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Accounting Scenarios & Facts

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To be considered –available,” property taxes must have been collected either during the government’s fiscal year or within sixty days of year-end.

For its fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, Twin City levied $500 million in property taxes. It collected taxes applicable to fiscal 2007 as follows (in millions):

June 1, 2006, through September 30, 2006 – $ 20

October 1, 2006, through September 30, 2007 – $440

October 1, 2007, through November 30, 2007 – $15

December 2007 – $4

The city estimates that $10 million of the outstanding balance will be uncollectible. For the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, how much should Twin City recognize in property tax revenue (in millions) in its general fund? $490

Assume the same facts as in the previous example. How much should Twin City recognize in property tax revenue (in millions) in its government-wide statement of activities? $490

Central City was awarded two state grants during its fiscal year ending September 30, 2007: a $2 million block grant that can be used to cover any operating expenses incurred during fiscal 2008, and a $1 million grant that can be used any time to acquire equipment for its police department. For the year ending September 30, 2007, Central City should recognize in grant revenue in its funds statements (in millions): $3

Assume the same facts as in the previous example. How much should the city recognize in grant revenue in its government-wide statements? $2

Assuming that a government will collect its sales taxes in sufficient time to satisfy the –available” criterion, it would ordinarily recognize revenue from sales taxes in its governmental fund statement on the date the merchant must remit the taxes to the government.

Assuming that a government will collect its sales taxes in sufficient time to satisfy the –available” criterion, it would ordinarily recognize revenue from sales taxes in its government-wide statements when the underlying sales transaction takes place.

Accounting Exercise

The recognition of revenue from fines does not necessarily reflect the amount –earned” by merely issuing tickets.

In August 2008, the last month of its fiscal year, Goldwaithe Township issued $88,000 worth of tickets for parking and traffic violations. Of these, the township collected $45,000. It expects to collect an additional $20,000 within sixty days of the close of the fiscal year and to collect $3,000 subsequent to that. It will have to write off the balance. The tickets are due; the protest period expires on September 15.

1. How much revenue should the township recognize from the tickets issued in August 2008?

Goldwaithe Township should recognize $65,000 in revenue from tickets issued in August. This accounts for the $45,000 collected nad the $20,000 expected to be collected within sixty days.

2. How might your answer change with respect to the township’s government-wide statements?

With respect to Goldwaithe Township’s government-wide statements, the township would recognize $68,000 is revenue from tickets issued.

For additional information about Arizona tax returns, contact the Phoenix CPA offices of Jacobsen & Wachterhauser, an Arizona accounting firm.

How To Convince A Recruiter That You Are The Perfect Fit

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A lot of people have a negative stigma on the term “salesman.” When we think about that word, we conjure an image of that pesky door-to-door salesman in the worn suit, trying desperately to get you to answer the door so that you listen to him for 30 seconds because he can change your life when you buy his Tupperware (Whew, that was a mouthful!)

Well, no, that’s not the way it works. In the real world, everyone is a salesperson of some kind or another, you just don’t realize it. Salespeople are good. Matter of fact, salespeople are great! They make the world go around!

So why are you a salesperson? Well, you sold your university on admitting you to their institution. You might have sold your parents on paying for it. These “sales” may not have been too difficult, but you did them anyway.

Your next big sale is to sell a company on hiring your services! The point I’m trying to make here is that you really need to prepare for your Career fair and for your interviews like you might prepare for a sales call:

Finding out what the company is looking for, what their “ideal candidate” attributes are, and then by explaining how you match those to a T.

Ask questions like:

“What kind of attributes are you looking for in your ideal candidate for this position?”

“Describe for me your ideal candidate.”

“What kinds of specific skills are you looking for?

Use these questions to get them talking, and then probe them with follow up questions for clarification and more detail as you see fit. Asking these questions will give you a great picture of what they’re looking for in the candidate they want to hire. After that, you need to “sell” them on how you match their needs.

Now that you know what recruiters look for, it’s time to talk about how you can convince them that you are their ideal college student candidate.

