Recommended Books
Crash Course in Accounting and Financial Statement AnalysisCall Number: HF 5636 .F45 2007Available at Downcity Library.
Mastering Financial Accounting EssentialsCall Number: HF 5636 .M42 2010Available at Downcity Library.
Articles & Databases
The resources below will assist you in researching accounting and related fields. You can obtain full-text articles which are constantly updated.
- Business Insights: GlobalProvides company profiles and full-text articles on thousands of companies, public and private. Also includes industry profiles.
- Business Source Complete (EBSCO)Company profiles, SWOT analyses (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) where available, industry profiles, stocks & investment info., management-related articles, Harvard Business Review case studies and streaming videos from the Harvard Business School Faculty Seminar Series.
- Emerald Management 120Management-related articles in various fields including Accounting, Education, Food Science, Hospitality & Tourism, Library Services & Information Management, Marketing, Nutrition, and Professional Development. CHECK-OFF "Only content I have access to" for full-text articles and book chapters.
- General Business File ASAP (Gale)Selective, full-text business and management-related articles. This is a subset of the larger database Business & Company Resource Center.
Professional Associations
Here are several of the best associations/organizations for the accounting profession in general.
Regulatory Agencies & Accounting Standards for the U.S.
- Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)Since 1973, the FASB has been "the designated organization in the private sector for establishing standards of financial accounting that govern the preparation of financial reports by nongovernmental entities". "Officially recognized as authoritative by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)".
- Government Accounting Standards Board (GASB)"The independent organization that establishes and improves standards of accounting and financial reporting for U.S. state and local governments."
- National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)'An association dedicated to enhancing the effectivess of the country's 55 boards of accountancy for more than 100 years."
- Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)"A nonprofit corporation established by Congress to oversee the audits of public companies in order to protect investors and the public interest by promoting informative, accurate, and independent audit reports." Created as a result of the Sarbanes-Oxley law (2002).
- U.S. Government Accountability Office (U.S. GOA)"An independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress." This "congressional watchdog ... investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars."
- U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)The federal government's agency for levying taxes on businesses and individuals. Includes the tax code, regulations and tax compliance guidance.
- U.S. Security & Exchange Commission (SEC)Established in 1934, the SEC's mission is "to protect investors, maintain fair, orderly, and efficient markets and to facilitate capital formation". "Requires public companies to disclose meaningful financial and other information to the public".
International Accounting Standards
- International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)The IFRS has merged with the IASB (International Accounting Standards Board). Click on "About Us", then "About the organization". Go to "Related Information (on the right) and click on "Who we are and what we do" for the best information on this site.
- International Standards of Accounting and Reporting (ISAR)Form UNCTAD, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. "Assists developing countries and economies in transition to implement best practices in corporate transparency and account in order to facilitate investment flows and economic development".
The Big Four
The Big Four are the world's largest international firms providing accounting/auditing services.
Journals
These online journals are a useful resource for basic research for the accounting industry.
CPA Resources
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA)The premier organization for CPAs.
- CPA RequirementsFrom AccountingCoach. Another very useful resource for CPAs.
- CPA Requirements and Registration Instructions by StateFrom Gleim.com
- CPAnetLinks to sites for professional associations/organizations, news, government/non-profit accounting, international accounting, accounting profession resources and more. Excellent resource for starting research.
- WebCPAIncludes up-to-date information about the industry, including newsletter, events, careers, a blog and more.
