The Accountancy Services Website

Tourism and commercial recreation is over an $800 billion industry in the United States. Globally, tourism accounts for approximately 12% of the Gross Domestic Product, employing 10% of the worldwide labor force. It is estimated that by the year 2020, more than half of all employed people in the world will be involved directly or indirectly with the tourism industry. In the United States, travel-related tourism is the first, second or third largest employer in 32 states.

Resort hotels and motels offer luxurious surroundings with a variety of recreational facilities, such as swimming pools, golf courses, tennis courts, game rooms, and health spas, as well as planned social activities and entertainment. Resorts typically are located in vacation destinations or near natural settings, such as mountains, the seashore, theme parks, or other attractions. As a result, the business of many resorts fluctuates with the season. Some resort hotels and motels provide additional convention and conference facilities to encourage customers to combine business with pleasure. During the off season, many of these establishments solicit conventions, sales meetings, and incentive tours to fill their otherwise empty rooms; some resorts even close for the off-season.

A hospitality management career is high-energy and social. You’ll meet interesting people and work in some of the most beautiful places on earth – anywhere there is a need for resort or hotel management.

The skills and knowledge developed in this field of study are leadership, marketing, qualitative skills, research and evaluation, programming (recreation, leisure and meetings), planning and policy, legal aspects, and communications.

Most hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks receive orientation and training on the job. Orientation may include an explanation of the job duties and information about the establishment, such as the arrangement of sleeping rooms, availability of additional services, such as a business or fitness center, and location of guest facilities, such as ice and vending machines, restaurants and other nearby retail stores. New employees learn job tasks through on-the-job training under the guidance of a supervisor or an experienced desk clerk. They often receive additional training on interpersonal or customer service skills and on how to use the computerized reservation, room assignment, and billing systems and equipment. Desk clerks typically continue to receive instruction on new procedures and on company policies after their initial training ends.

Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks deal directly with the public, so a professional appearance and a pleasant personality are important. A clear speaking voice and fluency in English also are essential, because these employees talk directly with hotel guests and the public and frequently use the telephone or public-address systems. Good spelling and computer literacy are needed, because most of the work involves use of a computer. In addition, speaking a foreign language fluently is increasingly helpful, because of the growing international clientele of many properties.

Resort managers experience the pressures of coordinating a wide range of activities. At larger hotels, they also carry the burden of managing a large staff and finding a way to satisfy guest needs while maintaining positive attitudes and employee morale. Conventions and large groups of tourists may present unusual problems or require extended work hours.

The recreation department’s major in tourism management prepares students to work in such diverse sectors of the travel and tourism industry as tour operations, resort management, convention management, meeting planning, and commercial recreation management. It includes courses in management of park and recreation facilities, tourism, tourism systems planning, resource tourism, convention management, meeting planning, marketing of leisure services, and the legal aspects of recreation and tourism. The program requires both field experience and a professional internship.

Careers Specific to the Bachelor’s Degree are convention and visitors bureau management, convention services manager, special event coordinator, meeting/conference planner, tour operations management, on-site meeting manager, travel agent trainee, cruise hospitality, hotel management trainee, resort recreation management, tour coordinator, natural or cultural tour guide, and park manager.

With preparation in tourism management, individuals have skills related to management and leadership which would contribute to any type of position sought in the tourism industry. The tourism industry is within the top three industries of most countries in the world and provides numerous career opportunities at a variety of levels of service, production and management.

After finding employment, proving oneself capable and making contacts in the industry, a person finds that a wide variety of advanced career opportunities present themselves.

The Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management requires a minimum of 120 units for graduation. This interdisciplinary program prepares students for careers in the hospitality industry and includes basic core courses and an area of concentration. The areas of concentration are Commercial Recreation and Resort Management from the College of Health and Human Services; Hotel Management from the College of Business; and Restaurant and Institutional Foodservice Management from the College of Health and Human Services. The core curriculum is housed in the Department of Hospitality Management, College of Business.

The Concentration in Commercial Recreation and Resort Management prepares graduates to be entrepreneurs, managers, planners, and program supervisors in the commercial recreation, travel tourism, and resort management career areas. The goals are to assist students to acquire knowledge, skills, practical experience, and job placement in leisure and travel related businesses.

