CMA Management articles from February 2002

CMA Management archives from February 2002

Addressing emerging management issues. (From the Editor).
February 1, 2002... Since the summer of 2000, The Society of Management Accountants of Canada has been conducting ongoing research with a view to identifying and understanding emerging issues facing today's organizations, and developing the core competencies that...

Would You Work For You? (Brain Food).
February 1, 2002... This real-life hands-on guide is designed to assist leaders to better see themselves, their relationships and their skills, in order to enable them to move their organizations forward. Would You Work For You is aimed at leaders at all...

Companies must protect against new vulnerabilities. (News and Views).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Companies must do more than buy adequate insurance to instil customer confidence and protect against service disruption after September 11, say experts from KPMG LLP. At their 10th annual insurance conference, KPMG insurance partners told...

What a lightweight! (High Tech).(Hewlett-Packard OmniBook PC)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The Hewlett-Packard OmniBook PC is a legacy-free, ultra-thin notebook PC for highly mobile individuals who demand maximum portability on the road and full functionality at their desks. This versatile, lightweight notebook is easy to use,...

Small business owners juggle priorities. (News and Views).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Grant Thornton LLP recently surveyed Canadian entrepreneurs about their top business priorities. According to the survey, entitled "Juggling Priorities: Trends Affecting Owner-Managers of Canadian Companies," in terms of issues entrepreneurs...

HR practices are leading indicators of financial success. (News and Views).(human resources)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Results of a recent study by Watson Wyatt prove for the first time that there is a cause and effect relationship between human capital management and financial performance. Watson Wyatt's 2001 "Human Capital Index (HCI)" study shows that...

Change coming faster than leaders can manage. (News and Views).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... According to a recent report from The Conference Board of Canada, entitled "Leadership for Tomorrow: Playing Catch-Up with Change," in the race to keep pace with change, change is winning. Only 2% of Canadian executives today rate their...

Companies abandon traditional budgets to boost shareholder value. (News and Views).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The annual budget may be going the way of the dinosaur as companies introduce new and more accurate financial models capable of linking budgeting to overall corporate strategy, according to results of a recent global Accenture/Cranfield School...

A new technology sector predicted for 2004. (News and Views).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... According to new research from Cambridge, Mass-based Forrester Research, the tech slump will end in the third quarter of 2002 and a revival will pick up momentum in 2003, but double-digit growth won't return until 2004. The current market...

Personal contact is necessary. (Rants and Raves).
February 1, 2002... I disagree with the statement, "The need for executives to travel to finalize business deals, make major decisions, and take part in crucial meetings will soon be a thing of the past," in "The Incredible Shrinking World" (November 2001). Visual...

The extra mile: Motivating employees to exceed expectations. (Career Intelligence).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... As business competition intensifies worldwide, companies must strive more than ever before to improve quality and production while controlling costs. How will they meet this challenge? While savvy management and continuing advances in...

Employee development in a changing organization: For most knowledqe workers, it's a question of culture. (Management Trends).
February 1, 2002... Organizations change in response to changing markets. These days, global market change is coming at a breakneck pace. A recent report published by The Conference Board of Canada, entitled Leadership for Tomorrow: Playing Catch-up with Change,...

Debt and Taxes: Alternative ways to resolving tax debt can help business owners and self-employed professionals regain financial control of their companies. (Business Strategies).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... About 10 years ago, a self-employed professional facing an insurmountable tax liability had no option available to resolve that debt other than personal bankruptcy. Until 1992, Canada Customs & Revenue Agency (CCRA) ranked as a preferred...

Shaping good conduct: The search for more effective systems of corporate governance has created a unique opportunity for strategic financial management professionals.
February 1, 2002... Improving corporate governance is one of the hottest topics in boardrooms, regulatory commissions, and business newsrooms around the world. Reasons for this stem from a variety of problems that surfaced in the 1990s, such as well-publicized...

