Track 01:  Auditing

Financial auditing is the process of examining an organizations (or individual's) financial records to determine if they are accurate and in accordance with any applicable rules (including accepted accounting standards), regulations, and laws.

• Compilation and review
• Performing an attest engagement
• Performing an audit

Track 02:  Accounting Information System

An accounting information system (AIS) involves the collection, storage, and processing of financial and accounting data used by internal users to report information to investors, creditors, and tax authorities. It is generally a computer-based method for tracking accounting activity in conjunction with information technology resources. AIS combines traditional accounting practices, such as the use of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with modern information technology resources.

• Business intelligence
• Computer fraud
• Data/Information security
• Information management
• Internal controls
• Practice management
• XBRL

Track 03:  Accounting & Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping and accounting may appear to be the same profession to an untrained eye. This is because both accounting and bookkeeping deal with financial data, require basic accounting knowledge, and classify and generate reports using the financial transactions.

• Catering to niche industries
• Financial reporting
• Marketing and Sales
• Pricing models
• Advisory Services 

Track 04:  Accounting Fraud

Accounting fraud is the phrase used to describe a situation when an employee of a business entity steals, misappropriates or embezzle money or other resources. Anybody in the position of stealing ranging from unit managers to accounting clerks or chief financial officer can perpetrate this kind of fraud. Factors like enriching oneself, covering for errors, and covering for a loved one can be the motive behind the commission of accounting fraud. The interesting stuff about accounting fraud is that small discovery usually lead to massive exposure of fraud.

• Context and perspective
• SEC/DOJ Guidance
• Global perspective
• Indicators of opportunity

Track 05:  Accounting Education

It acts as a forum for the exchange of ideas, experiences, opinions and research results relating to the preparation of students for careers in all walks of life for which accounting knowledge and understanding is relevant. The coverage includes aspects of accounting education and training policy, curriculum issues, computing matters, and accounting research as it impinges on educational or training issues.

• Business (for-profit and not-for-profit)
• Public Accounting
• Managerial Accounting
• Financial Management
• Corporate Accounting
• Controllership
• Treasury Management
• Financial Analysis
• Internal Auditing

Track 06:  Financial Analysis

A financial analysis accentuates the strengths and weaknesses of a company. Communicating the company’s strengths and weaknesses in an accurate and honest manner is helpful in convincing the investors to invest in your business.

• Corporate Financial Analysis
• Investment Financial Analysis

Track 07:  Financial Reporting

Financial reporting refers to standard practices to give stakeholders an accurate depiction of a company’s finances, including their revenues, expenses, profits, capital, and cash flow, as formal records that provide in-depth insights into financial information.

• Internal control over financial reporting
• International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Private company reporting
• SEC regulatory compliance and reporting
• Financial KPIs
• Types of KPI reports
• Financial reporting software and BI reporting tools

Track 08:  Personal Financial Planning

Personal financial planning helps individuals and families reach goals that require money to achieve, such as having adequate retirement income or resources to cover college expenses. With good planning, most people find they can achieve their desired standard of living and meet their financial goals in a timely and orderly fashion.

• Estate planning
• Investment planning
• Practice management
• Retirement planning
• Significant event planning
• Tax planning

Track 09:  Investment banking

Investment banking is a division of financial corporations that deal with the creation of new debt and security instruments, underwriting IPO processes, merge or acquire companies and help high net worth individuals and banks to facilitate high-value investments. Investment banks also provide guidance to issuers regarding the issue and placement of stock.

• Underwriting Services
• Equity Research
• Sales and Trading
• Raising Capital
• Sell Side and Buy Side
• Mergers and Acquisitions

Track 10:  Management Accounting and Control Systems

Management accounting control systems (MACS) is the collective processes that help in fine tuning the best method of managing complex variables including managers and employees. The primary aim of MACS is to supports the application of underlying procedures, processes and documentations within a given enterprise in such a way that results are maximised.

• Management Accounting Techniques
• Management Accounting Change
• Financial Management for MAC
• Research in Management Control.

Track 11:  Environmental Accounting

Environmental accounting is the practice of incorporating principles of environmental management and conservation into reporting practices and cost/benefit analyses. Environmental accounting allows a business to see the impact of ecologically sustainable practices in everything from their supply chain to facility expansion. It allows accountants to report on the economic impact of those decisions to stakeholders so as to allow for proactive decision making about processes that simultaneously meet environmental regulations while adding to the bottom line.

• National income accounting – nation
• Financial accounting - firm
• Managerial or management accounting – firm, division internal or external

Track 12:  Taxation

Taxation is a term for when a taxing authority, usually a government, levies or imposes a tax. The term "taxation" applies to all types of involuntary levies, from income to capital gains to estate taxes. Though taxation can be a noun or verb, it is usually referred to as an act; the resulting revenue is usually called "taxes."

• Business tax
• Individual income taxation
• International tax
• Property tax
• Income tax
• Tax accounting (methods & periods)
• Tax ethics & standards
• Taxation of estates and trusts
• Tax fraud & compliance

Track 13:  Business Intelligence (BI) and Data Analytics

Business Intelligence (BI) is a comprehensive term encompassing data analytics and other reporting tools that help in decision making using historical data. BI vendors are developing cutting edge technology tools and technologies to reduce complexities associated with BI and empower business user.

