Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses: What Auditors and Owners Need to Know

Book Description

INCREASE THE LIFE SPAN OF YOUR SMALL BUSINESS

The average small business has a life span of about five years, and inadequate internal controls are the main cause of failure. Cyber fraud, the leading culprit today in internal criminal activity, occurs when advanced technologies are used to steal money or property. The majority of such crimes occur in-house, and the lack of sufficient capital and technological resources committed to protecting company assets makes small businesses especially vulnerable. Awareness of the dangers of internal theft by computer, illegal access to information systems, credit card fraud, and Internet scams is integral-especially as auditors, business owners, and managers are increasingly held responsible for negligence.

Providing critical guidance on what auditors and businesses can do to better prevent and detect the growing number of occurrences of cyber fraud, the information in this one-of-a-kind manual:
* Protects outside auditors by supplying the knowledge to ensure they meet their responsibilities
* Protects small business owners by providing them with the necessary tools to meet due diligence requirements in cyber fraud prevention
* Focuses on the key areas of vulnerability

Take the first step in protecting your company-and your future-with Avoiding Cyber Fraud in Small Businesses, the only book committed to helping you keep your small business free of computer crime.

Customer Reviews:

Preventative measures + Fraud Basics.......2002-10-28

This book is not as much about detecting fraud as it is about developing company-wide awareness and implementing detection measures. These are the keys to not only fraud prevention, but also security in general. My perspective is as an IT security professional, and I found this book to be thorough in that it covers all key items, and also to be applicable to any size business.

What I especially like about this book is its wide coverage that touches on each of the most important elements of awareness and prevention, including an objective assessment of cyber fraud as a threat, an approach to analyzing risks and vulnerabilities, and how to implement controls and policies. In addition to these basics, the book also goes into the technical aspects of security (written so that a non-IT professional can understand the fundamentals), and related topics, such as information protection, and legal issues associated with web site content. While the latter are not specific fraud vulnerabilities, they represent business risks that are loosely related to fraud.

Other material that I found useful and informative included the chapters on internal protection controls and conducting audits and investigations.

This book is a valuable resource for any IT security professional as well as corporate security, auditing and internal controls, and general business professionals (especially marketing). If you are new to fraud I also highly recommend "Fraud 101: Techniques and Strategies for Detection" by Howard R. Davia (ISBN 0471373095) which provides a solid foundation for understanding fraud management from a wider perspective, and "The Computer and Internet Fraud Manual" by Joseph T. Wells (ISBN 1889277363), which goes deeper into detection and response techniques.

Book Description

Written by a top communications expert, this popular book is based on the author's acclaimed corporate workshops.

Customer Reviews:

Good content - Reader has annoying voice.......2005-06-03

The content of the audio CD is excellent. The reader's voice is ear piercing and sounds like a computer generated voice. It was very hard to force myself to listen to the CD's because of his voice but once I did I was glad. Hopefully they'll come out with another version with a different reader.

Average customer rating:

An invaluable tool!
A Must Have in Corporate America
This is a great learning tool for all life's students.

The Articulate Professional
V. J. Singal , J. Thomas Graham , and Sequoia Career Resources
Manufacturer: Sequoia Career Resources
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Human Resources & Personnel Management | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0963900102

Product Description

A new edition of The Articulate Professional is expected to be available by the end of October 2007.

Customer Reviews:

An invaluable tool!.......2005-12-13

This book is a definite must have for anyone seeking to bolster their vocabulary and communication skills. I have recommended it to several of my friends and co-workers.

A Must Have in Corporate America.......2000-01-16

The Articulate Professional is a book that should be owned by anyone seeking to enhance their communication skills. It is not just a vocabulary book. The pages serve as a comprehensive easy to use guide with a strong focus on commonly used words in the business world. I especially liked the format of the book. Examples are provided for each word with its main, formal/semiformal, workplace and casual usage. I have recommended this book to other managers in my company as well as friends. I give this book the highest rating possible. It is an excellent tool.

