CMA Management articles from February 2006

CMA Management archives from February 2006

A larger contribution.(role of managerial accounting)(Editorial)
February 1, 2006... The challenges businesses have faced over the past year--rising prices, uncertainty, greater risk awareness--have brought to many people's attention the important role that management accountants can play in making organizations more nimble,...

Experience the Message.(marketing messages)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Today's consumer is exposed to more than 4,000 marketing messages every day. Trying to capture and keep an audience in such an environment seems an impossible task. To do so requires fresh thinking, and often a completely new approach. ...

Forced Ranking.(employee performance)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The procedure known as forced ranking has received a fair amount of negative attention in the past few years. It involves assessing employee performance relative to peers rather than against predetermined goals. It's a performance management...

10 Rules for Strategic Innovators.(business success)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Tackling a rising trend, Tuck School professors Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble have added to a growing lexicon about how to succeed at innovation. The focus in 10 Rules for Strategic Innovators: From Idea to Execution is how established...

IFAC increases support of developing nations, quality practices.(International Federation of Accountants)
February 1, 2006... At its Council meeting in Auckland, New Zealand in November, the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) introduced initiatives to help developing nations and to further support quality performance by accountants worldwide. In addition,...

New software.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
February 1, 2006... Visit www.managementmag.com for more information on the following software and applications packages: * CyberMatrix Employee Scheduler v1 * CCH Canadian Limited's CCH Accountants' Suite

Change still necessary in SOX compliance: FEI.(Sarbanes-Oxley Act)(Financial Executives International)
February 1, 2006... Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF), the research affiliate of Financial Executives International (FEI), recently released two new reports on Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance and Management's Reports on Internal Controls. These reports...

Intelligent outsourcing: Canada's challenge.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
February 1, 2006... Canada needs to become more productive and focused to protect and enhance 2.4 million knowledge services jobs potentially affected by global competition, while, at the same time, seize the opportunities offshoring sometimes presents. According...

The smartphone gets smarter.(product development)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Nokia recently expanded its business device portfolio with an addition to its high-end smartphone range, the Nokia 9300i. Incorporating WLAN connectivity with a full keyboard, 65,536-color screen, support for a broad range of enterprise e-mail...

Impending talent glut not sparking action.(market surveys)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... The impending retirement of the baby boomer generation and falling birth rates continue to present a threat to Canadian companies, according to a new survey from Deloitte's Human Capital practice, but Canadian organizations are less prepared to...

Focused biotech strategy a must for Canada, says Conference Board.(conferences)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... Canada can't rest on past success in the field of biotechnology, according to a report released recently by The Conference Board of Canada. Currently, Canada's modest investments in biotechnology are spread across a range of industry...

Canadian companies claim confidential and private data at risk.(surveys)(Brief article)
February 1, 2006... While 98% of Canadian business leaders and decision makers believe it is important for a company to ensure that any sensitive data is protected against improper activity, the facts tell a different story. A recent Fusepoint/Sun...

IBM study sets out five emerging trends to reshape global banking.(International Business Machines Corp)
February 1, 2006... IBM recently released a study revealing the key trends and innovations that will define the global banking industry in 2015. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The study, Banking 2015: Defining the Future of Banking, forecasts trends in banking to...

Training the rookie manager: new managers bring with them unique challenges. With the right blend of formal and informal training and feedback, however, the talent pool within an organization can flourish.(management development)
February 1, 2006... First-time managers display a lot of enthusiasm, determination, self-discipline, and of course those key skills that earned them the promotion in the first place. Yet they also face an overwhelming variety of challenges that they haven't been...

The power of collaboration: international collaborative research offers companies opportunities to gain insight into best practices in management first-hand. CMA Canada is supporting such efforts as a participant in the Consortium of Advanced Management-International.(Certified Management Accountants)
February 1, 2006... More and more organizations are discovering how collaboration can boost their profile and add to their knowledge assets. For instance, the C4 project in southwestern Ontario is a good example of collaboration at work. Through it, four large...

Pushing the art of management accounting: despite the many strides the profession has made over the years, some still believe that management accounting practices haven't taken as strong a hold in organizations as they should. FCMA Alexander Mersereau describes the challenges that are slowing the adoption of critical management accounting tools in broader business.(accounting procedures)
February 1, 2006... Management accounting practice has developed substantially over the past century, but recent studies suggest that the practice is no longer making the strides that it once did. Unless management accountants take a hard look at the effectiveness...

Organizational performance challenges: how budgets, cost models, management dashboards and continuous improvement are used today--and what needs to change.
February 1, 2006... Between March and late June, the CMA International Centre for Studies of Business Processes analyzed the challenges in organizational performance related to budgets, cost models, management dashboards and continuous improvement experienced at a...

Building more efficient businesses: a new research study suggests how dealing with five specific challenges can help build a more efficient and effective business.
February 1, 2006... Between March and late June, the CMA International Centre for Studies of Business Processes analyzed the organizational performance challenges many businesses must address: organizational structure, manager motivation, management information,...

Risk management and Monte Carlo simulation: an illustration and cautionary tale; Establishing risk thresholds for any business endeavour is essential. Organizations that can quantify risk have better insights on risk management.(risk management)
February 1, 2006... Governance authorities argue that one of management's major responsibilities is risk management. Risk management includes identifying the sources of risk, choosing the appropriate level of risk, and monitoring actual risk levels to identify...

Expanding the educational toolkit with innovative technology: Mary Beth Kyer, CMA, champions e-learning programs sensitive to the individual needs of clients.(Certified Management Accountants)
February 1, 2006... Delivering succinct and successful online educational experiences can be a challenge. Companies must decide what can and cannot be taught or reviewed in this medium, and then assure that the ROI from the tool is sufficient to warrant...

Understanding retirement options: employees postponing retirement can't afford to postpone retirement planning. Their employers should understand the tax and financial issues as well.(tax tips)
February 1, 2006... Ontario is the latest--and likely not the last--province to outlaw mandatory retirement at age 65. Manitoba, Quebec, Alberta and Prince Edward Island are already on board--as are Nunavut, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. ...

Strategic procurement: using a purchasing card can do more than simplify processes--it can offer you an edge.(information technology)
February 1, 2006... Senior managers are responsible for designing effective control systems and for taking proactive approaches to improve business performance, such as evaluating available information technology to streamline accounting processes. The procurement...

Technology transfer in Asia: China could prove to be an excellent market for Canada's high tech success stories, and leveraging the progressive intellectual capital available in Hong Kong could be the key to success.(economic development)
February 1, 2006... During his recent visit to Canada, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Donald Tsang, engaged Canada's business community, introducing them to a new era of business opportunities in the Pearl River Delta. He stressed the values that Hong Kong can...