Appendix A
INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEW 1: JIM MORRISON, CFO OF TEKNOR APEX

Jim Morrison is the chief financial officer of Teknor Apex Company, a diversified material science company headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Prior to joining Teknor in 2000, he was the CFO of ANGUS Chemical Co. (1990-2000). Before that, he worked at Monsanto for 16 years (1973-1989), where he started his career as a management accountant. He advanced to division controller/plastics at Monsanto and, subsequently, to Singapore-based director of planning, Asia Pacific Region. Morrison is chair of the AICPA’s Business and Industry Executive Committee and a member of the board of the Rhode Island Society of CPAs. He is also on the board of the new AICPA-CIMA joint venture to promote the discipline of management accounting worldwide.

What is your approach to communicating?

It begins with trust. I’ve shown trust in people, regardless of their level or function in an organisation. And they have trusted me not to blindside them. Because of this mutual trust, I’ve been able to serve not only as a CFO but also as an adviser to people on company and professional development matters.

Another aspect of my approach is that I don’t overcomplicate things. You have to explain things to businesspeople in their language. If you get bogged down in accounting details, you won’t get through to them. I’ve learned this from experience.

How did you learn?

At Monsanto, if you were in the accounting department, you physically stayed there—even if you were a financial analyst who was supporting a business manager. That was my situation when I was named manager of financial analysis in the plastics division, responsible for supporting the vice president of the division, which, at the time, had $800 million in worldwide sales. I asked, and the company approved, my moving from the accounting department into business operations. As a result, I had the opportunity to work more closely with the division president and other managers and learn how to improve communication with them. I also had the opportunity to become a speechwriter, and, in the process, to learn more about communicating.

How did you become a speechwriter?

Every quarter, Monsanto’s vice presidents, including my boss, would make presentations to a management team about how their business line was performing. My boss asked me to help with one of these presentations. So, I prepared answers to some financial questions that he might be asked. I thought he would simply use them as background, but he included them in a speech that he wrote. Unfortunately, his speech did not go over well. So, he asked me to write a speech for him. To help engage the audience, I added a little humour.

What was the speech about?

At the time, there was a big debate in accounting and business about whether accountants should have earnings goals. One side of the argument held that accountants are not on the operating line and do not generate any income; they essentially are number crunchers who do not make tactical or strategic decisions. The other side—the one I took—was that businesses depend on the quality of information that accountants provide. The better the quality, the better the decisions made by management. I wrote about this issue of the value of accountants for his speech, and he used it word-for-word. Knowing your audience and connecting with them was key. This was a speech not just to the accounting department but also to the company’s entire management. The speech was well received. He thanked me and told me I was his speechwriter from then on.

Any tips on speechwriting and making presentations?

I’ve used humour in speeches and presentations I’ve made in my company, or for the AICPA, the Rhode Island Society of CPAs and other organisations. You can add a little humour to a speech if it’s relevant to your topic. Humour helps to entertain and engage the audience, explain complex subject and make a point. You can be self-deprecating, but careful not to offend others.

As for presentations, don’t make the mistake of simply throwing a bunch of numbers together and calling it a presentation. Your presentation should have a theme—a story—and elements that support and develop the theme. Those elements should come together in a logical, coherent structure. Also, do thorough research for your speech, and be prepared to answer questions.

What’s an example of providing a clear, simple explanation of a complex subject?

In the late 1970s, during my time at Monsanto, the world was going through a second oil crisis, with another run-up in oil prices causing a sharp increase in inflation. Because the company was using LIFO accounting for inventory valuation, the oil-price spike significantly reduced earnings and undermined the company’s efforts to achieve its business performance goals. Yet LIFO’s effects remained mostly a mystery to many business managers. To clarify matters, I wrote a one-page description of LIFO: what it is, how it is calculated and why it is important to business. I concluded with an example. If you want to know how LIFO will impact earnings, watch prices at the gas pump. If the price went up 5%, you could expect a charge to inventory on the financial statements. In a company of Monsanto’s size, that charge would have been so many millions of dollars.

How are you using your communication skills in your current position?

Part of my role now is to help facilitate and drive conversations. For example, in meeting with our company’s senior management team, I lead discussions of financial reviews. I may be presenting the numbers, but I’ll ask the VPs in manufacturing or marketing to comment on what is driving the company’s performance. I listen as much as I talk. I want to lead the group to a consensus, to agree on a way forward. I use the same approach with other topics, such as getting the opinions of senior managers about the risks of a possible acquisition.

How do you embed good communication in the culture of a company?

A lot of it depends on the company’s leadership. Some companies take a paternalistic approach to communicating with employees, meaning the company tells its people what it wants them to know, and no more. So, employees may be kept in the dark, for example, about details of the company’s financial condition. Other companies are very transparent. When I worked at ANGUS, my boss was a former Monsanto executive who thought everyone should be aware of our performance. But the trend is toward more transparency in companies. That’s partly the result of more young people moving into management positions. They are very comfortable with openness in an organisation. In any case, the important thing is to put yourself in the audience and determine how the information will be received. Do not mislead, but be sure the outcome of the message is a positive one or has a direction forward.

What’s your advice for management accountants who are just starting their careers?

You should learn not just the company’s accounting system but how that system informs and supports its business operations. Try to work in different parts of the company so you get front-line experience in its operations. Develop relationships with line managers; learn about their jobs and the issues that concern them. Look for opportunities to learn about areas of the organisation that you are not familiar with. At Teknor, I established a Finance Academy¹ about five years ago. Its mission is to facilitate the sharing of ideas, skills and knowledge among employees across areas of specialty. Employees who are knowledgeable about a subject offer instruction to other employees who want to improve their knowledge of that subject. Topics of our instruction have included transfer pricing, insurance, accrual concepts, credit evaluation, international finance and advanced tax. The academy has enabled the company to use internal resources, at a reasonable cost, to broaden and refine the skills of its employees.

INTERVIEW 2: KENNETH KELLY, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF MCCORMICK & CO.

Kenneth Kelly is Senior Vice President & Controller of McCormick & Company, a global company with more than $3.5 billion in sales. McCormick manufactures, markets and distributes spices, seasoning mixes, condiments and other flavourful products to the entire food industry. In his years with McCormick, Kelly has held senior level finance positions at both corporate and operating units.

You’ve said that management accountants and finance professionals ‘have to go from counting the beans to growing the beans.’ Could you elaborate on that?