This is a great learning tool for all life's students........1999-03-27

I've been trying for several months to find a resource book that would assist me in developing a much stronger vocabulary. Having purchased 3 other books, I can say this one is a proven winner. Unlike typical vocabulary material that provides the standard definition and possibly the phonetical spelling of the word, this book also incorporates the word into several, not one or two, real life sentence structures. They include the formal definition, work place examples, casual usage and then other examples. The book also groups similar words together. Although these words are not ubiquitous, they have day to day applications. I found the book so helpful that I have purchased it for my employees. The only suggestion would be to include synonyms for the words. Otherwise it's a great book.

The articulate woman: A guide to better public speaking for clubwomen, business, and professional women, everywoman!

Average customer rating:

The articulate woman: A guide to better public speaking for clubwomen, business, and professional women, everywoman!
Evelyn Oppenheimer
Manufacturer: Pyramid Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0515036668

Customer Reviews:

Facts, Consensus, Hypothesis, and Personal Speculations.......2006-10-17

Equations of Eternity - Speculations on Consciousness, Meaning, and the Mathematical Rules That Orchestrate the Cosmos is less about science, and more about speculation. Although Equations of Eternity was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, it is somewhat uneven and not entirely successful. Speculations are not always clearly identified; too often there exists an unclear, fuzzy boundary separating where scientific consensus ends and personal speculation begins.

Furthermore, although the author, David Darling, is not alone in speculating on the interaction between the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory and human consciousness, he rarely references other works. His discussion of whether mathematics involves discovery or invention is not new. I was disappointed that there was no bibliography, no sources, other than an occasional reference in the text.

Darling's arguments place considerable value on the various anthropic principles (especially John Wheeler's Participatory Anthropic Principle and Martin Gardner's extension, the Final Anthropic Principle), and yet, he devoted relatively little space to their discussion (and much less to opposing viewpoints). Darling should have focused more attention here.

In general, the earlier sections were quite good, especially the discussions on the evolutionary development of intelligence, the survival value of self-awareness, and the immense significance of art and symbolic representation in human development. I like his mantra: Self-awareness in humans equates to self-awareness by the universe ... as we humans are clearly components of the universe.

The last few chapters covered more familiar ground - futuristic projections regarding space travel, galactic migration by humans, existence of other intelligent life, the evolution of computers and artificial intelligence - and were more conventional in their outlook.

Although you may not ultimately agree with Darling that "we should begin to treat very much more seriously the possibility of a link between mind and cosmology", his speculations are indeed interesting.

Speculations indeed.......2006-05-08

While searching for the right words to describe what this book is actually "about" it appeared to me in the subtitle of the book itself - "Speculations on consciousness, meaning, and the mathematical rules that orchestrate the cosmos." Yeah, that pretty much sums it up. The truth is, the book is all over the place - not necessarily in a bad way - but so much so that it's difficult to sum up it's contents with a few simple words. It's anthropology, metaphysics, quantum physics, computer science, teleology, futurism...you name it, it's probably making an appearance in David Darling's "Equations of Eternity."

The first quarter of the book addresses the evolution of human consciousness (thus the anthropology), discussing our near evolutionary ancestors and the development of the forebrain. From there he takes a turn into what to me was the most laborious section of the book, the metaphysical section. Here he just gets a little too "if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" for my taste. Except he takes it a step further and seems to ask "if nobody is there to see it, does the tree even exist at all?" Just when I was about at my metaphysical breaking point, he quickly changes gears into the realm of quantum physics and starts giving the science behind what he is saying (Schrodinger's cat, etc.). It's during this part of the book that the lay reader may get a little lost in the science (I did once or twice) but by and large the book is extremely readable.

Suddenly Darling turns to the world of computer science and how computers might one-day work...random, I was thinking. But I began to see how he was assembling all of the information he laid out in his book and used it to coalesce into his final couple chapters, his "grand theory" of the evolution of consciousness, where he foresees all of humanity - no, all of the universe - existing as one single, massive collective consciousness millions of years from now.

