
10 Web Sites of Bruce Busta
Bruce Busta
Professor of Financial Accounting at IE Business School
[01]
news.bbc.co.uk
Click “Business” on the side bar and this will take you to a good solid business Web page from the BBC. It is not as in depth as the Financial Times, but it tends to be more comprehensive and a more robust Web page.
[02]
www.skinnyski.com
For those who know me, you know Nordic skiing is my passion. Here is a Web page I check every day in the winter. This Web page now has coverage of summer events. The Web page itself is a very interesting business model. Most of the content is generated by users of the Web site, there is very little advertising and a nominal subscription fee ($5) if you want to submit content. This is an excellent example of a highly targeted niche market. Because Nordic ski trail conditions change quickly, after someone skis a trail they submit a report for all to see. As a result this is THE resource for staying up-to-date on ski conditions in your area.
[03]
writersalmanac.publicradio.org
The Spanish love poetry, but so do Minnesotans. For a daily dose of poetry in English follow this link, close your eyes and just listen. The reader is a Minnesota hero, Garrison Keillor who created the famous fictional town of “Lake Wobegon,” which would be about 40 km from my home if it really existed.
[04]
earth.google.com
This is a 10 on the cool scale! I use it to “fly” the Tour de France stages from my home in Minnesota. Google Earth has been used in financial auditing to verifying the existence of a building and/or factory and the adequacy of road infrastructure to that facility; this information can help guide the amount and location of the Property, Plant and Equipment portion of the audit.
[05]
www.ft.com/comment/columnists/accountancycolumn
This is one of the best resources for keeping up on the latest in
accounting. This Web page is a bit hard to find as it is not listed on
the FT Columnists index. You need a subscription to read most
articles; if you don’t have a subscription to the Financial Times,
don’t tell anyone, just quietly and quickly sign up before your
collea gues find out just how uninformed you are!
[06]
www.cfo.com
This is an excellent resource for finance and accounting issues.
Follow the “Accounting” link under Topics. This will guide you to
non-technical accounting analysis directed at the manager, not the
accountant.
[07]
www.iasplus.com
This is the best resource I know of for answering questions about
International Accounting Standards. At the top of the Home page
the “Standards” tab will give you a summary and history of each
International Accounting Standard.
[08]
www.investopedia.com/university
Need some quick background to an accounting or finance question?
Here is a first stop. This is a comprehensive web resource to
gain immediate knowledge and look smarter than you are.
[09]
www.revenuerecognition.com
This website is for the business manager, not the accountant. The
manipulation of revenue is the largest source of fraud in financial
statements. The “Industry” tab is especially helpful for managers
and analysts. If you are uncertain about the recording of revenue
this is an excellent place to start. And just for fun, there is the
“Revenue Recognition Challenge”, an entertaining way to review
the concepts of revenue recognition.
[10]
www.zpub.com/sf/arl/arl-read.htm
Here is a quick tip sheet on where to start when reading an annual report. The prioritization of what should be read first, second, etc. is very good. Much can be learned by carefully reading annual reports; it is not the most exciting read, but a critical analysis will give you an edge over the competition.