Finance professionals have moved beyond simply reporting and record keeping to serving as strategic advisors to management. Today, the key question for finance professionals is how to work with management to grow the business. We can do this by helping the organisation to go from data to information to insights formed from that information. We can present the information to management and offer our insights as to what it means. Through this process, we help management to make informed business decisions.

How does this process of supporting management relate to the traditional finance function?

As always, we must maintain our objectivity and independence, exercise financial discipline, and be forthright in our communication with management and other stakeholders, for example, in communicating the risks in business decisions. We have to help the organisation to strike the right balance between growing the business and maintaining a financially sound business.

What is the company’s communication philosophy?

We are more of a consensus building than a command-and-control organisation. Communication is central to creating a consensus. People accomplish things through other people in the company, and that requires everyone to know how to communicate effectively, build relationships, share ideas and present their point of view. Because of the need for consensus, it may take longer to get a project going than with the command-and-control model, but with everyone on board, the project has momentum.

What is your approach to communication?

Communication should always be open and honest. That doesn’t mean you have to communicate everything you know. It depends on the needs of your audience, whether that audience is the board, senior management or others in the company. I always suggest to people that as they advance in the organisation, they should seek the advice of others—including how to communicate with different audiences.

In terms of communication, what do you expect of people who report to you?

I expect people to filter their information so they tell me only what I need to know—no more and no less. In meetings with people, I will tell them on the spot whether they are providing too much or too little information. As they learn from this experience, they should be better attuned to my expectations. But they should learn not just from me but also from everyone with whom they communicate in the organisation. Always try to get feedback, to learn and to get better at communicating.

How does the company promote effective communication in the organisation?

We have a global competency model for the organisation. We define competencies that are common across the organisation, such as leadership, teamwork, innovation, business sense, strategic leadership and handling complexity. Another corporate-wide competency is communication.

How does the communication competency apply to finance?

In finance, everyone must have technical, communication and other competencies. These competencies would be adjusted to their level in the organisation. To get down to specifics, we divided finance into four levels and detailed the competencies required at each level, including communication skills. We also spell out the outcomes we want at each level, such as the ability to speak to different audiences. Through this process, people have a clear understanding of communication at each level and the competencies required to communicate effectively.

How do you train finance professionals and others in the company to develop and improve their communication skills?

One of the ways we develop communication skills is through what we call ‘multiple management boards.’ These are self-governing, cross-functional boards established at different locations in our global company. Anyone can ask to join any board they choose. Each board takes on a different business project and creates teams to work on different aspects of a project for a six-month period. During that time, every team member must make a presentation to the team, and everyone eventually takes a turn as team leader. The primary purpose of the boards and teams is to help participants develop their leadership, teaming, communication and other skills. Team members receive feedback from their peers on their performance, including how well they did in communicating. Team members are ranked based on their performance by the rest of the team.

What are your suggestions for communicating globally?

One thing I have learned from my experience is to keep your communication simple and concise. Your message should be direct and on point. This helps people for whom English is not their native language. If necessary, go over what you said. Make sure you are understood. Ask the people you’re communicating with to tell you what they think you said or wrote. This can be time consuming, but you have to learn to be patient. Otherwise, there is the risk of miscommunication.

Final thoughts?

As someone once told me, accounting is the language of business. And communication is central to accounting and finance. As a finance professional, you must be able to communicate effectively, explain complex concepts to those who are not accountants or finance experts, and help managers to make well-informed decisions. Your communication skills are as important to your success as your technical skills.

INTERVIEW 3: SARAH VAUDRAIN, BUSINESS ANALYST, TEKNOR APEX

Sarah Vaudrain is a business analyst (financial analyst) with Teknor Apex, a diversified material science company headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. In 2008, she graduated from Providence College with a bachelor of arts, Economics. In 2010, she began studies for a master of business administration at the University of Rhode Island. She graduated in 2012.

What was your first job?

In my senior year of college, I worked 20-25 hours a week as a customer service representative for Fidelity. After I graduated, I got a job as a junior accountant, administration of hedge funds, in the Boston office of Kaufman Rossin Fund Services.² After one year, I was then promoted to a semi-senior accountant within the firm.

How did you learn accounting?

I hadn’t taken any accounting courses as an undergraduate. So, to get up to speed at Kaufman, I learned about accounting through reading and studying on my own. I also got on-the-job experience in working at Kaufman. After about two years there, I joined Teknor in 2010 as a cost accountant. That same year, I enrolled in the MBA programme at the University of Rhode Island. I took some accounting courses as part of that programme.

Why did you go to work for Teknor?

I hadn’t planned on a career in accounting. But I got interested in it from my experience in working at Fidelity and Kaufman. However, I wasn’t interested in continuing to work for financial services firms. I wanted to work in accounting within a business. In looking at online job sites, I came across an announcement of a job opening placed by a recruiter. It was for a cost accountant position at Teknor. I applied and got hired.

What did you do as a cost accountant?

I worked with business analysts who supported some of our company’s business lines. This gave me the opportunity to learn about the company’s businesses and how the analysts helped managers to solve problems. For example, the analysts would analyse financial statements to see if there were any problems with the accounting entries that needed to be resolved. Or, they would look at our sales, costs and other information to verify the numbers or determine whether there were any variances that needed to be addressed.

What are your responsibilities as a business analyst?

As a business analyst, I support our nylon division, which designs and manufactures nylon compounds that have broad industrial and consumer applications. I am part of the business team, working with different departments and managers, talking to people all over the company, and helping to investigate problems, for example, why a customer isn’t buying as much as in the past, or why certain costs aren’t in the system. I participate in monthly meetings with senior executives and others where we review the numbers and discuss how we can improve the business. I try to help make things easier for people so they can do their jobs more efficiently and with less stress. I strive to be a valued partner within the business and provide the team with support to assist in making strategic decisions for the future.

Did you take communication classes as part of your studies for a master’s degree?

There wasn’t a separate class in communication, but communication was stressed in classes in organisational analysis, small business management and other subjects. With the benefit of hindsight, a communication class would have been helpful, for example, in learning how to write effective e-mails, memos and other types of business communication.

What have you learned about communicating since you started at Teknor?

I have learned to be clear and concise in communicating with managers and others in our departments. I try to phrase requests in terms they can understand, not in technical accounting terms, and to be very precise in explaining what I need. I also consider the impact of what I am requesting. Will this make things more difficult for a department or not? Initially, I would sometimes make decisions without thinking through the effects on the departments. Now I try to look at my request from the department’s perspective. In any case, the important thing is to be open and direct in communicating with people.

