Features

Financial Executive of the Year
As KeyBank’s vice president of pricing, forecasting, and analysis for consumer credit and deposit, Ron Riebe emphasizes financial and managerial discipline in his department’s operations while stressing individual accountability among his employees. That’s one reason why he is the Institute of Management Accountants and Robert Half International’s national 2006 Financial Executive of the Year. Twenty-two other financial executives were honored as regional 2006 Financial Executives of the Year.

It’s Time to Change
Andrew Spanyi
Fulfilling the traditional role as their company’s chief accountant and technical expert is no longer enough for chief financial officers. To succeed in today’s business world, CFOs need to take a broader organizational view—beyond just the numbers—and become more involved in shaping and executing strategy and creating value.

Together or Apart?
Ramona Dzinkowski
As the move toward the convergence of international business standards continues to gain momentum, many are concerned with the process that convergence will undergo and whose viewpoints and influence will prevail. Dirk Witteveen, executive director of De Nederlandsche Bank and chairman of the Joint Forum, discusses his experiences with the development of international business regulations and governance standards as well as the critical issues that businesses will have to face in the coming years.

Claiming Your Courage
Long considered the domain of life-threatening situations, courage is an attribute few think of in an office environment. Courage Coach™ Sandra Ford Walston disagrees. In this interview, she explains how the true nature and definition of courage are misunderstood and discusses 12 behaviors that anyone can adopt to help display courage in everyday life.

Lessons from China
Thomas W. Lin
The Haier Group went from the verge of bankruptcy to one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Its unique performance-management systems keep the entire organization focused on the key areas of customer service, product quality, operating efficiency, and speed to market.

Columns

PERSPECTIVES
Push or pull.

TOP LINE
A bridge over troubled water.

BEST PRACTICES
The unmentionable.

CAREERS
Four keys to improved staff retention.

TAXES
Designated Roth IRA contributions.

ETHICS
Surveys show ethics problems persist.

XBRL
Broaden your view on XBRL’s representational capabilities.

Departments

STREETWISE
Are companies more ethical now? IFAC wants comments on ethics proposal COSO framework Next on executive compensation? Books: An overview of financial risk management.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE
A masterpiece of a mouse.

TECH FORUM
Turn that thing off.

END NOTE
Prizes in every box.