Accountant

"Accountant"

Rick, fresh out of accounting school, went to a
interview for a good paying job. The company boss
asked various questions about him and his education,
but then asked him, "What is three times seven?"

"22," Rick replied. After he left, he double-checked
it on his calculator (he *knew* he should have taken
it to the interview!) and realized he wouldn't get the job.

About two weeks later, he got a letter that said he
was hired for the job! He was not one to look a gift
horse in the mouth, but was still very curious. The
next day, he went in and asked why he got the job,
even though he got such a simple question wrong.

The boss shrugged and said, "Well, you were the closest..."

************************************************

"School"

The current scandals over how large companies
have been cooking the books reminds me of a
basic accounting course I took years ago. The
professor was explaining an accounting method
called First In Last Out, which is useful for industries
that accumulate large inventories of stuff. It explains
why the oil industry, for example, reported huge
profits during the 1970s when the oil shortage
occurred. They stopped buying oil, so they had to
use oil that, on paper, had been purchased in the
1930s at 20¢ a barrel. They of course sold it at
current market prices, which accounted for their huge profits.

One of the students put up his hand and said,
"Excuse me, sir, but that doesn't sound very ethical to me."

To which the professor replied, "You're in the
wrong class, son, this is Accounting 101. Ethics
101 is two doors down the hall, on the left."
Received on Sat Mar 15 08:36:27 2008