CMA Management articles from December 2004

CMA Management archives from December 2004

Adapting to a strong dollar.(from the editor)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... In early November, Canadians found themselves in a fiscal environment they hadn't enjoyed for a long time--the Canadian dollar hit 83 cents U.S. for the first time in more than a dozen years, putting the two currencies essentially at par for...

The Power of We.(People power)(book)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... Media depictions of management suggest that success is achieved only through intimidation, exploitation and manipulation. Most business leaders know differently, of course, and Jonathan Tisch's new book, The Power of We: Succeeding through...

Dangerous Opportunity.(People power)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... There is a story behind the title of this book, Dangerous Opportunity: Making change work. Two Chinese characters are used to create the word "crisis"--one means danger, the other means opportunity. The book notes that no change is without its...

Got Game.(People power)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 1, 2004... The generation once known as the baby boom echo is starting to enter the workforce. With that group comes a different attitude--certainly different from their Generation X counterparts. John Beck and Mitchell Wade call them the "Gamer...

CMA Quebec Order wins Grands Prix quebecois de la qualite 2004 top award.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
December 1, 2004... Quebec's Deputy Premier and Minister of International Relations Monique Gagnon-Tremblay in late September awarded, on behalf of the Premier, the Grands Prix quebecois de la qualite 2004, accompanied by Gisele Desrochers, chair of the board of...

Canadian securities administrators propose new internal control reporting.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
December 1, 2004... On January 16, 2004, the members of the Canadian Securities Administrators, other than British Columbia (the participating CSA jurisdictions), published a notice in respect of Multilateral Instrument 52-109 Certification of Disclosure in...

Canadian corporate directors commanding higher fees.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
December 1, 2004... Total compensation for Canada's corporate directors increased 32% between 2001 and 2003, according to a new study of the proxy disclosure of companies in the S & P/TSX Composite, conducted by Mercer Human Resource Consulting in association with...

CIBC study reveals secrets to small business success.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
December 1, 2004... CIBC recently released a report entitled Secrets to Small Business Success, which examines small firms that have outperformed their peers in revenue growth over the past three years, and identifies the characteristics of these successful...

Socially responsible investment firms ask for GRI standard reports.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
December 1, 2004... In the wake of years of corporate scandals, an unprecedented coalition of U.S. analysts at 17 socially responsible investment firms representing more than $147 billion (U.S.) in assets is urging publicly traded companies around the world to...

Flexible laptop computing.(HIGH TECH)
December 1, 2004... Differentiation in the PC, laptop and cell phone markets is difficult these days--one of the reasons we cover so few of them in this column. But once in a while, a company comes along and tweaks an old idea to make it feel new. Such is the case...

The natural: are your presentations engaging or enraging? By treating them like conversations, rather than dictations, your management meetings can come to life.(human resources)
December 1, 2004... It's a key management meeting and the room hums with anticipation. As you look around the table at your executive colleagues, you get a little nervous thinking about what's to come. You're presenting information on a critical new project,...

Keeping up with world currencies: revisiting foreign exchange risk management--how it can work for you.(business strategies)
December 1, 2004... A colleague recently came to see me concerned by the rapid rise in the value of the Euro versus the U.S. dollar. He was concerned that he was no longer cost competitive in the U.S., given the quick rise in the value of the Euro, and hoped that...

Measuring the payoffs of IT investments: many companies have spent a lot of time and money implementing sophisticated IT systems without a model in place to measure the systems' return on investment. CMA Canada and the AICPA aim to remedy that with a new Management Accounting Guideline and the introduction of the IT Contribution Model.
December 1, 2004... In too many organizations, decision makers overlook economic rationality in justifying information technology expenditures and instead acquire the best and most recent technologies to outpace others, regardless of the results achieved. Numerous...

Excellence through quality.
December 1, 2004... Legislative changes and governance issues are driving many organizational agendas today. However, any management team that hopes to make its organization do more than simply meet the requirements of market watchers have to maintain a broader...

Strategic investment in Canada's future: enhancing productivity and government management.
December 1, 2004... Taking a new cost/benefit approach to debt reduction, adopting a more sophisticated comptrollership model for government operations, and implementing new tax and business incentives are among the recommendations made in CMA Canada's submission...

Bridging the boardroom generation gap.
December 1, 2004... Today's boardrooms are at a crossroads. Boards of directors are finding themselves increasingly open to scrutiny and criticism. At the same time, the days of the old guard are waning. When the time eventually comes for seasoned incumbents to...

Women in the boardroom.(PROFILE)(Cover Story)
December 1, 2004... Corporate and non-profit boards of directors across Canada are welcoming more and more women into their ranks. Many women CMAs are among them, playing critical governance roles working in and with boards of directors. CMA Management had a...

Retirement on a better budget: supplementing retirement income with tax deductible corporate earnings.(money management)
December 1, 2004... For years, the registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) and registered pension contribution limits have been too low to adequately fund a retirement lifestyle equal to that which many professionals have become accustomed. Consequently, many...

Automated workflow goes enterprise: to say that businesses today approach technology with caution is an understatement. Grandiose visions are out and practical, no-nonsense business value is in. Automated enterprise workflow, nevertheless, is one area where emerging technology is likely to make the cut.(information technology)
December 1, 2004... Workflow solutions provide a "win-win" by reducing stress and errors for line workers, and at the same time giving management the tools to make measurable improvements to the business. The prerequisite, however, is considerable clarity around...

Keeping it green: EDC reporting system ensures greater environmental compliance and a stronger place for Canadian business. If you're looking to invest energy overseas, make sure you'll comply.(government issues)
December 1, 2004... Since 2001, the federal government's Export Development Canada (EDC) has used an environmental review process to investigate various projects in which it is considering investing. The process includes categorization, standards and monitoring;...

Towards international standards: a new IFAC study explores the challenges and successes linked to achieving standards convergence. Clearly, there's still a long way to go.(global view)
December 1, 2004... The forces of globalization continue to grow, and with them has come a drive for the creation and adoption of international standards for financial reporting. Although such an aim is seen as laudable in most, if not all circles, there continue...