CMA Management articles from November 2006

CMA Management archives from November 2006

Frameworks for success, new and old.(from the editor)
November 1, 2006... Corporate governance has been and will continue to be a hot topic, at the very least until all of the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) in the U.S. and Bill 198 in Canada have been in place for a few more years. Although implementation...

Big Winners and Big Losers.
November 1, 2006... One way of measuring the success of a firm is its performance on the stock market. In Big Winners and Big Losers, Alfred Marcus compares the 3% of firms that outperform their industry's average stock market performance for 10 years with the 6%...

Canadian Treasury Management, 3d ed.(Brief article)(Book review)
November 1, 2006... The corporate governance landscape is changing, which is having a huge impact on the treasury function in Canada. Many treasury operational areas have a significant and material effect on the operations and financial position of companies, so...

Certification of Internal Control: Evaluating Design.(Canadian Securities Administrators )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Canadian public companies must act promptly to meet the requirements for CEOs and CFOs to certify the design of their internal control over financial reporting. Current Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) rules require the certifications...

IFRS: consistency, comparability remain a challenge.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... While International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) have been implemented successfully by more than 8,000 listed companies in the European Union (E.U.), there is still a long way to go to achieve consistency and comparability in all...

IFAC makes key leadership appointments.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... At its meeting in Toronto in September, the Board of the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) approved increasing the involvement of developing nations in its activities by expanding the IFAC Developing Nations Committee and by...

Sustainability and accountants in business: new IFAC papers.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... Attention to the social, environmental and economic effects on business performance is increasing from investors, governments, customers, and society in general. As a result, management accountants are among those who are being called on to...

Forest, paper industry sees need for improved efficiencies.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... Increasing cost pressures, supply chain efficiency, greater customer focus and improved long-term sustainability top the list of key concerns for CEOs in the forest, paper and packaging industry, according to the results of a new survey...

Emissions still on the back burner.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions management remains on the back burner for more than half of emitting Canadian companies, according to a recent Deloitte survey, the GHG Emissions Management Survey 2006. The survey of 80 Canadian respondents shows...

Venture capital in Europe on the rise.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... For the second quarter in a row, renewed interest in early-stage investments boosted overall venture capital investment in European companies. In the second quarter of 2006, a total of 962.4 million Euros was invested in 213 deals, according to...

New software.(New and noteworthy information you can use)
November 1, 2006... Visit www.managementmag.com for more information on the following software and applications packages: * Prophix Enterprise Version 6.1 * Necho Expense 7.5

Rugged and ready.(HIGH TECH)
November 1, 2006... Panasonic is currently the only manufacturer to offer a full line of rugged and semi-rugged notebook computers. Toughbook notebooks give you a choice of ruggedized features, protecting the three most important components of your notebook: ...

Know your risks: a crucial part of a Board's risk management strategy must be assessment and evaluation of its directors' and officers' personal liability.(human resources)
November 1, 2006... A recent survey of boards of directors of TSX-listed companies found that Canadian directors consider their current risk of potential claims to be high, with future risk even higher. The study shows some remarkable results for Canadian...

Income trusts--the new rules: new tax legislation levels the playing field between investments in corporations and income trusts.(management trends)
November 1, 2006... Income trusts have been a popular topic of discussion in the business marketplace for several years. Market capitalization in these trusts increased over $100 billion between 2000 and 2005. Growing investor interest can be attributed to a low...

Organizational risk reporting for internal and external decision making.
November 1, 2006... Management and audit reports on internal control don't provide any assurance on the viability of a business or its ability to achieve financial goals. Consequently, the needs of many internal and external reporting audiences aren't met--they...

Are your performance measurement systems truly performing?
November 1, 2006... Performance measurement systems that are well-designed, integrated in organizational practices through various uses, and periodically reviewed can contribute to the improvement of organizational performance. Implementing systems is only the...

Scorecarding: success or failure? It's your call; The results of an international scorecarding survey reveal the top challenges that a variety of companies have had, and the top tips for keeping your scorecarding initiative on track.
November 1, 2006... Scorecarding is fast becoming an invaluable tool for successfully managing performance in any organization. But just as quickly, organizations are discovering that successful scorecarding system design and implementation can be very tricky. A...

Strategic knowledge in a new reporting era: First Nations in Canada have become much more complex communities as they take on new growth initiatives and responsibilities. Richard Morano, CMA, has helped one First Nation navigate the strategic challenges of robust development.
November 1, 2006... The financial management of First Nations communities has changed gradually over the past 20 years or more. As the federal government has attempted to take a more hands-off approach to the affairs of these communities, it has encouraged more...

Integrating effective tools: management tools such as activity-based costing and the balanced scorecard work well in isolation, but bringing these tools together offer even more benefits to cutting-edge organizations. A new collection of case studies explains how.
November 1, 2006... A review of Case Studies in Performance Management: A guide from the experts. By Tony C. Adkins. Published by John Wiley & Sons. For any organization to grow and progress, it's essential to turn plans and goals into results. Performance...

Closing the productivity gap: innovation must be embraced if Canada hopes to compete with the U.S. An overhaul of the tax treatment of R & D is overdue.(government issues)
November 1, 2006... Many Ottawa observers have concluded that productivity (or a softer label to publicly describe it) has risen dramatically in the hierarchy of government priorities. Two related events prompted this assessment. First, Finance Minister Jim...

Organization of American States builds links in Western Hemisphere: Canada plays a lead role in the world's oldest regional organization, but using that for effective change in trade practices remains a challenge.(global view)
November 1, 2006... Some critics consider it to be a shadow of its former self, an organization whose influence has run its course--and yet the Organization of American States (OAS), a stronghold of democratic principles for almost 120 years, continues to engage...