Finance and management accounting news - FM | Financial Management magazine

Management candidates must know how to motivate others, survey says

Motivational and leadership skills were the most important factor for promoting professionals to management positions, according to a recent survey of marketing and advertising executives. Leadership and soft skills are also important in the finance realm.

Audit committee members need more time, expertise to deal with risky environment, survey says

Audit committee members say they would like more time for oversight on risk topics such as internal controls, cyber-security, and regulatory compliance.

US CFOs confident in economy, plan to spend more in 2015

US finance executives show more interest in spending than amassing cash, seeing opportunities in the economy but also feeling the need to keep up from a technology and talent standpoint.

How to manage risks connected with the “internet of things”

Although web-connected products and the “internet of things” provide opportunities for transformative growth, they also may carry substantial risks. Here are important questions to ask when deploying internet-of-things technology.

The 5 biggest global business risks

Business leaders’ attention is shifting to geopolitical tensions and societal instability, which dominate the World Economic Forum’s 2015 list of top global risks. Find out how multinationals are likely to prepare for these emerging risks.

US Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program to remain open indefinitely

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service announced that it will keep its Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program (OVDP) open until it announces otherwise.

Improving the capital allocation decision-making process

In an increasingly complex business environment, using risk-return techniques to allocate resources across projects or business units can promote more robust decision-making, according to a new Deloitte report.

CIOs in global survey say cyber-security is top priority

Chief information officers in a global survey say cyber-security is a top priority, and more than half of them say budget constraints hold back IT innovation. While IT spending is on the rise, some IT executives say the IT function remains more of a utility and less of an innovation partner.

Revenue recognition implementation: What are FASB’s plans?

The staff of the FASB plans to report results of research on two key revenue recognition issues to the board next month – and report to the board early in the second quarter of 2015 on research related to a possible deferral in the effective date in the new, converged standard.

6 key considerations for success in 2015

Continuing geopolitical instability, coupled with concern about over-regulation, means CEOs are less optimistic about global economic growth than they were in 2014, according to a survey by PwC. The research also reveals widespread concern about the availability of key skills.

CFOs more willing to negotiate pay, if they can find the right candidates

US finance chiefs are more willing now than a year ago to negotiate starting salaries. But they are struggling to find skilled candidates as well, according to a new Robert Half survey.

How to make effective use of board meetings

Board members have a wide range of skills and expertise to offer, but given the time constraints on their formal activities, organisations rarely take full advantage of this knowledge. Executives reveal how their organisations make the most effective use of the limited time the board spends together.

New IAASB standard changes auditor’s reporting model

New international auditing standards are designed to change how auditors communicate about their work in their reports.

Viewing cyber-security through a COSO lens

The principles outlined in a popular internal control framework can help organisations manage their cyber-security.

How to protect against the 9 most common cyber-attacks

Home Depot’s recent data breach, which happened while the company was upgrading its security systems, was one of the nine most common types of cyber-attacks. Find out how to prevent these attacks.

Businesses failing to capitalise on the potential of Big Data

The use of data analytics can provide organisations with a wide range of benefits, from improving cybersecurity to supporting strategic decision-making. Yet new research by EY shows that few companies are taking advantage of these opportunities and just 23% have a formal data strategy

Executives report pay increases, say incentives are good retention tool

About three-fifths of executives say long-term incentives motivate them to remain at their current organisation, according to a global survey by the Association of Executive Search Consultants. Most members of the C-suite reported receiving an increase in pay during the most recent fiscal year.