PricewaterhouseCoopers targets women [Telegraph]
PricewaterhouseCoopers will announce that it wants the present 14pc figure to rise significantly over the next decade. It is believed that the first target could be 20pc. Ian Powell, the chairman of PwC, also wants to set an “aspirational goal” of 40pc to 50pc of partners being women or from other under-represented groups, such as ethnic minorities.

The Path to Global Standards? [CFO]
[L]ast week Leslie Seidman laid out her “three highest priorities” through June 30. Remember that date., the Securities and Exchange Commission could reveal whether it intends to require all U.S. public companies to incorporate international financial reporting standards into the current U.S. financial reporting system. Speaking on a FASB Webcast, Seidman, who became the top U.S. accounting standard-setter on December 23, said the board’s main tasks for the first two quarters of 2011 are to achieve, along with the International Accounting Standards Board, melded standards in three areas: financial instruments, revenue recognition, and leasing.

Audit Credibility [The Summa]
From Professor Albrecht, ” ‘Do credible CPA audit firms add benefits to clients that exceed the audit costs?’ It’s an interesting question, I suppose, to narcissists (Big 4 auditors, government regulators and accounting professors) who believe that the world revolves around the audit function. It isn’t a question that floats my boat, for I’m concerned with a different question, ‘Credibility?’ Do credible CPA audit firms add net benefits to investors?”

Finance Chiefs Expand Roles [WSJ]
Long seen as the overseer of a company’s books, finance chiefs have been getting more deeply involved in business strategy, deciding where to invest capital and even looking at a company’s product mix. They’re also taking on new responsibilities: overseeing divisions like information technology, production, customer service and human resources. The change comes as companies put more emphasis on controlling costs, seeking input from finance chiefs as the companies try to manage revenue growth more closely during a tentative economic recovery.

In Financial Crisis Autopsy Auditors Nowhere To Be Found [Forbes]
The auditors who weren’t there.

Continuous auditing: putting theory into practice [IIA/Marks on Governance]
Internal auditing, 24/7.

How to Tax the Rich [WSJ]
Turning bad ideas into good.

Harmonised accounting rules to hit US banks [FT]
US banks could see their balance sheets balloon under new proposals from the accountancy rulemakers that would dramatically reduce their ability to net their derivatives exposure. The Financial Accounting Standard Board and its international counterpart are planning to establish a common approach to the presentation of financial assets and liabilities on company balance sheets.

Big four auditors ’embedded in tax haven world’ [Daily Mail]
The Big Four accountancy firms have come under attack for maintaining on average more than 20 offices each in offshore tax havens despite countries working together to crack down on tax avoidance. The four firms – PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Deloitte and Ernst & Young – have 81 offices in offshore tax havens, according to new research by Financial Mail. MP Chuka Ummuna, who earlier this month confronted Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond over the banks’ 300 offshore subsidiaries, said: ‘There’s a whole industry out there dedicated to helping people avoid tax that will increasingly come under the microscope.

The Secrets to Getting Good References [FINS]
One of your first moves when considering a job change should be to review your professional network for people who can serve as references. Prospective employers are likely to ask you for three or four people who can endorse you as a professional. How you ask is, of course, just as important as who you ask. There are a number of courtesies to keep in mind when you’re choosing your references.

PwC: CEOs confident, eager for talent [Vault]
PricewaterhouseCoopers timed the release of its 14th annual Global CEO Survey results to coincide with the opening of the World Economic Forum at Davos yesterday. Despite an anemic recovery in the US, the results show that CEO confidence has rebounded to pre-crisis levels, with corporate leadership eager to hit the ground running in 2011.

Prof Pees on Colleague’s Office Door [TaxProf Blog]
You’re in trouble, buddy.

CPA firms make Super Bowl wager for charity [AW]
Kolb+Co., a Brookfield, Wisconsin-based public accounting firm, has made a Super Bowl wager with Schneider Downs, Pittsburgh’s largest independent public accounting firm. “Our idea is to involve our entire offices in a team spirit day, where every employee can support their team through casual dress when they make a $5 donation,” said Tom Luken, president and CEO of Kolb+Co. “Once the Super Bowl has been decided, all proceeds will be donated to a charity selected by the winning office.”

Tax Blogosphere Buddies – Joe Kristan [TWTP]
Our friend and purveyor of Tax Update Blog, Joe Kristan, does a Q&A with Robert Flach.

If lien fits, O.J. Simpson prosecutor’s firm must pay it [Tax Watchdog]
Remember Christopher Darden? He’s the prosecutor who instructed the Juice to try on the glove. This led to Johnnie Cochran being immortalized which may have inspired the creation Jackie Chiles. For that, we are grateful. Oh, and Mr Darden has a $30k tax lien.

Taco Bell: ‘Thanks for suing us’ [CNN]
A first?

LinkedIn plans to raise up to $175 million in IPO [Reuters]
LinkedIn Corp, whose professional networking site has 90 million users, plans to raise up to $175 million in an initial public offering, according to a regulatory filing. The company, co-founded in 2002 by ex-PayPal executive Reid Hoffman, announced its intention to go public on Thursday, but did not immediately reveal how many shares would be offered or their price range.