At times the book bordered on a new age philosophy, but he usually avoids this by quickly backing up his claims with scientific research. Whether or not you ultimately buy his theories, the book is well worth the read and he doesn't make too many intellectual leaps, if you carefully follow his arguments. When he does present something that sounds outlandish, he is quick to point out that the standard "accepted" solution of the same problem is often just as outlandish - it's just that we're accustomed to it.

It's a fun book that will really get you thinking, and it's easy to get through with a few night's investment. Well worth picking up - it could be the kind of book that changes your life (as it apparently was to some other reviewers, and I can see how this is possible) but for me it was just an enjoyable foray into some realms of science that are currently almost 100% speculative. But as Darling proves in this book, speculating can be very entertaining.

Compellingly readable and profoundly interesting........2003-09-27

The other reviews of this book don't do it justice. As I'm not planning on spending a long time with this one, mine won't either. But, I'll tell you that this is one of the most memorable and profoundly interesting books that I've read in recent years.

While I'd have to call "Soul Search" my favorite of his books, this book was one that I actually bought up discounted copies of & sent to a number of my friends as gifts. (The friends I sent it to were not scientists or researchers, they were musicians and a health-care worker.) That wasn't something I'd really ever done before (or since).

What made this book so meaningful to me was it's humble-toned explanation of many scientific developments of our time and their implications to us. After writing (with engaging, pleasant, and clear language) about these things, Darling incorporates them into his "speculations" on how our world-society may develop as a collective. Don't get me wrong...there's nothing preachy here. Darling doesn't try to tell you that anything "must be" a particular way. He just offers many well-considered ideas based on an obviously-strong knowledge of his subject.

Ultimately, what Darling did was write a book that is well worth your investments. I'm randomly writing this review (while looking for new works by this author) after not having opened my copy of this book in probably three years. That's how strong an impact it made on me.

An interesting piece of literature.......2001-01-06

While this is certainly not the best book on any of the many sundry topics it discusses, it gives the reader an overall impression on theories, problems, and conjectures in the world of physics, metaphysics, philosophy, and the like. I personally did not find it "mind-expanding", but it was very informing. I'd wager that the average reader would find this book intriguing, though the veteran philosopher might not be as impressed with it. I enjoyed the book. Darling did tend to lean toward subtle mysticism, which was at most a trifle irritating, but he did quite well to include the pros and cons of not only his perspective but also those of many other viewpoints. Overall, this book is worth the read.

A very interesting piece of literature.......2001-01-06

Average customer rating:
Vogel's Textbook of Macro and semimicro qualitative inorganic analysis
Arthur Israel Vogel
Manufacturer: Longman
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Analytic | Chemistry | Science | Subjects | Books
Analytic | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
General & Reference | Chemistry | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0582443679

Average customer rating:

the Bible of Analytical Chemistry

A relatively good practical guide

Textbook of Macro and Semimicro Qualitative Inorganic Analysis
A. I. Vogel
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Similar Items:

Vogel's Quantitative Chemical Analysis (6th Edition)

ASIN: 0470206063

Customer Reviews:

the Bible of Analytical Chemistry.......2000-09-25

Vogel's book is the Bible of analytical chemists. Vogel has compiled all the most common analytical procedures and results into an easily followed book that is both treasured and guarded by chemistry teachers in the country. The best gift any chemist could hope to receive.

A relatively good practical guide.......2000-03-25

A good practical guide for students doing undergraduate inorganic experiments. Description of techniques are clear and comprehensive which makes it useful for a laboratory reference.

Book Description

The basis for biology is embryogenesis - a method of organizing the matter responsible for the creation of life. This book brings attention to the gap between science's description of life as random and mechanical, and the depth of human experience. Other sections discuss genetic determinism; embryonic models of healing; the Islamic critique of Western science; and theories of consciousness and language. Offering Buddhist, phenomenological, and indigenous systems of thought as alternatives to neo-Darwinism, the cultural, philosophical, political, and ecological ramifications of embryos, genes, and evolution are explored.

