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August Features |
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The CPA Journal
Millennium Series
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| Electronic
Signatures and Encryption
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By William Hillison, Carl Pacini, and David Sinason |
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Technology may be having a
tremendous impact on the way business is transacted, but the
old need for verifiable and binding agreements--the kind of
assurance provided by a signature--remains. The challenge
facing companies now is to weigh the features and costs of new
electronic controls against the possible security risks. (Article)
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| Advising the 'Responsible Person'
in New York
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| By Michael P.
Cassier, Mark S. Klein,
and Andrew B. Sabol
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Corporate officers and
employees can be held personally responsible for unpaid trust
fund taxes, often without even knowing it. The case law is
complex, turning on the specific taxes at issue and the
authority and behavior of the responsible, making experience
counsel indispensable. (Article)
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Inventory: The Search
for Parameters
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By Mark A. Segal
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The
determination of what constitutes merchandise and therefore
requires accounting by the accrual method hinges on whether
the taxpayer is a provider of services or seller of inventory.
Recent court decisions have clarified the parameters of
inventory where the materials are inseparable from the
rendering of the service, incapable of being held in
inventory, and unable to be purchased directly. (Article)
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| A Process for understanding a
Business and its
Industry
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| By Brain
Ballou, Dan L. Heitger,
and
Richard H. Tabor
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Developing
and maintaining a thorough understanding of a business and
industry can be challenging but is crucial to providing valued
business advice. The authors use a 10-step, objective-directed
process to efficiently filter and structure incoming
information about a business and industry. (Article) |