For some people, this may be difficult, for others, this may be easy. Something that was brought up at a conference recently was the example of an Olympic athlete who was quite nervous before competing. His coach simply said to him “this is just like we did in practice. Nothing different, just another practice.” This athlete went on to win the gold medal.

If we apply that principle to our interviewing, it’s very easy to see that a bit of planning and practice on your interview responses can make all the difference in your outcome.

Planning properly is the key to the whole game, and since you’ve already gotten the answers from your recruiters, it’s all laid out for you! With the end in mind of showing a recruiter that you have “xyz skill,” work backwards from there. If they are looking for those set of skills, what kind of questions would you anticipate them asking during an interview?

For example, if a recruiter wants to see that you are technically competent, they’ll probably ask you questions along the lines of “tell me a time you were challenged by a technical problem, and what you did to overcome it.”

If they are looking for leadership, they might ask “Tell me about a time when you showed leadership.”

Once you have a few questions you think they’ll ask lined up, then you can formulate your answers. Answers should be in the STAR format as my book discusses and shows you how to formulate.

With all of your answers, you want to make sure that every example relates somehow to the attributes they are looking for. If it doesn’t directly relate, but you still have to use it anyway, make sure you can somehow explain to the recruiter how that attribute is transferable to their position.

Now you just need to practice running through your answers a few times, and you’re all set!

Madden Girl Zoiiee Boots – Back In Stock – Great Sale

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Madden Girl Zoiiee Boots are back in stock. Don’t miss this great sale before they all sell out again.
I want to tell you about the greatest boots I’ve ever owned. The Madden Girl Zoiiee Boots are one of the hottest boots out this season (that’s why they were out of stock for awhile so make sure to grab yours quickly).

Why everyone loves these Zoiiee Boots

The best way to describe the look of the boot is “cute”. They have buckled strap accents at the heel and top line which gives them a little of a Western look. There is a long contrast-fabric zipper at the back which offers super–easy entry and is just plain “cute”. The calf is roomy for those with “”athletic calves” and allows room to tuck in pants. Size “B” is perfect for most women (even if you usually wear a C/D.) The heel is low and the boot is super comfortable for walking (miles) in.

The boot comes in black or tan. It runs a little big so you may want to order half a size smaller than you usually wear. They can definitely be dressed up or down which makes them an awesome boot for the price.
Where to Get the Best Sale on Zoiiee

I love mine. I’m already wearing them every day. They seem to go with any type of outfit (well, maybe not formal 😉 I’m going to give you a link to see some pictures and get more info as well as ordering info (I know they’re hard to find, but I found the place that has them and it has the lowest prices). Read all the reviews written up on them. You’ll see that this is one “popular” boot.

They already sold out once but they just reordered so grab yourself a pair real quickly!

Shipping and Returns are FREE (so order more than one pair to make sure that you get the right size).

The Function Of A Site Manager

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No matter where you may be in the world, the building industry has its fluctuations, and that includes the United Kingdom and Europe. Some areas tend to be harder hit than others are, such as the residential markets are, but in spite of those trends, little of the industry declines affect the job of a site manager.

Though there may be some residential areas where a site manager is utilized, such as in new construction of entire areas of homes, the job of a site manager is more visible in the commercial building industry. It is also not a position that is limited to that of new construction, either. So just what is the function of a site manager? Some of the duties that he may be required to perform include the following:

#Ordering new material

#Replacing material that has been exhausted

#Assuring that his site has enough manpower to perform the assigned tasks within contract guidelines

#Preparing reports and status updates for regional and other managers of his company

#Seeing that workers follow all safety procedures and that any accidents are recorded and reported to the proper authorities

#Using his expertise in the building industry as a means of knowing when changes in the original plans or projected completion dates are necessary

#Being on the site to follow the daily operation of the project

Of course, the construction industry is not the only industry that may have a site manager, but they are the most common and usually the one to which advertisements for this position refer. Although the commercial building site manager is more common, that of a residential site manager is just as demanding and in addition may require him to assume the role of a sales agent as well. When new residential construction is in the process, sometimes potential buyers will take the time to look if they like what they see. If there is not sales office they can visit, the site manager may assume the role of a sales manager. This may include a tour of the neighbourhood, review of blueprints and plans, a discussion of the sales price, and answering any questions the potential buyer may have.