Students learn about the travel and tourism system, economic and social impacts of tourism, resort development and marketing, tourist motivations, special events management, theme parks, transportation used by travelers, ecotourism, incentive travel, tour company operations and sales, spas, conference and meeting planning, destination marketing, and cultural tourism.

The Concentration in Hotel Management prepares students to manage and operate hotels, motels, and other lodging business. Major management functions include various aspects of accounting and cost controls, sales and marketing, property management, and use of hospitality management information systems. Emphasis is placed on problem solving situations and case studies to support the didactic approach to instruction.

The Concentration in Restaurant and Institutional Foodservice Management prepares students for management positions in various branches of the food service industry. The goal is to develop restaurant and institutional foodservice managers who combine knowledge and skills in business, food production, and services in the foodservice industry.

Completion of the core and concentration courses provides students with theoretical knowledge for successful attainment of top-level management positions in the professions of hotel management, restaurant and institutional foodservice management, or commercial recreation and resort management. The curriculum combines strengths in management with technical skills and internship opportunities in each area.

Josh Stone
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/opportunities-in-a-resort-management-career-the-billion-dollar-tourism-industry-94122.html

Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP has US and Canadian Payroll modules, and this accounting application is often used by Payroll outsourcing companies to serve their customers as well as by large corporation to accrue and pay payroll checks, Social Security, Medicare, Federal and State Income taxes, plus W-2 printing and mailing to employees.  In order to save on Dynamics GP user licenses, it is common to see simple or complex timecard custom made application on the front, often web based, where employees are logging their time on the daily base after each shift and then this timesheet logging application should be automatically or manually integrated with Great Plains Dynamics GP.  In this publication we will review various options to do the job:

1.       Dynamics GP Integration Manager Payroll connector.  This is sort of user friendly tool, however we recommend IT level involvement, as it requires you to understand such features as Text file parsing, ODBC queries, and Advanced ODBC (where you can base your query on custom SQL View with grouping, filtering and other SQL constructions).  Great Plains Integration Manager allows you to add or update employee, set up employee taxes and deductions.  Regarding Payroll transactions integration – here you can integrate Hourly Pay Codes to the core US or Canadian Payroll module logic to make them available for batch processing in Great Plains Dynamics GP.  GP IM integration could be easily launched by Great Plains User or scheduled (in this case you may need GP IM automatic integration routine, available for purchase from Microsoft Business Solution)

2.       eConnect US Payroll integration programming.  eConnect is C# and VB .Net programmer friendly SDK, allowing Great Plains Developer to automate US Payroll integration in real time, if desired.  If you are on Great Plains Dynamics GP versions 9.0 or 10.0 – please know that Integration Manager can use eConnect connector as the technology base for the integration.  eConnect breaks through former limitations on the transaction volume, as eConnect is based on encrypted SQL stored procedures

3.       Third party Payroll integration products and add-ons.  In this small publication these are out of scope, here we only stress the fact, that IM or eConnect programming are so simple and cheap in their installation and implementation, that they might be better way to go

4.       Great Plains Business Portal Employee Self Service.  If your IT department is strong enough to the level of hosting your Microsoft Sharepoint and .Net website, please review Dynamics GP Business Portal HR Employee Self Service functionality, where you can save on Payroll Check stub mailing postage (as you are required to either mail stub or provide gateway for self service – to read stub out of the web), plus BP HR has other cool features

Andrew Karasev
http://www.articlesbase.com/software-articles/great-plains-partner-newsflash-payroll-timesheets-and-new-employees-integration-680353.html

Most people in the business world who do not work in Accounting may have difficulty interviewing Accountants and Bookkeepers. This is mainly due to the fact that their knowledge of the subject is limited. Furthermore, the subject of Bookkeeping and Accounting alone can put some people asleep faster then some cold medicines.

This article will help you get through some basics of interviewing for these types of bookkeeping positions. We will jump right into the meat and potatoes of the subject and assume you already know the other basics of interviewing candidates.

