Professor Elam

Accounting & Investing Info for San Antonio A & M

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  • Professor Elam

    RAX Intern Opportunity

    Friday Nov 21 2014

     

    As we approach the end of the year, we have a need for one, possibly two, interns to support our year end work on the international tax team.  Could you please let the membership know that the internships are available?  Any interested students will need to turn in their resumes by next Wednesday as we need to move quickly.  We need the interns to work the second half of December and into January and February.  We will need the interns between 20-35 hours per week with limited hours around Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 

     

    Please let me know if you have any questions. 

     

    Kind Regards,

     

    Chris Rosas

    Global Tax Director

    1 Fanatical Place

    San Antonio, TX 78218

    Chris.rosas@rackspace.com

    (210) 312-5502

  • Professor Elam

    Mexico’s First Lady Fends off Scandal

    Thursday Nov 20 2014

    Meanwhile just up th eroad so to speak, Mexico;s First Lady is living in a house owned by a promient government contractor.

    Angelica Rivera is a former soap opera star. She is buying the house from a contractor who won several contracts while her husband Pena Nieto was Governor of Mexico.

    Conflict of interest, we report you decide.

  • Professor Elam

    Petrobas Execs Arrested on Price Rigging and Bribery

    Thursday Nov 20 2014

    Petrobas Executives have been arrested on bribery and price fixing charges.  THis is similar to the Jack Lew post previously.

    Prosecutors allege that Petrobras executives who were political appointees took kickbacks from the company's suppliers and contractors. The employees then passed part of that money along to political parties, prosecutors said. Local media, citing leaked reports from Petrobras executives, say the parties allegedly used the money to finance election campaigns.

    Ms. Rousseff, who hasn't been accused of wrongdoing, acknowledged that public money was diverted at the company and pledged to support all investigations.

     

    If this sounds familiar it is of course a world wide phenomenon. Ms. Rousseff Workers Party just won re election as President of Brazil.

  • Professor Elam

    Unions to Oppose Treasury Secy Lew Nomination, after the fact

    Nov 20 2014

    For decades, Washington DC has had a revolving door relationship with power players such as banks, law firms, and defense contractors.

    Jack Lew was working for Citibank. HIs contract actually contained a bonus guarantee if he left the bank for a high level government job.

    We are studying compensation contracts including options in accounting. Here a firm is giving somone a bonus for leaving employment. You will recall that most bonuses are for staying with the firm.

    So why would a bank give na employee a bonus for leaving to take a government job?  Is it logical to assume that the bank would expect more access than the next bank via its former employee now in  a government position? AFL CIO President Trumka wants to know.

    Of course Lew now has the job, so this is about two years late in coming.

    THe Huff Post says enough is enough with regard to Antonio Weiss, an international banker nominated to consumer affairs.

    What do you think of the revolving door policy, one day you are a 'citizen' the next day you regulate the guys you ate lunch with last week. This is the same sort of cozy arrangement Arthur Andersen had with Enron, even becoming Enron's internal auditor and external auditor at the same time.

    For example, Alexander Haig went from the Army to United Technologies a defense contractor, to Secy of State.   Do you suppose United Technologies benefitted from those relationships?

     

     

  • Professor Elam

    ‘Banks’ Taking Unfair Advantage of Markets

    Thursday Nov  20 2014

    A 400 page report from a Senate Panel suggests the following

     

    In a report on Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Morgan Stanley (MS:US) and JPMorgan Chase & Co., a Senate panel said the firms have eroded the line separating banking from commercial activities to the detriment of consumers and the financial system. The holdings give banks access to non-public information that could move markets and increase the likelihood that industrial accidents will spur taxpayer bailouts, the report said.

    We also study derivatives and hedging in accounting. This report makes the case that the availability of large storage facilities, like ocean tankers and on shore warehouses, gives big mony an unfair advantage in 'trading' these markets.

    No kidding.

    As I say, Presidents come and go but Goldman Sachs is always in the White House.

  • Professor Elam

    Log in for Student Rating of Instructors

    Thursday November 20 2014

    The Student Rating of Instruction (SRI) emails were sent to students today to their Jaguar email accounts. An announcement was also posted to Blackboard. Students can also access their SRIs via a link in Blackboard after they login. The SRIs are open now and will close on 12/5/2014 at 5:00 pm.

    Students have two options to access their Course Evaluations (please feel free to copy and paste this information into a communication to your students:

    1.   Blackboard. https://tamusa.blackboard.com/webapps/login/ Once you login you will see the "My Institution" page. Look for the "Tools" module. The course evaluation link is at the bottom of the Tools module. Click on the link "Course Evaluations" and you will be taken to your course evaluation links for each class you are enrolled in.

