Economics

February 22, 2023
Risk

Benchmark Drives Behavior…. mitigating the risk (part 3)

This is the third article in the series related to benchmarks and their impacts on the behavior of those subjected to those benchmarks. In the first article we addressed how benchmarks could incentivize individuals to do things that might not be in the best overall interests of an organization. In the second article we discussed specific examples of where benchmarks had created aberrant outcomes and linked these to how the benchmarks were derived, implemented, and monitored. In this article I have changed tack and as opposed to pointing out the risks and concerns and discussing where things went off the rails, I have provided some tips on how to minimize the risk of problematic outcomes of benchmarks that are in place or are created and implemented by an organization. I touched on how certain benchmarks can lead to problematic outcomes across a myriad of spheres such as safety, financial reporting, retaining employees, etc. In that article, I said that the follow-on article would provide some additional and more detailed examples of where things went wrong along with some analysis.
November 22, 2022
IFRS Webinar 2022

Progressive Audit Practices

Internal Audit teams are going through some major transformations as they look to move away from a traditional approach comprising sample-based testing and an Annual Plan, to a more progressive and digital approach that is more responsive to risk.
April 8, 2022
fireside chat

Highlights – CAW Network USA: West Chapters – Not for Profit Fireside chat

Check out some clips of our latest fireside chat highlighting the non-profit sector.
April 8, 2022
IFRS

Highlights – What’s Happening with International Financial Reporting Standards? March 2022 update from BDO

Check out some clips of the newest updates from BDO on the current International Financial Reporting Standards.
March 3, 2022
insight

The Finance+ insight series

ICAS has something new for 2022. The Finance+ insight series helps put you in the bigger picture, exploring the key issues and opportunities for today’s finance professional. Recent events have revealed the need for resilience and the readiness to grasp new ways of thinking, living and working. They have also shown that with change comes opportunity and demonstrated the role ICAS Members can play in shaping a better future for us all.
March 3, 2022
social mobility

How to approach social mobility on a global level

Managing social mobility in a global organisation requires coherent guidance that applies across multiple offices, geographies and societies. The shockwaves sent through the economy, labour market and children’s education by the pandemic must be addressed in order to repair social mobility, according to the Resolution Foundation.
March 3, 2022
pay gap

Social mobility: do we need a class pay gap?

Class pay gaps within your business are an important indicator of social inequality. Reporting them is essential if you’re serious about ensuring socioeconomic diversity at all levels
March 3, 2022
bitcoin aml

AML: how money launderers use virtual assets

In the seventh instalment of Anti-Money Laundering: The Basics, IFAC and ICAEW look at the risks associated with virtual assets. Cryptocurrencies and other virtual assets offer a lot of opportunities for legitimate businesses, but it’s also potentially useful for money launderers.
March 3, 2022
diversify markets

Diversify markets and innovate systems to thrive in 2022

Business confidence in the first quarter of 2022 has returned to pre-pandemic levels, suggesting that companies are looking to the future after an unprecedented two years, ICAEW says. ICAEW’s Business Confidence Monitor (BCM), which surveys 1,000 chartered accountants across the UK, found confidence at 27.6 (out of 100) in the first quarterly index of 2022. Although this is significantly below the highest-ever reading of 47 two quarters ago, the peak was explained as a blip following the introduction of the vaccine.
January 10, 2022
2022

What to expect from 2022 – Part 2

In Part 2, ICAEW Chief Executive and Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, Michael Izza, discusses non-financial reporting, public sector finances, and the big tech trends of 2022.
January 10, 2022
2022

What to expect from 2022 – Part 1

In the first of a two part series, ICAEW Chief Executive and Chair of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, Michael Izza, looks at the biggest issues facing business and the wider economy, with help from experts from around the Institute.
January 4, 2022
intangibles

Takeaways from the ICAS webinar on The Production and Consumption of Information on Intangibles

Marie Gardner highlights key points from the recent ICAS intangibles webinar. Participants from across Europe attended an ICAS webinar on intangibles, held in partnership with the University of Ferrara, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) and the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies (EFFAS).
November 18, 2021
benchmarking-02