Whom do you go to in the company for advice?

I talk to my boss, other supervisors, my peers and others in the company if I am concerned or uncertain about something. I bounce questions off them and try to get their perspective and draw on their experience in resolving issues.

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?

I grew up in Rhode Island. Once in a while, I went by Teknor, but I didn’t know much about the company. And I certainly had no idea that I would be working for Teknor one day. Yet here I am. I would like the opportunity to advance in the organisation, and to be challenged in whatever position I am in, whether it is in the finance department or in a business unit.

INTERVIEW 4: DONNA VIENS, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY

Donna Viens is an assistant professor and chair of the department of accountancy and finance at Johnson & Wales University, Providence, Rhode Island. Before joining the university’s faculty, she spent 15 years in manufacturing and construction accounting. She worked as a raw materials clerk, an accounts payable manager, a cost accountant, an assistant controller, a controller and a chief financial officer.

When you worked in manufacturing and construction, what did you learn about communication?

In construction, when you are on a job site, a lot of the communication is verbal. You talk with supervisors or other workers about different things, and the conversations tend to be very brief. Construction people usually are very skilled at their jobs, but, depending on the person and their level of education, their communication skills may not be as good as their technical skills. Sometimes you speak with people who are not as fluent in English as in their native Spanish, Portuguese or other language.

How did you deal with these communication issues?

Regardless of whom you’re speaking with, you have to be very clear in speaking with them. Make sure that you are understood and that you understand them. I sometimes couldn’t completely understand what others were saying, but I usually could infer what they said. You have to be patient in communicating with people. Impatience can lead to misunderstandings.

Another issue is that communication in construction tends to be informal. When I became a manager for a construction company and started working in an office, I still wore jeans because I never knew when I might have to go out to a job site. But this informality can make some people too comfortable with you. At some point, you may have to tell them that you worked hard to become a manager, and you expect to be treated like one.

How did communication at the management level compare with communication on the job site?

When you move into management—the controller level or above—you communicate more in writing. Regardless of whether you are speaking or writing to someone about financial topics, you have to do so in such a way that you are understood. You not only have to know the numbers but also be able to explain them, sometimes to executives who are highly educated and experienced but who do not have backgrounds in finance. I once worked with a CEO who rolled his eyes whenever I started to talk about financial issues. So, I started making graphs and charts for him, and he understood—he got it. He was very visually oriented.

How do you help your students to develop the communication skills to work in accounting?

Every student in our accounting programme is required to take a class in business communication that is offered by our English department. In addition, in all of our accounting classes, students are required to complete some type of writing assignment: e-mails, correspondence, presentations, client letters, audit opinions and other communications. They also work on writing their resumés, letters to prospective employers and so on. Through a process of having their work critiqued by their teachers and rewriting and revising, they learn to improve their writing skills. We ask students to keep copies of everything they write, from initial drafts to finished product. When they graduate, they can review their writing projects and see how their skills have developed.

Do you have any particular concerns in helping students with their oral communication?

One concern is helping students to improve their skills in making presentations. Some accounting professionals lack the confidence to make presentations to senior executives, a management committee or a board of directors. We help students to develop that confidence while in school, so they are prepared for the time in their careers when they are called upon to make high-level presentations.

How do you help them to develop skills and build confidence?

We use various means, such as discussions, debates or role playing. We may ask students to discuss something they’ve seen in the news and to have a debate on an issue that’s relevant to the class they’re taking. For example, the debate might be about an issue of ethical behaviour in accounting and business. In debating, students learn to treat each other as equals and to conduct themselves in a civilised, professional manner. We’ve also introduced into our programme exercises for students in explaining financial statements to people who are not accountants. Students might participate in role playing in which one student plays an accountant who is trying to explain the numbers to another student who plays a boss who is struggling to understand. The whole purpose of these various programmes is to prepare students as much as possible to go into the world of accounting and business.

INTERVIEW 5: JAMES J. BENJAMIN, PROFESSOR AT MAYS BUSINESS SCHOOL

James J. Benjamin is the Deloitte Foundation Leadership Professor and Head of the Accounting Department in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. He joined the faculty at Texas A&M in 1974, and he has served as department head since 1982. Dr Benjamin received his MBA and DBA degrees from Indiana University, and he is a CPA. He previously served as the PhD coordinator for the Mays School and the director of the College Honors Program.

Through the Mays School of Business, Texas A&M offers a bachelor of business administration (BBA) in accounting, a master of science in accounting and a doctoral programme in accounting. In addition, it offers the Professional Program, a two-and-half-year programme that students enter in the spring semester of their junior year. Upon completion of the programme, they earn a BBA in accounting and a master of science in one of the following: accounting, finance, management information systems, marketing or entrepreneurship.

How has the accounting programme helped students to develop their communication skills?

We originally introduced communication into our programme in 1982, when we worked with the university’s College of Liberal Arts to teach oral and written communication to accounting students. After a few years, the college was unable to continue with this communication course. We decided to reach outside the university to hire a communication expert to join our faculty and create a course. We’ve had the course ever since. It’s a required course that focuses on written and oral communication, but it also encompasses broader skills that managers need, such as the ability to build relationships, work with people, actively listen and learn from criticism.

How would you characterise the communication skills of students when they begin the accounting programme?

As you might expect, the communication skills of students vary widely. Some students are quite polished, while others have rudimentary skills. We do some diagnostics to identify students who need help. Among other resources, these students can make use of a communications lab in our business school. The lab has software to help students improve their writing, videotaping equipment and other facilities.

Besides the required communication course, how do you help students to develop their communication skills?

All of our courses require some writing and oral work, and two of these courses are writing intensive. Students in our Professional Program participate in teams that work on case studies. The experience is similar to participating on a team in the working world. As team members, students work on improving their communication skills, including taking the required communication course at the mid-point of the programme. As students progress in the programme, their level of communication practice increases. In the final year of the programme—students’ fifth year at the university—the student teams participate in case competitions in which every team member has to make a presentation. For students interested in the energy field, we offer an energy accounting course and an energy case competition.

Do students in the Professional Program work as interns?

The 250 students in the programme work as interns, mainly at public accounting firms. Candidates for internships typically interview with several firms, and they almost always are awarded internships. They usually complete audit or tax internships during the firms’ busy season in the spring and systems audit or advisory internships in the fall. If, for some reason, a candidate is not offered an internship, it’s a wake-up call that they need to improve their communication and other skills.

