Communication is vital to all business operations. Effective communication within your organization positively affects communication outside – the two are connected. In accounts payable, effective internal communication involves ensuring that other business units understand the AP process. According to Tom Nichols, President, Process Management Improvement Inc. and TAPN advisor, problems often arise because of a communication breakdown between business units and AP.

As the world continues to shrink and more organizations conduct international business, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is moving towards requiring all businesses to adopt international accounting rules.

For the second time in less than three years, internet retailer Overstock.com is issuing a restatement of its finances due to implementation problems with its Oracle enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

In 2006, Overstock.com issued its first restatement to correct an error relating to accounting for freight costs that the company charged immediately rather than at the time the inventory was sold.

CBIZ, Inc., (formerly Century Business Services) is a Cleveland, Ohio-based provider of customized business services. The company, which has more than 5,000 employees in some 200 offices across 30 states, generates approximately $500 million in annual revenue. From its beginnings in 1996 at square one, CBIZ has grown considerably. And with that growth come the inevitable growing pains.

Despite the recent news heralding the adoption of international accounting standards, U.S. businesses would be smart not to forget the old ways of doing business just yet.

The Unclaimed Property Professionals Organization (UPPO; www.uppo.org) has hired Thomas Stefaniak as its first Executive Director. Mr. Stefaniak, a Certified Association Executive credentialed by the American Society of Association Executives, previously held management positions with the American Society for Quality and the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. He received his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

After nearly four years, Arkansas and SAP have reached a tentative settlement agreement concerning the state government's difficult ERP implementation.

In a proposed settlement, Arkansas will keep $2 million owed to SAP for the troubled computerized accounting system purchased by former Gov. Mike Huckabee's administration. The proposal also calls for software and consulting support for upgrades to the system called the Arkansas Administrative Statewide Information System (AASIS), 50 percent discount on software maintenance fees for three years, and $250,000 in cash paid to the state.

California State's controller has been prohibited from paying for goods and services provided by contracted vendors after July 1, 2008. Why? Because the governor and legislators have failed to agree on a budget for the new fiscal year. Until this situation is worked out, thousands of state contracted businesses will not be getting paid.

As check volumes continue to decrease, the dollar value of check disbursements is increasing. The majority of all checks are for B2B Payments.

According to the TowerGroup Global Payments research practice, paper check volumes in the United States are expected to decline to 17.9 billion transactions by the end of 2009. In 2003, checks made up 46 percent of the total U.S payment volume. By 2006, that number had decreased to 31 percent.

A recent lawsuit involving department store retailer Kohl's calls attention to a seldom discussed business practice - markdown money.

Kohl's Corporation received its second lawsuit this year claiming that the retailer unfairly withheld payments for merchandise and stopped ordering merchandise from the plaintiff, Fu Da International Limited, in response to unpaid "markdown money". The New York sportswear manufacturer filed the $4.8 million suit in federal court in June of this year three months after the coat manufacturer, London Fog, filed a similar suit against the retailer.