Today, at every workplace, all the attention is focused on making the customers happy but businesses often forget about their most valued asset — employees! Employees are the assets of every organization and its growth is directly proportional to the hard work employees put in. As a result, there is an increased need for team building & better management these days.Team building and planned activities not only boost morale of employees, but it can also increases their conviction towards the employer & work. (more…)
Changing Face Of Publishing Industry
Publishing; an industry that started growing after the industrial revolution has seen considerable changes. There’s been a drastic change in spreading information around the world. We’ve seen print materials like newspapers, books, magazines and much more. Although they’re yet prevalent in today’s modern and fast way of living, their usage has slightly declined since the introduction of the web.
The web has made it easier for people to connect with world and grasp information about everything happening around the world. Also, developers have introduced social media platforms for people to connect with people. Similarly, writing has seen a considerable uplift since the web’s existence.
The Expansion of Digital Publishing
Blogs and Articles:
Print reading has its own comfort and prestige but the new face of publishing is the digital space. People write blogs and share their views by typing them on digital devices, which eventually reaches out to the world with the widespread bandwidth of the internet.
E-Books:
Now, books are also available digitally. E-books have summed up to be a huge market for business. Online stores are available which sell books in the form of documents through a digital medium, hence it has reduced the style of purchasing them as a hard copy. Physical book reading hasn’t lost its charm but the e-books have just made it convenient for readers.
E-papers:
Nowadays, people subscribe to e-papers for information on the go. Traditional papers have a few limitations which have been surpassed by e-papers. E-papers deliver the latest news and also don’t have any limit to shower information. While e-papers have pages and pages of content, the traditional newspapers are limited to a booklet.
On the other hand, digital publishing has also encouraged an ecological approach. It believes in the save paper concept. If any reader needs to store information, they can be downloaded to their respective devices.
According to Maureen O’Connell (CFO, Scholastic), “Whether you read on a tablet or on paper, whether you purchased it from the cloud or from your neighborhood store, the act of reading is still vital.”
Although digital publishing is widespread around the world, it doesn’t change the fact that there is a huge market that invests time and money to read a physical copy.
Now, we know that digital is the latest face of publishing but the future is unpredictable. So, let’s hang in there and wait for technology to surprise us.
The Hats Donned by Finance Controllers
The role of the controller, like that of the CFO, is evolving to include higher-value-added activities and a more strategic outlook to themselves for the industry. With more organizations experiencing an evolution in the CFO’s role to a strategic business partner, it’s natural that these additional responsibilities would enhance the role of controllers.
In today’s workplaces, finance controllers are contributing their expertise in new ways to drive success for their companies. As more companies embrace to provide digital insights for a competitive advantage, they increasingly see that modern technology and data-based insights are very important.
Let us get down and learn the job of the finance controller.
Finance controllers basically ensure if the account allocations are properly made and documented.
Their position is accountable for the accounting operations of the company which incorporates tasks like,
- Including the production of periodic financial reports
- Maintaining an adequate system of accounting records
- Comprehending the set of controls to mitigate risks
- Maintaining data analysis, since they have an access to larger volume of data and also they understand it well.
- The financial controllers are also responsible for establishing the procedures for securing the internal controls of the company.
Looking at the above list of tasks, we already know that it is a ton of work what financial controllers perform.
According to a research, 82% of the finance controllers believe that their job has become more challenging over the last three years.
Finance controllers are becoming business partners at the heart of the organization. The finance controllers are found themselves pulled more into dealing with investor relations. This broadens the role of the finance controller, providing opportunity but also bringing implications with it on individual skills.
Maureen O’Connell (CFO, Scholastic) says “CFO is not tied to any one business, but rather focuses on the overall results of the company; therefore, the CFO can remain unbiased when developing strategic alternatives. For this reason, the CFO is well-equipped to assist and advise the CEO.”
These changes bring new opportunities for Finance controllers to prove their best strategic values and also understand the present challenges, navigated to guarantee organizational success.
Money Tips for Kids
Parents are constantly teaching their children about money management, whether they’re aware of it or not. Kids pick up on whether you plan your shopping, put money into savings, or write a cheque. At its most fundamental, teaching money management to children is about setting a good example. Starting at a young age, teaching kids money management will help them in their understanding of financial matters.
In her blog, Maureen O’Connell of Scholastic Incorporation says,
Simple, practical, and age-appropriate money lessons like these can have a big impact on children’s financial literacy.
1. Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees
When kids see money pop out of the ATM, they don’t realize that it is a finite resource. Explain that you work to make money, and the bank is just a place that keeps it safe.
2. Work with the Budget
The best way to teach kids to start managing money is to give them some. If they spend their allowance on a new Star Wars figure and don’t have enough left for a DVD they really want, that’s actually a good thing as they will learn the consequences of not prioritising.
3. Encourage Older Kids to Earn Extra Money
Middle school-age kids may not be eligible to get a traditional job, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have opportunities to earn extra money. Here are some ways kids can earn a little extra:
- Organizing and setting up a family garage sale
- Doing yard work in summer, and snow shoveling in winter for neighbors
- Babysitting
- Pet sitting and dog walking
4. Don’t Spend It as Soon as You Get It
Curbing impulse buying goes hand in hand with teaching delayed gratification. Show by example. Before you go shopping, create a budget. Outline what you’re going to buy, what stores you’re going to, and the price range for each item. Then compare prices online and clip coupons together. This way, they’ll learn that planning purchases before you buy is the routine.
5. Teach Children the Importance of Giving
While earning, saving, and spending are important, so is helping out those less fortunate. Explain to your kids why you give money to charity and encourage them to give some of their allowance or other earnings to the less fortunate. Learn about what your child feels strongly about and show him ways to help. If he loves animals, for instance, help him raise money for a local animal shelter. If he’s especially fond of his grandparents or great grandparents, find out if he can help with your local Meals on Wheels program. Children should understand that giving of their time is an important way to help others when they don’t have a lot of money to donate.
Sound money management is one of the most valuable life skills you can teach your children, and starting when they’re young is best. Demonstrating good money management yourself is extremely important, because kids are so good at absorbing what’s going on around them.