Do any of the careers in “top demand” (according to Robert Half) interest you? How should you prep in order to land one?
Which in your opinion would be more effective as a deterrent to shenanigans/fraud: increased penalties from the SEC, or jury trials?
Which pension plan shifts the burden of retiree income to the employer: Defined Benefit or Defined Contribution? In your opinion, who should bear the pension related consequences of American Airline’s bankruptcy filing?
How did the name-change from “Loan” to “Investment” satisfy the Shariah committee? For accounting purposes, does changing the name (and the classification) change the nature of the earnings on the underlying asset?
Do stakeholders in philanthropies (i.e., the philanthropists themselves) want measurable results from their “capital”? How would you measure return on donated capital?
As a CEO, how would you decide whether to downsize (reduce headcount), buy back stock, or invest in R&D and other potential growth options? More generally, what criteria would you use in cash allocation decisions?
Re: the long awaited IFRS decision, what do you think the chances are of: a) convergence, b) condorsement, c) postponing a decision?
Was fair value accounting not intended to increase transparency? Does the degree of transparency depend on what is being “fair valued,” namely assets vs. a firm’s own debt?
What is your opinion about this “give-it-back, or else” demand from Zynga? What are the implications for Zynga?
How did Apple’s board determine that the amount “necessary” to keep these six employees from leaving would be $360 million ($60 million each)? Should Apple’s board reward investors too by paying a dividend?
What is an advantage and a disadvantage of convergence of U.S. GAAP with IFRS through endorsement of one standard at a time?
Why does the AICPA think private company accounting standards should be set by a board that is not under the FASB? Why does the FASB not want to relinquish control over private company standard setting?
Where will these costs show up in the income statement: above the line or below the line? Does it matter where they are disclosed?
Why do the French and U.K. banks differ in their impairments of Greek debt? What are the implications of this difference in opinion and methodology?
What does this mean: “lower credit losses could mean the release of . . . past reserves that will be counted toward current profits”?
