Highlights
Training Opportunities
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Earn 14 CPE Hours at AGA’s
Internal Control & Fraud Conference
Enhance your existing skills and gain a deeper
understanding of fraud, ethics and internal controls by attending AGA’s
Second National Internal Control & Fraud Conference, to be held Sept. 10
– 11, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. With the theme, "Combating
Fraud & Minimizing Risk: Strategies for Success," this event focuses on
management's responsibility for ensuring a good system of internal
controls and the role of accountability professionals in minimizing the
risk of fraud, waste and abuse.
The conference features leaders from all levels of
government, the private sector and academia and offers outstanding
sessions and ample opportunities to network. Register by Aug. 17
and save.
Susumu Uyeda, CGFM, Recalled as
Consummate Professional, Friend
When AGA’s 1983–1984 National President
Susumu Uyeda, CGFM, 79, passed away on July 31, he left behind a
legacy of service to the federal government and AGA. His friends and
peers remembered him fondly this week, recalling his calm demeanor,
high ethical standards and love of a good joke. —Marie S. Force,
with Doris Chew and Jerry Murphy.
Audio Conference Set on Leadership Transition
AGA, in conjunction with the National Association of State Auditors,
Comptrollers and Treasurers (NASACT) and the Association of Local Government
Auditors (ALGA), is pleased to announce an audio conference titled,
"Making the Transition to Management: What It Takes to Succeed," worth
2 CPE hours, at 2 to 3:50 p.m. EST, Sept. 20.
This personal development audio conference focuses on
making the transition from being an individual contributor to leader.
Emphasis is placed on understanding the leadership role, and what tools
and techniques new leaders need to succeed. For those new to
supervision, this presentation will also provide insight and promote
confidence for taking on this important role. Participants will gain
knowledge in applying several techniques to enhance productivity and
teamwork.
The speaker is Robert A. Carnegie, MBA,
founder of R. Carnegie Associates, Inc., with more than 25 years of
experience in human resources and personal development training.
Cost is $249 per site (unlimited attendance) if you
register on or before Sept. 14, 2007, and $299
thereafter.
Registration information
Audio Conference Schedule
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August 13,
2007• News from the Profession
AGA Today is Brought
to You by AGA Corporate Partner Clifton Gunderson
 Clifton
Gunderson offices in Washington, D.C., Baltimore, MD and Harrisburg, PA are
looking for experienced professionals to join our public sector practice.
The ideal candidate will have 5+ yrs of Public Accounting or equivalent
audit experience along with your BA/BS in Accounting and CPA or CGFM. Duties
will include audits of Federal entities, State & Local audits (GASB), A-133
audits, and compliance auditing. To apply please e-mail
Jennifer.Busse@cliftoncpa.com
AGA's FMSB Comments on AICPA Peer Review
Process
AGA's Financial Management Standards
Board (FMSB) has commented on proposed revisions to the AICPA Standards
for Performing and Reporting on Peer Reviews, calling them "logical and
meaningful." The board, in a July 18 letter, also made specific
recommendations.
Read the comment letter.
As SOX Turns 5, Critics Say It Exposes
Problems Early
Invitrogen Corp. spent about $2.5 million
and 10,000 hours of employees' time last year reviewing its
inventory-counting procedures, computer-system access and other
"internal controls." The checks, required by the Sarbanes-Oxley
corporate-reform law, found small gaps in documentation but no hint of
accounting fraud. Officials at the Carlsbad, Calif., biotechnology
company think the costs are excessive. But they say Sarbanes-Oxley
helped to spur other changes that made Invitrogen a better-run business.
Directors meet more often without executives present. Multiple ombudsmen
field employee complaints. Ethics training is more rigorous. And Chief
Executive Greg Lucier requires his lieutenants to take more
responsibility for their results. "Sarbanes-Oxley brought a lot more
focus to the efforts we were already taking," Mr. Lucier says.
"Invitrogen investors are better protected because Sarbanes-Oxley
regulations have been put in place." Invitrogen's experience is
instructive as the Sarbanes-Oxley law marks its fifth anniversary.
—Joann S. Lublin and Kara Scannell, The Wall Street Journal.
Read the entire article.
AGA Today is Brought to You by AGA Corporate Partner MorganFranklin
MorganFranklin is
growing tremendously in the commercial and government marketplace. We
are seeking professionals with expertise in finance and accounting to
assist business and government leaders with high-stakes financial,
operational and IT issues. If this describes you, contact Denise Pollack
at 703.564.7525, ext. 296, or visit us online at
www.morganfranklin.com.