Tracking Progress: More companies are recognizing the value of project management as part of their overall strategy -- particularly in times of change.(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... In recent years, project management has gained a solid reputation in the business world, and rightly so. It is an area of expertise that is becoming increasingly crucial to the achievement of strategic objectives. Only 30 years ago, during a...

The balancing act: Even in today's volatile economic climate, many organizations are turning to the balanced scorecard to help steer their organizations in the right direction. (Case Study).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... It evokes harmony, and simplicity. It sounds almost Zen. What is it? It's the balanced scorecard. It denotes comprehensiveness and totality. It sounds healthy and natural, just like your mother's advice to eat a balanced breakfast. And best of...

Short-Term pain, Long-Term gain: Placing too much focus on shareholder value as a measurement of management's performance can jeopardize a company's long-term success.(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The late Vince Lombardi, the football coach who has become an American icon, is famous for his statement "winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." This philosophy can be equally applied to current criteria for the measurement of...

Gauging the risks: Working in the venture capital field during an economic downturn may appear to be a daunting proposition, but VC firms like Quebec-based Pluri-Capital are still betting on entrepreneurs.(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... Sylvain Dube, CMA, is the investment manager at Pluri--Capital, a private company specializing in venture capital and business development. In addition to investing in start-up firms or expansion projects, Pluri-Capital manages funds under...

A sure thing: Whether you're a small business owner or an employee in a large firm, retirement compensation arrangements offer a variety of economic benefits.(Brief Article)
February 1, 2002... Traditional employee, executive and entrepreneurial wealth supplements, such as the ubiquitous stock option, have lost their lustre under current market and economic conditions. Even the value of the trusted company pension has deflated in this...

A niche in numbers: CMA Janet Cosier helps minimize risk and provide strategic direction for the Bank of Canada. (Profile).
February 1, 2002... Coming from an accounting family, it makes sense that CMA Janet Cosier would find her niche in numbers. Born in Montreal and raised in the Toronto suburb of Willowdale, Cosier is the adviser on strategic planning and risk management for the...

In praise of budgeting: The purpose of a personal budget is to enhance, not diminish, your quality of life. (Money Management).
February 1, 2002... On financial matters, we consumers are becoming a well-educated bunch. We can quote daily stock prices, rhyme off the major world indices and recite the best financial sites on the Web. In addition, many of us management professionals encounter...

Multimediaville: Information technology and multimedia companies are breathing new life into Montreal's downtown district. (Information Technology).(Cite Multimedia)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The Cite Multimedia in Montreal is first and foremost a Government of Quebec financial assistance program to promote the information technology and multimedia industry. The program provides tax exemptions for qualified employees hired by...

The future of business travel: September 11 has changed the way we travel forever. (Business Travel).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... In response to the September 11 tragedy, corporations and their corporate travel managers are speaking out about the future of business travel. In a focus group survey conducted by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) in Virginia,...

Wanted: Private investment for job creation; Since its founding in 1998, Investissement Quebec (IQ) has assisted SMEs by directing them to possible sources of financing government issues. (Government Issues).(Statistical Data Included)
February 1, 2002... The role of the government-owned corporation called Investissement Quebec (Investment Quebec) is to stimulate private investment and create jobs in Quebec. For this purpose, IQ offers various financing and tax tools that help companies of all...

A new window to the world: The World Trade Organization addresses the needs of developing and least-developed nations as part of its strategy to expand international trade. (Global View).
February 1, 2002... The fourth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference held in Doha, Qatar last fall brought together trade ministers from more than 140 countries. Preparations for the conference began in January 2000, shortly after the failure of...

The Power of the Future. (Brain Food).
February 1, 2002... This "survival guide" is for people and organizations operating in the 21st century. The author explores the concept of "evolutionary thinking," which does not rely exclusively on the information available in the rational world, but rather has...

PM Practices Book Series. (Brain Food).
February 1, 2002... This series of books combines the project management expertise of authors with best practice benchmark studies to provide an invaluable resource for any organization making the transition to a project management-driven culture. Highlighting the...