2012
December 21, 2012 Yosie Saint-Cyr, LL.B., Managing Editor Announcements and Administration, Corporate Governance, Environmental Issues, Finance and Accounting, IT, Privacy and Security, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
The team at First Reference Inc. and Inside Internal Controls blog wishes everyone a very Happy Holiday Season and all the best for the New Year!
December 19, 2012 Ron Richard Corporate Governance, IT, Privacy and Security, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Privacy practices, and all things mobile, are both hot topics these days. This is in part because mobile devices and apps are fun, cool, provide value, and are on the rise. They are used by professionals of all types, and people of most any age, including our youth. This however feeds the assumption that technology in general, including mobile devices and apps, is threatening the privacy rights of individuals.
Absolute Software, accessing collected data, compliance, data collection, information is being collected, mobile app developers, mobile applications, Mobile apps, mobile devices, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, PIPA, PIPEDA, privacy law, privacy legislation, privacy management program, privacy policy, privacy practices, privacy protection, risk management, Seizing Opportunity: Good Privacy Practices for Developing Mobile Apps’, technology, usage and flow, used and disclosed
December 17, 2012 Maanit Zemel Corporate Governance, IT, Privacy and Security, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
When it comes to holiday parties, it is not unusual for people to let their guard down. Before you know it, there is a video or photograph on YouTube or the social networks of someone at a party dressed in a reindeer costume, mooning the camera, while trying to juggle a shot glass of tequila on their red nose.
code of conduct, defamatory, embarrassing photo or video by drinking and acting responsibly, Google, holiday parties, lawsuit, legal and technological legwork, malicious, planning on posting or sharing such a photo online, social media, think before you act
December 12, 2012 Occasional Contributors Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
A Canadian mining company is at the centre of a foreign worker hiring case, with both sides in a heated debate over whether or not any attempts were made to hire Canadian workers prior to employing over 200 foreign workers at the Murray River mine near Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. HD Mining International Ltd. overseas manager Michael Xiao says the firm completed an exhaustive effort to recruit skillful Canadian workers.
better workforce, Canadian immigration law and provincial labour standards, Chinese workers, Corporate immigration, employment law, foreign workers, hiring local workers, immigration lawyer, Recruiting and hiring, recruiting overseas, recruiting skillful Canadian workers, Temporary work permits
December 10, 2012 Drache Aptowitzer LLP Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Readers will know that the new Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act came into effect in 2011, bringing the regulation of not-for-profits into line with modern corporate legislation. This carries with it the onus to apply for continuance under the new Act by October 2014, or be dissolved.
2014, assets, Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act, charitable status, charities, charity and tax law, CNCA, date of assessment, federally-incorporated registered charities, fiduciary duties, individual directors to certain liabilities, Internal Controls, involuntarily-revoked charity, liabilities, liability, regulation of not-for-profits, revocation tax, tax, tax assessment, the nature of bureaucracy, When a corporation is dissolved, wind-up, winding-up of a corporation
December 5, 2012 Jeffrey Sherman Corporate Governance, Not for Profit
The Canada Revenue Agency has published a succinct summary of the general requirements that an organization requires to qualify as a charity (charitable organization, private foundation, or public foundation). The seven general requirements are set out below:
Canada Revenue Agency, charitable for the public benefit, charitable organization, charities, CRA requirements for charitable registration, private foundation, public foundation, seven general requirements
December 3, 2012 Ron Richard Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, IT, Privacy and Security, Sales, Marketing and Operations
With an overabundance of information being stored or created in electronic format, and various tools for turning data (i.e., personally identifiable information, intellectual property, credit card) into cash, goods, and other services, the risks of doing business have increased. We are hearing more and more about attacks where the target is sensitive data, and the perpetrators are those with elevated levels of trust and access within the business.
best practices, Camouflage Software Inc., data masking, data protection, electronic format, encryption, Gartner, hackers, Information Technology PolicyPro, insider threat, insider threats, IT projects, Kevin Duggan, NIST, NL Government OCIO, Plato Consulting, Ponemon Institute, Protecting sensitive data, risk management, risks of doing business, SearchSecurity, software development, testing, trust and access
November 28, 2012 Maanit Zemel Corporate Governance, IT, Privacy and Security
A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada has sent a message to all victims of cyberbullying– the Canadian courts can help you!