Bookkeeping and Accounting can cover a large range of experience and skills. So to simplify these interview questions for bookkeepers, there are two different interviewing groups we will focus on.

The two groups are:

A. Standard Bookkeeper
B. Advanced Bookkeeper

What to ask the standard bookkeeper in an interview. First let’s define what a standard bookkeeper is.

A. Definition of a Standard Bookkeeper: A person who has a general understanding of paper and record flow in a business. For example this person should understand customer invoicing and how that relates to accounts receivable. They should also understand how the company purchases from vendors and the importance of coding invoices into the accounts payable system. Lastly, the Standard Bookkeeper should work under the guidance of a more experienced Accountant which could even be your outside CPA firm. Typically, the Standard Bookkeeper is not responsible for setting up your chart of accounts, preparing financial statements, or handling major financial matters. This person should be viewed as a processor of information.

Five Interview questions for a Standard Bookkeeper: ( Please note: sometimes there could be different answers to the same question. It helps if you understand what you are asking as well. If a potential bookkeeper gives a different answer then what you expected, just ask if they could explain more.)

1. What is an Asset and what is a Liability?

Answer: An Asset is something of value to benefit a company. Some examples of an Asset would be Cash, Accounts Receivable, Inventory, and Fixed Assets. Liabilities are what are owed by a business. Some examples of Liabilities would be Accounts Payable, Bank Loans, and Accrued Accounts.

2. What is a Journal Entry?

Answer: A journal entry records the accounting information for a business transaction. The entry is made in a journal and then usually posted to the general ledger.

3. In Accounts Receivable, how would you handle a customer who disputes they received a shipment or service from the company and therefore shows no amount is owed?

Answer: Of course answers could vary, but typically the bookkeeper should verify that the shipment or service took place and provide supporting backup to the customer that could include a Bill of Lading showing the shipment was delivered to the company, or a signed service contract with the work performed in detail, and a copy of the invoices in question.

4. In Accounts Payable when the company makes a purchase and receives an invoice, what should be verified before making the payment to the vendor?

Answer: Generally, a company purchase order is matched up against a receiving document or packing slip and lastly verified against the invoice for the correct quantities and pricing received and agreed upon.

5. If you are collecting on Accounts Receivable and you realize that there is no record of a customer’s phone number around, how would you proceed to get in contact with the customer about the open receivable?

Answer: Again answers can vary on this question, but the person should be able to track down a number by using the internet or calling an information directory for the listing with the address the product shipped to. With modern day’s ease of obtaining information the last thing you want is a person who just does not do anything.

What to ask the advanced bookkeeper in an interview. First let’s define what an advanced bookkeeper is.

B. Definition of an Advanced Bookkeeper: A person who has a good understanding of paper and record flow in a business. This person should be able to easily understand Accounting processes and procedures in an organization. They usually have at least some college experience or an Associates / Bachelors degree in Accounting. However, years of experience doing bookkeeping could qualify for not having a degree. An advanced bookkeeper should also be able to understand more about financial statements, computer systems, and the general ledger then the standard bookkeeper. In some cases an advanced bookkeeper is capable of running all of the accounting functions of a company. Professional Bookkeepers can also be CPA’s, Accounting Managers, Controllers, and CFO’s.

Five Interview questions for an Advanced Bookkeeper: (Please note: sometimes there could be different answers to the same question. It helps if you understand what you are asking as well. If a potential bookkeeper gives a different answer then what you expected, just ask if they could explain more.)

1. What is the difference between a Profit and Loss Statement and a Balance Sheet Statement?

Answer: A Profit and Loss Statement (or Income Statement) is used to measure how a company performed financially over a set period of time, such as a month, quarter, or year. A Balance Sheet Statement reflects the companies overall financial health in terms of what the company has in resources (assets) and what the company owes (liabilities).

2. Under the accrual basis of accounting (which most companies use) when are expenses recognized?

Answer: Expenses are recognized when they happen in accrual basis accounting. For example: When a purchase is made with net 30 day terms,that purchase/expense is recorded at the time of obtaining the goods or service.

