¶ … Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in most corporations, both public and private, has expanded exponentially in recent years (Favaro, 2001). Compliance requirements and increased dependence on accounting information has caused the role of the CFO to take on increased importance.
The role and responsibilities of the CFO vary from corporation to corporation and there is no hard and fast rule as to what the role and responsibilities of a CFO might be (Farag, 2011). Such roles and responsibilities can be extensive but there are essentially five major roles that nearly every CFO fills in the modern corporation. The first such role is to participate fully in the leadership of the corporation. In this role, the CFO, using his knowledge of accounting rules and principles, contributes to the overall corporate strategy and assists in formulating policy for the organization.
The second role filled by the CFO is to be actively involved in the corporation's business decisions. This would require that the CFO exercise his financial knowledge to assist the decision making team in making decisions and to do so with an eye toward not only the current status of the corporation but also long-range plans that the corporation might have. The CFO has the responsibility of being uniquely aware of the financial status of the corporation and he is, therefore, entrusted with using this knowledge prudently. He must be able to examine the rewards and risks involved...
An increase in the number of businesses, changing financial laws and regulations, and increased scrutiny of company finances will drive growth. In addition to openings resulting from growth, the need to replace accountants and auditors who retire or transfer to other occupations will produce numerous job openings in this large occupation." Following a slew of recent accounting scandals (does Enron ring a bell?), federal legislation was passed to increase penalties,
In addition, there is no requirement, per se, for a master's degree; Within the total hour requirement, 36 semester hours of accounting and/or tax courses above the principles level and 39 semester hours of general business courses, including six semester hours in business law (Uniform CPA Exam). The Uniform CPA Examination consists of four sections: Auditing and Attestation (AUD), Business Environment and Concepts (BEC), Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) and
deceitful profession, certified public accountants would most certainly not be the first to come to mind. That is because CPAs are known and respected for their honesty. The profession goes out of its way to project that image, and there is a certain amount of truth to it. However, not all CPAs are squeaky clean and respected for their honesty. Some are quite dishonest and are putting a black
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) pioneered and mulled over a set of standards for auditing professionals. These eventually became recognized as the 10 generally accepted auditing standards. The 10 generally accepted auditing standards fall under three main categories: General standards -- Audits must be executed by a qualified and adept auditor. All matters relating to the project should be addressed with autonomy in mental attitude. Professional care is to be
Another challenge facing the industry today is the important legal issues that surround the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Koehn & Del Vecchio, 2004). One of these is the fact that the process of due diligence practiced by many companies is now taking much longer (Koehn & Del Vecchio, 2004). There is a higher degree of caution than was previously utilized and because of this many companies are discovering information that would have
This role is in response to clients' demands for a single trustworthy individual or firm to meet all of their financial needs. However, accountants are restricted from providing these services to clients whose financial statements they also prepare." (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009) 1. Public Accounting The work entitled: "The Reality of the CPA's Role" states that modern CPAs work "behind the scenes as trusted advisors in
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