Accountancy firms map out new world
Financial Times (Nov 2006)
PwC, Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Grant Thornton and BDO plan to unveil a series of ideas in an unprecedented joint paper today and two points stand out. First, they say quarterly and annual reporting should be superseded by real-time, internet-based reporting, enabling investors to get whatever information they want whenever they want it. The second proposal is to shift corporate reporting away from purely financial data toward wider information that could provide insight into a company’s performance and prospects. Read full story
Big Four in call for real-time accounts
Financial Times (Nov 2006)
The world’s biggest accounting firms will today join forces to call for a radical overhaul of how companies report performance, saying the system used to communicate with investors is “broken”. Non-financial measures that would provide more valuable indications of a company’s future prospects include customer satisfaction, product or service defects, employee turnover and patent awards, they say. Read full story (this story requires registration)
Global capital markets and the global economy: A vision from the CEO’s of the International Audit Networks
International Audit Networks (Nov 2006)
Changes in business and economic activity are having and will continue to have major implications for the kinds of information investors will need for corporate reports in the future. The value of many companies resides in various “intangible” assets (such as employee creativity and loyalty, and relationships with suppliers and customers). Read full story (download PDF)
How healthy is your company?
Business Week (May 2006), by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
Take the pulse of any business, there are three vital signs that really matter . . . employee engagement, customer satisfaction and cash flow. Read full story (this story requires registration)
Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty: How Do You Improve the Profitability of a Company?
ICMA International (May 2007) by Joanne Lawrence, ICMA International
Most managers would agree that there is always one business unit, be it country, region, zone or territory, with problems, and one which regularly outperforms its peers. Understanding the factors contributing to such differences in performance enables managers to identify where investment should be targeted, where the greatest payback can be expected and what resources are required to optimize profitability. Read full story (download PDF)
Employee engagement: Building an employee satisfaction survey
Personnel Today (Feb 2007), by Joanne Lawrence, ICMA International
One of the most common ways to measure employee engagement is through a satisfaction survey. Here’s how to get the best of your investment. Read full story
Benchmark update: Customer Satisfaction in the Belgian Alcohol Market
by Jan Verhesen, ICMA International
In January 2007, ICMA International conducted its first benchmarking satisfaction survey into alcohol suppliers within Belgium. The survey investigated how alcohol suppliers are perceived by their retail clients at head office and outlet level. Read full story (download PDF)
Benchmark update: Employee Satisfaction in Dutch Schools
by Louis Pouwels, ICMA International
During Q2 2007 ICMA International completed its latest employee satisfaction survey in the education sector.
This was an independent survey, initiated by ICMA International, and available for purchase by interested parties. Confidentiality was maintained and results from individual schools were identified only to the school itself. However the report enabled schools to review their own results in context with those of comparable schools. Read full story (download PDF)
Benchmark Update: Customer Satisfaction: UK Staff Recruitment Agency Market 2007
by Joanne Lawrence, ICMA International
ICMA International has completed its first benchmarking satisfaction survey into staff recruitment agencies in England, investigating how such agencies are perceived by their clients. This was an independent survey, initiated by ICMA International and available for purchase by interested parties.
ICMA interviewed a random selection of recruitment agency customers for both permanent and temporary staff. The results were split into two categories; responses from national companies and from local independent providers of staff. The telephone interviews were conducted with HR directors, managers and the people within organisations who deal with the agencies on a day to day basis. Read full story
Measuring Employee Satisfaction
A handbook by Ingrid Goovaerts, ICMA International
English version available in early 2008
