[2008] Accountants critical to climate change response

September 25, 2008

There is a lot of talk about climate change and often a bewildering range of accompanying terms, ideas, philosophies and actions. It’s hard to know exactly when and how to get involved. Sustainability issues such as climate change present major financial, strategic and operational challenges for business (see our green paper or articles on climate change). As a result, business will need to adapt to change.  We see the role of the accountant as critical in navigating these changes.

Why?  For a start, an essential element in addressing climate change is how businesses allocate and manage their resources for the production of goods and services. Accountants are the managers of strategic business resources, and as such make crucial decisions on how and where these resources are allocated. In a setting where businesses have to be increasingly accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions and such emissions will have a cost (see CPA Australia’s Carbon Footprint), this role is crucial.

CPA Australia is preparing the accounting profession to meet the challenges presented by issues such as climate change and is working on a range of development opportunities to ensure members are at the forefront of assisting their employers/clients to respond to climate change policies and adopt more sustainable business practices.

We plan to build capacity for members to bring their expertise to sustainability issues such as

  • Strategy/Governance (managing corporate risk, strategy, foreign direct investments, mergers and acquisitions, reputation, governance,  business process improvement),
  • Strategic Business Management (interpretation & analysis, capital investment appraisal, lifecycle analysis, systems, costing models that incorporate CSR, abatement, supply chain ),
  • Disclosure (voluntary and non-voluntary – measurement, non-financial data capture, choice of framework, reporting, compliance) and
  • Assurance (voluntary and non-voluntary).

Sustainability is also a truly global imperative and one perfectly matched to the increasingly global response to business. That’s why we are proud to host leaders Ernst Ligteringen and Mervyn King from the  Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) the Amsterdam-based world-leading authority in the area of non-financial business reporting.  The Executive Officer and President will present keynote speeches at CPA Congress 2008.  They will explore the growing awareness in business of the importance of sustainability reporting and also of the challenges ahead if this growing awareness is to translate to fundamental behavioural change. Non-financial reporting can play an important role in climate change response, the question for us is will the accounting profession be there to lead and navigate this change for business.

Kate Brent
CSR Manager
CPA Australia

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[2008] CPA Congress Community – Why Join it?

September 24, 2008

Last week I posted about the CPA Congress Community, in that post I discussed what the community is. Today I’d like to talk about why you should join up. Here are several resons you should join the CPA Congress Community.

Networking

In his recent post on the CPA Congress Blog, Personal Brand and Networking Consultant David Dechro describes networking as “… relationship based, mutually beneficial and evolves over time”

Building your network means more than finding out someone’s name and where they work then never speaking to them again. Is about sharing and exchanging to the benefit of both. You could be sharing information, experience or even just ideas, the point is both you and the other person involved in the discussion are gaining something from the exchange.

The CPA Congress Community is a perfect conduit to continue the discussion away from the CPA Congress venue. Strike up a conversation with someone interesting in the seat next you? Why not catch up in the CPA Congress Community? While you are there you will not only be able to continue the discussion with the person you met at the event, but also connect and share with other delegates from all over Australia and the world.

Learning

With all of this sharing, connecting and exchanging going on, you are going to learn. Possibly learn a lot: listening to the perspectives of your peers may provide you with an insight into a problem you had not previously considered, it may direct you to an application, regulation, or source of information that you did not know existed. Learning from those that have done it before can be a powerful experience.

Give something

I believe that anyone can learn from discussing an issue with their peers, however there are those that have more experience than others. The CPA Congress Community provides you the opportunity to share the knowledge and experience you have gained with those that have not yet been there before. You may even find, through sharing your experience you look at a familiar situation in a completely different light.

Create opportunities

In many ways the old adage ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ is alive and well. The CPA Congress Community creates new opportunities to expand who you know. The member search tool allows you to search for other members of the community with similar interests (Remember you control how much of your information other members can view). Discussing a challenge or interest in the discussion forum and groups will also provide opportunities to discover common interests and challenges amongst the community. Sharing a solution to a problem you have faced my open a door to your next employment opportunity.

Each of these are valid reasons to connect and share with your peers, the key to remember is that the CPA Congress Community is not about a the latest techno gadgetry it is about the relationships you can establish with your fellow CPA Congress delegates. Log on to the community and see who is there, you may be surprised what you discover.

Mick Leyden
Project Executive – Knowledge Exchange
CPA Australia

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[2008] The CPA Congress Community – What is it?

