CMA Management articles from April 2004

CMA Management archives from April 2004

Fighting the cynics.(From the Editor)(Editorial)
April 1, 2004... The first few months of 2004 have been interesting, to put it kindly, for Canadian investors and taxpayers. The mismanagement of millions of taxpayer dollars has been the big story, but there was positive news for investors. The Ontario...

Why Nonprofits Fail.(Survival of the Smartest)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... We live in an era that demands increased accountability and effectiveness from every organization. Nonprofits aren't an exception, and the executive directors and managers of these organizations are struggling to adapt to this environment. ...

I Should Be Burnt Out By Now ...(Survival of the Smartest)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Stress and anxiety, for many people, are parts of everyday living. Many people talk about that stress and how they fight to keep their heads above water from day to day. And yet, despite this, there are thousands of success stories every day...

They're Not Aloof ... Just Generation X.(Survival of the Smartest)(Book Review)
April 1, 2004... Aimless. Unmotivated. Lazy. These are just a few adjectives used to describe what has been considered an atypical age group known as Generation X. Many opinions have been expressed about this generation, most of them negative. But Gen Xers are...

TSX first to use XBRL reporting in Canada.(News and Views)
April 1, 2004... TSX Group Inc. recently became the first Canadian public company, as well as the first publicly listed stock exchange globally, to publish its annual financial results in XBRL. PricewaterhouseCoopers assisted the TSX in the process. ...

VC dollars flowing again.(News and Views)(venture capitalists)
April 1, 2004... Continued recovery of the public markets and increased investment activity in the third quarter of 2003 drove investors' optimism, as 60% of Canadian Venture Capitalists (VCs) expect the overall economic climate to improve over the next six...

Small business owners show retirement savvy.(News and Views)
April 1, 2004... Canadian small business owners are financially better prepared for retirement than employees, according to a recent CIBC report entitled Canadian Entrepreneurs and Retirement. "The average annual RRSP contribution made by a small business...

Asia a new hotspot for Canadian business.(News and Views)
April 1, 2004... Canadian business is showing a renewed surge of enthusiasm for Asian investment, especially over the next 12 months, according to the annual Asian Investment Intentions Survey carried out by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. The study...

High tech: security over IP.(News and Views)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Panasonic Canada recently introduced a full line of surveillance cameras and software that make the traditional closed-circuit television (CCTV) obsolete. These new products allow the user to use their existing IP networks or the Internet to...

Convenience and service a top concern for bank clients.(News and Views)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... A recent Maritz survey has found that interest rates, fee structures and a variety of financial services and products rank far behind convenience and customer service when consumers are choosing a primary bank. In the poll of 1,000 Canadians,...

Marking time: how time and attendance systems, in their most up-to-date incarnation, can make a substantial difference on your bottom line.(Management Trends)
April 1, 2004... Time and attendance systems (TA) are powerful change agents that can drive real returns to the bottom line in many industries. Next to taxes, labour costs represent, for most organizations, the greatest use of its resources. Yet few companies...

Asset-based advantage: give your company a financing edge by considering asset-based lending. It's underused in Canada but has the potential to help smaller companies.(Business Strategies)
April 1, 2004... A growing company has plenty of orders for its products--in fact, too many. It has to pay for components and supplies on net 30-day terms, while some of its own customers are slow paying their bills. The company is reluctant to turn down new...

Scorecard support: benchmarking and stretch targets are often adopted to support the Balanced Scorecard. But do they do what is necessary to make scorecards effective? Using statistical process control might be more effective.(balanced scorecard)
April 1, 2004... The Balanced Scorecard (BSC), first proposed by Robert Kaplan and David Norton, has emerged as an important strategic management system. The BSC offers organizations an alternative performance measurement system to overcome the deficiencies...

The CRM scrum: after years of being virtually ignored by the big players, small and medium-sized enterprises are finally seeing customer relationship management (CRM) packages on the market that fit their needs. The options vary, but the choices are there. Which will fit your needs?
April 1, 2004... One year ago, Dave Beetham, general manager for CPS Inc., a control panel and packaging manufacturer in Whitby, Ont., took stock of how his company was using its sales software. He knew it was time for a change. "We had a real mishmash of...

Value creation in the biotechnology industry; as a recent study demonstrates, it's non-financial disclosures that are key to value creation in this and other growing industries. Understand an industry's value drivers and you'll better understand the potential of individual firms.
April 1, 2004... The identification of important non-financial performance indicators is essential when assessing value creation in emerging industries. Identification of such performance indicators helps managers within these industries determine what should...

Back to basics--practical magic for project management success; the Interior Health Authority in British Columbia recently completed two major IT implementations. The key to their success was simplicity--understand what you need, and keep everyone in the loop.
April 1, 2004... The number of articles, books, and conferences that tout a quick fix to project management challenges is staggering. There's a reason for it, though. Many managers are looking for new and improved ways to navigate through their projects and end...

Broad vision, local support: Fred Zdan, CMA, links business and social needs on Southern Vancouver Island to create healthier communities.(Profile; Certified Management Accountant)(Interview)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Canada's credit union movement has a unique economic and social place within the financial services sector. Over the past 100 years, since the launch of the first caisse populaire in Quebec, the movement has grown and matured to meet the needs...

Support for success: here's an opportunity for CMAs to provide additional value for their companies and co-workers.(ADVERTORIAL)(Advertisement)
April 1, 2004... The Internet has become a valuable tool for many of us in our day-to-day business, but are we using it as effectively as possible? There are many ways we can gather information, communicate with our peers, and develop business through this...

Planned giving: donating to charities is always smiled upon, but with the right plan, it can also be a valuable tax benefit for both individuals and corporations.(Tax Tips)
April 1, 2004... The charity industry is flourishing in Canada: both individuals and corporations give billions of dollars every year to thousands of charities and charitable foundations. These donations are made in the most diverse forms, from change deposited...

A secure utility: utility computing is going to change the way many companies invest in IT. With the change comes some new security challenges. Is your customer data safe?(Information Technology)
April 1, 2004... The need to deliver sophisticate technology simply and efficiently has become a key imperative for the IT industry. Businesses, after all, need to stay focused on what they do best, and for everything else, they need simple answers. Utility...

Innovation at the top: how government supports innovation, and where the smart money goes.(Government Issues)
April 1, 2004... In October 1994, then finance minister Paul Martin released a document entitled "A New Framework for Economic Policy." In the introduction to the paper, he stated: "the framework will guide what we do in the future and what we won't do. Every...

Ready for the reconstruction: the Royal Bank of Canada preps Canadian entrepreneurs for new opportunities in Iraq.(Global View)
April 1, 2004... Last September, the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) joined an international consortium mandated by U.S. authorities to operate the new Iraqi Trade Bank, set up to help the country get back on its economic feet. The consortium is led by JPMorgan...