January 2016 - Strategic Finance

CAN CONTRARY OPINIONS ENSURE M&A SUCCESS?

An active board of directors that solicits independent contrary opinions can help avoid disastrous results.

THE HIDDEN VALUE IN YOUR INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Many of the tasks that knowledge workers perform can be standardized or automated.

WHAT’S KEEPING CFOS AWAKE AT NIGHT IN 2016?

Some old, familiar themes are again at the forefront of CFOs’ concerns this year.

10 HIRING MISTAKES TO AVOID

Many companies make the same mistakes over and over again in the hiring process.

Excel: Combining Many CSV Files

A new Excel feature makes it easy to combine an entire folder of CSV files into one workbook.

How to Achieve Work-Life Harmony

Work-life balance is as rare as a unicorn sighting these days. Strive for work-life harmony instead.

Cybersecurity: Watch Out for Data Leaks!

Data leakage is a bigger threat to companies than hacking or data breaches.

Survey: HOPE FOR 2016

TD Bank’s annual CFO Survey finds some optimistic outlooks for 2016.

Ethical Behavior for Management Accountants

Several organizations provide guidelines and standards of ethical conduct for management accountants.

Step Forward and Serve This Year

Start the New Year by resolving to volunteer and contribute to IMA in some way.

Book Review: The FASB’s Process

Management accountants should have a deep understanding of and become more involved with the FASB.

Access: Creating a Graph

Create charts and graphs in Access to present your data visually.

Update: For-Profit College Giant Settles Fraud

Education Management Corp. (EDMC) settled an illegal recruiting and consumer fraud whistleblower lawsuit with the U.S. government.

Amplify Your Influence in a New Role

Follow this strategy to quickly develop relationships in a new position and build influence.

SHARE YOUR IMA LIFE

Do you have a story about your experiences in IMA? Consider writing an IMA Life column in Strategic Finance.

Tools of the Trade: January 2016

Olympus Tough TG-4, Epson Expression Home XP620, Tylt Vu wireless charger, Eton emergency light.

Taxes: Extended Involuntary Conversion Relief

A recent IRS notice provides more relief for farmers forced to sell livestock due to extreme drought conditions.

Update: Why CEOs Manipulate Earnings

CEOs use several rationalizations for managing earnings. An update to the December 2015 Ethics column.

Does Fierce Competition Benefit You?

As competition increases, IMA will maintain an unwavering focus on growing the CMA and enhancing the member value proposition.

The Second Machine Age

The World Economic Forum solicited predictions about the future of software and society.

IMPROVING FAIR VALUE DISCLOSURE

The FASB has issued a proposed Accounting Standards Update on the disclosure requirements for fair value measurement.

IMA Life: Stand Out from the Crowd

Benedetto Faulisi became a CMA to expand his accounting expertise and provide his clients with greater value.

Books: UNCOVERING VALUE WITH ANALYTICS

Understanding analytics can improve an organization's decision making.

MOVE TO CANCEL EMPLOYER HEALTH INSURANCE TAX

Two bills have been introduced in the Senate to eliminate the tax on “Cadillac” health plans.

RED FLAGS ON AUDIT QUALITY

The PCAOB is concerned with the number and significance of audit deficiencies related to risk assessment.