3. What is Depreciation?

Answer: Depreciation is the process that spreads out the cost of an asset over its useful life as determined by the IRS. So instead of all the cost of the asset being expenses in one year it could be spread out over several years. There are several different types of depreciation used by companies but the most common is the straight line method which simply divides the cost by the useful years of the asset.

4. The General Ledger Chart of Accounts can be summarized into five main account groupings. What are these accounts?

Answer: *Income (Sales) *Expenses (Cost of Sales) *Assets
*Liabilities *Owners Equity or Net Worth.

5. What does the inventory methods FIFO and LIFO stand for?

Answer: FIFO = First In First Out. LIFO = Last In First Out.

Ebookkeeper
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/how-to-interview-bookkeepers-91963.html

When you start a home based business on the Internet or anywhere else for that matter there are commonplace mistakes to avoid. Here are some of these mistakes.

The first tip on what not to do when you start a home based business on the Internetis to concentrate not only on the product or service you are delivering but the business management aspects of your business as well. If, for example, you worked for someone else as a Web site designer, did a great job of designing a number of laudable sites and so decided to go out on your own and start a home based graphic design on the Internet you must know more than how to design the sites. You must know also how to choose your business name, write the content for the site or hire someone else to do it, advertise your service, set up and manage your accounting functions, perhaps even hire employees some day.

You must know how to set up your home office and how to manage the customer service and vendor contacts including payments and complaints. None of these things have anything to do with designing a great Web site but they all are crucial to starting a home based business on the Internet.

Many people make the mistake when they start a home based business on the Internet of taking on the wrong business partner either to gain additional finances or to increase and round out the firm’s business expertise. Some of these business partners are friends, former colleagues or family members. Most of the time these partnerships crash and burn, bringing about the additional disadvantage of ruined personal relationships as well. Before bringing in a partner to help start a home based business on the Internet consider other financial resources and the use of consultants.

Sometimes starting a home based business on the Internet doesn’t have to mean starting from scratch, and sometimes it shouldn’t mean that. If you havent done your market research you may not realize that the market won’t support your product. The product may not be workable, may not have a large enough market, or the market might be saturated. There are times when the best start is buying into a proven franchise or buying out someone else who has made a success and for some sound reason such as retirement or illness, wants to sell their proven and lucrative firm.

Some entrepreneurs start a home based Internet business but dream small dreams. They stop at the point where they are making a decent wage instead of aiming for the entrepreneur stars.

Many start a home based Internet business by undercutting those that are already out on the Web with similar products. While that may be a sound way to start it can’t generally continue or you’ll always be fighting a battle to make a living wage and may be forced to cut quality corners, or reduce advertising and marketing tactics in order to turn some sort of meager profit. One of the best ways to compete on the Web is to offer great customer service, to go beyond anonymity to warm relationships with your customers. If you start a home based business on the Internet treating your customer as if she or he is the only one that counts, you’ll have repeat business and well on your way to netpreneurial success.

Praveen Kumar
http://www.articlesbase.com/home-business-articles/common-mistakes-to-avoid-before-starting-a-home-based-internet-business-93048.html

Are you tired of traveling to the office and driving home late at night after work? Are you a mom who’s already tied up with a handful of kids? Or are you simply tired of putting up with your boss’ irritating attitude? Then the best place for you would be to stay at home. And yes, you can still earn-here are a few ideas on home-based businesses that have worked for other people:

1.If you are fond of kids, a daycare service would be the best form of business for you. This is also best for stay home moms.

2.Make use of whatever talents you have. If you are a born-writer, then go ahead and scout for writing gigs online. There are plenty that would even pay you well. There are also online surveys that pay you decently. Just make sure to steer clear of those online scams. If you are the ‘baking mom’ type, then go ahead and bake some cakes or cookies and sell them at a good price. Do you dance? Then do the groove and teach other people how to do so. If you dream bigger and believe that you have the ‘artistic flair’, why not invest in a wedding consultation business?

3.Look for products that you can sell in eBay. Auctioning could rake in money for you.

4.If you like dogs or cats more than kids, then why don’t you set up a pet grooming service center? This business is best for those who have at least some knowledge on animal anatomy and their needs. Make sure that there is sufficient space for all your animal guests.

