SBANC Newsletter
August 30, 2005
Issue 387-2005
QUOTE
"You cannot build character and courage by taking away a man's initiative
and independence."
--
Abraham Lincoln
FEATURE PAPER
Common Sense Accounting: The Logic and Reasons for Business Internal Controls
Explained in Plain English
This paper was presented by Theresa J. Hrncir and Edward L. Hobbs of
Southeastern Oklahoma State University at the 2004 ASBE Annual Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 24-26, 2004
Abstract
Business internal controls are important. When internal controls are not
in place or do not work as planned, a business can be in trouble or can fail.
Even entrepreneurs and small business owners need to see that their business
have good internal control. The trouble with most explanations of accounting
internal controls is that they are written in the jargon of accountants and
are not well understood by the entrepreneur or small business owner.
Read the Entire Paper...
TIP OF THE WEEK
Background Checks
A legal precaution
that has become more commonplace in today's working world is the background
check of prospective employees. Negligent hiring lawsuits
are on the rise---that is, if a person is hired and his or her actions end
up hurting others through injury, a crime, sexual harassment, and so on. Corporate
financial scandals, child abductions, terrorist acts, and identity thefts have
all made employers more willing to look into the criminal, financial, and legal
background of prospective workers as well as whatever is on their resumes.
In some cases, federal and/or state law requires a background check---for jobs
that entail working with children, the elderly, or disabled persons. While
this does not often apply in retail, there are plenty of good reasons to check
someone out thoroughly before making a job offer.
There are many companies
that specialize in background checks, and a lot of retailers hire them rather
than doing their own investigations. These third-party
companies are subject to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), but
as with any type of business, there are good ones and bad ones. They range
from individual "private investigators" to huge, online data brokers.
Their thoroughness, and the accuracy of the information received, should
be your primary concerns as an employer.
Before a third-party background
check is performed, the employer must get
the written authorization of the applicant. Most companies ask for this
signature as part of their standard job application process---although the
consent
form
that requests the background check must be on a separate page,
not part of the job application itself.
A third-party report (called
a "consumer
report" in the FCRA
law) usually involves a criminal record check. It can also include the
person's
credit report and usually confirms his or her Social Security number,
most recent addresses, and so on. The credit report may include civil
lawsuits
and judgments, tax liens, and accounts that have been placed for collection
for
the past seven years, but (by law) no farther back than that.
Under federal
law, convictions are not dropped from a person's record, no matter
how old the conviction, but third-party screening companies
are not
allowed
to report arrest records for more than seven years. State laws may
vary. There are other types of records that you might be able to access,
but
only if you
receive written permission from the candidate to check them, namely
education records (except for directory records), medical records, and military
service records (except for basic details). Any retailer should consult
an attorney
about how to ask questions related to legal problems, as well as how
an applicant's answers should be weighed. Some applicants find out
the
hard
way that a DUI
(driving under the influence) or DWI (driving while intoxicated) conviction
follows them and is not considered a minor traffic violation, even
if it happened decades earlier.
A prospective employer
risks a lawsuit if they use any of the following to reject an otherwise qualified
candidate
for a job:
- Workers' compensation claims
-- the fact that the person filed them or was ever paid workers' compensation
- Medical information
- Bankruptcy filings
If
something in a background check is troublesome enough to reject a job
candidate, it is best to let the person know about it.
In fact, if he or
she signed the
form allowing the check in the first place, the candidate is
entitled to a copy of the consumer report. There have been
cases in which
people looking
for work go unemployed because there is incorrect information
on their background report -- from identity theft, for example
-- and
no on
bothers to tell them.
The Federal Trade Commission has specific guidelines for disclosure
of information, and enforces the FCRA.
Heil, Gary,
and Chris Thomas. Employee Management and Customer Service in the
Retail Industry. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006. 13-14.
CONFERENCES
World Trade Club Forum
The World Trade Club (WTC) will hold its World Trade Club Forum at the
Regions Bank Building in Little Rock, Arkansas on September 8, 2005. The
topic of this forum is "Doing Business with China."
For more information, visit:
http://www.sbaer.uca.edu/updates/conferences/WTC2005.doc
35th EISB Conference
The European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) will hold the 35th EISB Conference at the IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain on September 12-14, 2005. The theme for this conference is "Sustaining the Entrepreneurial Spirit Over Time:
Implications for young companies, family businesses, and established companies."
For more information, visit: http://www.iese.edu/en/events/OtrosEventos/EISB/Home/Home.asp
SPPG EdCon 2005
The National Association for Purchasing Management and the Southeast
Professional Procurement Group (NAPM/SPPG) are holding the SPPG EdCon
2005 educational
conference at the Grand Casino Vernada Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi
on September 28-October 1, 2005.