For someone who has an interest in a position as a building site manager, be prepared for something very diverse that may something require your expertise and knowledge of the building industry while in other situations, you may need to be a liaison between your company and the potential buyers.

Sales Training Books

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Books Sales Stores might like to Read

While developing out new website for Sales Training Consultants, we thought it would be a good idea to provide a reading list for sales people wanting to develop their sales skills and knowledge. So, here it is, divided into various sub-categories for ease of use:

Selling Skills

* Getting Into Your Customer’s Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don’t Know, Kevin Davis. New York: Random House, 1996. (ISBN 0-8129-2628-5)
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson
* Changing the Game, Larry Wilson. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987.
* SPIN Selling, Rackham, Neil. New York: McGraw Hill, 1988.
* Solution Selling by Michael T. Bosworth (Irwin Publishing, 1995).
* Samurai Selling: The Ancient Art of Service in Sales by Chuck Laughlin, Karen Sage and Marc Bockmon (St. Martin’s, 1993).
* The 25 Sales Habits of Highly Successful Salespeople , by Stephan Schiffman (Adams Publishing, 1994).
* The AMA Handbook of Successful Selling, by Bob Kimball (NTC Publishing Group, 1993).
* The Selling Bible: For People in the Business of Selling, by John L. Lawton (Council Oaks Distribution, 1995)
* Closing Tactics, Andoni Lizardi
* Negotiate to Close, Gary Karass
* Ziglar on Selling, Zig Ziglar. Nashville, TN: Ziglar Corporation, 1991.
* The Sales Strategist: 6 Breakthrough Strategies to Win New Business, Warren Kurzrock. New York: Irwin Publishing, 1996. ISBN: 0-7863-0738-2.
* Selling to VITO: the Very Important Top Officer, Anthony Parinello, Massachusetts, Bob Adams, 1994.
* Selling to the Top, David A. Peoples. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1994.
* Sales Reengineering From the Outside In, Mark Blessington and Bill O’Connell (McGraw Hill, 1995).
* Strategic Selling, Stephen Heiman and Robert Miller.
* Conceptual Selling, Stephan Heiman and Robert Miller. Berkeley, CA: Miller Heiman, 1987.
* Selling the invisible, Harry Beckworth
* Cracking New Accounts: Tips and Techniques for Opening and Closing the Sales in Half the Time, Terry L. Booton (Probus, 1994).
* Guerilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales, Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson and Bill Gallagher (Houghton Mifflin, 1992).

Business Acumen

* The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time, by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers (Doubleday, 1993).
* The Monster Under the Bed by Stan Davis & Jim Bodkin. (Simon and Schuster, 1994).
* Corporate Life Cycles: How and Why Corporations Grow and Die and What to Do about It by Izak Adiches. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
* The Little Black Book of Business Math, by Michael C. Thomsett. (New York: Anacom, 1988).
* The Art of War, by Sun-Tzu (Delacorte, 1989).
* The Goal, by Eliyahu M. Goldratt (North River Press, 1992).
* The E Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber (Harper-Business, 1990).
* The Popcorn Report: The Future of Your Company, Your World, Your Life by Faith Popcorn (Harper-Business, 1992).
* Finance and Accounting for Non-Financial Managers by William G. Droms, (Reading MA: Addison Wesley, 1990).
* The Vital Difference: Unleashing the Powers of Sustained Corporate Success, by Frederick G. Harmon and Garry Jacobs, (AMACOM, 1985).
* What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School, Mark H. McCormack, (Bantam Books, 1984).
* Zap, the Power of Empowerment by Jeff Cox.
* Marketing, by Robert D. Hisrich (Barron’s Educational Series, 1990).
* Multi-Level Marketing: The Definitive Guide to America’s Top MLM Companies (Summit Group, 1993).
* Relationship Marketing: Successful Strategies for the Age of the Customer, by Regis McKenna (Addison Wesley, 1993).
* How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, Guy Kawasaki.
* The Ten-Day MBA : A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering the Skills Taught in America’s Top Business Schools @amazon.com
* The Complete MBA For Dummies @amazon.com
* Financial Statements : A Step-By-Step Guide to Understanding and Creating Financial Reports @amazon.com
* Business Planning : 25 Keys to a Sound Business Plan (The New York Times Pocket MBA Series) @amazon.com
* Tracking & Controlling Costs : 25 Keys to Cost Management (The New York Times Pocket MBA Series) @amazon.com
* Forecasting Budgets @amazon.com

