You have a client who is a private business owner. He has run his business for 20 years, it generates good profits, doesn’t demand a lot of capital and is well run. Out of the blue he receives an offer for it that seems too good to refuse.... read more

By Tom DoctoroffPalgrave, A$39.95 China, whether considered as a market, a competitor or a geopolitical entity, is so large that one can easily fall into the trap of seeing it only in stereotypes. It takes long and close exposure to be able to... read more

It's a fact of modern working life that thousands of business people spend a lot of time in the air – for some, even more than behind their desks. Many see long-haul travel as a glamorous perk of the job, a fitting reward for years of hard... read more

In volume 12, issue 3, “Information technology, an enabler in corporate governance” by Sherly Abraham looks at ways to use new IT mechanisms to tap in to the values and beliefs of corporate executives. Abraham suggests information... read more

This podcast recaps some of the key features of the Australian Taxation Office's recent booklet, Tax compliance for small-to-medium enterprises and wealthy individuals. The publication sets out the ATO’s compliance and engagement strategies... read more

To assist existing and prospective shareholders to better understand the annual report of listed companies, CPA Australia has developed a free online publication, A guide to understanding annual reports: listed companies. “There is an... read more

Recognising the changing landscape for clients seeking accountants, CPA Australia is changing the way it promotes members in public practice. In 2012, CPA Australia decided to address this change in consumer behaviour by ceasing Yellow Pages... read more

Although many public practitioners feel burdened by constant change in regulations and accounting standards, they can take some comfort from the fact they are not alone. Preliminary results from the International Federation of... read more

On your business card your job title is Business Nerd. What’s that all about? For a few years I had been saying to people, “I’m just a real nerd who loves working with computers”. People saw it as funny. I considered... read more

On 23 June the Australian Government announced the policy framework that will eventually replace the accountants’ licensing exemption. This follows more than two years of advocacy by CPA Australia. This represents CPA Australia’s... read more

Pamela Pointon had growing problems. The Queensland public practice she had established in late 2010, Australian Taxation Accountants, was going strong, but Pointon, former Queensland president of CPA Australia, was keen to build it further.... read more

Shifting the focus of your practice to introduce a greater emphasis on consulting services is a story most accountants have heard many times before. For years, small- and medium-sized practices (SMPs) have been urged to consider broadening their... read more

Parting ways and deciding who keeps the material created during the relationship can be a tricky business, so it’s not surprising that document ownership raises a lot of queries and concerns when a client moves from one accountant to... read more

The harmonisation of accounting standards and auditor licensing between Australia and New Zealand (NZ) is gathering pace, introducing efficiencies and cost savings for cross-Tasman work. Over the past year the standards-setting bodies of the two... read more

Accounting firms are attracting higher prices than they were a few years ago as larger firms buy up smaller practices. “There’s a lot of consolidation going on, where firms want to be larger and to have critical mass, but... read more

The Australia Taxation Office (ATO) is increasing its efforts to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to settle tax cases with small- to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). While it has always been able to settle disputes with SMEs, the ATO has... read more

The CPA Australia quality review program (QRP) was established in 1994 in response to members’ concerns about the consistency of the standard of services offered by Public Practice Certificate holders. At that time, the program was focused... read more

Many practitioners spent the weeks leading up to 30 June 2012 studying trust deeds, talking to clients about income distributions and drafting trustee resolutions. With the 30 June rush behind us, now is a good time to survey the trust taxation... read more

On 27 June the Australian Corporations Amendment (Future of Financial Advice (FoFA)) Bill and Corporations Amendment (Further Future of Financial Advice Measures) Bill both received Royal Assent. Together they will implement the most significant... read more

With self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) becoming increasingly popular in Australia, auditors play a vital role in ensuring that trustees are meeting their responsibilities and that funds are compliant. Even with the competency... read more

The Personal Property Securities Act (PPSA) commenced on 30 January 2012 and time is ticking in relation to perfecting the potential impact it will have on asset protection structures commonly employed by professional advisers and their clients... read more

By David UrenBlack Inc, A$29.95 After decades hovering on the edge of Australia’s view of the world, the past 20 years have seen China burst into prominence. Uren, a business journalist of long experience, has been a keen observer of the... read more

Over the past decade, the boom town that is modern Shanghai has become home to more five-star hotels than any other metropolis. When it comes to their executive or club floors, those high-level enclaves of privilege and prestige provide the... read more

Far from being confined to the back office, many businesses now expect their accountants to behave like investigative journalists by providing prompt, proactive analysis of an issue, then to participate in decision-making. Given that analysis... read more

In the July-August issue, Michael Jacobs and Anil Shivdasani of the University of North Carolina provide an article headed “Do You Know Your Cost of Capital?”, which utilises a survey by the US Association for Financial Professionals... read more