Each year, over 120,000 CPA exam candidates continue to attempt to pass the CPA exam. It is a stressful event in the life of an accountant, and the stress goes beyond just the knowledge and the exam itself because of the high percentage (85%), of first time students who fail. This book discusses what really happens at the CPA exam and how the candidate can better control the outcome. It provides the expert guidance on the techniques needed to pass today's CPA exam.

In Atomic the authors' revolutionary theory is put to the test. Looking across all sectors of business, including retail banking, financial services, telecommunications, IT and consultancy, carbon-based corporations (oil and gas companies), and consumer products companies, Camrass and Farncombe discover some real eye-openers, including how truly more efficient these industries become by a change in corporate structure.

The implications for individuals are equally profound and far-reaching. It might take a decade, but it will happen, and nothing will be the same again. Welcome to the Atomic Corporation.

A comprehensive reference, thoroughly updated with all new material, The AMA Handbook of Project Management presents the critical concepts and theories that all project managers must master. Containing definitive models, advice, and in-depth solutions to specific project management dilemmas, the book provides valuable insight and the latest techniques on how to: * establish project goals * implement planning on both the strategic and operational levels * design dependable, but flexible, organizational structures * manage the project life cycle and meet objectives * budget the project * handle the transition from project idea to project reality. Packed with case studies to ensure thorough comprehension of key principles, this second edition reflects the most recent changes to the Project Management Body of Knowledge(r), and contains new material on subjects including project management as a profession, portfolio management, program management, team development, and much more. This guide is a vital resource for everyone involved in project tasks.

What are the best methods for proving to management that e-Learning is right for your organization? This report will provide answers, as well as worksheets to help you calculate the ROI you would see with e-Learning. It also includes case studies from other organizations that have made the transition and how they did it.

Investment promotion agencies (IPAs) exist in almost all countries around the world, but there has been no global attempt to determine whether they have been able to significantly influence the investor's decision to locate in one country rather than another. The Effectiveness of Promotion Agencies at Attracting Foreign Direct Investment is the first empirical study of the effectiveness of these agencies in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). This study finds that promotion is unambiguously associated with greater FDI flows. The effectiveness of promotion, however, depends on: the quality of the investment climate, market size the level of development of the country the IPA's budget and type of activities it carries out communication with the highest level of policymakers and support from the private sector. An important resource, The Effectiveness of Promotion Agencies at Attracting Foreign Direct Investment provides many lessons about how to carry out effective investment promotion.

Financing an independent feature film production is a highly complex process. This book demystifies the legal and commercial implications of a film from start to finish. It provides a detailed survey of each of the processes and players involved, and analyses of the legal and commercial issues faced by all of the participants in a film financing transaction. Packed with legal advice and straight forward explanations this is an essential reference for filmmakers worldwide.

With contributions from leading professionals around the world, and an up-to-date international approach, this is an invaluable tool for producers, and others involved in the film industry.

Includes: Case studies, Sample Recoupment Schedules, Alternative Financing Models, Glossary of Film Financing and Banking Terms

Philip Alberstat is a media finance and production lawyer specialising in film, television and broadcasting. He has worked on films such as The 51st State, Goodbye Mr Steadman, Tooth and numerous television programmes and series. He is on the editorial board of Entertainment Law Review and is the author of The Independent Producers Guide to Film and TV Contracts (2000), and Law and the Media (2002).

Philip is involved in raising finance for film and television productions and negotiating and structuring film and television deals. He undertakes corporate and commercial work and handles the intellectual property aspects of broadcasting and finance transactions. He has also executive produced numerous film and television productions. He won an Emmy Award in 2004 as an Executive Producer of the Film, "The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie".

Philip joined Osborne Clarke as a partner in February 2002. Prior to that he was Head of Legal and Business Affairs with one of the largest independent TV production companies in the UK. He was previously Head of Media at Baker & McKenzie and began his career at Olswang. He was winner of the Lawyer/Hifal Award for Solicitor of the year in 1997 and is listed in Legal Experts in the area of Film Finance/Media.

"The budget and financial reporting processes are well known sources of frustration for most CFOs. Seeking a quick fix to the problem, the common solution is to pour more money into new and better software. This leaves the root cause, the inefficient and dysfunctional underlying processes and routines, unaddressed. As this book shows, substantial and sustainable improvements are only achieved through an holistic approach to process improvement, technology, strategy, and people."
—Tom Henry Knudsen, Executive Vice President, Telenor Eiendom Fornebu AS, Proven methods for improving efficiency

Corporations face a high turnover among financial managers, rapid changes in technology, lack of time and process redesign skills, and ongoing ambiguity about primary objectives behind the budgeting and financial reporting processes. Amid this frenzy, it is the fundamental efficiency of these processes that dramatically impact overall business performance. Process Improvement for Effective Budgeting and Financial Reporting provides financial managers with a compelling blueprint for increasing efficiency and eliminating waste of time and energy. Four operational experts lay out an 80/20 plan-improving 800f processes in 200f the time it would take to improve 100%-and explain a Business Process Improvement (BPI) plan that incorporates:

• The emerging trends affecting financial managers today
• Step-by-step process implementation
• Interviews with industry leaders, consultants, and managers who have successfully instituted BPI plans
• Appraisals of the available software that can help or hinder the process

There is no substitute for improved efficiency. CFOs, controllers, budget managers, and financial analysts will significantly benefit from adding this authoritative guide to their professional libraries.

So much for the notion ‘those who can, do–those who cant, teach. Mulford and Comiskey function successfully both as college professors and real-world financial mercenaries. These guys know their balance sheets. The Financial Numbers Game should serve as a survival manual for both serious individual investors and industry pros who study and act upon the interpretation of financial statements. This unique blend of battle-earned scholarship and quality writing is a must-read/must-have reference for serious financial statement analysis." —Bob Acker, Editor/Publisher, The Acker Letter

"Wall Streets unforgiving attention to quarterly earnings presents ever increasing pressure on CFOs to manage earnings and expectations. The Financial Numbers Game provides a clear explanation of the ways in which management can stretch, bend, and break accounting rules to reach the desired bottom line. This arms the serious investor or financial analyst with the healthy skepticism required to drive beyond reported results to a clear understanding of a firms true performance." —Mark Hurley, Managing Director, Training and Development, Global Corporate and Investment Banking, Bank of America

Financial Modeling with Crystal Ball and Excel is a comprehensive, well-written guide to one of the most useful analysis tools available to professional risk managers and quantitative analysts. This is a must-have book for anyone using Crystal Ball, and anyone wanting an overview of basic risk management concepts.

Statistical Tools in Finance and Insurance presents ready-to-use solutions, theoretical developments and method construction for many practical problems in quantitative finance and insurance. Written by practitioners and leading academics in the field, this book offers a unique combination of topics from which every market analyst and risk manager will benefit.

Covering topics such as heavy tailed distributions, implied trinomial trees, support vector machines, valuation of mortgage-backed securities, pricing of CAT bonds, simulation of risk processes and ruin probability approximation, the book does not only offer practitioners insight into new methods for their applications, but it also gives theoreticians insight into the applicability of the stochastic technology. Additionally, the book provides the tools, instruments and (online) algorithms for recent techniques in quantitative finance and modern treatments in insurance calculations.

Written in an accessible and engaging style, this self-instructional book makes a good use of extensive examples and full explanations. The design of the text links theory and computational tools in an innovative way. All Quantlets for the calculation of examples given in the text are supported by the academic edition of XploRe and may be executed via XploRe Quantlet Server (XQS). The downloadable electronic edition of the book enables one to run, modify, and enhance all Quantlets on the spot.