ACCOUNTING BEST PRACTICES Seventh Edition Today's accounting staffs are called on to work magic: process transactions, write reports, improve efficiency, create new processes—all at the lowest possible cost, using an ever-shrinking proportion of total corporate expenses. Sound impossible? Not if your staff is using the best practices for accounting. Fully updated in a new edition, Accounting Best Practices, Seventh Edition draws from renowned accounting leader Steven Bragg's extensive experience in successfully developing, operating, and consulting various accounting departments. This invaluable resource has the at-your-fingertips information you need, whether you've been searching for ways to cut costs in your accounting department, or just want to offer more services without the added expense. The best practices featured in this excellent step-by-step manual constitute need-to-know information concerning the most advanced techniques and strategies for increasing productivity, reducing costs, and monitoring existing accounting systems. This new edition boasts over 400 best practices, with fifty new to this edition in the areas of taxation, finance, collections, general ledger, accounts payable, and billing. Now featuring a corresponding seven-minute podcast for each chapter found on the book's companion website, Accounting Best Practices is the perfect, do-it-yourself book for the manager who wants to significantly boost their accounting department.

Accounting Control Best Practices, Second Edition Control systems are needed to ensure that a company's assets are used in the most productive manner and that they are not lost through fraudulent activities. However, an excessive use of controls can interfere with the efficient completion of activities within a company. Whether your company is in start-up mode, installing new systems, or simply dissatisfied with existing controls due to fraudulent losses, Accounting Control Best Practices, Second Edition is the reference handbook every accountant and systems analyst can use to ensure that their company has constructed a durable and efficient set of controls. This easy-to-use handbook clearly explains how to develop an effective system of accounting and operational controls and offers the best practices with pragmatic insights and proactive strategies to protect organizations from suffering further substantial losses of assets and reputation that occur from financial dishonesty within an organization. Author and renowned accounting expert Steven Bragg provides control flowcharts in every chapter for all major processes as well as a thorough set of corporate policies designed to support the system of controls. Now containing chapters on budgeting, collections, and acquisition integration, this valuable reference handbook offers essential information on control best practices for: Order entry, credit, and shipment Inventory management Billing Cash-handling Payroll Fixed assets Budgeting Financial reporting Just-in-time manufacturing Petty cash And many more Encompassing all of the major accounting and operational processes with nearly 500 controls presented in basic, intermediate, and advanced layers, from those needed for a very basic paper-based system, to computerized systems, to the use of advanced best practice enhancements in computerized systems, Accounting Control Best Practices, Second Edition is the only guidebook needed to devise a set of controls precisely tailored to every company's system.

Have you ever wondered where your processes stand against industry leaders or how you can take your services and organizational procedures to state of the art levels? Are you frustrated because you don't think you have the finanical or human resources needed to employ 'best' practices? This handy resource provides documented strategies and tactics for accounts payable used by several highly admired companies. You'll gain practical knowledge you can turn into "Best" (or Almost Best) Practices as well as examples of practices to avoid. Order your copy today!

Praise for Accounts Receivable Management BestPractices "An excellent reference tool on how to manage the accountsreceivable process for any company. The use of real-life examplesmakes the concepts easy to understand. I recommend the book toanyone who wants to improve cash flow and reduce bad debtloss." —Michael E. Beaulieu, Senior Vice President, Finance CardinalHealth "Rather than simply explaining how to get the greatest returnfrom an investment in accounts receivable, John G. Salek revealshow companies shoot themselves in the foot when management setspolicies and procedures without consideration of the impact on cashflow. Accounts Receivable Management Best Practices isn't just forcredit and collection professionals who often spend more timecleaning up process errors and other corporate 'garbage,' insteadof managing risk. It should be required reading for C-levelexecutives, the sales staff, operations managers, and anybody elsewhose job impacts the order-to-cash cycle." —David Schmidt, Principal, A2 Resources Coauthor of PowerCollecting: Automation for Effective Asset Management "Enhancing a company's competitive profile is all about givingenough customers the right product, at the right price, at theright time. This author's real-world approach to accomplishing thisgoal through the prism of receivables management makes this book amust-read for those companies looking to make their mark as anorganization that cares about its customers as well as their ownneed to produce financial results." —Bruce C. Lynn, Managing Director The Financial ExecutivesConsulting Group, LLC "I have worked with John Salek since 1992, both as his clientand as a project manager working with his organization. Hisknowledge of receivables management . . . the technology, theprocesses, and the formula for success . . . are unsurpassed in thefield." —Stephen L. Watts, Manager, Global Receivables (retired)General Electric Medical Systems "Mr. Salek has written a masterpiece on the intricacies andmanagement of the accounts receivable portfolio. I would recommendthis book to CFOs, controllers, treasurers, credit managers, andsmall business owners." —Steve Kozack, Credit Manager Lennox Hearth Products "Written by an author who has been in the trenches and citesactual examples. This is not written in theory, but frompractice." —Milt Dardis, Collection Consultant Dardis &Associates

Praise for Lean Accounting Best Practices for Sustainable Integration "Anyone involved in a lean transformation inevitably bumps up against the vagaries of the accounting systems that reward overproduction and waste and seem to punish true improvement. We wonder what would happen if the accountants actually came to the production floor and witnessed firsthand the havoc created by their systems. This volume gathers together some of the best thinkers to take a critical look at traditional cost accounting and defines a path forward to 'lean accounting.'" —Jeff Liker, Professor of Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan "Joe Stenzel has put together a timely compendium of writings from thought leaders in lean accounting. The viewpoints in this fine book are diverse and yet proclaim a consistent message: that conventional management accounting is broken--and here is how to fix it." —Richard J. Schonberger, President, Schonberger & Associates "If you are serious about understanding and implementing Lean Accounting in conjunction with your Lean Enterprise journey, this book will illuminate the specific techniques, but more importantly, will explain the cultural changes that are a prerequisite for success." —Jerry Solomon, Vice President of Operations, Hunt Valley, for MarquipWardUnited, a division of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. Insights and strategies from the most experienced lean accounting and performance measurement?practitioners in America Learn how to integrate the proven lean methodologies embedded in the Toyota Production System with Lean Accounting: Best Practices for Sustainable Integration. In this comprehensive guide, leading accounting and performance measurement practitioners analyze the current business climate and provide CFOs and accounting/finance personnel with step-by-step guidelines to seamlessly and successfully integrate sustainable, lean accounting principles within their enterprise. Be a lean success story with Lean Accounting.

Updated for new accounting and auditing guidance issued, this valuable tool provides hundreds of high quality disclosure examples from carefully selected U.S. companies of different sizes, across industries such as banking, credit and insurance, communication services, and healthcare from such organizations as Scotts Miracle-Gro, Coca-Cola, Caterpillar, and BB&T. Illustrations of the most important, immediate, and challenging disclosures, such as derivatives and hedging, consolidations, and fair value measurement are provided. Hot topics include statement of cash flows, going concern, and business combinations and intangibles. This edition also provides clear, direct guidance to help you understand and comply with all significant reporting requirements and detailed indexes to help you quickly find exactly what you need.

Management accounting has undergone significant evolution moving away from rigid budgeting programs and static output measures to comprehensive approaches of value identification and measurement. The book provides case studies, commentary and analysis from international experts in management accounting across the contemporary focus areas.