A good press and how to get it

Article Abstract:

Accountants should acquire public relations (PR) skills as part of their management skills in order to ensure that their firms receive good coverage by the media. Accountants creating a PR program should study their markets in order to know who controls the market for a story to ascertain how to place the story. News releases should be brief and to the point, enclosures or documents to which the release refers should be included, and the releases should contain a headline and summary. When holding a press conference, the accountant should consider preparing and sending press kits in advance. When engaged in PR activities, the accountant should always conduct a follow-up. When dealing with media contacts, accountants should respect journalists but suspect them so that they do no harm to clients. Talking off the record can be a good way of cultivating journalists since many of them respect a source's confidence.

Public relations

A new and complex art

Article Abstract:

Structured settlements have become a preferred alternative for settling damages claims. Plaintiffs receive a pension obtained from an annuity rather than a lump sum for severe personal injuries. Insurance agencies cover liabilities acquired by the annuities, which are then held for the plaintiffs. The main advantage of structured settlements is that they provide beneficiaries with a regular income. Payments can last during a beneficiary's lifetime or even longer, if there are dependents to support. Payments can also be increased if beneficiaries' expenses increase over time. In addition, cooperation between lawyers, insurers and accountants is essentialin developing structured settlements. Care must be taken in creating the agreement as the inability to do so is considered professional negligence, and also subject to damages claims from dissatisfied plaintiffs.

Evaluation, Structured settlements

The good meeting guide

Article Abstract:

Accountants lack a fundamental understanding of how to successfully manipulate and win business meetings. Preparation is essential to a successful performance at a business meeting. Meeting participants must target the audience by asking four questions: who are the other participants; what do they want; what needs to be put across to them; and how will the message be put across. It is essential that a presentation be structured, but word for word preparation is unnecessary. A presentation should sum up the message at the beginning, make its points in logical order, and finish with a summary. Attention to the audience and directness are essential to a successful performance. Finally, participants should recognize that the minutes of the meeting are crucial, and should record the minutes for themselves and challenge those that are wrong.

Meetings