Book Description

Real-life Problems for Introductory General Physics is a set of context-based problems that provides students with the opportunity to apply physics principles and concepts in real-life situations. Many opportunities are provided for students to do scientific inquiry, problem solving, and decision making. Problems are presented in multiple steps, from the more simple to the more complex, to lead students in the correct approach to problems that might otherwise seem intimidating. An effective learning resource for senior high or introductory college/university physics.

Customer Reviews:

Real Physics Teaching Find!.......2002-05-14

This book gets into the physics of everyday life..."Real Life Problems..." is a great teaching tool for advanced high school or first year university undergraduates. The author, Frank Weichman, brings a unique approach to teaching physics in a fun and interesting way with real-life examples. Weichman also gives a useful primer in science literacy that helps readers decipher policy vs. politics on environmental issues, etc. "Real Life Problems..." is a great resource for teachers and an unusual challenge for students of physics. I recommend it highly!

Customer Reviews:

LOVE HORROR, HATED THIS BOOK.......2007-02-12

People are trapped in a drive-in while attending a horror marathon. As times passes the people become more and more crazy. There's also a monster that has taken over and all this is supposedly the result of aliens trying to make their own low-budget horror film. Sounds great! There's no way one could go wrong with this. Ah but wrong I was indeed. This thing is horrible and by the end I was sick at the thought that I actually paid money for this book and took the time to read it. Its just people doing random weird and violent things at a drive-in. Even the "creature" mentioned on the back of the book is a disappointment since all it is is 2 people that got melded together (not a spoiler since you're there for its creation) . As for the aliens, they only make an appearance in a very brief dream sequence. The whole part about them trapping these people to make a movie really just seems like an afterthought thrown in to make the story (or lack thereof) somewhat understandable. Even the climax is one of the most disappointing I have ever had the displeasure of reading. As tempting as this book may seem to be, avoid it. Plus, keep in mind I actually like the movie "Dead End Drive-In" a lot so this book is REALLY awful.

All hail the popcorn king!.......2000-03-30

This has got to be one of Lansdale's strangest stories. One Friday night at a drive-in in Texas something comes out of the sky and nothing is going to be the same. Everything beyond the fences of the drive-in disappear and as the popcorn and candy run out strange things start to happen. A new god is born and his name is the popcorn king.

This story is extremely original, fast-paced, full of interesting characters and great dialog. It has everything; bad movies, cannibalism, monsters, aliens, and a few other surprises.

Average customer rating:

Just like my life, but with alot sex and human contact.

A Light Sweet Dessert Of a Book - A Delightful Surprise

Back to the eighties and witness the birth of mall culture

Good fun

Blood & Popcorn

Blood and Popcorn
Perri Pagonis
Manufacturer: Writers Club Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Comic | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0595161413

Book Description

Blood and Popcorn is a whiz-bang bubblebath of 1980s mall culture: Cineplexes, Commodore 64s, Joan Jett, and salad bars are only some of the nuggets youÂ'll find in this funny, touching, first person account of life in a strip mall bookstore.

Customer Reviews:

Just like my life, but with alot sex and human contact........2003-03-16

"Blood and Popcorn" is a great book bar none. Not another teen angst novel filled with beautiful losers complaining all the time, this novel features characters you really care about and cheer for the entire time. Your main character "P-man" leads the pack as he tries to get his local cult hero Count Gore to come to his local strip mall to host a Halloween bash. Along the way, P-Man discovers the joys of car ownership, betamax VCRs, and the fun of dishing out punishment for wearing improper footwear. A past reviewer was right on when they said this book could be very sexy at times. Tina is a punk rock ... goddess to end all punk rock ... goddesses! The description of Tina putting on her Halloween outfit is worth the price of admission alone.

One of the best things about this book was the many movies, books, and people that you learn about in its pages. The reader can dive deeper into the world of "Blood and Popcorn" by watching such films as "Assault on Prescient 13" or by reading "Civilization". The fun doesn't have to end!

Here's one last catch. Did you know that Count Gore is a real life person? ...

Jeremy says relax.

