Features

Implementing Corporate Sustainability: Measuring and Managing Social and Environmental Impacts
Marc J. Epstein
Companies have recognized that addressing social and environmental issues is no longer optional. The Corporate Sustainability Model, a comprehensive approach for examining, measuring, and managing the drivers of corporate sustainability, can help managers to incorporate a sustainability strategy into daily operations and link that strategy to specific actions that improve both sustainability and financial performance.

The “Secret Sauce” that Maximizes ROI for ERP
Tim Allen
Before implementing a new enterprise resource planning system, finance executives need to have a thorough understanding of the unique business processes that differentiate their company from its competitors—the company’s “secret sauce.” This helps in selecting the most appropriate ERP software, avoiding common traps, and knowing which areas to customize for competitive advantage.

When Formal Controls Undermine Trust and Cooperation
Margaret H. Christ, Karen L. Sedatole, Kristy L. Towry, and Myra A. Thomas
The increased use of formal controls in today’s business environment may have an unintended consequence: the erosion of trust between management and employees. This study examines the effects that various types of organizational controls have on employee trust and cooperation in order to provide organizations with a better understanding of the costs of implementation.

When Strategy and ERM Meet
Mark L. Frigo
Closely linking strategy with enterprise risk management is essential to protecting shareholder value and corporate assets. Three approaches are presented to help connect company strategy to risk management and enable the organization to effectively manage both the potential pitfalls and upsides to risk. They include a strategic risk assessment process, a process to identify and protect at-risk Genuine Assets, and strategic risk monitoring and performance measurement.

The Project Professional: Flexible Human Capital to Enable Growth
Robert Moore
A scalable human capital strategy that includes the use of project professionals provides companies with the flexibility to take advantage of unique or situational expertise to solve critical problems without burdening staffing resources in the long run. Project professionals can fill a void in many areas, such as when in-house skills are lacking, to augment staff during a critical time of year, or to provide interim management.

Columns

PERSPECTIVES
The welcome burden of ethics.

TOP LINE
Moving forward, echoes of 2007.

BEST PRACTICES
He said, she said.

TAXES
Do capital gains taxes matter?

ETHICS
ERC says ethics risk landscape still treacherous.

CAREERS
Thank-you notes.

EXCEL
New features in Excel 2007.

Departments

STREETWISE
What are your budget headaches?
What about the mature workforce?
Greenhouse gas bill and corporate reporting
Books: Implementing effective change
SEC’s Sarbane-Oxley (SOX) Section 404 guide for small businesses.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

TECH FORUM
A new year, a new Internet.

END NOTE
Opportunity knocks.