anonymous cyberbully, bullying, civil courts, cyberbully, cyberbullying, cyberlibel, defamation action, derogatory and defamatory content, facebook, harassment, identity revealed to the public, plaintiff’s identity, protecting our youth from cyberbullies and online defamation, psychological harm, publication ban, social media, Socialmedia, Supreme Court of Canada, The Facebook bullying case, “open court” doctrine
November 26, 2012 Lauren Bride Corporate Governance, IT, Privacy and Security, Sales, Marketing and Operations
A recent release from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario on the Personal Data Ecosystem praises organizations taking initiatives to integrate the socio-economic benefits of personal information while maintaining privacy and confidentiality. The Commissioner, Dr. Cavoukian, also co-authored a paper with researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom that delineates the systems […]
collecting data, consumers, Data, encryption, information technology, online, online resources, ontario, PDE, PDV, Personal Data Ecosystem, Personal Data Vault, Personal Data Vaults, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, Privacy Commissioner, privacy protection demands, socio-economic benefits
November 21, 2012 Occasional Contributors Corporate Governance, Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
We like to think we are all fair and objective. However, implicit bias is apparent in everyone, regardless of if you accept it or not. An Implicit Association Test by Project Implicit at Harvard University reminds us that while people don’t often speak their minds, we might actually not even know our minds. Are we purposely hiding something from others, or are we implicitly hiding something from ourselves? When it comes to strategic recruitment, implicit bias plays a big role.
biased recruitment, compensation, discrimination, Discriminative recruitment actions, employers, Equal Opportunity Employer, gender, Harvard University, HR implications, human resource development, Human Resources, Implicit Association Test by Project Implicit, implicit bias, Implicit bias in the workplace studies, job postings, labour market, merit-based reward system, Meritocracy, nationality, Organizational Careers, performance evaluations, performance-reward bias, race, Recruiting and hiring, resumes, salary growth, strategic recruitment, Workplace bias
November 19, 2012 Jeffrey Sherman Corporate Governance, IT, Privacy and Security
CobiT 5 was released in 2012. It takes a higher-level governance approach, focusing on stakeholders and their needs. It incorporates the internal control focus of earlier versions of CobiT but goes beyond them.
Alignment of IT and business strategy, and monitor, balanced scorecard, business, COBIT, Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology, direct, domain, Evaluate, information technology, Information Technology PolicyPro, Internal Controls, internal processes, IT control model, IT-related goals, ITPP, manage IT risks, management of enterprise information technology, risk assessment, risk identification, technology
November 12, 2012 Drache Aptowitzer LLP Finance and Accounting, Not for Profit
Most Canadians are aware of the effect that RRSP contributions have on their taxes, and are aware of the deadline for making contributions each year. This is mostly due to the educational efforts of the banks and others that ‘sell’ RRSPs make each year – as the March 1st (or February 29th as the case may be) deadline approaches. The run for RRSPs each year illustrate that when Canadians understand the incentive system they are quite prepared to alter their behaviour to take advantage of it.
charitable giving, donations, House of Commons Finance Committee, incentives for charitable giving, incentives to giving, income, offset taxes, Payroll, RRSP contributions, RRSP season, tax credits, Taxes
November 5, 2012 Ron Richard Finance and Accounting, IT, Privacy and Security, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Ideally your IT processes are effective and efficient, and the department itself is viewed favourably by its customers, employees, and management. If at all possible, your IT department is positioned well enough to meet future needs and you have a good grasp on what you are doing to develop opportunities to answer present and future challenges.
business, business processes, Chief Information Officiers, cloud computing, computerized workplace, corporate strategic goals, financial planning process, information technology, IT department, IT processes, IT professionals, IT roles and responsibilities, IT/Business alignment, technology
October 31, 2012 Lauren Bride Finance and Accounting, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Interesting employment law developments are happening in the UK. Beginning in April 2013, British employees will be offered a new option in employment contracts, where they may own shares in the company they work for and in exchange, will forgo certain workers’ rights.
business, employee-owned shares, employment contracts, employment law, Financial incentives, forgo employment rights, hiring incentives, management, ownership in the company, Payroll, personal financial investment, Profit sharing, redundancy, salary, shares for rights options, shares in the company, tax-free shares, UK, United Kingdom, workplace's financial prosperity, wrongful dismissal
October 29, 2012 Jeffrey Sherman Anti-spam, Do-not-Call, Business and Legal Issues, E-Commerce, Finance and Accounting, IT, Privacy and Security, Not for Profit, Sales, Marketing and Operations
Canada’s anti-spam legislation is expected to be declared in force in 2013. It will regulate most forms of commercial electronic messages sent to Canadians, including email, text messages and messages sent through social media. Under the anti-spam legislation, either express or implied consent is required before sending commercial electronic messages. In addition, the message must comply with prescribed information disclosures, and a mechanism to unsubscribe must be provided.
anti-spam legislation, business, business relationship, Canadian economy, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, commercial activity, commercial electronic messages, CRTC, ecommerce, email, express or implied consent, information disclosures, mechanism to unsubscribe, messages sent through social media, Telecommunications, text messages, transmission data
