The CAmagazine annual IT issue

Top 10 tech issues
A survey of CAs with the CA-IT designation reveals the most important information technology issues for the year ahead.

Virtualization or getting rid of IT infrastructure
Virtualization is the next step on the evolutionary ladder of technology. It is the duplication of a complete physical machine into a digital format. This means servers, workstations and applications reside as data files and can be easily moved and copied anywhere or receive technical service without physical presence. Processing configurations are no longer limited by aging or obsolete hardware constraints or local technologists’ knowledge.

October 2010

Performance measurement: Did you do it?
Performance management has been a top-10 management issue for a long time. Three years ago, we asked executives how their companies were doing and how well they expect to be doing a few years later. We asked them again. Did they hit their targets?

Growing pains
Now that the recession is over, it’s time to get back on track and think about growth. How do you know when it’s time to expand your business? How do you do it? What’s involved? What are some of the pitfalls to avoid? We will talk to experts about how to do it.

November 2010

The CAmagazine annual Personal Financial Planning issue

Pension theme issue

Should I stay or should I go?
The recent financial crisis has exposed the fragility of too many pension plans and jeopardized the retirement plans of thousands of Canadians. We will explore what is really happening out there, and look at potential solutions.

Annuities – a forgotten approach
Annuities are an often forgotten approach to build a pension plan. How do they work and, most importantly, how can they deliver higher yield and guaranteed returns?

December 2010

The Canadian taxation landscape 10 years from now
Through interviews with specialists and stakeholders, the article will attempt to portray what Canada’s taxation system will look like in 10 years. How will it be different from today? The article will list the major problems that have not been solved over the years, explore why they’ve not  been resolved, and propose likely solutions. It will also touch on issues such as tax evasion and tax havens.

CA involvement in multiple-family offices
This story will focus on CAs in the all-inclusive “boutique” firms known as multiple-family offices (MFOs). They operate on the family-office model, in which wealthy families (worth from about $50 million and up), have an integrated office of financial, tax, legal and insurance advisers. An MFO makes this kind of service available to multiple unrelated families. These offices are well established in the US, and the story will focus on CAs who are bringing them to Canada.

January-February 2011

The Big Four guys
Broad ranging interview with the CEO of each of the Big Four firms, and Kevin Dancey, CEO of CICA.

The super CA: dissecting the characteristics of a good CA:
So what makes a good CA? Are they good at math, good at sports, organized, outgoing? We are familiar with the stereotypes: the bean counter, nitpicker etc. Most Canadians think of the tax man when accounting is mentioned. But there’s more to them than the myth. Through human resource specialists and headhunters, we will look at the personality type that excels in the profession and what traits make a good CA, a top-10 type of list. While debunking the stereotypes the story will present a picture of the typical young CA, what attracts him or her to the profession and what makes him or her succeed in the profession.

March 2011

When is a deal a good deal?
Caught in the game of growth and expansion, companies sometimes cannot resist a buying opportunity. The price is fantastic, financing is available and the timing is great. But do these elements really make an acquisition a good deal?

Not necessarily...

CA: an international designation
More than 7,000 Canadian CAs live abroad. While the majority are in the US and Bermuda, some have ventured as far afield as Brunei Darussalam and Vanuatu. This feature would profile international members to see what it is like to live and practice in a foreign country. Subjects would include CAs who work for big firms and plan to return to Canada as well as those who work in industry or local firms and have decided to stay on.

April 2011

Doing business in a global economy
With an increasingly globalized economy, the ability to understand different customs and ways of doing business is premium. CAs who are adept at this will be in increasing demand. The feature will be a guide through the various pathways and pitfalls that exist in a world in which customs and practices differ greatly.

Recognizing corporate failure
When should you recognize corporate failure? In other words, how do business executives or chief financial officers know how to pull the plug on an unsuccessful investment? What are the signs? This will be a how-to on recognizing that now is the time to stop going forward with this project or investment, providing a means of defining the criteria for abandoning the project.

May 2011

The gen wars
Traditionalists. Baby boomers. Gen X. Gen Y. Four generations in the workplace. This can be a recipe for misunderstanding and conflict. This feature will examine facets of the generational issues facing CAs in both public practice and industry. For example, what basic social skills should young CAs be bringing to the workplace? What are the expectations of each group? How can these groups communicate with each other?  What are firms doing to retain or attract CAs in each generation?

How to be a better manager
CAs in focus groups have asked for stories on human resource topics such as management training. This is another how-to piece that would provide useful information from HR professionals and successful CA managers on how to improve management style.

June-July 2011

The CAmagazine centennial issue
Hooray! CAmagazine will be one hundred years old in July. The magazine will celebrate with a bumper issue devoted to this historic birthday.  There will be a feature on key events in the profession over the past 100 years, as seen through the eyes of the magazine—there will be quotes and snippets woven into a narrative of events. A second feature will be a photo essay drawn from the pages of the magazine of interesting and arresting images of the times. Finally, there will be interviews with surviving editors about what it was like to produce a magazine for chartered accountants.

August 2011

IFRS: the first-quarter reports
This feature will track implementation of IFRS in the first quarter of its first year. It will examine and analyze implementation procedures. What happened and what went right? What went wrong? What can we expect in the future? How can the problems that arise be fixed?  Will interview people at major PAEs, at CA firms, and independent financial experts.

Aaron Regent
A profile of the CEO of Barrick Gold.

Contingency story: Bankruptcy trustee
Periodically CAmagazine takes a look at one of the specialties of the profession. The articles look at the history of the specialty, how it evolved, why it is needed, and what it does, and who is involved. We examine a slice of the day-to-day activities of a member of the profession. This article will feature bankruptcy trustees, many of whom are CAs.

Contingency story: Bankruptcy trustee
Periodically CAmagazine takes a look at one of the specialties of the profession. The articles look at the history of the specialty, how it evolved, why it is needed, and what it does, and who is involved. We examine a slice of the day-to-day activities of a member of the profession. This article will feature bankruptcy trustees, many of whom are CAs.

Profile of leading CAs
The list we are working on includes:

• Stephen Wetmore, president and CEO – Canadian Tire
• Nadir Mohamed, CEO, Rogers
• Réjean Robitaille, president and CEO, Laurentian Bank of Canada
• Carol Wilding, CEO of The Toronto Board of Trade