Costs and costing for the small firm

ABSTRACT This role play requires students to consider the complexities of a small CPA firm urgently attempting to replace the unique industry knowledge and experience possessed by a terminally ill audit partner. In this role play, students assume the position of either an existing partner or a former partner who is considering rejoining the firm. This role play includes two sections. First, in the planning stage, students brainstorm mutually equivalent options that satisfy their critical financial and nonfinancial interests to address the problem of replacing the terminally ill partner in their respective existing partner and former partner teams. Second, students engage in a “table” negotiation with their assigned counterpart to reach an amicable agreement to this firm crisis and participate in a debriefing session and prepare a debriefing document. The small firm context provides a unique opportunity to make contributions to the existing accounting and auditing literature related to enhancing students' critical thinking and negotiation skills. Distinctive small firm role play elements that should enhance critical thinking and negotiation skills include considering contingent agreements that dovetail differences in future legal liability forecasts, and dovetailing differences to take advantage of complementary skill sets to mitigate industry-specific auditor detection risks and related business risks.1 Critical thinking skills also should be strengthened through negotiating a package of interests and related options including the impact of various tradeoffs that are not fully known until the table negotiation commences so that the final agreement does not exceed the firm's non-negotiable budgetary constraints.

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MARKETING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH NETWORKING: A COMPETENCY BASED APPROACH FOR SMALL FIRM ENTREPRENEURS

Small Business and Enterprise Development ◽

10.1002/(sici)1099-1662(199611)3:3<148::aid-sbe64>3.0.co;2-c ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 148-156 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jimmy Hill ◽

Pauric McGowan

Keyword(s):

Small Firm ◽

Competency Based

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Classeek Spirits of the World: E-Business Internationalization

The International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation ◽

10.5367/ijei.2011.0030 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 137-144 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Harry Matlay ◽

Paul Westhead ◽

Mike Wright

Keyword(s):

Small Firm ◽

Secondary Level ◽

Family Businesses ◽

Firm Internationalization ◽

The World ◽

Reputational Capital

This case study examines the motivations and barriers to small firm internationalization. The entrepreneur's human and reputational capital, experience and knowledge are leveraged to address barriers. An e-business platform strategy is illustrated. At a secondary level, the case also demonstrates the challenges inherent in revitalizing family businesses over generations of ownership.

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Getting a Foot in the Door: Small-Firm Credit and Interest Group Politics in the Netherlands, 1900–1927

Enterprise & Society ◽

10.1017/eso.2020.53 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-37

Author(s):

RUBEN PEETERS

Keyword(s):

Small Firm ◽

Small Firms ◽

Power Structures ◽

Access To Credit ◽

Financial Infrastructure ◽

History Of ◽

Interest Group Politics ◽

Group Politics ◽

The Government

This article explores the link between the history of small-firm associations and the development of Dutch financial infrastructure geared toward small firms. In particular, it tests Verdier’s thesis about the origins of state banking using an in-depth case study of the Dutch small-firm movement. This article shows that Dutch small-firm associations did not simply became politically relevant and use their power to lobby for state banking, but rather used the topic of insufficient access to credit to rally support, mobilize members, and obtain subsidies from the government. During this associational process, they had to navigate local contexts and power structures that, in turn, also shaped the financial system. State banking was initially not demanded by small firms, but arose as the result of failed experiments with subsidized banking infrastructure and a changing position of the government on how to intervene in the economy.

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