5.Medical transcription services are continuously booming. You can jump into the bandwagon and start earning at home.

6.If you are a teacher at heart, then go ahead and do some tutorial services. You can do online tutorials if you want.

7.A lot of people want scrapbooking but only a few are really gifted to actually do it. If you are artistic enough, go ahead and set up a scrapbooking service business.

8.Do you want to help other people land jobs? Then you can go on and write their resumes for them. They would even pay you for doing it for them.

9.There are some people who sell their artworks online (examples are wood carvings, paintings and other artworks). It wouldn’t hurt to try to sell your works, too.

10.You also have the option to make web designs for other people while at home.

11.Write eBooks, throw all caution to the wind, and submit it online.

12.You can also do the numbers for other people. Set up an accounting business right in your own home.

13.Be somebody’s secretary. Set up an answering service business. Instead of working on call centers, why don’t you try to have one at home?

14.Are you fond of yoga? Then why not share that passion to others and start earning in the process?

15.Desktop publishing still ranks well on the top home-based businesses. Other small businesses can profit from your service and are willing to pay you for it.

These are but some of the home-based business ideas that you can start thinking about. Just choose which one you feel great about, then go ahead and do the first step on your planned big leap.

Mario C Churchill
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/15-homebased-businesses-be-your-own-boss-115507.html

Wholesale distributors that will dropship your wholesale orders can save you substantial time, money and inventory. Dropshipping is more than just a delivery service. When you buy wholesale from a dropshipper, you get a storage service, a packing service and a paperwork service.

As you buy wholesale from wholesale distributors in the beginning of your online business endeavor, you will likely be evaluating each wholesaler’s services and products until you decide to buy wholesale products consistently from a few favorite wholesale distributors. During this aspect of your sales and purchasing analysis, it is important to put a realistic value on wholesale distributors’ dropshipping services.

If you currently use dropshipping services, you may have already begun this process. If you are contemplating using dropshipping services when you buy wholesale, then realizing the total costs and savings can help you make informative decisions when you buy wholesale products for your online sales.

Dropshipping services will save you time, money and inventory. Putting a value to the total services of a dropshipper, and not merely the delivery service, will give you a solid realization of your savings potential by using wholesale distributors dropshipping services.

Retail sales always involve an inventory. With or without a dropshipper, you will have to maintain an inventory record system. Accounting for inventory on-hand lets you know how many you can sell, accounting for inventory due in stock is needed to buy wholesale products in time to maintain a steady inventory flow. Accounting for out-of-stock inventory is necessary to prevent unfulfilled orders, customer dissatisfaction, and permanent customer loss.

Counting physical inventory is a necessary evil of retail inventory. Theft is a major concern in the retail industry – although not a strong concern for the small one-person online retail store. However, the National Retail Security Survey reports that the retail industry has a theft average of around 32% of inventory shrinkage. This inventory loss is due to shoplifting, employee theft, and theft by suppliers. With a dropshipper managing your inventory, there is virtually no worry about inventory theft and no extra insurance to carry. By buying wholesale products and using wholesale distributors that dropship, you will also be saving the cost of losing inventory through damage and unsold products. Excess inventories often result in a retailer having to sell their inventory at a markdown, contributing to lower profit margins, and even a loss. This will now become the burden of your wholesale dropshipper.

When you use dropshipping services from the wholesale distributors you buy wholesale products from, you are giving someone else the job of managing inventory from all aspects. This includes maintaining the inventory storage room, which costs utilities and cleaning supplies; maintaining the wholesale inventory in saleable condition, which costs supplies; the time and labor in transferring goods from point-of-delivery to inventory; the time and cost of labeling and rotating inventory; the time and cost of removing items from inventory storage for packing then packing and labeling the items for shipment; paying for the cost of packing supplies and labeling supplies; printing and enclosing the invoice with the shipment, as well as paying for invoice supplies and bringing the items to the shipping destination then managing postal services.

