CMA Management articles from October 2002

CMA Management archives from October 2002

The CFO's challenge. (From the Editor).(Editorial)
October 1, 2002... At the FEI Canada Annual Conference that took place in Halifax from June 5th to 7th, 2002, Craig Burrows, CMA, made the observation that the skills required to be a high-performing CFO have reached almost "super-human proportions." As he noted,...

Asking the right questions: job hunting, software selection and employee motivation. (Media Bites).(Games Companies Play: The job bunter's guide to playing smart & winning big in the high-stakes hiring game)(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Games Companies Play Psychiatrist and business guru Dr. Pierre Mornell brings the savvy of a psychiatrist to the job interview in his book Games Companies Play: The job bunter's guide to playing smart & winning big in the high-stakes...

The Software Selection Questionnaire. (Media Bites).(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Business experts all agree: if you're not asking the right questions of your potential technology vendors, you are putting your entire technology project at risk. The need for seamless technology selection and implementation projects is nothing...

Motivating Today's Employees. (Media Bites).(Book Review)
October 1, 2002... Motivating employees is never simple, but keeping staff motivated is an essential part of any business. Unproductive staff can have a disastrous effect on a company's bottom line. A good working environment combined with good benefits is now...

CMA Canada guideline to address effective corporate governance: new and noteworthy information you can use. (News and Views).
October 1, 2002... To help restore investor confidence in the wake of the collapse of WorldCom and other high-profile companies, CMA Canada is developing a new corporate governance guideline, designed to help boards of directors fulfill their oversight...

Declining employee trust threatens competitiveness. (News and Views).(Watson Wyatt's WorkUSA 2002 survey)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Employee trust and confidence in senior management has done a nosedive in the past two years and if it isn't reversed it could threaten future corporate competitiveness, according to a survey of nearly 13,000 workers conducted by Watson Wyatt...

Leadership development survey cites soft skills as major stumbling block. (News and Views).(Breakthrough Coaching)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Breakthrough Coaching recently released the results of its first leadership development survey of mid-sized Canadian manufacturing companies. The survey of 25 top execs (all with between 100 and 500 employees) focused specifically on leadership...

New software. (News and Views).(www.managementmag.com)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2002... Visit www.managementmag.com for more information on the following software packages: * New TopTrack help desk management and tracking software * Strategix Performance, Inc.'s new and enhanced Strategix UMO Version 9.0

Predicting failure. (High Tech).(new diagnostic tool from Xerox Corp.)
October 1, 2002... There's nothing more annoying than having a printer break down when you're in the middle of preparing an important report. Xerox Corp. is now trying to figure out how to avoid this problem through a technique called signature analysis (SA). SA...

Five steps to a higher profile: put yourself in the limelight by becoming a published author. (Career Intelligence).
October 1, 2002... In today's competitive business environment where even individuals have brands, it's more important than ever to stand out from the crowd. As a professional looking to promote a business and land new clients, maintaining a high level of public...

Factoring for future success: how invoice discounting can protect your financial viability. (Management Trends).
October 1, 2002... A familiar but difficult scenario unfolds. You are the owner of a manufacturing company (or distributor/importer) that is growing rapidly. Sales are up 25% over last year. Success is causing stress. You need a source for some quick cash to keep...

Targeted marketing with value propositions: leadership is all in the image. (Business Strategies).
October 1, 2002... The company that tries to do everything ultimately achieves nothing, or at best very little, and is destined to find itself stranded in mediocrity. Conversely, companies that can deliver extraordinary levels of distinctive value to carefully...

The world post-WorldCom: what's in store for the new CFO? Seismic upheavals in the global economic landscape are having a profound impact on the role and skill requirements of financial management professionals everywhere.
October 1, 2002... New challenges appear to be added daily to the lives of top financial execs in North America and around the world. Trends in the global economy -- in technology, management processes and customer expectations -- are having a profound effect on...

Changing the landscape: from the sea to the Hill, Canada's CMAs are forging new standards of excellence.(Biography)
October 1, 2002... Forget the images of a stuffy corporate office, crowded boardroom and reams of dry data piled high on a desk. Today's CMAs are playing leadership roles in companies that are developing everything from innovative pharmaceuticals to marine-based...

Customer Experience Management: using technology to build an unshakable customer-supplier relationship.
October 1, 2002... It's estimated that a CEO can lose up to 40% of his one year. Given this sobering statistic, it's evident that CEOs face a tremendous challenge. Customers demand more value, innovation, and service -- and all at a lower price. To help CEOs keep...

The lean philosophy: continuous improvement by any name can boost a company's performance. The choice is up to you.
October 1, 2002... Lean management is an applied philosophy that many manufacturing, service and government organizations have adopted to acquire the flexibility needed to meet new competitive challenges -- eliminating waste, enhancing production speed and...

Shifting into high gear: Honda Canada drives process innovation with its employees.(Company Profile)
October 1, 2002... In the world of North American auto manufacturing, Honda is comparatively young. The first Honda car to be sold in the U.S. hit the market in 1969, and the first plant this side of the Pacific opened 10 years later. The Honda name was...

A healthy balance in higher education: CMA Amanda Whitewood helps drive progressive growth at Mount Saint Vincent University. (Profile).(Biography)
October 1, 2002... Atypical day for CMA Amanda Whitewood is, well, atypical. And, like her work day, the vice-president, administration, for dynamic and growing Mount St. Vincent University (MSVU) in Halifax is not your typical business person; but, like all...

CCRA delivers the goods (and services): the agency's proposed Canadian e-com tax treatment looks business friendly. (Tax Tips).(Canada Customs and Revenue Agency )
October 1, 2002... There are several critical questions to consider as governments struggle to protect their tax revenues in the e-commerce world. Such transactions are governed by complicated and, thus far, ill-defined rules and regulations, which sparks the...

The universal language: XBRL is gradually coming into its own as a key tool in financial reporting. (Information Technology).(eXtensible Business Reporting Language)
October 1, 2002... Corporate reports are our only way of fully understanding the financial health and fiscal potential of a company. By necessity these should be broad-based, thorough documents that are released in a timely manner. But the burden of...

Finding the friendliest skies around the world: where to go for quality airline service. (Business Travel).
October 1, 2002... As confidence in air travel continues to rebound, North Americans are again taking to the skies. At the same time, attention is returning to the state of airline service, an aspect of the airline industry most consumers feel has been poor...

Leveraging funds for a vibrant future: Atlantic Innovation Fund creates new opportunities on the east coast. (Government Issues).
October 1, 2002... The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Throughout that time, it has been an important source of information and funding for small- and medium-sized enterprises in New Brunswick, Prince...

Settling international disputes: dispute settlement is hard enough when both parties are located in the same city. When it comes to solving international disagreements, be prepared for challenges. (Global View).
October 1, 2002... An increasing number of companies prefer to settle disputes out of court. The parties involved have two choices: mediation or arbitration. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. To determine the appropriate solution for a given...