Maximising operational efficiency alone is not enough to keep up with quickly changing global business trends. Successful companies also managed to transform their workforces. Those companies have eight traits in common, PwC and HfS Research found.
Researchers at North Carolina State University and speakers at the AICPA’s CFO Conference explain enterprise risk management and share best practices of how to prepare for risks that can cost you your business.
Beijing is making every effort to boost the country’s renewable energy production, but by 2020 China is expected to emit 43% more carbon dioxide from burning coal than in 2010, a special report of the Economist Intelligence Unit projects.
Finding qualified accounting and finance professionals is becoming increasingly difficult for executives, according to a recent survey. Staffing plans in accounting and finance are stabilizing after a busy end to 2011 and start to 2012 in terms of expected hiring and cuts.
Common trading myths – rooted in the misconception that offshoring of manufacturing jobs to countries with cheap labour is raising trade deficits in mature economies – can hurt the US and Europe.
The corporate finance professionals who climb the value chain will be interpreters and collaborators able to leverage data as a strategic asset while working across functional areas to solve problems and innovate, according to executives speaking at the American Institute of CPAs’ Council meeting in Washington.
George Colony sees a technology future in which the web fades in prominence to something akin to AM radio, society maxes out on social media, younger consumers’ habits radically depart from those of even the closest generation, and mobile engagement with customers could mean life or death for business models.
Technology and globalisation have changed the nature of work in advanced economies, and the result is that labour markets there are not likely to return to pre-recession levels of employment in the years to come.
Failure to communicate between staff and management was cited by 41% of CFOs surveyed as the mistake companies make most in managing employees, according to a new report. Twenty-eight percent of CFOs said lack of recognition and praise is the most frequent mistake, according to a survey by staffing service Accountemps.
Surveys show investors are putting pressure on companies to disclose more about workplace safety, human and labour rights, and environmental practices. But businesses struggle with how to track the impact of sustainability activities.
The most sought-after skills for new internal audit staff are changing to reflect new, more strategic priorities, a study shows. Skills such as analytical and critical thinking and communication have emerged as most important as chief audit executives explore ways to increase their value to organizations.
Forty-nine percent of workers in a recent survey said they would be somewhat or very likely to leave their current position if they didn’t feel appreciated by their manager. Management appreciation is especially important to workers ages 18 to 34.
Market analysts and professionals who analyse companies for investors consider the effectiveness of a senior leadership team as second only to the current or most recent financial results among criteria they use to judge company success, a Deloitte study found.
CFOs see shortage of fresh thinking and too much red tape as the biggest roadblocks to organisational breakthroughs, a survey suggests. Staffing firm Robert Half International has some tips on how to overcome a dearth of fresh thinking and an overabundance of bureaucracy to inspire innovation among work teams.
North Carolina State University brings large and small companies together to talk about the enterprise risk-management programmes that fit their corporate cultures.
Employers continue to move business services jobs from the US and Europe to low-cost countries, but research suggests that the number of IT, finance, human relations and procurement jobs that can be offshored is dwindling.
Business leaders would like more substantial risk management input from internal auditors, a PwC survey shows. Although barriers can discourage internal auditors from increasing their influence, a growing number of business risks present an opportunity for them to add value.
As a CFO, would you like to know how your peers feel about IFRS or what parts of the finance and accounting functions they outsource? “Benchmarking the Finance Function 2012”, a recently released research report, has some answers.
Finding the right talent is a big problem for companies worldwide, despite easy access to a large pool of educated people and opportunities to outsource, surveys suggest. The problem is most acute in knowledge industries and heavy industry. See how companies say they’re addressing the challenge.
