Author Archive - Adam Gorley
Adam Gorley, B.A. (Phil.), is a researcher, content provider and editor. He contributes regularly to First Reference Talks and Internal Control blogs, HRinfodesk and other First Reference publications. His areas of focus include broad human resources issues, corporate social responsibility, corporate governance and government policies, information technology and labour market trends. Read more
Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act delayed
I’ve lost count of the coming-into-force dates the government has set for the Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act to take effect, but this time at least it seems there’s a clear reason. The previous estimate for the law to come into force was July of this year; the new estimated date is “no earlier than” January 2014.
BYOD: you’re probably already doing it, but are you doing it smart?
By now, countless businesses have had to address some issue relating to an employee using her or his personal digital device for work purposes (“bring your own device” or BYOD). An employee wants to access the office wireless network on her laptop so she can work while away from her desk; another wants to store and view work documents on his tablet; another just wants to check her work email from her smartphone. These are just a few of the many ways workers are using personal digital devices to perform work-related tasks.
What are you doing about employee fraud?
Some cynical people believe that no organization is free from employee fraud. Even small organizations are hardly immune, despite the trust such employers place in their employees and the controls they have in place. Consider these common misconceptions about employee fraud…
The new fraud: where is it coming from and what does it mean?
Businesses can be the target of fraud in numerous ways and from numerous sources. Anyone who does business with an organization is an obvious risk—suppliers, clients, employees, executives—the high profile fraud cases of recent years have mainly been internal. But increasingly, fraudsters have no connection to the organizations they target. They may be after credit card numbers, personal information, cash or goods, and they’re using methods beyond the understanding of the average businessperson. Organizations that do a significant amount of business online must be particularly careful.
Government plans to implement Ontario Not-for-profit Corporations Act July 2013
Ontario plans to implement its Not-for-profit Corporations Act (ONCA) in July of this year. In the unlikely event that you haven’t been paying attention, the ONCA will replace the Ontario Corporations Act for not-for-profit organizations that are incorporated in the province (as opposed to federally). Broadly, the changes will…
Shining a light on Facebook’s privacy practices
Canada’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has released decisions in three formal complaints against Facebook’s privacy practices, under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. The results offer valuable insight into the workings of the world’s most popular social network. Users and non-users alike might also feel confident that the company is interested in addressing privacy concerns.
Three Facebook legal challenges businesses should know about
Over the brief period of Facebook’s existence, the company’s practices have provided a rich source of knowledge for businesses and other organizations that collect and use customers’ information, operate online or generally fall under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) or other privacy legislation.
What does the proposed federal budget hold in store for Canadian charities and non-profit organizations?
The federal government’s 2012 budget includes some measures that deal with charities and not-for-profit organizations. The one that I’ll focus on here is intended to improve transparency at affected organizations and limit their ability to undertake political activity.
Yahoo finds out the hard way that risk management measures take time now, save time and money later
Hiring even the lowest-level employee can be tricky, and hiring the wrong person is bound to cause trouble. So imagine the potential problems that a board of directors must avoid when hiring a new chief executive officer. What does the company want from a CEO? Does the candidate have the right skills, connections and personality to fit the job and the company? Does the applicant’s education meet the needs of the company?
Risk-based pension regulation: fancy name, but what does it mean?
The Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) is proposing a risk-based system of regulating pension plans. Essentially, this means improving risk assessment and monitoring, following five principles…
Pension proposals and programs in Ontario
Among the day-to-day political crises that come and go in the news, pension reform has persisted for years now. Is the current system sustainable? Are Canadians saving enough? How can the government make citizens pay more attention to pensions? What role do employers play in engaging workers?
The challenges of IFRS transition in Alberta
The Alberta Securities Commission has released its 2011 Corporate Finance Disclosure Report. Not surprisingly, during this transition year, the commission came across several problems with reporting issuers’ IFRS conversion filings…
BYOD trend poses immense challenges for organizations
No, employees aren’t bringing their own alcoholic drinks to work, but they are bringing in their own mobile devices and expecting to use them with their employers’ networks. What does that mean? Well, chances are several (if not many) of a given organization’s employees have personal smartphones or tablet computers, and they probably want to use them to perform work tasks.
Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises: what to do about defined benefit plans?
Is your company making the transition to Accounting Standards for Private Enterprises (CICA Handbook, Part II)? Do you have employees in a defined benefit pension plan? You should know that the Accounting Standards Board has approved amendments to CICA 1500, “First-time adoption” and Section 3461, “Employee future benefits”…
Something for all the boards
What board of directors couldn’t benefit from “A minute on minutes”—that’s board meeting minutes, get it? Here’s an outline of pros, cons and warnings, from basic to advanced.
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