How do you help students to develop the communication skills to be ready for future employment?

We help them to develop self-confidence and build their personal brand. It is important that they are able to tell stories about themselves. They can use these skills in interviewing for jobs. Beyond that, they can continue to develop these skills in public accounting, where most of our students start their careers. If they later decide to go into corporate accounting or some other sector of accounting, they will have developed a foundation of communication skills from their experience in public accounting.

What skills do employers require of students?

Regardless of whether an employer is a Big 4 firm or a Fortune 500 company or other organisation, employers want graduates to pass the CPA exam and to have the communication and other skills required for a job.

What feedback do you receive from employers about the communication skills of today’s accounting graduates?

I hear a lot about the informality of students in communicating, such as in writing e-mail or text messages or sending an e-mail to someone rather than walking down the hall to talk to them. There is a tendency to use social media as a substitute for face-to-face communication. And students carry these habits into the business world. In helping students to improve their communication skills, we try to teach them the appropriate use of technology, the value of personal communication, and the importance of strong writing and speaking skills.

INTERVIEW 6: CHRISTOPHER J. PAPA, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CFO, POST PROPERTIES, INC.

At some point in their careers, some CPAs who are partners in public accounting move into the corporate sector and become CFOs. Christopher J. Papa, executive vice president and CFO of Post Properties, Inc., a leading developer and operator of upscale multifamily communities, made the transition. Papa joined Post Properties as CFO in 2003. Before that, he was an audit partner at BDO Seidman, LLP, CFO of Plast-O-Matic Valves, Inc., and an audit partner at Arthur Andersen, LLP, where he spent ten years.

In terms of communicating, how did you manage the transition from public accounting to CFO?

When I joined Post Properties, I started by getting to know people inside and outside of our company. I met one-on-one with key executives in our organisation. I joined other executives and managers in town hall-style meetings with associates in property management, accounting, information technology and other parts of our company. I sought feedback from people throughout our organisation. Externally, I began to build relationships with representatives of our primary lenders and bankers, rating agencies, as well as tax advisers and other key constituencies. It helped that I already knew some of these people from my prior experience in public accounting. It also helped that I had a broad background in business from having worked closely with executive management and boards of my public accounting clients, firms, investment bankers and other organisations.

What is your approach to communicating?

I aim to be as transparent and as collaborative as possible—being open, accessible, willing to listen to and consider other ideas, while providing an atmosphere where issues are easily surfaced, discussed and resolved. I believe in being straightforward, honest and direct, while exhibiting a strong tone from the top and adhering to strong ethical standards. I try to promote a team environment, to have an open door policy, and to be available to discuss any issues. I also hold regular meetings with people to discuss where we are as a company or department, talk about problems that have come up, and get regular updates on what they are working on. I want to hear everything about our company, whether good or bad.

How have you applied your experience in public accounting in your current position?

When I was in public accounting, I learned to think strategically, beyond the boundaries of compliance functions. As CFO, I have taken the same strategic approach. I rely on a strong network of other company executives, attorneys, bankers, tax advisers and others for ideas, insights and advice. I have learned to be balanced in providing leadership and oversight while relying on the professional judgment of our controller, tax directors and other direct reports to manage their individual areas of responsibility.

How do you manage your time in communicating with many different constituencies?

In public companies today, senior executives are spending more time meeting with analysts, shareholders, prospective investors and others to update them on the state of the company, listen to their comments and answer questions. People want more face time with the CEO and CFO. Meanwhile, you have to maintain internal communication with managers, auditors and others.

What’s the benefit of this intensified communication?

Over time, you strengthen relationships with people inside and outside of your organisation, and people feel comfortable talking with you about issues. But there are also more and more demands on your time. You receive a constant stream of requests for meetings, phone calls and so on. It is important to have a very strong executive assistant to help you effectively manage the multiple requests for your time.

INTERVIEW 7: GREG CONDERACCI, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER OF GOOD GROUND CONSULTING

Greg Conderacci is president and founder of Good Ground Consulting, a private consulting firm that helps organisations and teams discover and defend their good ground—the fertile market niche where their productivity peaks. In other words, he helps them answer their clients’ question, ‘Why should I do business with you?’ He teaches marketing at the Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business. He also is a senior fellow with the Maryland Association of CPA’s Business Learning Institute.

In the 1990s, Conderacci held senior marketing positions with Price Waterhouse, Prudential and Deutsche Bank Alex. Brown. In the 1980s, he created and marketed several innovative programmes for the poor of Maryland, including the state’s largest soup kitchen. In the 1970s, as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, he covered business and economics. He is a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University. He holds a master in public policy from Harvard University.

What’s the biggest communication challenge for management accountants in moving up the corporate ladder?

When they are at a lower level in an organisation, accountants are narrowly focused on the numbers. Upon advancing to CFO or other senior position, they find themselves dealing with complex issues and advising top management in making decisions that will affect the future of the company. They must have the skills to communicate clearly and work with senior executives from every business line and department in the company. And they must have a different image of themselves. They must see themselves not as number crunchers sitting in cubicles, but as strategic advisers to senior management.

Are accountants up to the challenge?

Most CPAs can discuss accounting principles or methodologies in great detail. But they do not always explain the reasons for the principles or why anyone should care. It’s analogous to explaining the inner workings of a car’s engine but not how to operate the car. To succeed at the highest levels of an organisation, accountants must have strategic vision, the ability to articulate ideas succinctly and the skill to sell their ideas.

How has the perception of CPAs changed as more of them move from accounting and finance to the highest levels of organisations?

People in an organisation trust accountants, especially those who have the CPA credential. At the CFO or other senior management level, CPAs are seen not only as the financial experts but also as ethical leaders within the organisation. CFOs are expected to know the right thing to do financially, and, more than that, whether the right thing also is the moral thing to do. Because of how they are seen, CFOs have greater authority and influence, and with that authority comes the responsibility to communicate clearly about complex ethical and moral issues and to provide guidance as to how organisations can address those issues.

What are accountants doing, or what could they be doing, to increase their value to organisations—and their opportunities to move up the corporate ladder?

