November 30, 2008 at 11:49 pm · Filed under Account manager
This award-winning retailer has enjoyed substantial growth since it`s inception and is now probably the leading business of its kind in the world. A constant drive to innovate and expand their product portfolio has meant they can now be considered as a one-stop shop for a broad variety of consumer goods. Since it`s launch in 2004, the Softlines category has had a fantastic response and so this retailer is looking to continue to grow this area whilst maximising selection, profit and availability.
This retailer is looking for an analytical business owner to drive the Softlines Third Party business. Key responsibilities will include P&L ownership, maximising third party product category sales, driving store marketing / traffic and building strong relationships with partners. Successful applicants will be expected to provide a combination of account management and product management support to external partners as well as within the retailer.
Interested candidates will have 3 - 5 years experience in a product management, consulting, finance, marketing or e-commerce environment. They should have experience of solving business challenges and leading large projects. Successful candidates will have a strong appetite for success with analytical prowess and will be excited about learning and building a career in e-commerce and product management. They must be able to work in a highly demanding, but collegial environment where teamwork is a must.
http://www.talkingretail.com/jobs/268239-merchant-account-manager-softlines.html
November 30, 2008 at 11:47 pm · Filed under Account Executive
A top executive of a multinational company, who did not wish to be identified, spoke to Business Line about his ordeal. “We were having dinner with international guests at one of the private rooms on the first floor of the Taj Mahal Hotel. Suddenly at 10.30 pm we heard gun shots in the vicinity. The hotel staff sensed that it was an extraordinary situation and told us to stay put. “Slowly through our Blackberrys and mobiles, news filtered through that incidents were happening in many other places, at Oberoi hotel and some other places as well. But we were told it was unsafe to move out. Through the window, we began to see fire and smoke all over and cinders falling down across the window. “The lights in the room were switched off and we just had to wait. I was saying my prayers; I always believe in prayer whether in good times or bad. There were about 50 to 60 people in the hall and I believe they were all saying their prayers. “Around 4 am the fire brigade had come and the staff decided it was time to evacuate us. They broke open the window and one by one we got down the ladder put up by the fire service. At long last, we were safe.”
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/blnus/14271297.htm
November 29, 2008 at 6:58 am · Filed under Accounting Information
SNU Business School at Seoul National University
Accounting and Information System
This course considers accounting not as simple book keeping or a calculation mechanism, but as information systems which are comprehensive combinations of human beings such as information producers, information users, information activities of an enterprise’s management, information processing procedures, and a mechanism related to information. Topics include a basic concept of accounting information systems, internal control systems, the kind of transactions and book keeping mechanisms, and accounting procedures under computerized accounting information systems.
http://online4mba.net/accounting-and-information-system-course-of-accounting-at-snu-business-school
November 29, 2008 at 6:55 am · Filed under Accounting Firms
Whoever thought that accountants could be the life of the party? Well, on Tuesday afternoon at the Cairo Capital Club in Garden City, they became just that.
Mazars Mostafa Shawki, one of Egypt’s premier auditing and accounting firms, hosted a reporters’ lunch to discuss pressing issues of the day.
Mazars has a little extra swagger in its step these days — and not without reason.
The firm’s diverse offerings and the continued demand for audits despite the global economic downturn has allowed the firm, and the industry as a whole, to weather the crisis effectively.
Headlining the lunch were the firm’s managing partner, Dr Ahmed Shawki, and marketing and communications czar Muriel Bachelier.
International accounting and business advisory firm Mazars merged in 2006 with Mostafa Shawki, a regional accounting operation.
By all accounts, the two-year old partnership has been a success. Mazars has found a way to further extend its international reach — it’s now in 47 countries and is opening in five more this December —which Mostafa Shawki has benefited from the expertise imported by Europe’s fifth largest accounting firm.
While in many countries Mazars has simply taken the name of a preexisting local firm, in Egypt law dictates that the name be shared between the local firm and the international one.
This, in many ways, has worked to the company’s advantage as it now markets itself aggressively as a firm with local roots and international expertise.
Mazars is also building itself into an attractive option for the large multinational firms, which might have accounting needs all over the globe.
“It is a wish,” said Bachelier, “to have a client and follow them all over the world.”
And with 10,000 in staff worldwide and 450 in Cairo, Mazars is well on its way.
Shawki began his talk by offering his interpretation of the roots of the global economic crisis.
He expounded on the same litany of causes that many have become accustomed to. Unqualified borrowers, unsupervised lenders, complicated financial products, an inappropriate “dilution” of credit risk were all to blame, he said.
Home ownership, he argued was “part of the social weaving of America” and primarily culpable for the beginnings of the crisis.
Egypt, he went on, is two months behind the US in its feeling the effects of the crisis. He was pleased though, that because of the simplicity of Egypt’s banking system, it seemed to be weathering the economic crisis better than many developing and developed countries.
“Egypt was not much affected. This is because the banks did not offer sophisticated products,” he said.
Shawki also discussed a handful of ways that the country might come out of the crisis stronger than before.
One major priority, he said, is to rebuild the banking system in the country.
“Now there is no confidence in the banking system, and we have to renew this confidence,” he said.
Shawki also argued that commitment to building infrastructure is a good means to stimulate the economy at a time where there is a risk for economic stagnation.
Building infrastructure, he said “should be done by the government, otherwise they will not be able to circulate funds.”
Finally, he argued, presenting Egypt as a cheaper alternative to Europe will insure continued influx of tourists. Growth in the tourism industry, he argued, might serve as a critical life raft in the midst of this economic monsoon.
“Tourism is the first industry in Egypt,” he said.
Shawki also expressed continued optimism for his firm and the accounting industry as a whole. Firms struggling with the crisis, he argued, “want to reduce costs, and they need consultants to help them.”
By offering consultancy services, the company has been able to compensate for the slowed growth on the accounting side.
Fortunately for auditors, though, argued Shawki, all firms must have their books audited, in good times and in bad.
Looking ahead, Shawki is optimistic in the continued growth of the firm, noting that they are maintaining their 2009 growth projects.
That said, Bachelier argued, the firm is placing a premium on quality over quantity.
“Maybe our objective is not to be number one” in size, she said, stressing the firm’s commitment to cultural integration and civic engagement as a means of illustrating the firm’s commitment to being number one in services provided.
If Shawki’s optimism is to be believed, Mazars Mostafa Shawki may emerge unscathed from the economic maelstrom.
And who would dare doubt an accountant?
http://dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=18052
