Business Commons^™

James F. Alderson: White-Hat Accountant With Moral Courage, David Christensen, Robin Boneck

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

The objective of this case study is to increase resolve to have moral courage by studying the whistleblowing experience of James Alderson. After a brief introduction about Alderson, whistleblowing, and moral courage, accounting students read a detailed description of Alderson’s experience in “HeBlewtheWhistleand HealthGiants Quaked” (Eichenwald 1998). They then identify essential elements of moral courage, explore how to blow the whistle, and identify character traits that may have contributed to Alderson’s success. Accounting students are inspired by Alderson’s experience, and report an increased resolve to have moral courage. Instructor notes about the case objective, suggestions for implementation and assessment, and …

Small Things And First Things – A Pedagogical Tool For Accounting Students, David S. Christensen, Greg Powell, David Rees

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Experiences early in life or career can shape character and set patterns of behavior. Just as making poor choices in “small things and first things” can adversely affect one’s character and lead to more egregious behavior, making correct choices can positively build the character of a person (Cheffers and Pakaluk 2007). This pedagogical tool provides two examples, one negative and one positive, to help students remember their own character-building experiences. WorldCom accountant Betty Vinson initially resisted an order to make a relatively minor inappropriate journal entry, but caved to management pressure. This set her on a slippery path of accounting …

Kim Emigh, Worldcom Whistleblower - A Case Study In Accounting Ethics At Worldcom, David Christensen

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

"About two weeks before internal auditors at WorldCom began questioning capital expense adjustments, the Fort Worth Weekly (cite below) published the story of Kim Emigh, who was fired for questioning inappropriate accounting practices at WorldCom. The article first caught the attention of Mark Abide, the director of property accounting at WorldCom. On May 21, Mr. Abide forwarded the article to Glyn Smith on the internal audit staff, with a note saying that the allegations of the accounting misdeeds by Emigh were ‘worth looking into’ (Krim 2002). The internal auditing team, headed by Cynthia Cooper, met on May 29 to discuss …

Helping Accounting Graduates Kill Two Birds With One Stone: An Education Designed For Success, Neal R. Vanzante

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Accounting educators have long debated the role that accounting programs should play in preparing students for professional examinations. Much of this debate has focused on preparation for the CPA Examination compared to preparation for a successful accounting career. The increased length of accounting education programs and recent revisions of both the CPA andCMA Examination provide accounting educators with the unique opportunity to offer accounting education programs that help graduates achieve successful accounting careers while focusing their efforts on successful completion of these examinations.

The article’s theme is that preparation for the CPA and CMA examinations is consistent with the goal …

An Analysis Of The Business Communication Skills Needed By Entry-Level Accountants, David S. Christensen, David Rees

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Numerous surveys have established the importance of communication skills for entry-level accountants, but none has identified the specific communication skills needed. To help us identify what skills to emphasize in an accounting curriculum, members of the Institute of Management Accounting (IMA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) were surveyed to determine (1) the relative importance of 32 business communication skills cited in business communication literature and (2) the level of satisfaction with college preparation in those skills. Based on mean ratings on two five-point scales, English skills (pertaining to spelling, grammar, and punctuation) were significantly more important …

Agricultural Accounting: A Case On Asset Valuation, Barbara Wheeling

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

The purpose of this case is to create greater awareness for both students and educators of alternative accounting methods recommended for specific industries such as agriculture. Many issues in traditional accounting courses are not relevant for agricultural businesses. This case provides students with an experience in explaining the nature of and accounting for market valuation of assets as recommended in the Financial Guidelines for Agricultural Producers which can be applied to real-world farm clients.

So, You Want To Write A Textbook: One Author's Experience, David A. Rees

Mountain Plains Journal of Business and Technology

Almost from the time I began teaching I wanted to write a textbook. I always held back, though, because I didn't know how to proceed, and because I thought I would fail--after all I really did not think I had the ability to write a textbook. Now, I have signed a contract to write an Intermediate Accounting textbook for South-Western Publishing Company and I was surprised at how easy preparing the proposal and selling the idea to South-Western really was. This paper is written for the purpose of acquainting aspiring textbook authors of the opportunities and the process of authoring …