    2.   Student Jaguar Email accounts. Student Jaguar Email link. Once you login to your Jaguar account, you will see emails sent by A&M-San Antonio Admin. You should have received one email for each class you are enrolled in. Links to the course evaluations are contained in these emails.

    We will be conducting a communication campaign to encourage your students to complete their SRIs. However, research indicates that the simplest and most effective way to improve your SRI response rate is to communicate with your students about why their feedback is important to you as an instructor, and to remind them about the SRIs at least twice.

    Below is the announcement that was sent out to students. If you have any questions, please email Jane Mims at jane.mims@tamusa.tamus.edu
    ——

    Texas A&M University-San Antonio

    Student Rating of Instruction Survey

    Dear A&M-San Antonio Student,

    Texas A&M University-San Antonio values the opinions and feedback of our students. With this in mind, we would like to encourage you to provide constructive feedback on the quality of instruction in your classes through the "Student Rating of Instruction" survey system, which is now open for evaluations. 

    Click on the link below to respond to the brief survey. You will receive a separate email for each class you are enrolled in. You can also access your course evaluations via Blackboard after you login (look for the Course Evaluations link in the left-hand Tools menu on the My Institution landing page).

    Please note:

    -       Surveys must be completed by 12/5/2014 at 5:00 pm.

    -   You will only be allowed to complete one survey for each class.

    -       Evaluations are confidential, and faculty and administrators are unable to link student information with completed evaluations.

    -       If you have any difficulty completing your SRIs on or after 11/20/2014 at 6:00 am but before 12/5/2014 at 5:00 pm, please contact the Institutional Research office at IR@tamusa.tamus.edu.

    Please complete your SRI by clicking on this link: [link removed]

    Note: This link is specific to you and your class – please do not share this link or forward this email to another person.  

    Thank you and best wishes to you for finals and the successful completion of your courses! 

    The Office of Academic Affairs

    Note: Please do not reply to this email as it is not a monitored email account.

  • Professor Elam

    Study Participants Wanted

    Wed Nov 19 2014

    Dear Faculty Members,

    Good day. I’d greatly appreciate your help spreading the word to your students about a study I’m conducting online with a colleague at another university. The study is about attitudes regarding environmental issues. The study consists of a number of scenarios and items about them.

    http://goo.gl/1kZ3Cs

     

    The project has been approved by Dr. Sosa-Fey, IRB Chairperson.

    Completing the study takes about 20 minutes. An incentive for taking part is the chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Only participants at TAMU-SA will be eligible for the prize.

    I’ve attached a few PowerPoint slides that include a brief description of the study and the URL for the study. I’d greatly appreciate it if, at minimum, you’d consider posting the slides on Bb for your classes. Mentioning the study in class would be a big plus.

    Finally, feel free to complete the study yourself; you may be a winner.

    Please contact me if you have any questions. Thank you.

     

    Gary Coulton, PhD

    College of A&S

    gary.coulton@tamusa.tamus.edu

    784-2203

  • Professor Elam

    Participating with Hy Flex

    Tuesday Nov 18 2014

    It is possible for participants at home who are on line with adobe connect to have both their video and audio as part of the classroom experience.

    One only needs to purchase a pair of logitech headphones.

    http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-ClearChat-Comfort-Headset-Black/dp/B000UXZQ42/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416351987&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=logitech+ml+409+headphone

    These have a USB plug and a built in microphone. This would allow you to speak and if you have a webcam on your laptop also be seen. I believe this would greatly enhance the at home experience and make those at home more part of the group.

     

    The cost is about 25 bucks. Considering hy flex is a permanent part of the campus and surely you would use these for skype and

  • Professor Elam

    Jim Rogers on Putin, The Ukraine, and Investing

    Tuesday Nov 18, 2014

     

    If you don't know Jim Rogers this would be a good time to meet him.

     

     

    Read up on Jim,  fascinating story. He was raised in Alabama, went to Yale, became a Rhodes Scholar, traded the markets with Soros in the Quantum Fund, married late in life and has two girls, rode around the world on a motorcycle/ That story became Investment Biker.

    I assigned  Adventure Capitalist  to my cost classes several years back. A couple of students actually managed to get Jim on the phone. Amazing. 

  • Professor Elam

    Building An Effective Audit Committee

    Monday Nov 17 201

    Here is an article on How to build an Effectie Audit Comittee.

    You will learn more about this in the audit class. SARBOX placed a lot more emphasis on the independence of the audit committee from management as well as requiring that all members possess financial sophistication.

    Also note this article is from the CGMA magazine of the AICPA. CGMA stands for

    Certified Global Management Accountant.

    THis is clearly a challenge to the Certified Management Accountant designation which is a totally separate group from the AICPA. I suspect the AICPA is beginning ot recognize that it is really one big tent of designations. AICPA is trying to bring or create more designation within its own tent.