When you buy wholesale products and use dropshipping services from wholesale distributors, the dropshipper assumes responsibility for many aspects of the inventory process. When you use dropshipping services, you buy wholesale products that will deliver you time, money and inventory savings while delivering to the customers what they want. Inventory won’t disappear, but the burden of physical inventory will be gone. Buy wholesale products from dropshippers, and watch your business burdens dissolve while your business profits continue to evolve from your wholesale dropshipping savings.

avi
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/buy-wholesale-from-wholesale-distributors-and-save-time-money-and-inventory-wholesale-distributors-that-dropship-save-you-paperwork-money-and-time-673780.html

Visibility a leading provider of extended ERP solutions for engineer-to-order and high volume manufacturers, has announced the development of a powerful yet flexible solutions framework that supports the actual ways in which Engineer-to-Order (ETO) and Make-to-Order (MTO) manufacturers operate-including concurrent or progressive engineering and simultaneous mixed modes of operation. Visibility software reacts to project changes immediately to rebalance supplies, resources, and demands to keep projects moving forward.

ETO/MTO manufacturers require sophisticated tools to manage and track service materials and personnel over the long, detailed lifecycles of their products. Visibility provides the visibility and control of all project lifecycle costs-from the suppliers through manufacturing, out to customers and into the aftermarket including continual product developments and enhancements.

The advantages of utilizing Visibility to support ETO/MTO manufacturing environments.

Managing Bid & Estimate Process

• Superior estimating tools for manufacturing and service projects

• Respond quickly to Request for Quotes with bids that accurately reflect customer needs

• Life cycle costing-including standard, actual, and average-and cost visibility

• Define and track your sales proposal activities and convert data into orders

• Quote, sell and deliver complex configured products

Project Management & Analysis

• View costs by project regardless of fiscal period or by fiscal period for one or more projects

• Project accounting for accurate visibility and control of project performance

• Control of integrated project definitions for any type of project no matter how complex

• Seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Project using a bi-directional interface, which helps you develop and analyze project plans, create reports and coordinate activities

• Multi-level planning tools including date synchronization, impact analysis and simulation

Design & Engineering

• Progressive engineering cuts months and months out of lead times

• Centralized, integrated product information repository ensures quality and reduces costs

• Powerful estimating and simulation capabilities for fast, accurate sales quotes and bids

• Local structures reduce costs and risks of product and engineering changes

• Supports design, engineering, manufacturing, post-sale service and financial accounting processes to provide you with total control of the entire product lifecycle

Controlling & Planning Key Resources

• Coordinate the lead times of your suppliers with your manufacturing processes-including sub-components-to maximize efficiency and responsiveness

• Total flexibility in supplier relationships-as manual or as automated as you want them to be

• Match supplies with demands-helps you negotiate contracts with committed pricing but flexible delivery schedules

• Complete visibility into materials as well as the flexibility to define and track both materials and locations, including full lot and serial number traceability

• Plan and re-plan activities and tasks; synchronizes dates, and performs impact analysis and simulations to improve on-time completion

Post Sale Service & Support

• Plan and manage services just like materials

• Manage the delivery and procurement of services and monitor costs more efficiently

• Visibility into both existing and planned field service engineer and material availability

• Plan and execute successful product installations by managing the coordination and delivery of materials, services and other resources including sub-contractors

• Respond promptly and profitably to customer needs for repair-manage the entire service and repair cycle

Visibility Corporation (www.visibility.com) is a leading developer and supplier of business software solutions designed for the unique needs of project-based, engineer-to-order and to-order manufacturers. Visibility’s Enterprise Application solutions help midsize manufacturers of complex products operate their businesses effectively. Visibility has an extensive customer base throughout North America and Europe and has the strongest representation of ERP among complex manufacturers.

Thomas Cutler
http://www.articlesbase.com/technology-articles/visibilitys-flexible-solution-supports-etomto-manufacturing-environments-122056.html

Ready to move up from manual payrolls or from an expensive payroll service?  One fast way to do that is to buy your own payroll software.  There’s a cost to owning software though.  You must learn how to use the system and then you must keep updating it.  Updating payroll software is essential since payroll rules keep changing.  Another option you may consider is online payroll software.  Here’s what you gain.

Updates By Them.

