therefore, this book is organized into six sections: "Achieving Sustainability through Corporate Reporting", "International Standardization", "Financial Reporting Quality", "Accounting Profession and Behavioral Aspects", "Public Sector Accounting and Reporting", and "Managerial Accounting".

Provides accountants in small and medium sized firms the tool to expand services beyond attest and compliance functions. Shows how to transition to other professional services that clients value. Provides a pro-forma business plan for mapping a three to five year plan for the transition to a successful practice. Positions consulting as an extension to traditional services, not just an alternative. Includes many real world examples of accountants who have made a successful transition to new services, discussing the challenges and the results achieved. Focuses on quality of life issues and how to get there.

Public accountants are being attacked from all sides. Stock and bond holders, the United States Congress, the Securities and Exchange Commission, clients, and even members of the profession itself, all accuse accountants of failing in their watchdog duties as auditors and of approving financial statements that follow questionable accounting rules. Academic as well as other critics fault the profession for failing to innovate, particularly in respect to accounting for the effects of inflation. The attacks often take the form of litigation that has resulted in the payment of hundreds of millions of dollars in damages by firms and their liability insurers. This situation is not unique to the United States. Similar attacks can be observed in Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries. Indeed, the viability of the external audit is today in question, as public accountants increasingly seek to avoid potentially ruinous engagements and diversify into other activities. Drawing on his long and extensive experience as both practitioner and academic, the author traces the history of accounting and auditing, analyzing the factors---domestic and international---that have led to the contemporary problems of the profession. He prescribes measures that can and should be taken in order to restore public accounting to its former status and esteem. He proposes major changes in federal and state legislation, the current system of accountancy education and training, accounting and auditing standard setting, and existing models of historical financial reporting. In addition, he presents a blueprint for a new type of financial report designed to improve the utility of financial statements for investment decisions.

"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.

Enron killed Arthur Andersen in 2002, leaving only Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC. Now the Big Four, with a total revenue of $127 billion, face major threats that need immediate attention. Count Down looks at today’s model and proposes a new Big Audit, fit to serve the capital markets of the 21st century.