Benchmark Drives Behavior, the saga continues…

In my previous article, I covered some of the challenges I encountered during my career that caused me to question issues surrounding benchmarks and the process of creating benchmarks. I touched on how certain benchmarks can lead to problematic outcomes across a myriad of spheres such as safety, financial reporting, retaining employees, etc. In that article, I said that the follow-on article would provide some additional and more detailed examples of where things went wrong along with some analysis.
November 18, 2021
benchmarking-01

Benchmark Drives Behavior

An anecdotal look at how behavior follows what we measure and how this can lead to aberrant and/or potentially fraudulent outcomes.  Guido van Drunen is a forensic accounting expert, with decades of experience in high-profile investigative work. Having recently retired from KPMG he is writing a series of articles about how he has seen benchmarks drive behavior – often with aberrant or potentially perverse outcomes. The purpose of these articles is to make readers think more deeply and maybe differently about key metrics, how they are created, how they are measured and what behaviors they encourage.
November 9, 2021
IFRS

Highlights: What’s Happening with International Financial Reporting Standards

CAW Network USA teams up with BDO USA’s IFRS Experts.
October 5, 2021
cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency for accountants Part 1: Bitcoin, Blockchain, NFTs, DAOs

Yuri Cataldo, emerging tech strategist and best-selling author, explains what the main buzzwords mean and why they’re important to accountants.
August 3, 2021
tax havens

From Corporate Tax Havens to Corporate Accountability Highlights

Murray Buckman, tax expert and educator presented for Northern California’s Corporate Accountability webinar on June 17th. Murray took a non-political view with his observations of three public companies at the center of highly criticized industries in regards to their use of offshore companies.
April 22, 2021
South-Africa

Fixing the faults in South Africa’s corporate reporting ecosystem

Since 2017, the auditing profession has been plagued by high-profile corporate failures that have implicated auditors. As a result of state capture revelations, share price collapses, and corruption allegations, the South African public continues to question how audit can be relied upon to protect its investments.
October 26, 2020
How Brazil Helped Realise the Entrepreneurial Dreams of Mark Spiers CA

How Brazil Helped Realise the Entrepreneurial Dreams of Mark Spiers CA

Mark Spiers CA was destined to be an entrepreneur, just not in the way he had imagined. Rachel Ingram discovers how moving to Brazil helped the GrupoFabri CEO make his dream a reality.
September 1, 2020
acaus-featured-005

Forget Big Data – the future is in connected and public data

We are living in the age of misinformation. Kerry McGuire CA, Director of Global Data Design at YouGov, tells Ryan Herman why data should be democratised and disseminated to all.
June 15, 2020
After-COVID-19--What-will-tomorrows-offices-look-like

After COVID-19: What will tomorrow’s offices look like?

By MATHIEU DE LAJARTRE The pandemic is changing how offices are designed so that people can still work safely. The impact COVID19 will have on office […]
June 12, 2020
What-business-agility-means-for-the-long-term-Covid-19

What business agility means for the long-term, post COVID-19

Some companies have pivoted on a dime, while others need to strategize for a ‘new normal’
April 16, 2020

Forth Ports safe haven in choppy Brexit seas

Before 2016, it was rare to hear anyone talking about ‘frictionless trade’ or ‘border checks’ over a drink. The fact that 95% of our imports and exports flow through our ports seemed of little consequence. But the EU referendum result has meant people who hitherto had little interest in trade deals, now have a view on anything from WTO rules to tariffs.
September 5, 2019

Combating white-collar crime?

White-collar crimes are increasingly sophisticated and transnational. The nature and scale of recent cases have been mind-boggling. In April 2018, forensic accountants from RSM Corporate Advisory highlighted issues involving possible roundtripping transactions, fabrication and alteration of transaction documents, as well as possible fraudulent and erroneous claims under the Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) tax scheme, with the involvement of senior company officers at a local listed company, Trek 2000 International.