Opportunities for change.

CMAs are accustomed to wearing multiple hats. Often, they take on responsibilities outside of their primary focus. For example, many find they serve as marketing managers or human resources specialists. In this issue, Connie Stamper, CMA, delivers Hiring tips for small business leaders. Her column provides helpful information for CMAs who work in companies that don't have an in-house HR department. Finding and retaining top talent is key to sustaining business advantage for the Long-term. Locating and developing great talent is possible even without an in-house HR department.

Today, more companies are recognizing the importance of the environment and how it factors into their day-to-day management decisions. According to a 2006 Statistics Canada study, Canadian firms are estimated to have spent a total of $8.6 billion on environmental protection. Authors Clemence Rannou and Jean-Francois Henri, CMA, explain in The better way to measure environmental costs that one of the first challenges for companies is how to define environmental costs. Companies can't manage what they can't measure; therefore, defining environmental costs will help CMAs make better management decisions.

We live in a communication age. At work, a significant amount of time is spent exchanging information with others using computers and laptops. The incredible growth of the Internet has excited businesses and consumers alike with its promise of changing the way we live and work; making the issue of security a business imperative. Information security is provided on computers and over the Internet by a variety of methods. Although a straightforward security method is to keep sensitive information on removable storage media Like flash memory drives or external hard drives, the most popular forms of security rely on encryption. The process of encryption involves encoding information in a way that only the user with the "key" can decode it. Jacob Stoller joins CMA Management this month for a detailed look at the cost benefits of encryption.

Lastly, Rob Harding, CMA talks about his tumultuous, yet rewarding experience working abroad. Harding's story reiterates the endless possibilities CMAs have in the workplace--whether it's working in Canada or taking your skills and talent to venture into new territories.

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Andrea Civichino

Editor-in-Chief