CPAs who aspire to move into senior management, whether with a public accounting firm or a company, must have the ability to sell—if only their ideas. In public accounting, CPAs learn about sales and marketing and business development early on. Frequently, business development is the path to promotion. In corporations, management accountants often do not have the same early opportunities. When they reach the top echelons of management, they usually are not involved in direct selling. But they must know about the marketing and sales of the company’s products and services, and even be prepared to suggest sales-related ideas, such as pricing and how to reduce the costs of sales. The most successful CFOs know how to work with the marketing and sales department in their sales efforts.

So how can management accountants learn about sales and marketing?

Look for every opportunity inside and outside your organisation to learn, whether through reading, classes, talking with sales and marketing people, or other ways. In the classes I teach, I am seeing a whole new interest in sales and marketing on the part of some accountants and others who, not long ago, wouldn’t have given sales a second thought.

How does the CPA credential help with sales and marketing?

You can build your personal brand on the CPA credential, which inspires trust. As you move up the organisation, you have to work on developing your image, and that requires you to develop your communication skills. In some business and other circles, the image of an accountant is an introvert who has trouble communicating. I led a communication workshop for government accountants, and one accountant stood out because he asked a lot of questions. After the workshop, I mentioned this to his supervisor, who said, ‘Yeah, he’s our resident extrovert.’ Successful accountants have managed to overcome whatever reticence they may have and become effective communicators. They are not only good at listening and speaking, but at asking the right questions.

Why is it important for accountants to ask the right questions?

We are trained from grammar school that what is important is the right answer. We didn’t get any credit for asking questions. But the right answer starts with the right question. As a CFO, you are expected to ask the questions that will give management new insights into solving a problem or capitalising on an opportunity, that helps to crystallise management thinking about issues, and that helps management with the decisionmaking process. This is what makes CFOs valuable to organisations.

What do young people who are starting their careers in accounting need to know about personal branding?

In my experience, some young accountants seem to think that once they graduate from college and pass the CPA exam that employers should be happy to hire them. In their cover letters, resumes and interviews, they talk about what they have accomplished. What an employer really wants to know is, what can you do for me? Young accountants—and accountants generally—have to be prepared to answer that question if they expect to get hired, change jobs or advance in organisations. So, instead of just saying they have done six major audits, for example, they should talk about how they can help a business to save $250,000 a year. Personal branding isn’t just about you, it’s about the value you bring to an organisation.

INTERVIEW 8: THOMAS D. FOARD, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CFO OF PUBLISHERS FULFILLMENT, INC.

Thomas D. Foard, CPA, is executive vice president and CFO of Publishers Fulfillment Inc., Towson, Maryland. The company provides outsourced home delivery services for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and a number of other newspapers.

Foard is a member of the AICPA board of directors and a past chair of the Maryland Association of CPAs.

What value do finance professionals bring to their communication with the leadership of companies?

It’s a given that we have technical expertise. Where we can add value is in communicating effectively to management. We can present information in terms of how it affects the business and what actions management can take to meet business goals. The very best finance professionals excel at analysing, interpreting and integrating data and translating it into information that leaders use in decision-making.

So it’s more about looking at the future than the past?

Computer automation has largely commoditised the historical function of our profession. It’s not where we add value. We do that by interpreting the data and providing useful information.

What’s an example?

We can look at leading indicators in the economy and the markets in which our companies operate, discern trends and identify risks. We can help managers to measure and evaluate the performance of their companies and make projections about future performance. This is somewhat analogous to sports broadcasting.

How?

The play-by-play commentator provides the data, which is what accountants do now. The colour commentator provides the analysis of the data, comments on the strategy of the teams, and talks about decisions they might face as the game progresses. This analysis and interpretation is what business leaders expect of their accountants.

How comfortable are finance professionals with this forward-looking approach to communication?

We need to develop the skills to communicate effectively. We must not only be comfortable but confident in our skills. If we aren’t, the risk to our profession is that the CEO or COO will find people who are confident, and they may not be CPAs.

But is it realistic for accountants to think they can get better at communicating?

There is an argument that you either have communication skills or you don’t, but these are skills that can be developed, improved and refined. If I play golf, I might be shooting, say, 95. With lessons, I might get that number down to 85. I won’t shoot 68 and turn pro, but I’ll be playing a lot better. This is what I am talking about with accountants. With better communication skills, you can become a valued member of a company’s leadership team.

What are some of your suggestions for improving communication skills?

Read books and articles on the subject. A book I recommend is The Exceptional Presenter, by Timothy Koegel. Take professional development courses. Ask a mentor to help you. Practice by standing in front of a mirror and speaking and recording what you say. Practice before some friends and get their feedback. Evaluate your speaking style. Are you speaking too fast or too slow? Do you stay on message or get bogged down in details? Do you have the right inflection or speak in a monotone?

If you are preparing to present at a meeting, send a one-page summary of your talking points to your audience before the meeting. Keep your presentation simple—no more than three key points. State what you will cover, deliver your message and wrap up. Don’t speak for more than 15 minutes. Otherwise, your audience will lose interest.

Final thoughts?

The accounting programmes in colleges and universities should help students develop not just technical expertise but so-called ‘soft skills’ like communication. As a profession, we should change the language around these soft skills. Call them success skills. Technical expertise means you get to play in the game. Success skills like communication will help you win.

INTERVIEW 9: ANDREW HARDING, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CIMA

Andrew Harding, FCMA, CGMA, is managing director of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and is responsible for the operational performance of the Institute. In his role, Harding leads CIMA’s corporate centre, which is based in the UK, along with all international markets, including Europe, North Asia, South East Asia and Australasia, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa.

He was previously executive director of CIMA Markets, and, in 2010, oversaw the Institute’s largest ever growth in new students. Prior to joining CIMA, he was managing director of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), where he drove success on a global scale.

Harding is a CGMA and holds an MBA from Henley Management College.

What is the role of today’s CFO?

CFOs have gone from scorekeepers to positions of influence as company strategists and leaders. Yet, even in their strategic role, they must remain grounded in solid technical financial skills. Particularly important is their ability to assist companies to evaluate and guard against risks. CFOs deal in making sense of complex data and need to be skilled in presenting information so that the board can make the best decisions.

Why the focus on defending against risks?

Following the collapse of the global financial system a few years ago, boards came to realise that they didn’t fully understand the risks that companies were taking on, especially in derivatives and other financial products. Now, they are turning to CFOs to advise on risk management. This means CFOs, as well as deeply understanding how the business works, must have the skills to communicate with board members and others who are not necessarily deep technical experts. CFOs must know how to explain risks and opportunities in understandable language.