September 19, 2008

The CPA Congress community is an online space designed to extend the social aspects of CPA Congress. We recognise the CPA Congress experience is not just about attending technical sessions, it is also about meeting peers, discussing challenges, sharing solutions and establishing relationships that may lead to successful business opportunities in the future.

The CPA Congress Community gives you the opportunity to extend this experience beyond the day or two you spend at the  event in person. The Community is an online space designed to allow people with similar interests to discuss what is important to them. The CPA Congress Community has five major segments:

My Page

As a member of the CPA Congress Community, your have your own unique My Page. This is a place where you can post information about yourself, including industry, location, professional interest and who you are interested in connecting with.

Community Members

This a list of all of the members of the community. Use it to browse or search to find other people who share the same interests, face the same work challenges, or want to chat about the same things as you.

(Note: You control how much of your profile is visible to the rest of the community. If you don’t feel like sharing your profile information, no problem, you can make your profile private and simply watch what is going on around you.)

Community Forum

This is the central place to join the discussion in the CPA Congress Community. This discussion forum will provide a central place to discuss your CPA Congress experiences or anything of interest to you.

Community Groups

A range of groups has been created to make it easier for professionals with similar interests to connect and share. Each group displays a list of the other members of the group, a central ‘wall’ that will allow you to make comments to the whole group and a discussion forum dedicated to the group’s topic.

The groups have been created around employment sectors and areas of interest. If there is a topic you think is missing, let us know and we will create it!

Photos

This segment of the community allows you to post your view of CPA Congress. Notice something interesting? Take a photo with your camera phone and email it in to the CPA Congress Social Network to share it with your colleagues.

That describes what it is, but why should you join? I will discuss this in part two of this post, early next week.

Mick Leyden
Project Executive – Knowledge Exchange
CPA Australia

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[2008] CPA CONGRESS FOR FREE

September 12, 2008

2008 will be my sixth CPA Congress experience, and each year a fresh perspective is offered. I still get excited about the sessions, speakers and the ability of CPA Congress to move with the times and provide contemporary, relevant issues-based content each year.

This year Victorian CPA Congress will be held over three weeks, from 13 -31 October. With 300 sessions covering a unique and diverse range of technical and networking topics, it can sometimes feel overwhelming trying to decide what you will most benefit from.

Perhaps a recommendation from me might help you decide.

One of my favourite aspects of CPA Congress, besides the truly broad array of attendees and speakers, are the free community seminars that cover an interesting range of topics with inspiring speakers.

The free seminars are a way to include a wider range of the public in CPA Congress, plus showcase presenters and topics that cut across the many aspects of accounting, finance and business.

This year’s theme of fresh thinking. real success highlights the unarguable belief that there are a new set of challenges facing Australia and the world that require a fresh and dynamic response. I am really thrilled that the various topics and speakers at this year’s free community sessions reflect the changing nature of the economic and social environment, and provide a platform for those at the forefront of these changes.

The free community sessions will all be held in week 1, between 13-16th October.

The 69th Annual Research Lecture
The impact of carbon emissions trading on auditing and assurance standards setting
Monday 13 October 6.15pm – 7.15pm
Carillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre
University of Melbourne, Cnr Monash Road and Swanston Street

Beyond the numbers – the value, challenge and future of non-financial reporting
Tuesday 14 October, 5.30pm – 6.30pm
MCEC

Neil Walker memorial lecture:
Contracting out Government – collaboration or control?
5.30pm – 7pm
MCEC

SME Community Seminar:
Innovative small businesses – strategies for success
Thursday 16 October 5.30pm – 7pm
MCEC

I would love to hear what you, the delegates, think of this year’s free community sessions, and what you’d like to see as part of the offering in the future. Or if you attend a free session please visit the blog and tell us what you thought!

Cris Massis
Victorian Director
CPA Australia

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[2008] What is a great culture?

September 8, 2008

One of the critical questions posed by both clients and candidates in local and international executive searches is the importance of cultural fit. So what is a great culture? And what collective things need to be happening in a business or organisation to make it a great place to be or a place to leave? A recent study by Cranfield University in 19 countries and including 12,000 plus Organisations revealed that over 35 % of top teams had no shared Vision, and 66% of top teams had inhibited dialogue between themselves!

What elements of culture have inspired you in your career or conversely, have filled you with despair or disillusionment. Who is responsible for culture and who owns it?  What are your thoughts and experiences in this area?

Philip Crenigan – Director
DeJager and Associates

Hear from Philip

He will be presenting ‘Developing a culture that maximises employee potential – a how to guide’ (Session J4) at CPA Australia’s Queensland CPA Congress on 17th October 2008.

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