News
Unlocking performance
We asked Albert Birck, the head of performance management for Maersk Oil, and Roger Blanken, CPA, the vice president of finance – supply chain, for International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), to explain how technology, better planning, and communication about performance can unlock hidden potential.Data providing more HR insight, driving success
Workforce information is becoming easier to use and is being deployed as a powerful tool to help organisations improve and thrive, according to Deloitte research.Foreign tax credit regs. on splitter arrangements and determining who is liable for foreign tax
Late Thursday, the IRS issued final regulations on determining who has the legal liability to pay the foreign tax for foreign tax credit purposes (T.D. 9576) and temporary regulations on the application of the “anti-splitter” rules of Sec. 909 (T.D. 9577). The rules are related because the legal liability toIFAC report outlines five ways accountants can meet demand for certain non-financial data
Accountants need to provide more and better nonfinancial information to meet the increasing needs of investors, an IFAC report suggests. The report, which recommends five actions for accountants, reinforces the results of a joint AICPA/CIMA report that indicated that CEOs worldwide will consider more nonfinancial information as they create business plans.Letter from… New York: The finance sector’s crossroads
A year after moving from London to New York, Gillian Tett, US managing editor of the Financial Times, contrasts the two financial centres’ responses to the global downturn – and prospects for the future.Talent becoming a bigger concern as companies grow globally, report says
More executives are looking to hire abroad and groom in-house talent as companies shape corporate strategies in a tepid – and increasingly global – economy, according to a Deloitte Consulting report.European Central Bank holds key interest rate at 1%
The European Central Bank held its main fixed interest rate at 1%, deciding not to make a cut that would have sent the rate to an unprecedented low.The look ahead: Chinese VP to talk trade with US; manufacturing and trade indicators due out
A visit to Washington by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, reports on the ailing European economy, and figures on US retail sales, homebuilding and jobless claims will be atop the economic news agenda in the coming week.Managing fraud risk: Preparing a response plan
In this snapshot of the CGMA report “Fraud risk management: A guide to good practice”, Gillian Lees, CIMA’s head of corporate governance, highlights how properly responding to fraud can make or break an organisation’s recovery from an incident.Recession threat is top risk for banking, global execs say
The fragile world economy, which has been staggered by the European debt crisis, has global banking executives reporting greater anxiety than at any time measured during the past 14 years, a new survey shows.US tech firm CFOs less optimistic about 2012 revenue
CFOs at US technology companies expect revenue to rise in 2012, but they have set the bar much lower than they did a year ago. Nearly three in four participants in the fifth annual “BDO Technology Outlook Survey” expect their company’s revenue to increase by about 2.6% – significantly short of the 10.4% jump projected in last year’s poll.Regulation, uncertainty biggest challenges for small, medium businesses, poll says
Regulation and economic uncertainty are the biggest challenges faced by small businesses globally, an International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) survey of small and medium-size accounting practices (SMPs) suggests.The look ahead: Economic news to monitor during the week of February 6th
Economists will get a better sense of where the global economy is headed when reports on European interest rates, international trade and the US labour market are released next week.Move into strategic roles challenging finance teams, survey says
A Deloitte survey shows that strategy setting is becoming a higher priority for finance teams, which are encountering challenges as a result.More than half of growth market deals fail to happen, PwC warns
Many planned deals in growth markets fail to materialise, and those that do happen are often more costly than expected, according to research by PricewaterhouseCoopers. In examining 200 deals, PwC identified a number of common problems. Accountancy Live, January 19th 2012CFO Katie Fung on steering Embry’s expansion into the mainland
Katie Fung, CFO of the listed lingerie company Embry Holdings, talks about the company’s expansion into mainland China. In this article from the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs’ A Plus magazine, Fung shares insights about retailing, manufacturing and material costs. A Plus, January 2012Welcome
A welcome letter from Charles Tilley, FCMA, CGMA, Chief Executive, CIMA, and Barry Melancon, CPA, CGMA, President & CEO, AICPA.Shared services: The keys to success
Shared services are no longer solely the preserve of large organisations. So what are the benefits for midsize businesses, and how can they manage a successful transition to shared services? Shared service centres rose to prominence in the early 1990s, when far-flung companies decided to end back-office duplication. Instead ofSustainability strategies: The finance team’s role
What does “sustainability” mean in practice to finance chiefs in the US and Europe? CGMA Magazine asked the CFOs of iconic furniture maker Herman Miller, shipping giant UPS, infrastructure builder Balfour Beatty, technology group ABB and power supplier EDF Energy to explain the bottom-line benefits of their sustainability strategies.
Read the latest FM digital edition, exclusively for CIMA members and AICPA members who hold the CGMA designation.