How are companies training the next generation of management accountants to become strategists and leaders?

Companies expect management accountants to support management decision-making by making sense of complex data. Very often, this is a challenge for the management accountant, who is trained as an expert. The language of the expert doesn’t always make for effective communication.

How are companies addressing this issue?

Companies are taking a very practical approach. They have management accountants working alongside line managers and learning how to support management’s decision-making. The benefits of this collaboration are mutual. Management accountants are learning how to better communicate with managers, and managers are drawing on the financial and analytical expertise of accountants to make better-informed decisions.

Have companies established formal training programmes for management accountants to learn the business and advance in the organisations?

Larger companies have taken the lead in establishing training and development programmes for management accountants. Training is competence-based and includes the development and measurement of communication skills. These programmes are becoming more established in organisations, and the time is coming when best practices will emerge.

What can management accountants themselves do on their own initiative to improve their communication skills?

The first thing management accountants must understand and appreciate is that, outside of accounting, they are speaking to people who are not accounting experts. With this understanding, they can find quite simple skills programmes around effective writing and presentation. These programmes are available through schools, professional societies and other organisations, and they are based on demystifying language and building understanding.

How do management accountants build understanding?

Understanding begins with the audience. To communicate effectively, management accountants must know their audience and use language the audience understands. Accountants sometimes default to accounting jargon, using it as a shield to hide behind their expertise. Management accountants need to regularly review their communication style with colleagues and seek feedback so that the benefits of the support they give to boards and other key decision makers are maximised.

What does the broader role of management accountants in business mean for their careers?

Because of their expertise, management accountants are finding career opportunities across organisations. For example, some accountants are beginning to work in marketing. Over time, they will develop expertise in managing marketing, and some could advance to directors of marketing. We also see this working in other core business areas, such as HR, IT or operations. Beyond these, management accountants will see opportunities open up in other parts of the organisation.

How can management accountants worldwide learn how to work and do business globally?

The first thing is to have strong English language skills. With the exception of China, most international businesses use English. You can’t rise to the top of the organisation without being fluent in English. You also must have the ability to build relationships across international boundaries. This requires an understanding and appreciation of other cultures, customs and ways of doing business, such as the need in Asian cultures to save face and whether ‘yes’ really means ‘no.’ Even in countries such as the UK, U.S. and Australia that share a common language, there are different cultural practices, behaviours and reactions, and different meanings given to words. To work globally, you must always be open to learning. It requires focus and hard work, and you will never stop learning.

How are colleges and universities helping accounting students to improve their communication skills?

The role of colleges and universities is changing. Schools no longer are simply teaching and testing knowledge. Using case studies and other resources, students are learning how communication is used in business, how to communicate technical information in easily understood language, and how to use communication in solving business problems. Communication is not simply about telling the story of money and finance but about all aspects of a business. We call it ‘joining the dots.’

CIMA has commissioned extensive research and issued reports⁶ on how businesses can incorporate sustainability into their business planning, practices and reporting. Why the focus on sustainability?

Some make the mistake of thinking that sustainability is about the environment, but it is much more than that. It is about businesses having robust business models and being successful in the long term. Accountants need to think about more than the numbers that affect the bottom line. It’s about everything that can affect the bottom line.

What progress have companies made toward incorporating sustainability into their strategic planning and business models?

Companies are starting to develop sustainability strategies, but they have not realised the full value of sustainability. Management accountants can help them to tie sustainability to business performance and maximise value.

What are some examples of how management accountants can help?

Management accountants can assist companies to develop sustainable business practices that reduce costs by eliminating wastes and inefficiencies in business processes. They can help companies to manage risks by complying with safety regulations and preventing events that have social and environmental consequences and impact the bottom line. To support businesses, CIMA and the AICPA are working hard on developing ‘integrated reporting,’ which covers all aspects of business performance, not just the financials. By applying the same rigor to integrated reporting that they apply to financial reporting, management accountants can assist companies to implement and measure sustainable strategies that realise the full value of sustainability.

In March of 2011, the AICPA and CIMA announced a proposed joint venture to promote the Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation globally. The governing councils of both organisations subsequently approved the joint venture. Why create the CGMA designation at this point in time?

Today, businesses face a number of global issues and challenges. Increasingly, they are looking to management accountants for strategic guidance and insight in making decisions and managing risks. The CGMA designation is intended to promote the discipline of management accounting worldwide and provide a global designation that demonstrates proficiency and leadership in management accounting. CGMA is the first accounting designation to be used worldwide. It’s a designation for the modern era, and it will help businesses meet their strategic goals.

INTERVIEW 10: CHRIS ROGERS, VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, INFRAGISTICS, INC.

Chris Rogers is vice president, Finance and Administration, of Infragistics Inc., a global software company that publishes user interface (UI) development tools and components for a range of developer applications. The company is also a provider of developer support, testing tools, and UI and user experience (UX) training and consulting services. Prior to joining Infragistics in 2002, he served in senior financial positions from controller to CFO for various companies, such as Meridian Emerging Markets, Taratec (Patni Computer Systems), HealthAnswers, and Mobil Research & Development Corp.

What is your communication philosophy?

In a private company like Infragistics, where the CEO is an owner, my conversations with him are very open, very direct. He is as immersed in the numbers as I am. Our communication needs to be in lock step. I am more forthright in communicating with other senior executives than with employees. That is because employees may not have a need to know certain information, or if they did know, they might not understand it in the proper context.

What is your approach to communicating with minority investors?

I will give minority investors a crafted response to their questions, but I am not going to share everything because they won’t understand the context. I can help them with the interpretation of the numbers, but I am not going to offer financial advice, such as whether they should exercise their stock options.

As far as communicating is concerned, what do you expect of people who report to you?

I want the whole truth, and nothing but. The accounting department cannot add value to the organisation without providing the information necessary for management to make decisions. I expect accountants to be forthright in their communication with senior management and not to sandbag the numbers. In any case, the CEO and I are going to take a very conservative approach in analysing and interpreting the numbers.

What are some of the challenges in communicating globally?

One challenge is the language barrier. Here’s an example. On a visit to Japan, I was speaking with a junior accountant and an auditor. The accountant was a native Japanese who spoke little English. She did not have formal training in accounting but had some understanding of its concepts. The auditor was Chinese; she spoke Japanese as a second language. She understood Japanese GAAP but not U.S. GAAP. I do not speak Japanese. I had to explain the concept of accrual to the junior accountant and make sure that her understanding of the concept was the same as mine. Then, I had to impress upon her that she needed to explain the concept to the auditor exactly as I had explained it to her.