Stop worrying about software updates.  The online payroll people stay busy keeping all the tables and calculations changed to meet the rules.  You know just keeping up with changes is a full time job for some people.  Who has the time for that?   Even if you have purchased software, you most likely are going to need a service just to keep you updated about what to do.  Remember, somebody has to keep all the state tax tables updated too.  That’s either you or somebody else.  It’s easier if it’s somebody else. 

Filed By Them Too.

An online service makes electronic tax filing really easy too.  That’s one less thing to worry about too.  Maybe a lot more than one less thing.  Don’t forget about state tax returns too.  Then you can include online tax payments too and eliminate more steps and more chances for errors and mistakes.  See you get a more streamlined payroll system by eliminating several steps and in effect outsourcing a good part of the payroll process.  That’s freeing up somebody to do more important work than worrying about filling out forms and keeping up with those forms and getting them in the mail.

Checks and Deposits.

Integrated with all this you get your payroll checks prepared and ready to print out.  Why you can even set up for direct deposit for your employees too.  That’s a benefit many people like.  But you want more than just the preparation of checks.

Integration With Other Software.

You can get a service that just does payroll check preparation.  You probably want much more than that.  You want a service that exports data to your main accounting software so there is no need to do any kind of double entering of data.  Especially if you use one of the major software packages like Quickbooks or Peachtree, make sure the payroll system integrates well with whatever software you have.  That way everything goes together and all the costs and disbursements go right where they need to be.  That’s the way you want it.

You really can make payroll days go easier and faster with online payroll software.  Now owning your own software gets you many advantages, but maintaining the software isn’t free or easy either.  It’s going to cost you.  It may be that it’s cheaper to just let someone else handle much of the updating and maintenance.  Use an Internet service as a tool to eliminate waste and spend more time on more productive work.  That’s the way to avoid many of the hassles of those payroll days that seem to come just one right after the other in a never ending stream.

Al Bullington
http://www.articlesbase.com/small-business-articles/can-online-payroll-software-really-reduce-deadline-stress-756767.html

The US Department of Labor reports that there should be plenty of job openings for chefs, cooks, and food preparation workers through 2010. Many current cooks are reaching retirement age or are leaving the workforce, causing a great need for talented employees. In addition to needing new chefs and cooks to replace retiring workers, employment in the food service industry is expected to expand, as more Americans spend their leisure time in restaurants rather then cooking themselves, and travel more, staying more nights in hotels.

The largest demand for skilled cooks and chefs is expected in sit-down restaurants, which offer more varied menus. As the population ages, people are less willing to put up with fast food restaurants, and seek a more personal experience.

In addition, as hospitals and schools attempt to make their menus and service more attractive, they are outsourcing cooking and serving in their cafeterias to third parties, resulting in fewer institutional and cafeteria chefs and cooks.

If you enjoy meeting people, relish daily challenges, and have the energy to succeed, a culinary career could be good for you. The popularity of cooking shows on television, and the perception that chefs are artists has caused applications at culinary schools to rise.

While it’s certainly possible to begin your culinary career by starting at a low level job and working your way ‘up the ladder’, most studies agree that with formal training at a good culinary school, you’ll get paid more, and reach the top faster.

Students at culinary certificate or degree programs spend most of their time learning how to prepare food, including baking, broiling, and pastry making. Time is also spent on the use and care of kitchen equipment. In addition to learning about food preparation, students study health and sanitation requirements, portion control, cost management, food purchasing, selection and storage, and menu planning. Many schools also teach general management skills, including accounting, employee relations, and other topics. It can take from a few months to up to two years to complete a degree or certificate courses.

A degree from a culinary school trains you for a variety of careers, including restaurant management, hotel management, pastry chef, and other related positions.

For someone still in high school and contemplating a career as a cook or chef, the best advice is to complete high school, making sure to select, if possible, courses in mathematics and business. If a school offers internships or training programs in food preparation, they should be taken, as they provide a sense of what a culinary career could provide. Particularly when seeking a career as an executive chef or other managerial job, a further education at a college offering culinary degrees or at a culinary institute will provide more career opportunities with less on the job training. You may need to spend between eight and fifteen years as a cook before becoming a chef.