Data Analytics focuses on algorithms to determine relationship between data offering insights. The major difference between BI and Analytics is that Analytics has predictive capabilities whereas BI helps in informed decision-making based on analysis of past data

Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics can help in making insightful business decisions, taking appropriate action along with quick implementation while Data Business Intelligence leverages cutting edge technology BI tools to address data analysis issues. Data Scientists and Domain Specialists are professionals who can skillfully use these tools to fuel business success and innovation.

Track 14:  Economics & Management

Economics provides an understanding of resource allocation between economic entities, while management is focused on determining how best to utilise allocated resources to achieve the goals of an organisation. Economics and Management are academically complementary and hold the answer to a variety of questions like:

• Was the Greek financial crisis a failure of economic policy or due to a lack of effective management?
• Why does a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes cost more than Bata?

Track 15:  Government and Nonprofit Accounting

Every year, government organizations must put together a CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report). The CAFR analyzes the financial status of the entity, and is put together using the GAAP and GASB.

The CAFR can include overall financial data as well as information on specific funds and reports the results of the period in question, often the financial year. The CAFR also includes consolidated financial statements and includes accumulations from previous years. This also includes a comparison of the period budget and the actual spend.

Nonprofit organizations are not required to publish CAFRs. However, they are required to put together financial reports for their Board of Directors and subsequent investors. These are called the Report of Consolidated Financial Statements which will include:

• Statement of Activities,
• Statement of Financial Position, and
• Statement of Cash Flow.

Track 16:  Sustainability Accounting and Reporting

Sustainability accounting (also known as social accounting, social and environmental accounting, corporate social reporting, corporate social responsibility reporting, or non-financial reporting) and it  is considered a subcategory of financial accounting that focuses on the disclosure of non-financial information about a firm's performance to external stakeholders, such as capital holders, creditors, and other authorities. Sustainability accounting represents the activities that have a direct impact on society, environment, and economic performance of an organisation.

Sustainability reporting can be considered as synonymous with other terms for non-financial reporting; triple bottom line reporting, corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting, and more. It is also an intrinsic element of integrated reporting; a more recent development that combines the analysis of financial and non-financial performance.

Track 17:  Corporate Governance

Corporate governance is the combination of rules, processes or laws by which businesses are operated, regulated or controlled. The term encompasses the internal and external factors that affect the interests of a company’s stakeholders, including shareholders, customers, suppliers, government regulators and management. The board of directors is responsible for creating the framework for corporate governance that best aligns business conduct with objectives.

• Corporate Governance: Transparency
• Corporate Governance: Accountability
• Corporate Governance: Security

 

Accounting Market Research Reports

Accountants, and the accounting functions, are the backbone of a business. This department is responsible for the recording, reporting and analyzing financial transactions within a business or corporation so it’s imperative that information be recorded properly. Generally in large businesses this function is broken out into receivables and payables and has a team of individuals associated with each.

A company’s accounting process allows business management to see the overall businesses performance and gauge things such as profit, loss and spending. Accounting practices generally follow set rules so companies can clearly see how their money is being processed – what’s coming in as well as what is going out. Accounting includes items such as recording transactions (debits and credits), maintaining financial records and keeping track of information for internal audits.

Through the accounting process, businesses can see their profit or loss as well their assets and liabilities. Due to the structure in how this information is kept, businesses can create reports and statements that are shared with internal resources as well as shareholders. Having this information readily available keeps the business prepared for unexpected events as well as opportunities.

Whether your company is looking for an accounting firm to help with this process or if you are looking for the latest software to help your business manage this process, MarketResearch.com has the resources you need to succeed.

Finance Market Research Reports

So, we know that the finance industry deals with money and how it is managed, in a huge variety of senses. There is a huge deal of stake therefore, across the industry, and so research is a massive part of what any financial services provider will do. Market research allows for insights into products and trends, which in turn offers a projection on opportunities for sales and the best way to implement financial strategy.

As such, Market Research is invaluable to any financial services provider. Nothing would go through without the data to back up any decisions made, effective forecasting and analysis of any part of the organisation that needs changing. In fact, anything from marketing to internal audit is put under scrutiny by the researchers at any given firm – it’s an integral part of everything financial.

Research allows the investment in the most upcoming and fastest moving companies in the world, allowing for the maximisation of profit within the industry, as well as showcasing the innovative nature that drives investment. In exactly the same way, market research allows the firms to understand the customers that they are serving – their wants, their needs and how they are changing – in order that they can respond to these changes effectively.

Here are some of the commonly researched markets by top Financial Services providers

• Current and savings accounts
• Pensions
• Insurance
• Financial advice
• Personal loans
• Mortgages
• Investments
• Property
• Credit cards
• Business banking

 

Research is at the height of the industry and keeps it moving forward in a business sense whilst remaining in touch with the customers that the firms represent. Without it, everything would fall apart. So, the next time someone tries to tell you to do your research, think of it as practice – if it’s good enough for the biggest industry in the world, its good enough for you.

