Unknown, complex risks that often are outside the executive team’s control increasingly threaten companies. Here are five strategies for battling those unknown risks.
CFOs in the Middle East were the most optimistic about their companies’ prospects worldwide, but this optimism was muted by concerns about political tensions in the Middle East and the euro-zone crisis, a Deloitte survey suggested.
Pay for CFOs of S&P 500 companies rose nearly 6% in 2011, and numbers compiled by Mercer show a continued shift to more variable compensation. CFOs received a median $2.75 million in 2011, and those at the top 100 made an average of $4.34 million.
How can a hurricane affect internal control over a company’s financial statements? Proposed documents released by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) provide real-world examples, as well as a revision of COSO’s internal control framework update.
The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) released for public comment proposed guidance for applying its updated Internal Control—Integrated Framework to external financial reporting.
Large gas and oil reserves are attracting foreign investment and trade to Latin America, but the hydrocarbon riches harbour risks for foreign investors and governments in the region.
The number and complexity of cyber-attacks, especially those targeting mobile devices, grew at an alarming pace in the second quarter, security technology company McAfee Labs said in its latest Threats Report.
For Marks & Spencer, the iconic British retailer, listening to customers is key growth. Alan Stewart, M&S's CFO, discusses responding to customer needs, understanding risk, leveraging internal communications and assessing what technology can bring to the business.
Although shareholders are voicing their frustrations by registering disapproval of executive compensation packages, business leaders believe shareholders ought to have more say in top execs’ pay. There is considerable support for linking public company executives’ pay to performance.
Change apparently is coming to the auditor’s report, but views vary over the appropriate content and structure for reports, and particularly over the issue of “auditor commentary.”
A few wealthy nations stepped up efforts last year to crack down on companies that bribe foreign officials to get lucrative contracts abroad, a watchdog group reported. But most of the 39 countries that joined the crackdown launched 15 years ago have done nothing or not enough, according to the report.
Most private companies do not share financial details with all employees, according to a new survey by Robert Half. But some executives think openness has its benefits. Among them: Quelling fears about the future, and showing employees how their work contributes to the bottom line.
After about a decade of outpacing advanced economies, BRIC economies are seeing their growth slow. Deloitte’s most recent global economic outlook largely blames the euro-zone debt crisis but also on domestic challenges in some of the BRICs.
Rather than zeroing in on specific countries as they devise a strategy, companies should focus on cities – in particular the 440 cities in emerging markets projected to double the global economic growth rate by 2025.
A new US public company auditing standard deems robust, two-way communication between external auditors and audit committees to be essential to high-quality audits. Experts say the standard, which must be approved by the SEC, reflects and codifies the healthy dialogue that has existed between auditors and audit committees for years.
While companies are waiting for the global economic climate to stabilise, they have time to look around for rapid-growth markets that might offer similar or better opportunities than China once their appetite for mergers and acquisitions returns. Ernst & Young’s M&A Maturity Index highlights some unexpected candidates.
Companies must do a better job of evaluating and updating their cybersecurity policies as data breaches grow in number and sophistication, PwC says in a new report. To shore up their defences against cybercriminals, companies should institute three lines of defence.
Just a few years ago, social media barely registered among the enterprise risks that concerned executives. But a recent survey shows that social media is emerging as one of the top risks to companies.
The significance of “black swan events” in the financial crisis has prompted many organisations to use premortems to identify potentially disastrous issues. Learn the merits of thinking the unthinkable.
Fewer than two in 10 businesses have integrated enterprisewide risk management into their business strategies despite risks that are growing in volume and complexity, according to a survey performed for the AICPA.