Strategic Sales Planning

* The Magic Lamp: Goal Setting for People Who Hate Setting Goals, Keith Ellis, Three Rivers Pr., 1998, ISBN: 060980166X.
* Achieving Individual and Team Goals, Terry R. Bacon, Thomas Doggett, International Learningwork, 1996, ISBN: 1577400135.
* The Agile Manager’s Guide to Goal-Setting and Achievement (The Agile Manager Series), Walter Wadsworth, Velocity Pub., 1998, ISBN: 0965919323.
* All About Goals and How to Achieve Them, Jack Ensign Addington, Devorss and Co (Txp), 1977, ISBN: 0875162371.
* 10 Minute Guide To Planning (10 Minute Guides), Edwin E. Bobrow, IDG Books Worldwide, 1997, ISBN: 0028618181.
* The Sales Strategist: 6 Breakthrough Strategies to Win New Business, Warren Kurzrock. New York: Irwin Publishing, 1996. (ISBN 0-7863-0738-2)
* Sales Reengineering From the Outside In, by Mark Blessington and Bill O’Connell (McGraw Hill, 1995).
* First Things First, Steven Covey, Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill (Simon & Schuster, 1994)
* Winning the Fight between You and Your Desk by Jeffrey J. Mayer (Harper Business, 1994)
* Strategic Selling, Heiman, Stephen and Miller, Robert.
* Conceptual Selling, Heiman, Stephen and Miller, Robert. Berkeley, CA: Miller Heiman, 1987.
* Successful Large Account Management, by Robert Miller
* Major Account Sales Strategies, by Neil Rackham. New York: McGraw Hill, 1989.
* Managing Major Accounts, Neil Rackham
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson
* Power of Consultative Selling, Bryce Webster
* Organizational Capability: Competing from the Inside Out, by Dave Ulrich and Dale Lake, (John Wiley and Sons, 1990).
* Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In, Fisher and Uri.
* Cracking New Accounts: Tips and Techniques for Opening and Closing the Sales in Half the Time, by Terry L. Booton (Probus, 1994).
* Guerilla Selling: Unconventional Weapons and Tactics for Increasing Your Sales, by Jay Conrad Levinson, Orvel Ray Wilson, and Bill Gallagher (Houghton Mifflin, 1992).

Customer Focus

* Discipline of Market Leaders, Treachy, Michael and Wiersema, (Addison Wesley, 1995)
* Brain Power: Learn to Improve Your Thinking Skills , Karl Albrecht. Prentice Hall, 1987.
* Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Stephen R. Covey. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.
* Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service , Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. New York, William Morrow & Co., 1993. ISBN 0-688-12316-3.
* Stop Selling and Start Partnering, Larry Wilson & Hersch Wilson.
* One-to-One Marketing, Martha Rodgers and Don Peppers.
* The Customer Driven Company: Moving from Talk to Action , Richard C. Whiteley. Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1991. ISBN 0-201-57090-4.
* Customer Centered Growth: 5 Strategies for Building Competitive Advantage, Dianne Hessen and Richard Whitely. Addison Wesley, Reading, MA, 1996. ISBN: 0-201-47967-2.
* Getting Into Your Customer’s Head: 8 Secret Roles of Selling Your Competitors Don’t Know , Kevin Davis. New York, Random House, 1996. ISBN 0-8129-2628-5.
* Changing the Game, Larry Wilson, New York, Simon & Schuster, 1987.
* Solution Selling, Michael T. Bosworth. Irwin Publishing, 1995.
* Customer Visits: Building a Better Market Focus , Edward F. McQuarrie, Sage Pubns., 1998, ISBN: 0761908838.
* Customer Focus: A Strategy for Success, Roger Langevin, Bill Christopher, Crisp Pubns., 1998, ISBN: 1560524855.
* The Discipline of Market Leaders: Choose Your Customers, Narrow Your Focus, Dominate Your Market , Michael Treacy, Frederik D. Wiersema, Perseus Pr., 1997, ISBN: 0201407191.
* Implementing Quality With a Customer Focus , David N. Griffiths, Quality Resources, 1991, ISBN: 0873891104.

