CMA Management articles from February 2004

CMA Management archives from February 2004

Building success.(From the Editor)
February 1, 2004... Management accountants continue to increase their profiles in a wide array of industries and disciplines, and in each they bring with them the tools to build success in new ways. In this issue we highlight a few of these innovative practices....

Collaborate to Compete.(How to Compete)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Knowledge management (KM) isn't often as successful as organizations would like it to be. Collaborate to Compete: Driving profitability in the knowledge economy suggests that not enough attention has been paid to the human side of KM, and that...

It's Your Move.(How to Compete)(It's Your Move: Dealing Yourself the Best Cards in Life and Work)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... Most people hit a spot in their lives or careers where they need to make a change--they feel uninspired, undervalued and directionless. It's Your Move: Dealing Yourself the Best Cards in Life and Work explains how individuals can determine...

Le temps de l'incertitude.(How to Compete)(Le temps de l'incertitude, du changement personnel au changement organisationnel)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 1, 2004... It has become something of a cliche to refer to the turbulence that characterizes any self-respecting organization today. Globalization, meanwhile, has heightened our awareness of the inevitable change that organizations face in a sometimes...

Call for nominations: 2004 CFO of the year award.(News and Views)
February 1, 2004... As leading strategic financial management professionals, CMAs know what it takes to be a successful CFO in today's competitive and highly volatile marketplace. CMA Canada is encouraging its members to nominate Canada's top chief financial...

Transfer pricing the focus for MNEs.(News and Views)(multinational enterprises)(Ernst and Young Transfer Pricing 2003 Global Survey)
February 1, 2004... Transfer pricing is the most important international tax issue that multinational enterprises (MNEs) now face, according to a recent survey by Ernst & Young. Eighty-six per cent of MNE parent company respondents and 93% of subsidiary...

Crisis planning and insurance take on new significance post-2003.(News and Views)(business interruption and recovery planning)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... SARS, blackouts and unusually harsh floods and hurricanes are challenging businesses with new scenarios that haven't been traditionally included in operational and technology recovery planning. According to KPMG's Insurance Practice, these same...

Taxation levels cost Canada investment dollars.(News and Views)
February 1, 2004... Canada's share of global foreign direct investment (FDI) is dropping steadily and taxation policy could play a role in reversing the trend, according to a recent Conference Board of Canada study, What Drives Foreign Direct Investment? The Role...

Pen-based LifeBook light.(High Tech)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2004... Fujitsu continues to increase the power and the versatility of its mobile computing models. This latest offering, the LifeBook B3010, has a slim 3.3-pound design measuring around 10 X 9 inches. It includes the Ultra Low Voltage Intel Pentium M...

HR transforming to make a bottom line impact.(News and Views)(human resources as strategic function)
February 1, 2004... Canadian human resource executives are committed to making HR a more strategic function but believe there are perceptual hurdles in their organizations, according to a new study from Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Seventy six per cent of the...

New software.(News and Views)
February 1, 2004... Visit www.managementmag.com for more information on the following software and applications packages: * SAP's new SAP Business One solution, for Canadian small-and mid-size businesses * Upside Software's new UpsideContract 4.0, for...

Independent means: take control of your organization's internal knowledge and you'll minimize your dependency on external expertise.(Human Resources)
February 1, 2004... During economically turbulent times, many organizations have a greater need for training. At the same time, however, training budgets are slashed, questions arise about the training's real value, people want different types of personal and...

Route-to-market knowledge builders: how RONA is fine-tuning its financials with cutting edge tools.(Management Trends)(value chain analytics, activity-based management aid in cost modeling)
February 1, 2004... The past year might turn out to be a watershed one for supply chain analytics in the distribution market, certainly if RONA's ambitious move is anything to go by. The hardware, home improvement and gardening distributor and retailer took its...

Small business to medium enterprise: making the leap by addressing a few key challenges.(Business Strategies)
February 1, 2004... A lot has been written about starting a new business, usually a small business, but there is comparatively little written about the growth process from small start-up to medium-sized company. But when a young business with just a few employees...

New structures for strategic growth: CMAs are taking on prominent strategic leadership roles in administering public accounting firms, adding corporate structures to established partnerships to create stronger businesses.(Profile)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2004... Professional accounting designations represent particular skill sets in the marketplace, and their holders add specific value to an organization. The distinction is becoming clearer, as CMAs play an increasingly prominent role in building...

Assessing financial risk at DND.(Rechecking the Defences)(Department of National Defence)
February 1, 2004... The last 12 years have been challenging for the Department of National Defence (DND). Significant budget cuts following the 1991 Defence White Paper were the catalyst for an era of devolution and decentralization in the department and have led...

Emissions trading at work: the U.K.'s emissions trading scheme has been in operation for more than a year and a half now and has worked remarkably well. As Canada prepares its Kyoto treaty plans, it could learn from this model.
February 1, 2004... The imperatives created by the Kyoto Protocol are likely to change our approach to emissions management, and it's time for managers in organizations large and small to look more closely at initiatives designed to control industrial emissions....

Transfer pricing principles for intellectual property: it's the most significant international tax issue today and, applied properly, can be very beneficial in the development of licensing businesses.
February 1, 2004... Transfer pricing is the most significant tax issue of our time. It's an inherent feature of the global economy and is universal, unavoidable and especially important in managing the knowledge economy of which we are an integral part. And...

Automating the balanced scorecard: as a company grows, it needs a software package that fulfills its needs for charting scorecard measures. Make sure yours has what you need.
February 1, 2004... In prior articles in CMA Management, we have examined the design process for scorecarding systems and indicated attributes of these systems that contribute to their successful implementation. Another consideration in the implementation of these...

Registration required? In the past two years, tax laws have changed to protect perceived losses by the CCRA. Make sure your business is properly represented in this new environment.(Tax Tips)(Canada Customs and Revenue Agency and e-commerce)
February 1, 2004... In an effort to combat perceived tax losses from e-commerce and to level the playing field between resident vendors and non-resident vendors, the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (CCRA) and Canada's provinces are taking a more aggressive...

Guarding the virtual vault: businesses in all sectors now recognize the value of information. Unfortunately, so do criminals. Data theft has become a multi-billion dollar problem that no company can afford to ignore.(Information Technology)
February 1, 2004... Bank robberies aren't what they used to be. Gone are the images of masked men armed with machine guns and safe-breaking tools. Today, thieves can steal millions in assets without making a sound or leaving a physical trace. The non-violent...

Tactical snapshots: government and industry combine to boost Canada's security industry.(Government Issues)(Canadian Advance Security Profile 2003 report )(Industry Overview)
February 1, 2004... Security has become a focal point for both private and public organizations across Canada. But the extent of the actual security industry in Canada has remained a bit of a mystery. To remedy that fact, the federal government called upon the...

Asian opportunity: despite the opportunities for growth in the region, Canadians remain hesitant participants.(Global View)(Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada report)
February 1, 2004... As a trading nation, Canada's economic success depends on strong commercial ties. As mentioned before in this column, however, we aren't always as successful as we ought to be in managing these commercial relationships. Much of our focus...