Management Accountant Blog

Drupal (pronounced /ˈdruːpəl/) is a free and open source Content Management System (CMS) written in PHP and distributed under the GNU General Public License. It is used as a back-end system for many different types of websites, ranging from small personal blogs to Enterprise 2.0 collaboration and knowledge management uses to large corporate and political sites.
Dries Buytaert is an open-source software programmer and the founder and lead of the Drupal CMS.

Exerts from one his interview on how it started.
CC: Did you ever expect Drupal to get to the level of popularity it is at today?

DB: Not at all, I started all this as a hobby and quickly got out of hand. After I moved it to the public internet, I continued to build on it for over a year and added a lot of features. But, it continued to be an experimental platform to learn from and apply new web technologies such as RSS feeds and content and user rating.

I increased my experiments and development and drew the attention of an audience…

CIMA, UK published a discussion paper on "Enterprise governance - Restoring boardroom leadership" in Jan 2010 which focusses on Corporate Leadership. This paper sets out how boards can be more effective and challenge management confidently.

The key conclusions in the report
Boards need an integrated approach to effective leadership.Directors must incorporate behavioural and structural factors. More attention must be paid to psychological factors contributing to board performance: creating a challenge culture, succession planning and effective risk governance.There must be rigorous, regular and systematic board evaluation.The model proposed by this report could provide a useful input to the board evaluation process.The board’s relationship with external stakeholders, particularly shareholders, is crucial. By focusing on its own effectiveness and contributions to the long-term sustainability of the organisation, a board will serve those stakeholders.
Read the full paper. Click he…

The Audit Firm Governance Code applies to eight audit firms that together audit about 95% of the companies listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange.

The Audit Firm Governance Code, published in January 2010, applies to eight audit firms that together audit about 95% of the companies listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. For these firms, the code sets a benchmark for good governance which other audit firms may wish to voluntarily adopt in full or in part.

The reputations that the audit firms have built upon their licence to audit are of vital public interest. One way in which they can maintain public trust in their brands is by being seen as exemplars of best practice governance.In this context, it is however important to recognise that the governance challenges faced by audit firms are different from those faced by listed companies.

In drawing on aspects of the UK Corporate Governance Code such as the comply or explain approach, the Audit Firm Governanc…

Canada’s Chartered Accountants are providing guidance to help public companies summarize for investors the effects of the changeover to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).

Most Canadian public companies will commence reporting in accordance with IFRS  in 2011. At that time, the changeover will potentially result in numerous changes to an entity’s financial statements.

A new publication by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) titled “Transition to IFRSs – Communicating the Impact of the Changeover” focuses on using Management Discussion and Analysis (MD and A) to explain the effects of the move to international standards.

The MD and A is a filing required by securities regulators that accompanies quarterly and annual financial statements. A well-presented MD and A provides the context investors need to better understand the company’s performance and prospects as well as its financial statements.

“The publication provides examples of how to provide a …