While chefs and cooks share similar duties, chefs typically have more training than cooks, including culinary degrees. The exact duties performed by a chef, cook, or food preparation worker often depend on the type of establishment that employs them.

In addition to being divided by food specialty, chef and cook job titles are sometimes determined by the type of institution that employs them.

Institutional cooks work in hospitals, cafeterias, and other establishments that typically serve a regular clientele. Short order cooks work in restaurants that emphasize fast service, and are trained to prepare a wide variety of items quickly. There is a small market for household cooks, who have the entire kitchen responsibility, including cooking, cleaning, and menu planning, for a family.

The wages of chefs, cooks, and other food service and preparation workers may vary depending on geographic location, but one thing is clear: working in an elegant restaurant or hotel generally produces a higher salary. This is partially because these types of establishments are likely to have executive chefs, and other highly trained workers.

The reputation of a fine restaurant may rely on the head chef, but the food service manager is often responsible for many of the behind the scenes activities that keep the establishment going. Food service managers have responsibilities ranging from ordering food and supplies, selecting menu items and determining their prices, and ensuring the high quality of food preparation and service. They are frequently responsible for administrative tasks, including human resources.

A major part of the food service manager’s job is selecting each day’s menu items. Factors influencing menu selection include the past popularity of the item, the availability of ingredients, the number of customers likely to order the item, and creating a variety among the menu offerings. After selecting a menu item, the manager must determine the food and labor cost, and then establish the price the customer will pay.

After determining the menu, the manager is responsible for estimating the number of customers for a given day, and ordering the food necessary to prepare the meals for them. In addition to food, the manager must plan for and order needed supplies, including table and glassware, cleaning supplies, kitchen tools and supplies, and other items. The manager also coordinates outside services, including trash removal, pest control, and maintenance and repairs needed. Managers frequently meet with sales and service representatives of suppliers to learn about new offerings, and to check the quality of items received, particularly fresh food.

In order to advance in their career, food service and restaurant managers may need to relocate. Sometimes, more senior positions open up as new restaurants are created within a chain. Other more senior positions may be located at the firm’s regional or national headquarters. Some managers will start their career at restaurants, and then move to a hotel or resort, where they can use their experience to gain a more senior position. There are a number of certification programs that managers can complete to further indicate their skills. For example, the Certified Foodservice Management Professional designation is given by the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association following completion of a series of courses and a written examination.

Josh Stone
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/the-growing-job-opportunities-for-cook-and-chef-careers-90844.html

When starting a business, you have to determine the method you
are going to use for accounting and paying taxes. The two
choices are the cash method and the accrual method.

Cash Method

If you are looking for simplicity, the cash method is probably
your best accounting choice. Generally, income and deductions
can be claimed when payment is actually received or made. This
is best shown with an example.

I open a small business and have to order business cards and
stationary. I receive the products and pay the invoice on
November 18, 2005. Under the cash method, I can deduct the cost
on my 2005 tax return.

Some businesses are restricted from using the cash method. C
corporations may only use the cash method if they have less than
$5 million in gross revenues for a particular year. Professional
Service Corporations can use the cash method without limit,
while farming corporations can due so if gross revenues are less
than $25 million. Tax shelters are prohibited from using the
cash method.

Accrual Method

The Accrual Method of accounting is a bit more complex. Under
this method, the focus in on the date the expense is incurred,
not paid. Although this may seem a small difference, it can play
havoc with your books and piece of mind.

Using our previous example, assume I order business cards and
stationary on the December 18, 2005. I receive the products on
December 30th, but don’t pay the invoice until January 20, 2006.
When can the expense be claimed? It depends on when economic
performance occurred.

Generally, economic performance occurs when goods or services
are provided to you. In the above example, economic performance
would arguably occur when the business cards and stationary were
delivered with the invoice on December 30th. Thus, I would be
able to deduct the expense for the 2005 tax year.

In Closing

As you can see, the cash method is the easier of the two
accounting methods. To determine the best method for your
business, speak with a tax professional.

Richard A. Chapo
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/accounting-methods-cash-and-accrual-467.html