August 2006 — PRINT EDITION             The war for talent There is a war going on and as in any war, it is about the search for resources. In this case, the resource is crack chartered accountants, and the search for them is critical in these days of high demand. How does one find them? Ethics at work Silence used to be golden, but no longer. Now, companies want everyone to talk — about fraud. And organizations are setting up whistleblower hotlines to encourage employees and others to do just that     People Sticking it to the client is all in a day’s work for acupuncturist Lorne Brown, founder and clinical director of Acubalance Wellness Centre, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine clinic in Vancouver     News and trends   •  The dating game   •  News from the profession   •  Location, location,location   •  Bacteria fest   •  Catching up with electronic documents Now that more than 90% of documents exist in electronic form, businesses are faced with the challenge of trying to preserve, protect and manage sensitive information. How do you keep tabs on data when it floats around in so many forms?   •  M&As spell value for shareholders Conventional wisdom has it that mergers and acquisitions destroy value. But according to new research on M&A cycles, the opposite could now be true.     Numbers game       Ask an expert How can I eat, drink and close a business deal over lunch?     Book Value   •  How to Make Money Online With eBay, Yahoo! & Google   •  Blog Marketing: The Revolutionary New Way to Increase Sales, Build Your Brand and Get Exceptional Results     Findings Survey says: keep clients     As quoted Open for business?     Going concern Bruce Cutayne, CA,<br> President and CEO,<br> Blue Moose Promotions       Taxation Practical considerations: when income trusts make crossborder investments, it gives riseto interesting challenges that require careful rumination By Hetal Kotecha     Personal financial planning Forget absolute returns: looking for investment gains? Well, first get rid of losses or reduce them before you can reap any gains By Ian Davidson     Education The more things change: have US corporate collapses had an effect on the management practices of Canadian public accounting firms? By Michael Gibbins & Karim Jamal     Business valuation A book to keep at hand: Chris Mercer’s Integrated Theory is really that good of a read for the valuation, litigation or M & A professional By Stephen Cole     Letters to the editor Inside out The race for talent is on Off the record Four years later Netwatch Skills management for the future Watch out for maintenance When you’re negotiating with vendors about a new system, the subject of maintenance is often left to the very end. Vendors might even treat it as a mere formality. The question is, should you sign the contract as is? Outlook A losing combination