
| September 2009
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AGN 2009 World Congress, Chicago, USA |
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The Congress begins on Sunday, 18 October, with a city tour during the day and the Opening Welcome Reception that evening at the Drake Hotel.
Technical sessions start at 09.00 on Monday, 19 October and run through Tuesday, 20 October, concluding with the Annual General Meeting. These sessions will include topics such as an IFRS update, referring business to AGN members, best practices of accounting firms and what makes them successful and also how to transform your employees into a high performance work force amongst others.
The social programme includes a city tour for companions of Chicago neighbourhoods and the whole group will also visit “Buddy Guy’s Legends” for a taste of some American Blues. Finally, a lovely Farewell Dinner and Dance will conclude this year’s Congress on Tuesday evening.
As a new feature to the Congress this year, a special bonus session is offered on Wednesday morning, 21 October from 09.00-12.00 featuring Stephen M.R. Covey, author of the international best seller, The Speed of Trust. There is an additional cost to attend this session.
The staff of the AGN North America office looks forward to seeing you there!
For more details about the AGN 2009 World Congress, please visit the private pages of the AGN International website and select the World Congress link on the welcome page. |
Dixon Wilson and Elizalde Casares y Asociados take part in Staff Exchange programme |
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“It was a pretty big culture shock, but the people were really friendly and made my stay an incredible experience”. So says Antonia Martinez, of London firm Dixon Wilson, of her recent placement in the offices of Elizalde Casares y Asociados in Buenos Aires where she spent nine weeks. The firm, like Dixon Wilson, is part of AGN International.
“The idea came from talking with David Mellor (a partner at Dixon Wilson) about working overseas. There are plenty of opportunities to do so within AGN, but most people opt for English speaking jurisdictions. When David Nelson, Dixon Wilson’s Senior Partner, was at the AGN conference in Buenos Aires in 2008, he spoke to Tomas Elizalde at Elizalde Casares y Asociados, and they kindly agreed to take me on board.” Not only that, but Gustavo Casares, one of the Senior Partners at the firm, provided a room to stay at his home with his family. With a house full of children, there was plenty going on, lots of fun and I was made to feel very welcome.”
But what was the work like? “Actually, the office structure was very similar to Dixon Wilson. I was working in the audit department, and had a great variety of work given to me. From working on a tender for a German project under BMZ regulations (referred by another AGN member firm) to reviewing other auditors’ work, I was certainly kept busy. One of my key tasks was to write a quick reference guide in Spanish summarising ISAs and IFRSs.”
“Working in Argentina was fascinating, not least because of the local economic conditions. Hyperinflation issues are common there and unheard of in the UK.”
Were there any difficulties during your stay? “One of the things I didn’t expect was that differences in the Spanish spoken in Argentina. When I arrived, having been travelling for a straight 24 hours, it seemed like everyone was talking a strange language. But I soon became accustomed to the local accent, and with within a week I felt that I had been living there a life time. The experience has definitely helped improve my business Spanish and since then I have been a lot more confident when dealing with our Spanish speaking clients.”
“It was such an invigorating experience to work in a completely different setting and it was such a fantastic opportunity to build and strengthen a relationship between the two firms. Settling back into life in London has been quite tricky and not just because it is so cold here in comparison.”
Provided by Antonia Martinez of Dixon Wilson, London,UK. |
Member
Publications |
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Consultatio (Austria) – Consultatio News – an in-house newsletter (in German)
It is possible to download all published Investment Guides (in German and English language) from their homepage (http://www.consultatio.at, “International” – “Business in Eastern Europe”). On demand they would be pleased to forward the Investment Guides by post. Please contact them directly.The following Investment Guides have been published: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and the Ukraine
Fiducia MANAGEMENT (China) – China Focus (March 2009)
This issue includes an interview with Frank Sieren, China expert and best selling author of ‘The China Code; what’s left for us?’ as well as an article on how China might not be that worse off in the current economic climate and finally a piece about China’s economic stimulus package. (April 2009) Covers an interview with the principal of Fiducia’s China Consulting, Tim Wommelsdorff about the chemical industry and another article describes the better position of China in comparison to the global economy and how this can create opportunities for readers. (May/June 2009) This edition includes articles about salaries in the manufacturing and industrial sector as well as an article summarizing the new regulations for related party transactions in China. (July/August)This latest issue includes amongst others an item on the influence of China’s stimulus package on the car market and another piece briefly explains the new rules for setting up representative offices in China.