States Feel Left Out Of
Disaster Planning
A decision by the Bush administration to rewrite in secret the nation's
emergency response blueprint has angered state and local emergency
officials, who worry that Washington is repeating a series of mistakes
that contributed to its bungled response to Hurricane Katrina nearly two
years ago. State and local officials in charge of responding to
disasters say that their input in shaping the National Response Plan was
ignored in recent months by senior White House and Department of
Homeland Security officials, despite calls by congressional
investigators for a shared overhaul of disaster planning in the United
States. The national plan is supposed to guide how federal, state and
local governments, along with private and nonprofit groups, work
together during emergencies. Critics contend that a unilateral approach
by Washington produced an ill-advised response plan at the end of
2004—an unwieldy, 427-page document that emphasized stopping terrorism
at the expense of safeguarding against natural disasters. —Spencer S.
Hsu, The Washington Post.
Read the entire article.
New CGAC Structure Released
The Financial Systems Integration
Office (FSIO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have announced
the release of the Common Government-wide Accounting Classification
Structure along with associated frequently asked questions. This document
demonstrates a strong commitment by the federal CFO community to continually
improve the quality of financial management. The CFO community’s support in
developing the CGAC structure has been invaluable. We thank the CFO
Council’s FSIO Oversight Transformation Team and the agency representatives
who actively participated in developing and improving this document. Copies
of these documents are available on the FSIO
website. For more information, please send an e-mail to
Dale H. Miller or phone him at 202.219.0543.
AGA Today is Brought to You by
AGA Corporate Partner The Graduate School, USDA
 Supporting
the Business of Government
Today’s federal managers live in a world of declining budgets and
increasing performance expectations where each decision has an impact on
budget and/or performance. The Graduate School, USDA’s Decision
Support: Building New Analytical Skills helps federal leaders and
analysts understand the need for better decision information and enables
them to develop and build skills in several techniques for financial and
performance management and decision making. For more information about this
and other Graduate School, USDA financial management courses, call (888)
744-GRAD or visit www.grad.usda.gov.
'Wasted Time' Survey
Unveils What Employees Really Do at Work
The average employee wastes 20 percent of their work day on
activities such as personal Internet use and socializing with
co-workers, according to the Salary.com "Wasting Time" survey. The
survey of 2,000 employees across all job levels found 1.7 hours of a
typical 8.5 hour work day are wasted on these activities. As in
previous years, personal Internet use (34.7 percent of respondents),
socializing with co-workers (20.3 percent) and conducting personal
business (17.0 percent) remain the leading time-wasting activities.
Respondents also report making personal phone calls and taking long
breaks to run errands while on the job. Interestingly, the reasons
for wasting time cover both extremes. While many employees admit to
wasting time because they 'don't have enough work to do' (17.7
percent), the second most popular, and somewhat contradictory,
response is 'my hours are too long' (13.9 percent). —SmartPros.
Read the entire article.
Federal Accounting
Corner
Automating Allowance for Doubtful
Accounts
The process to assess and revise the allowance for doubtful
accounts is cumbersome and memory-intensive. Agencies must take care
when automating this process to maintain functional integrity. —Simcha
Kuritzky, CGFM, CPA.
Read the entire column.
AGA Today is Brought to
You by Becker CPA Review
 The
CPA Exam isn't easy.
Paying for
Becker CPA Review is.
If you’re a federal employee, you can prepare for the CPA Exam with the
leading exam prep provider—Becker CPA Review—at a dramatic tuition
discount (Contract # GS-02F-0105R). You may even qualify for full
tuition reimbursement. Contact us at 1-877-CPA-EXAM or
Becker CPA Review or e-mail
Monica Callahan to learn more about this career defining
opportunity.
Register Today for AGA's
Performance Management Conference in Phoenix
AGA’s Third Annual National
Performance Management Conference is set for Sept. 24 – 25, 2007, at the
Embassy Suites Phoenix/Scottsdale.
Are you a state and local government performance manager looking for
resources to improve your entity’s Service Efforts and Accomplishments
(SEA) Reports? Take a look at what AGA’s PMC has to offer including the
opportunity to earn 14 CPE hours and share best practices with industry
leaders and peers. Session topics include:
- Using performance information to improve
management.
- Engaging citizens to establish goals and measures
in the community.
- Using the media to advance the government successes
and challenges.
- Linking performance measures to budgeting.
- Comparing community benchmarks.
Join us in Phoenix to share in educational sessions,
networking opportunities and recognition of state and local government
entities honored with AGA’s Certificate of Achievement in SEA Reporting.
Register Now – Register by Aug. 31 and save.
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