Relationship Between Accounting & Marketing

The accounting department of a business monitors the financial condition of a company based on financial statements that are compiled on a regular basis. The marketing department is responsible for managing and developing the sales of a business. The accounting department must work closely with the marketing department to monitor trends in the business as well as manage the efficiency of sales promotions initiated by the marketing company. For example, a marketing might campaign might be successful in terms of gross sales, but the accounting department might determine that the cost of the campaign was too high.

Accounting Department and Financial Statements

All businesses must keep some form of accounting system to monitor the financial results of a business. The financial statements help management gauge the profitability of a business within a given period. The accounting department is responsible for the preparation and analysis of the financial statements. They can monitor sales trends and expense trends in the business that can provide management with the information it needs to make plans for expansion or cost reductions. Some of the most important expenditures a business can make are in the areas of marketing and advertising. A business must be able to market its goods and services; however they must also be able to manage the cost of the marketing and advertising efforts.

Marketing Reports

The marketing department of a company sets up programs to increase sales via advertising and sales promotions. These can include direct advertising programs such as radio and television campaigns to indirect programs that include involvement in community and public organizations. The marketing department prepares a variety of reports designed to assist management in processes of determining sales strategies that work. Reports might include gross sales per campaign or even customer hits on a website advertisement. Marketing is always looking for the best way to promote a business within the confines of the company budget.

Ratio Analysis

Management is always looking at the relationship between sales and costs. These are called ratios. For example, a typical ratio is the gross-expense ratio. This measures the gross expenses of a company with the gross sales. For example, if the gross monthly expenses in a period are $100,000 and the gross income is $200,000, the gross expense ratio is 50 percent ($100,000 divided by $200,000.) The gross expense ratio can be further broken down into expenses related to important departments in the company, such as marketing. Accounting and marketing should work closely to monitor the ratios of advertising and marketing expenses to gross sales. For example, if marketing expenses are increased in a period, but sales remain constant, management may decide that the marketing expenses were inefficient. This is called ratio analysis.

 

Considerations

Marketing and accounting must work closely so that management can see where the marketing campaigns are successful. Another reason marketing and accounting work closely together is to prepare budgets for future expenditures in the fields of marketing and advertising. By looking at past financial results, management can budget future expenditures for the marketing campaigns. It’s then the accounting department’s role to measure the marketing department’s adherence to budget limits and also the efficiency of the budgets that have been utilized.

 

Planning a Trip to Vancouver, Canada!!! Attending Meeting!!!

An issue with VISA!!

Accounting and Finance Management Committee will be happy to help you in all regards to plan your trip to Vancouver, Canada. Avail the official invitation letter from us to attend this event ahead with a closer step for approval of your VISA.

Find out what you need to do to visit Canada as a tourist or business person, how to extend your stay in Canada and what documents you need to carry with you to transit through Canada.

Application submission:

Canada does not have a visa office in every country so it is important that Delegates/Attendees visit the website of the visa office responsible for processing their visa applications.  Information is available on the website on how to submit a visa application and the documentation required. 

Delegates/Attendees are encouraged to submit their visa applications well in advance of the date of the event at a Visa Application Centre or on-line E-applications (e-Apps).

E-Apps

This system allows clients to submit applications online.

Delegates/Attendees that need a visa but require their passport for other travel purposes are strongly encouraged to submit their visa applications online (e-Apps).  Delegates/Attendees that choose to apply online will not have to submit their passport until a decision has been taken on their applications.  If required, the visa office will send the applicant instructions on how and where to send their passports to finalize the visa process.  

Visa Application Centres (VACs):

VACs are commercial service providers authorized by Canada to provide specific services to applicants. 

VACs provide a number of services including help applicants fill out forms, answer questions and ensure that applications are complete, thereby reducing unnecessary delays or refusals due to incomplete applications.

Applicants that are required to provide biometrics information as part of the visa application process can do so at a VAC.  Additional information on the biometrics requirements is available at the IRCC website.

VACs send applications to Visa Offices and transmit decisions to applicants in a secure and confidential manner. VACs do not process visa applications and play no role in the decision-making process.

Visa Applications Processing Time:

Processing time for visa applications vary depending on the office and the time of the year.  Participants should be encouraged to apply early for their visas, and to submit complete applications including all supporting documents. 

Please visit the IRCC website for information on the time it takes to process visa applications at the various visa offices. 

NEW - Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

As of March 15, 2016, visa-exempt foreign nationals are expected to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or transit through Canada. Exceptions include U.S. citizens and travelers with a valid Canadian visa. Canadian citizens, including dual citizens, and Canadian permanent residents are not eligible to apply for an eTA.

However, from March 15, 2016, until fall 2016, travellers who do not have an eTA can board their flight, as long as they have appropriate travel documents, such as a valid passport. During this time, border services officers can let travellers arriving without an eTA into the country, as long as they meet the other requirements to enter Canada. We invite you to consult the IRCC website regularly for information updates on eTA.

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• Stanley Park
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• Museum of Vancouver
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• Richmond & Many more…