End User Effectiveness

* All Consumers Are Not Created Equal, Garth Hallberg. John Wiley & Sons, 1996. 320 pages.
* Real Time, Regis McKenna. Harvard Business School Press, 1998.
* Enterprise One to One, Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, Ph.D. Currency Doubleday, 1997.
* Keeping the Edge, Dick Schaaf. Dutton, 1995.
* Customer-Centered Growth, Richard Whiteley and Diane Hessan. Addison-Wesley, 1996.
* Strategic Customer Alliances : How to Win, Manage, and Develop Key Accounts @amazon.com
* Key Accounts Are Different : Sales Solutions for Key Account Managers @amazon.com
* Account Management (Building Service Management Program) @amazon.com
* Successful Large Account Management by Tad Tuleja(Contributor), et al @amazon.com
* Key Account Management: The Route to Key Supplier Status by Peter Cheverton @amazon.com
* Key Account Management: Maximizing Profitability from Major Customers by John Rock @amazon.com

Negotiation Skills

* Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher and Bill Ury (Viking Penguin, 1991).
* Getting Past No, Bill Ury (Viking Penguin, 1993)
* The Tao of Negotiation by Joel Edelman and Mary Beth Crain (Harper Business, 1993).
* How to Out-Negotiate Anyone (Even a Car Dealer) by Leo Reilly (Adams Publishing, 1993).
* Major Account Sales Strategies, by Neil Rackham (McGraw Hill, 1989).
* The Complete Negotiator, Gerard Nierenberger, (Berley Books, 1986).
* The Negotiation Toolkit: How to Get Exactly What You Want in Any Business or Personal Situation @amazon.com
* Deal Power: 6 Foolproof Steps to Making Deals of Any Size by Marc Diener @amazon.com
* The Power of Negotiating: Strategies for Success by Mike R. Stark @amazon.com
* The Shadow Negotiation: How Women Can Master the Hidden Agendas That Determine Bargaining Success by Deborah M. Kolb, Judith Williams @amazon.com

Channel Partner Effectiveness

* The channel advantage, Lawrence Friedman and Timothy Furey
* Market-Based Management: Strategies for Growing Customer Value and Profitability, 2nd edition, (Prentice Hall, 2000) – Roger Best – Part III Tactical Marketing Strategies Chapter 9
* Make Your Dealers Your Partners Harvard Business Review, March-April 1996, pp. 89-96.
* Rethinking Distribution: Adaptive Channels Harvard Business Review, July-August 1996, pp. 112-120. (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990).
* The Sales Rep Navigator: How to Find the Perfect Sales Rep or Distributor for Your Business, @amazon.com
* How to Market Your Product Through Distributor sales Networks, @amazon.com
* Planning Telephone Sales: Handbook for Distributor Management, @amazon.com
* The Channel Advantage : Going to Market With Multiple Sales Channels to Reach More Customers, Sell More Products, Make More Profit @amazon.com
* Channel Champions: How leading companies build new strategies to serve customers @amazon.com

Computer Skills

* Lotus Notes for Dummies, @amazon.com
* PowerPoint for Dummies, @amazon.com
* Excel for Dummies, @amazon.com
* Word for Dummies @amazon.com