In a landmark case that it sure to send shockwaves throughout the accounting profession, the SEC is seeking to bar two accountants from a Big 5 firm from signing off on public company audits because they failed to detect a massive fraud at California Micro Devices five years ago.The CPAs gave Cal Micro a clean bill of health, but an internal investigation weeks later uncovered an enormous employee fraud resulting in over one third of the company's revenue being erroneous.

All of us who travel and check e-mail on a regular basis have encountered poor connections--or perhaps no connection at all--in remote locations. This can put the kabosh on even the most experience traveler!Traveling overseas may be even more tenuous.

There are lots of free Internet companies out there to choose from, so it’s not surprising that free DSL wouldn’t be too far behind. Broadband Digital Group (BDG) has just announced that they want to be the first company to offer the first free, broadband consumer Internet-access service.The company is offering the chance for potential customers to register for free DSL services.

All of us travel at one time or another for business or pleasure. Thankfully, the cost of traveling on a plane has dropped considerably, and in some markets, Saturday night stayovers do not necessarily bring down the cost of ticket. As a result, we're traveling more frequently than before.In the event your trip goes awry, as in overcrowded planes, overbookings, lost luggage and the like, what do you normally do? Get mad - or get even?Start the year out right by considering these six travel resolutions.

When you are recruiting a new hire, are you looking strictly at the grades? A new survey indicates that other factors are just as important as accounting aptitude for an accountant’s success. Thirty-eight percent of the 1,400 chief financial officers surveyed said that a positive attitude is the most important interpersonal skill an accounting candidate can possess. Thirty percent said being a team player is most important.The ability of accountants to display enthusiasm and inspire coworkers to do their best is critical because employee retention is important in a tight labor market.

Ernst & Young has announced it will sponsor an April 5 gathering of women business leaders in New York, and will hold a special April 4 e-business workshop in conjunction with the conference.The meeting covers professional and lifestyle issues, and is organized by Women.future. It will be beamed via satellite to more than 200 locations across the world. An expected 100,000 women and men are expected to attend.Among other activities, the e-business workshop will enable attendees to divide into groups to explore issues related to dot.com economies.

A free seminar that looks at new ways for forward-thinking businesses to understand, embrace and seek change in human resources will be held on Thursday, January 20, 2000 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST. The seminar, Moving@the Speed of Change: Is HR Ready for the Ride?, is offered by Infinium, a leading provider of enterprise software solutions that enable the virtual enterprise.Dr. James A. Crupi, president and founder of Strategic Leadership Solutions, will address the many changes taking place in the field of human resources.

ACCOUNTINGWEB, INC.DISCLAIMER GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONSAccountingWEB, Inc. (AW) maintains a site on the Internet located at www.accountingweb.com, (the AW Site), that allows users and members to search and access news stories, gather information, utilize Chat Room facilities and over all to inform to enrich to enlighten and to entertain accounting professionals on what’s new and innovative in the Accounting Industry.Information and data contained on the AW Site is provided as a service. Information on the AW Site is subject to change without notice.

Companies who specialize in providing Internet services and applications are one in a million, but one mark that distinguishes them from many companies is a potential lack of reporting practices.On the West coast, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that it is investigating auditors and those who work in financial services for any reporting mishaps because the agency believes these specialists are the primary ones to blame.For example, the SEC reports that they believe auditors and others have purposely misapplied GAAP, and instead,