Another challenge with global communication is that the definition of things varies from country to country. In the U.S., if you negotiate a salary figure, it usually is a gross salary, before taxes. In certain other countries, if you were to negotiate a salary, it would be a net salary, after taxes. And the employer pays the employee’s taxes. This can create a risk for an employer who signs a contract to pay a $50,000 gross salary and assumes it’s a gross figure. But the employee counters that it’s a net salary, and the employer is contractually bound by the laws of the country where the employee works to pay the employee’s taxes. The cost of hiring the employee is much higher than the employer expected.

If you travel outside the U.S., and meet and work with people of other countries, you must be very sensitive to the differences in American culture and their culture. The worst thing you could do is to embarrass them, especially in front of their peers. You have to know how to present a business card in Japan or shake hands in India. You must know whether someone is nodding in agreement or simply to be polite. Above all, you must listen. It shows respect and a willingness to learn. And you will learn from listening and observing.

INTERVIEW 11: AMY WEINREICH, CPA, VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, PUBLISHERS CIRCULATION FULFILLMENT, INC.

Amy Weinreich, CPA, is vice president, Finance and Administration, of Publishers Circulation Fulfillment Inc., Towson, Maryland. The company provides outsourced home delivery services for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and a number of other newspapers. The company has about 1,300 employees and uses about 8,000 contractors nationally.

What are your responsibilities?

I’m responsible for all of the finance and accounting functions, as well as payroll benefits, employee data management, procurement and property administration.

How did you get interested in accounting as a career?

My parents owned a business in Baltimore, Maryland and also ran a farm. I learned about business from working with them. I went on to own some companies together with my husband. In the process, I learned about the accounting required to manage a business. I later decided to go into industry and started working for companies.

When did you earn your accounting degree?

After I graduated from high school, I attended college and, in 1990, I received my accounting degree. After that, I decided to wait to pursue further education. In 2007, I completed my master’s degree with a specialisation in finance and, in 2009, I received my CPA. Originally, I did not think I needed to have my CPA because I never wanted to be an auditor. As I began to climb the corporate ladder, I realised the benefits of earning my master’s degree and obtaining certification.

Where did you work?

I started with a small chemical company, moved to a learning centre for children, and then to an international company. Along the way, I advanced to higher positions in accounting and finance. About five years ago, I joined Publishers Circulation in my present position.

In your position, whom do you communicate with in the company?

I often speak with senior management and my direct reports. I’m available to others in the company to answer questions, give advice or help them work on various projects.

What sorts of questions do you get?

I get questions on all sorts of subjects. A project lead might ask for an analysis of the costs and benefits of a project or how to account for something, such as a capital versus an operating lease. A company lawyer might have a question.

How do you explain accounting to people in the company who are not accountants?

The key is not to go into a technical discussion but to explain the why behind a rule. For example, a capital lease hits the balance sheet and depreciation while an operating lease affects net income. Knowing the reason for a rule helps people in understanding it.

How has communication within the company changed since you started?

When I joined the company, a lot of written communication was in print. There were binders full of written rules, procedures, reports and the like. Now, much of our communication is electronic. It is less costly, faster and more efficient. Another important change is that our written communications are more concise. For example, if I prepare a report for our senior executives, I summarise everything on one page, with just enough detail that they can make a decision. If they need more details, I can provide them with specifics.

What’s an example of a summary you might provide on one page?

If the company were considering an acquisition, for example, the summary would include why the seller has put its company up for sale, the asking price, the company’s operating profit, our expected return on investment, why the acquisition makes sense, and possibly a few other details. This information would be summarised in bullet points.

Isn’t there a risk with a one-page summary that you might miss a key piece of information?

It’s a challenge to capture the essence of what you want to communicate. You can address this issue by knowing the people who will receive your summary report, knowing what is important to them, having a thorough knowledge of the topic and knowing how to provide the information to help drive a decision. If you work with the same people over time, you can get to the point where you anticipate some of the questions they might ask and address them in your report.

How are you training people under you to become better communicators?

In our company, people have to be comfortable talking with anybody in our organisation. That was my experience at a former employer. It wasn’t unusual for the president of the company to talk directly with the person responsible for an area. In my current position, I am helping people to reach that comfort level. For example, a staff accountant who joined our company out of college, and who has good presentation skills, gave a presentation on what our accounting department does. It was given to a group of our human resource people, and it was well received.

As another example, I give a little class on proper use of e-mail. I ask everyone attending the class to bring examples of e-mails they have sent and received. We critique each one. For instance, don’t put ‘FY I’ in a subject line. Instead, write a few words that succinctly state the purpose of the e-mail. Then, it’s easy for the receiver to decide whether to read it. Also, if you attach a large file, such as a spreadsheet, write a brief summary of what’s in the attachment. Then, the receiver of your e-mail can read the summary and decide whether to open the spreadsheet.

This is the same with reports. Unless there is a summary explaining a report, it is just a data dump. Recipients themselves have to do the work of analysing the report.

How would you summarise a report?

An old adage about speaking applies here. Tell the audience what you are going to tell them. This is the summary. Then tell them, ‘these are the details.’ Then, tell them what you told them. This is the conclusion.

Can you offer a suggestion as to how accountants can improve their communication skills?

Learn to listen. We are not trained to listen like we are trained to speak or write, but we can learn. For example, if you are asked to do something, make sure you really understand what’s asked of you. If you’re uncertain, ask questions to clarify what you must do. Sometimes a junior person may be reticent about asking because they are new or because they think they lack the knowledge. But unless they ask, they won’t learn.

INTERVIEW 12: DAVID DUNCAN, PRESIDENT, DENIHAN HOSPITALITY GROUP

David Duncan is president of Denihan Hospitality Group, an independent owner and operator of boutique hotels in top U.S. urban markets. He was named president in January 2012 after serving as the company’s CFO since 2003. His past experience includes tenures as a managing director at the Guggenheim Group, CFO of Winstar Communications and CFO of GE Capital’s Real Estate Capital Markets Group. He started his career as a CPA with Kenneth Leventhal & Company in Los Angeles and Boston and then Ernst & Young, LLP.

What have you learned about communication from your experience as a CFO?

At GE Capital, I was in a very large, communication-intensive organisation, with layers of management. In working on complex transactions, I quickly learned to speak not only as an accountant but also as a businessperson. I understood the language of business from my experience with tax and accounting and technical issues while with Kenneth Leventhal and Company and Ernst and Young.

