The editorials will allow you to publicly demonstrate the following:

1. interest in the accounting profession,
2. knowledge about important current events in the profession, and
3. motivation towards participating in the profession.

Learning objective: Students will communicate effectively in writing about accounting matters.

• Review American Institute of Certified Public Accountants [AICPA] website that provides summaries of Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) and how SOX impacts the profession:
  http://www.aicpa.org/cpcaf/sarbanes/index.htm
  
• Select one aspect of SOX (for example, auditor rotation or executive certification) for your editorial discussion.
• Reads current press about this topic making sure to find articles in favor and opposed to this provision of the law.
• Read the articles and digest facts and opinions about the issue. Look up or ask about aspects you don't understand. To fully explore a good controversy, it is not unusual to need to read five to seven articles.
• Draft an editorial on your issue. Begin with interesting hook leading to an overview of why this is important to discuss. Then, show the reader both sides to this issue. Conclude with your opinion and the reason for your view. This is a persuasive paper and should persuade the non-technical reader.

• Read about International Accounting Standards: http://www.camagazine.com/index.cfm/ci_id/16030/la_id/1.htm
• Select United States, Japan, Australia, United Kingdom or the European Union (pick one). Read about their efforts to harmonize with international standards in the current business press.
• Read the articles and digest facts and opinions about the harmonization issues in the country you have selected. Look up or ask about aspects you don't understand. To fully explore a good controversy, it is not unusual to need to read five to seven articles.
• Write an editorial on the efforts of your country to harmonize with the international standards. Begin with a summary of the goals of the IASB and then show how your country has attempted to harmonize with the international community. Indicate the ways in which it was easy or difficult and the remaining barriers. Conclude with your opinion about whether the remaining barriers will be overcome and how.

• Read about how financial statements are outdated: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/31/lev.html
• Read about how tracking intangbiles matters but is hard:
  http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/85/research.html
• Read about some innovative ideas about how to measure intangibles, such as "You Think Your Company's So Smart? Prove It." by Thomas A. Stewart (Fortune, 04/30/2001, Vol. 143 Issue 9, p188).
  
• Read about the problems and payoffs of capturing (for internal use) and reporting (for external use) intangibles assets of the information age (knowledge, process and relationship assets).
• Write an editorial summarizing the dilemma, showing both sides to the issue and ending with your opinion about whether the intangibles of the information age should be captured, and if they are, whether they should also be reported to external stakeholders.

• All quotations must contain quotation marks or you have committed plagerism. Paraphrasing or summarizing of others' ideas is acceptable as long as the source is included in the bibliography.
• All papers should be double spaced in Microsoft Word or RTF format readable by Microsoft Word and submitted in electronic format in the WebCT dropbox by the deadline.
• ALERT: Papers not in the dropbox are zeros. You can verify that your dropbox has your paper in it by looking at the dropbox screen and noticing either "submitted" or "not graded" to the right of the line. If you still see "not submitted" next to the dropbox line, your attempt to upload and submit failed. Try again.
• All papers should contain a complete bibliography of all sources consulted, not just those quoted. You may use MLA or APA style. See the Purdue site for assistance in creating a bibliography: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/index.html

American Institute of CPA for students

Financial Accounting Standards Board

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

International Accounting Standards Board

Smart Pros Website

Browse Journal of Accountancy

Search Pullen Library
(Try the Factiva database for Wall Street Journal, Fortune, etc.)