For more information, visit: http://www.napmmemphis.org/
Ozarks Regional Purchasing and Supply Management Conference
The National Association of Purchasing Management-Arkansas and the University
of Arkansas Supply Chain Management Research Center are pleased to announce
their first collaboratively sponsored conference. The Ozarks Regional Purchasing
and Supply Management Conference is being held at The Inn at Carnall Hall,
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas on November 1-2, 2005.
For more information, visit: http://www.napmar.org/
The Transformative Leadership Summit
The Liminal Group is holding The Transformative Leadership Summit at The Metropolitan Club, New York on September 14-15, 2005. The mission of the summit is to upgrade already capable, broadly talented executives into enlightened, successful, transformative leaders.
For more information, visit: http://www.liminalgroup.com
CALL FOR PAPERS
Allied Academies
The Allied Academies will
hold the 2005 Fall International Conference on international business at the
Riviera Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 12-15, 2005.
Submission Deadline: September 5, 2005
For more information, visit: http://www.alliedacademies.org/conferences.html
Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge
The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge (JAABC) publishes
articles of interest to members of the Business Community and will
provide leadership in introducing new concepts to its readership.
Submission Deadline:
September 26, 2005
For more information, visit: http://www.jaabc.com/journal.htm
2005 EIBR Conference
The Economics & International Business Research Organization is holding
the 2005 Economics & International
Business Research Conference on economics, international business, and many
additional tracks. The conference is being held at the Royal Palm Crowne
Plaza Resort in South Beach, Miami, Florida on December
14-17, 2005.
Submission Deadline:
September 27, 2005
For more information, visit: http://www.jaabc.com/miami.html
17th Annual North American Research / Teaching Symposium
The International Purchasing and Supply Education & Research Association is
holding the 17th Annual North American Research / Teaching Symposium in Creating
and Managing Value in San Diego, California on April 6-8, 2006.
Submission Deadline:
October 21, 2005
For more information, visit: http://ipsera.sandiego.edu
ACME Conference 2006
The Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME) is holding the
2006 ACME Conference at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana on
March 1-4, 2006.
Submission Deadline:
September 23, 2005
For more information, visit: http://www.a-cme.org/2006Conference/CFP%20for%202006%20ACME_Revised_07082005.pdf
WDSI 35th Annual Meeting
The Western Decision Sciences Institute is holding their 35th Annual
Meeting at the Hilton
Waikoloa Village Hotel in Waikoloa, Hawaii April 11-15, 2006. Subjects for
the conference and call for papers include: Accounting,
Business Law, E-Business, Logistics & Transportation,
Economics, Marketing, etc.
Submission Deadline:
October 1, 2005
For more information, visit: http://wdsinet.org
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The
SBI Network
SBANC
has recently compiled a list of Small Business Institute, Small
Business Management and Entrepreneurship institutions across the
country. If you are aware of a small business
and/or entrepreneurial program in your area, please take the time
to drop by the SBI
Network. If you find a mistake or an omission,
you can let us
know about it by clicking here,
or clicking the link at the bottom of any of the SBI Network pages.
The
Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial Studies
We
were impressed by the Spring/Summer 2005 issue of Innovation
Review, a publication put out by The Berkley Center for Entrepreneurial
Studies. To receive a copy of this publication, contact the organization
through their website at www.stern.nyu.edu/berkley.
The SBANC Newsletter is provided as a service to the members of our affiliates: Academy of Collegiate Marketing Educators (ACME), Association for Small Business& Entrepreneurship (ASBE), Decision Sciences Institute (DSI), Federation of Business Disciplines (FBD), International Council for Small Business Congress (ICSBC), Institute for Supply Management, The International Small Business Congress (ISBC), Marketing Management Association (MMA), Small Business Administration (SBA), Service Corps of Retired Executives, Small Business Institute (SBI), Society for Marketing Advances (SMA), United States Association for Small Business & Entrepreneurship (USASBE), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Western Decision Sciences Institute (WDSI). If you are interested in membership or would like further information on one of our affiliates, please see our web site at http://www.sbaer.uca.edu
SBANC STAFF Main Office Phone: (501) 450-5300 Dr. Don B. Bradley III, Executive Director of SBANC & Professor of Marketing Direct Phone: (501) 450-5345, E-mail: donb@uca.edu Esther Mead, Graduate Research, E-mail: esthermead@gmail.com Ashley Ford, Development Intern, E-mail: ASHatsbanc@hotmail.com Brad Lawrey, Development Intern, E-mail: bradlawrey@hotmail.com Olivia Johnson, Development Intern, E-mail: reneeatuca_2003@hotmail.com To subscribe or unsubscribe to the SBANC Newsletter, please E-mail SBANC at sbanc@uca.edu
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