Class Objectives

1. Discuss how financial services businesses are using web sites and ecommerce.

2. Identify accounting and tax issues for financial services using the web.

3. Review recent developments on accounting policy for ecommerce.
 

Background Preparation

Conduct your own online research on useful articles on how financial services are using ecommerce.

Read some online articles from web sites such as the following.  (Thanks to several students for suggesting some of these links):
 

Retail financial services background

• Billserv.com electronic billing solutions at www.billserv.com/
• Electronic cash providers at www.willyancey.com/retail.htm#electronic-cash
• "Why more companies are billing customers electronically" at www.e-cfonet.com/articles/al_digital_dunning.html
• Yahoo! directory on electronic bill presentment at dir.yahoo.com
• Yahoo! directory on online escrow services at dir.yahoo.com

Corporate financial services background

• "Corporate tax departments overlook internet strategies" at www.electronicaccountant.com/news/072100_3.htm
• "Small and mid-size businesses benefit from finance process outsourcing" at www.cfonet.com/html/Articles/CFO/2000/00JLhand.html
• "The finance function goes online" at www.e-cfonet.com/articles/al_internet_explorers.html
• Finance sites for CFOs at www.cfonet.com/html/Articles/CFO/2000/00JLport.html

Accounting and tax issues for financial services using the web

• "Cyber-snooping" at www.e-cfonet.com/articles/al_cyber_snooping.html
• Issues related to international tax havens at www.willyancey.com/smu-ecat-tax.htm#tax-havens
• OECD report on international tax havens at www.oecd.org/daf/fa/harm_tax/harmtax.htm

Recent accounting policy developments

• Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) at www.rutgers.edu/Accounting/raw/fasb/tech/index.html
• "For E-Tailers, the Shipping News Isn't Good" by Katherine Hobson at www.thestreet.com/tech/internet/1000962.html
• "Regulating the New Economy's Stocks" by Anya Schiffrin, July 17, 2000 at www.thestandard.net/article/display/0,1151,16875,00.html
• "Number Crunchers" by Carol Pickering, July 11, 2000 at www.business2.com/content/magazine/ebusiness/2000/06/28/13593

Student Presentations

(presentation titles are subject to change)

Brian Nutzman - valuing digital copyright

Krishna Velaga - earnings management

Ke Liao - ecommerce software