2010
Showing 529–544 of 657 results
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Insurance fraud: Is your client being scammed?
March / April 2010
Newsletter: Advocate's Edge / Litigation Support
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 650
Abstract: Although businesses potentially can become victim to a variety of schemes intended to bilk insurance companies and workers’ compensation funds, on-the-job injury and property-casualty fraud are the most common. But there are specific clues that fraud experts use to uncover dishonest behavior. In addition to investigating workers’ comp or property-casualty claims, they can help prevent such fraud from occurring in the first place.
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E-mail evidence – How to build a fraud case with keyword searches
March / April 2010
Newsletter: Advocate's Edge / Litigation Support
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 650
Abstract: Typically, three conditions make occupational fraud possible: motivation, opportunity and rationalization (also known as the “fraud triangle”). By pinpointing the existence of such conditions, experts can better target their investigations. Recently, a team of fraud experts theorized that e-mail communication patterns could reveal a fraud perpetrator’s motivation, opportunity and rationalization. This article discusses the results of their research, while a sidebar explains the “fraud triangle” in detail.
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How subsequent events affect your financial statements
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Public Company Insights
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 514
Abstract: Financial statements provide a snapshot of a company’s financial condition on the balance sheet date. But in the real world, a company’s assets, liabilities and net worth are in a constant state of flux. What happens when, after financial statements are prepared, events occur that have a material impact on the numbers? Recently, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 165, now known as Accounting Standards Codification TM (ASC) Topic 855, Subsequent Events. It doesn’t make significant changes to the principles that apply to subsequent events, but underscores management’s responsibility for identifying and disclosing such events.
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Revenue gets the recognition it deserves
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Public Company Insights
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 540
Abstract: Recently, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) finalized two new revenue recognition rules that affect companies. The rules, covered in two Accounting Standards Updates, are part of a broader effort by FASB and the International Accounting Standards Board to clarify principles for recognizing revenue and develop a joint revenue recognition standard. For many companies, the proposed framework won’t require major changes to their accounting practices, but in some industries the impact may be significant.
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Merger mysteries – Accounting for business combinations
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Public Company Insights
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 775
Abstract: Merger and acquisition activity has slowed over the past two years, but may be on the verge of a comeback. This could be a good time for companies contemplating an M&A to review the applicable accounting standards. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued a series of Staff Positions and Accounting Standards Updates to clarify earlier Statements regarding the measurement of fair value. Current rules regarding treatment of contingent considerations are also discussed, along with FASB’s new FSP FAS 141(R)-1, which addresses the recording of contingent assets and liabilities.
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D&O insurance – Is your company’s policy up to snuff?
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Public Company Insights
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 817
Abstract: In the current economic environment, disgruntled shareholders, investors and other interested parties commonly file lawsuits or claims against a public company’s directors and officers — exposing their personal assets to significant risk. Even innocent parties can be overwhelmed by the cost of mounting a defense. Directors and officers (D&O) insurance can provide a vital safety net — if it offers appropriate coverage. This article contains a checklist of items to look for in a D&O policy, while a sidebar discusses the three types of coverage in a single policy.
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News for Nonprofits – NEW M&A ACCOUNTING STANDARD KICKS IN
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Nonprofit Agendas
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 433
Abstract: This issue’s “News for Nonprofits” looks at Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 164, Not-for-Profit Entities: Mergers and Acquisitions, which offers guidance on merger and acquisition accounting and disclosures specifically for nonprofits, while also addressing the treatment of goodwill. Also mentioned in this issue are two surveys detailing executive compensation at not-for-profit organizations.
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Board-staff harmony
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Nonprofit Agendas
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 301
Abstract: Two planes flying in the same airspace need instruction from the tower to make sure they don’t collide. Likewise, a nonprofit needs to give direction to its board (and staff) — about “who does what” — to ensure that both reach their goals without distress. This can be especially important in a small organization. To avoid a collision, it’s important to make sure that board members receive a thorough orientation, work through the executive director when making requests of employees, and interact regularly with staff.