A Light Sweet Dessert Of a Book - A Delightful Surprise.......2002-02-25

I recently completed "Blood and Popcorn" and have been spending
the past few days recommending it to my friends. It is the most good-natured, happy, smile-inducing novel that I have ever read.

Set in a strip-mall bookstore in the early to mid eighties, the main character, without trying, delivers three worthwhile truths: 1. Enjoy the adventures that each day brings. 2. Cherish and enjoy your friends and loved-ones. 3. Savor the flavor of every meal and every refreshment! This is all done with great fun, with zero preachiness, and without anything that is saccherine or overdone.

I'll be psyched to read Mr. Pagonis' next novel!

Back to the eighties and witness the birth of mall culture.......2002-02-16

I, like a lot of other 80's children are experiencing that wave of nostalgia for your youth that occurs when you grow up, get out into the real world, and in some ways long for the things that surrounded you in that time of carefree innocence before adolescence. I just finished this book "blood and popcorn" and it put me right back there. This is not the kind of thing that tries to squish all the fads and ideas of the eightites into one concrete rush or experience. Instead it shows how some of these little pop culture tidbits were part of everyday life. Basically it's right on the cusp of the mall/ vcr/ multiplex entertainment revolution the changed our culture forever in america. It was so cool to be able to lose myself in that time period that seemed much more innocent to me. Instead of traffic jam, over indulgence and capitalism run amock, the mall represented an opposrtunity for people to experience many choices and sample new ideas. The monopoly that is the blockbuster video "mcfamily movie renting experience" isn't even a twinkle in a stockholders eye. Instead, a new small tape rental store suddenly offers people so many movie possibilities, instead of just what's in the theatre at the moment. The lucky few who have one of those new vcr's are overwhelmed by the choices. It seems like so long ago to me that things were simpler like this and it it refreshing to go back to that period for a little while.

There are some other really nice items here that keep this from being just a pop culture blowout. Positive attitude and not over-thinking things so much as feeling them out are reoccuring themes in the book that guide the protagonist towards the right path.

All in all, this was a great, fun read, sexy at times, and really engaging. Like eating a big bowl of mashed potatoes and watching the a-team.

Good fun.......2001-10-24

Pagonis' first novel centers on the exploits of a character known as P-Man. P-Man is in his mid-twenties, lives with his ever-supportive mother, loves rock and roll and horror films, and works at a bookstore in a shopping mall in a suburb of Washington DC. P-Man has a host of rather unique friends, and the desert that is his dating experience comes to an abrupt halt when he lands up dating Tina, one of the sexiest girls working at the mall.

The core of the action of the story centers on the efforts of P-Man, along with Tina and his friends, to host a horror/cult movie marathon at the mall's theaters and their plans to entice TV horror host, Count Gore DeVol to be their special guest.

The book is fun, quite humorous, and has much to recommend it. The characters are colorful and interesting. I must say it's nice for a change to read of a mother/son relationship where they actually care for each other and aren't at each other's throats. And although I must admit that at first I had a hard time swallowing the premise that a girl like Tina would fall for a guy like P-Man, after accepting it, I found their relationship to be very nicely handled - not your typical angst-ridden coupling here.

Lastly, the book is a great throwback for anyone who grew up in the 80s, especially if you held a job in a "strip" mall. Pagonis nicely captures the essence of what is was/is like being a "mallrat" and the sub-culture that goes with it.

Blood and Popcorn is a fast, easy, enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

Blood & Popcorn.......2001-07-20

This is one of those rare books that captures a time and place like a well conceived snapshot. The time is the early 80's; the place is suburban Washington, DC, and the snapshot is of a subculture known as "mall rats." These are the young adults who make mall retail work. They stock the shelves, provide you with in service and then check you out. While most customers take them for granted, they quietly have creted their own little nitch in the world. This story centers on the "P-man" who works in a book store and starts to romance one of the sexiest girls in the mall. The catalyst for the action is the plan to bring Washington TV Horror Host, Count Gore De Vol to the mall theater for a Halloween special showing.

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