What is your communication philosophy?

Look at the big picture—start at the 60,000-foot level and drill down. Some people start with the details and soon get lost in complex technical discussions. Stay focused on the business strategy—people understand business issues. Keep communication simple.

In terms of communication, what do you expect of people who report to you?

When I talk to people in my company, I want early warnings. I don’t want surprises. I want people to be passionate in making a recommendation. But they must understand all of the issues and marshal all of the facts in support of their argument. They should have their business reasons and analysis prepared, so they are ready not just for the first level but every level of questioning from management.

Can you give an example?

When I was at GE, a group recommended a transaction for several hundred million dollars, in a distant domicile that I would never have guessed would have been approved. But they had researched the facts to such a degree that there was no way to argue with them. They were so passionate and so well prepared that they succeeded in selling management on the transaction.

What’s the most important communication skill?

The most important skill is to be able to talk candidly. As managers, we owe people we work with candour about things we like and don’t like. People tend to shy away from difficult communication. You can talk in a way that is not personal. If someone is not doing a good job, you can make clear that you are criticising their job performance and not them personally.

Among other responsibilities, CFOs lead or participate in negotiations to acquire an asset or a company. What is your approach to negotiating?

If possible, you want a win for both sides. So you try to get everything on the table, and then do trade-offs. Price is important, of course, but it is not the only issue. In my experience, some people don’t understand negotiating. They make it about one thing. That means one side would win and the other lose. Both sides have to come away with something.

How do you inculcate good communication in your company?

We teach employees across our company about good communication, and that begins with helping them to see our service from the perspective of our guests. If a problem comes up, our staff must show sincerity in assuring guests that it will be resolved expeditiously, and they must follow through by seeing that it is resolved. We have found that guests who have had a problem resolved to their satisfaction are among the most passionate advocates for our hotels.

What is your organisation’s approach to communicating with the staff?

We expect our staff to show consideration to our guests, and our staff deserves the same consideration. Everyone should be treated equally whether they are the principals of our company or a bellman or a back office person. Our employees are more than workers. They are people. They are helping an aged parent or helping to put their children through college or volunteering in the community.

And your approach to hiring?

It’s remarkably simple: hire pleasant, likeable people. We can teach them the technical side of the business. We have all sorts of training for new hires.

INTERVIEW 13: ANOOP N. MEHTA, VICE PRESIDENT AND CFO, SCIENCE SYSTEMS AND APPLICATIONS, INC.

Anoop N. Mehta, CPA, is vice president and CFO of Science Systems and Applications Inc., Latham, Maryland. The company applies science and technology to improve quality of life. Fields in which the company applies its expertise include space and earth science research and analysis, software development, data management, and instrument engineering. Mehta is the current chairman of the Maryland Association of CPAs.

At the Maryland association’s Business and Industry roundtable and other venues, CFOs and other business executives say that skill in communicating is one of their top concerns. Why?

One reason for concern is that the communication skills of recent graduates are not the same as when I graduated 30 years ago. Technology has changed how we communicate. Young people today routinely use e-mails, text messaging, Facebook and other technology and social media tools that didn’t exist when I started my career.

How has that changed communication?

Young people are very good with communicating with their peers, but compared with older generations, they do not communicate as well. For example, not many young people write letters today. E-mails and text messages have largely replaced letter writing. But letter writing disciplined you to organise your thoughts, consider the structure and content of the letter, use correct spelling and grammar and communicate clearly. By comparison, technology has made it easy to communicate through e-mails and other channels, and there is more of a tendency to dash something off, leading to miscommunications.

As far as communication is concerned, what are the expectations of young CPAs and others in joining and working for companies?

Young people want to receive information on their terms, not on a company’s terms. They want to use social media, for example. Companies will have to adapt to their expectations if they expect to recruit and retain talented young people, which is why we are looking at the possible use of Facebook and other social media tools in our company.

How do young people feel about moving into leadership positions in their companies?

The first question is whether they want to become leaders. I see young people less interested in moving into leadership and management, and if they are interested, it has to be on their terms. They don’t want to put in 50- or 60-hour work weeks. They want a balance between work and life. In fact, they are more disciplined about balancing work and life. That is not to say that they don’t want to work. Just the opposite is true. They love to work, and they bring great energy and enthusiasm to their jobs. Again, meeting their expectations will be a challenge for companies such as ours, with our highly educated workforce and a need for talent in fields such as aerospace engineering.

How are you training the next generation of CPAs for leadership in their companies and in accounting?

We are looking at external training programmes, among other options, and we are utilising the resources of the Maryland association. Last year, the association held its first Leadership Academy, which was attended by young CPAs who aspire to become leaders. They wrote a white paper on their vision for the profession’s future and how the profession can realise that vision.⁴ One of my goals as the association’s chair is to engage young CPAs and encourage them to become more active in the profession, for example, by attending our board meetings or retreats. They are our future leaders, and we want to do everything we can to support and encourage them.

Endnotes

1 For more on the Finance Academy, see ‘Internal Cross-Training on a Budget,’ Rhode Island Society of CPAs newsletter, 2012 www.what-counts.org/aicpa-national-topic/62-internal-cross-training-on-a-budget

2 Kaufman Rossin Fund Services (KRFS) is an independent full-service provider of specialised administration services to the investment community. KRFS was born out of Kaufman, Rossin & Co., a CPA firm headquartered in Miami. See www.krfs.com/history.php.

3 Examples:
Eva Collins, Stewart Lawrence, Juliet Roper and Jarrod Harr, ‘Sustainability and the role of the management accountant,’ Research executive summary series (vol. 7, issue 14), Waikato Management School, University of Waikato www.cimaglobal.com/Documents/Thought_leadership_docs/Sustainability%20and%20Climate%20Change/Management-control_NZICA.pdf
2) CIMA and Accenture, ‘Sustainability performance management: How CFOS can unlock value’ www.cimaglobal.com/Thought-leadership/Research-topics/Sustainability/Sustainability-performance-management-how-CFOs-can-unlock-value/

4 Adrienne Gonzalez, ‘New MACPA White Paper Outlines Future CPA Leaders’ Vision For the Industry,’ Going Concern, Nov. 2011 http://goingconcern.com/2011/11/new-macpa-white-paper-outlines-future-cpa-leaders-vision-for-the-industry