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Being “accountable” – Certain expense reimbursements not taxable in accountable plans
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Nonprofit Agendas
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 713
Abstract: Certain expense reimbursements and allowances aren’t viewed by the IRS as taxable income to the employee if they’re made under an accountable plan. In turn, if these amounts aren’t taxable income to the employee, they’re not subject to the employer portion of FICA taxes either. But there are four requirements for this type of plan: The expenses must have a business connection; they must be reasonable; there must be reasonable accounting for the expenses; and all excess reimbursements must be repaid in a reasonable time.
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Getting financing in today’s economy
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Nonprofit Agendas
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 1103
Abstract: Nonprofit organizations, large and small, often consider borrowing money only as a last resort. But there are certain times when going to the bank is the right answer. This article discusses the steps necessary to prepare a loan application, and discusses the different kinds of loans available (line of credit, term loan, and tax-exempt bond) and the circumstances in which each may be most appropriate. A sidebar lists three bond options made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 that allows nonprofits to access more attractive and cost-beneficial tax-exempt financing through 2010.
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Ask the Advisor – Q: What does it mean to “buy a balance sheet”?
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Merger & Acquisition Focus
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 422
Abstract: In an uncertain economic climate, bank financing for strategic growth initiatives can be hard to find — even for financially healthy companies. Buyers having trouble attracting lenders could consider “buying a balance sheet,” or acquiring a cash- or asset-rich company it has little strategic use for to use as loan collateral. This strategy can not only benefit buyers, but also sellers with a decent cash reserve or significant liquid assets, who can then negotiate for a higher-than-market price and favorable deal terms.
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8 first-time seller mistakes
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Merger & Acquisition Focus
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 732
Abstract: If they’re not careful, business owners selling their first company can make serious mistakes that jeopardize the deal or result in a lower sale price. Selling successfully requires extensive advance preparation and strategizing. It’s important to avoid a number of mistakes, including incorrectly estimating the business’s value, misunderstanding the buyer’s motivation and revealing too much confidential information to the wrong buyer.
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Initial steps to integration success
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Merger & Acquisition Focus
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 668
Abstract: M&A deal participants usually focus their energy on such activities as pricing, due diligence and negotiations. Numerous studies and ample anecdotal evidence suggest, however, that poor integration is the most common reason that mergers fail to meet their objectives. Buyers need to get the process rolling before they tell employees or publicly announce the deal. It’s necessary to develop an “integration philosophy” and then form a team to implement a process consistent with that philosophy. Integration isn’t a monolithic task, but instead a collection of smaller, but critical, activities involving employees, management, technology, products and clients.
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Looking up – An economic recovery can be your selling opportunity
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Merger & Acquisition Focus
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 795
Abstract: Although there’s some disagreement over whether the country’s recession is over, the future is finally beginning to look brighter for the M&A market. Corporate buyers and private equity funds that have bided their time building cash reserves are expected to re-emerge. For those who’ve been waiting to sell and are well positioned, this article shows how they might overcome financing barriers. A sidebar discusses how sellers can compete for the limited pool of prospective buyers.
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Who’s your daddy? Patent inventorship often turns on time of conception
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Ideas on Intellectual Property Law
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 593
Abstract: A UCLA researcher temporarily joined a University of Pittsburgh lab to join in a research project. Following applications by the University, a patent was issued for a method developed during the project. The listed inventors included the UCLA researcher. The University of Pittsburgh filed an action seeking removal of all inventors except their own two researchers, arguing that they had completed conception of the invention before the other researchers contributed their efforts. UCLA disagreed, asserting that the Pittsburgh researchers were required to know that the invention contained every limitation of each patent claim at the time of conception. University of Pittsburgh v. Hedrick, No. 08-1468, 2009 (Fed. Cir.)
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Court tackles tricky issue of tacking trademark rights
February / March 2010
Newsletter: Ideas on Intellectual Property Law
Price: $225.00, Subscriber Price: $157.50
Word count: 412
Abstract: When trademark rights are contested, a party might turn to “tacking” to establish that it made first use of the mark and thereby has senior rights to that mark. Tacking allows a trademark owner to claim priority in a mark based on the first use date of a similar, but technically distinct, mark. Courts, however, don’t always buy into this strategy; tacking is allowed in only extremely narrow instances. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently tackled the tricky issue of tacking in a case involving two similar company logos. One Industries, LLC v. Jim O’Neal Distributing, Inc., No. 08-55316, 2009 (9th Cir.)