Logan Katz (Canada) – The Learning Kurve (Volume 4, Issue 2, February 2009)
This explains the new tax incentives to stimulate the economy in Canada. The Learning Kurve (Volume 4, Issue 3, March 2009) Lists advice on how you can reduce the risk of identity theft. The Learning Kurve (Volume 4, Issue 4, April 2009) Explains the newly introduced Harmonized Sales Tax in Canada. The Learning Kurve (Volume 4, Issue 5, May 2009) Provides an overview of several methods to obtain the value offered by the SR&ED Program without any problems. The Learning Kurve (Volume 4, Issue 6, June 2009) This issue focuses specifically on how managers can get through the current tough economic times. (Volume 4, Issue 7) Discusses topics such as income tax planning, principle residence exemption and life insurance.
Shankarlal Jain and Associates (India) – Budget 2009
The member firm in India has published a booklet about the Indian 2009 budget.
Duignan Carthy O’Neill (Ireland) – Emergency Budget ’09 (April 2009)
The member firm based in Dublin has published a leaflet about the 2009 emergency budget in Ireland.
Fiduciaria Mega (Switzerland) has published its 2009 corporate brochure, which contains information the members of staff, the firm’s services, dates and figures as well as details on their client relationship.
Clark Schaefer Hackett (USA March 2009 – July 2009) - monthly e-newsletter containing news related items such as how to stay optimistic and innovative in the current economic climate, the eight strategies of cutting costs without losing staff, as well as an article in the latest issue which includes important tax figures for 2009 in the U.S.
Daszkal Bolton (USA March 2009 – July 2009) - monthly e-newsletter featuring various articles such as the how to build a better business brand for enhanced profitability, another covers some answers to bankruptcy questions. Other issues during this period discussed new retirement plan relief rules and examples of how the use of Twitter can help promote your business.
Stockton Bates LLP (USA February 2009 – July 2009) - weekly e-newsletter re items of current interest including; an article covering the steps to show that your firm does not accept harassment, as well as an article on how innovative thinking can help your business grow. Another issue discusses some ways to focus on your business’s survival in today’s economy, as well as an article containing information on free speech in the work place and its limits. Furthermore, an article is written on the seven ways in customer services which can cause you to lose business and another gives readers an explanation on the buzzwords “Lean Manufacturing” and how to apply it in your business. Other issues also contain articles about inexpensive ways to go green, a checklist of steps to take to ensure a company’s branch operations stay on track, how to solve the labour crunch recruiting older employees, the best way to handle employee overtime and an article on the basic principles which can assist in a profitable pricing strategy. The newsletter also include items on how to minimize risks and maximize opportunities for transfer pricing and a list of questions never to ask job applicants in order to prevent any legal issues, how to keep web customers satisfied, ways in which to identify destructive employees and finally how facebook can be used as a tool to connect with customers.
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AGN's Upcoming Attractions! 
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OCTOBER
2
European Membership Development Committee Meeting
Location: Belgrade, Serbia
18-20
AGN World Congress
Location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
18-21
North American Tax Staff Training – Level 1
Location: Hickory Ridge Conference Center, Lisle, IL, USA
21
North American Advanced Partner Training Grad School
Location: Chicago, IL, USA
25-28
North American Tax Staff Training - Level 2
Location: Hickory Ridge Conference Center, Lisle, IL, USA
30
European Tax Task Force Meeting
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria
NOVEMBER
1-4
North American Tax & SaLT Conference Location: San Antonio, TX, USA
North American Experienced In-Charge Audit Staff Training – Level 4
Location: Hickory Ridge Conference Center, Lisle, IL, USA
8-11
North American Tax Staff Training – Level 3
Location: Hickory Ridge Conference Center, Lisle, IL, USA
15-18
North American Supervisory/Manager Skills Training (Audit and Tax) – Level5
Location: Colorado Springs Marriott, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
22-25
West Asia & Africa Pre –Regional Meeting Tour
Location: Kruger Park and its surroundings, South Africa
25-28
West Asia & Africa Regional Meeting
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
DECEMBER
6-9
North American Tax Staff Training – Level 4 Location: Renaissance Denver Hotel, Denver, CO, USA
JANUARY 2010
1-5
European Board Meeting
Location: Dublin, Ireland
17-18
North American Executive Committee Meeting
Location: Scottsdale, AZ, USA |
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