Fewer worker hours spent on security-related issues—43%

Better protection of customer records—35%

Decline in breaches—33%

Decline in amount of network downtime—33%

Improved protection of intellectual property—27%

Better risk-management strategies—25%

Reduction in incident-response time—24%

We don’t measure the value—24%

* Multiple responses permitted.

Source: 2007 Global Information Security survey, Accenture and CMP Technology’s Information Week, www.accenture.com and www.informationweek.com .

The Service is sponsoring free monthly phone forums—on the national and local levels—covering topics such as withholding requirements for foreign workers, powers-of-attorney, energy credits and identity theft prevention. The presentation is followed by a question-and-answer session.

There is no registration or participation fee, but slots are provided on a first-come, first-served basis. For a schedule of upcoming national and local phone forums and registration information, visit www.irs.gov and search for “Small Business Tax Workshops and Phone Forums.”

Source: www.irs.gov .

The 404 Institute’s third annual Benchmark Study found that companies with low compliance costs and more effective outcomes reported a:

Higher degree of centralized transaction processing and control.

Higher percentage of automated vs. manual controls, as well as preventive vs. detective controls.

A greater reliance on company-level controls.

The study found that companies that made compliance part of employees’ everyday work benefited from:

The use of fewer full-time resources , with more individuals dedicating less time to compliance.

A broad view of risk , relying more heavily on corporate governance and transactional volume than on factors such as the dollar value of accounts.

Substantive interaction with business owners , by involving compliance teams in the design stage of process changes rather than notifying them after changes have been made.

Strategic use of internal audit , focusing less on direct testing and more on self-assessment, strategic testing and reviewing changes.

Source: The 404 Institute’s “Lessons Learned From Compliance Efforts,” Benchmark Study , 2007, www.404institute.com.

Each payment method—including credit or debit cards, cash, checks or electronic payments—carries varying consumer protections and potential out-of-pocket costs in the event of theft or fraud.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer information and advocacy organization, offers these tips for safe shopping, and in the event of fraud, how to recoup your losses:

Take home receipts . Save them or shred later instead of throwing them in a store’s trash (they may have your account number printed on them).

Avoid suspicious-looking ATMs and card readers . They can be scams. Counterfeit cards can be made by “skimming” checkout-lane card readers, where account data from cards’ magnetic strips are secretly copied.

Report fraudulent charges immediately . The Fair Credit Billing Act limits your loss on credit cards to $50, but you must notify the card company within 60 days. For debit cards and electronic transfers, however, your liability remains $50 but must be reported to your financial institution within two business days.

Write checks only to people you know . They include both your account number and bank routing number, making your account easily accessible to fraudsters.

Soure: Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs32-paperplastic.htm .

Richard H. Girgenti, the Forensic National Practice leader for KPMG LLP, suggests the following tips to improve international fraud investigations:

Assess investigation protocols and ensure that your board and audit committee are informed of all critical issues.

Have a single, global point of accountability for reporting fraud and misconduct.

Develop a written incident response document that includes a comprehensive set of protocols.

Evaluate legal requirements and the ability of your IT department to promptly retrieve data from systems in global locations.

Source: KPMG International’s Cross-Border Investigations: Effectively Meeting the Challenge , www.kpmg.com/Services/Advisory/Other/CrossBorder.htm.

— Former SEC Commissioner Roel C. Campos,
at the SEC open meeting on the approval
of Auditing Standard no. 5, July 25.

Source: www.sec.gov.

An International Communications Research survey commissioned by Pitney Bowes, a mailstream technology company, found that 86% of consumers prefer to receive bills, bank statements and financial reports via mail; only 10% of respondents wanted this information sent over e-mail. They were also less likely to discard unopened mail (31%)—including new product advertisements, catalogs and marketing materials—than unsolicited e-mails (53%).

Source: Pitney Bowes, http://news.pb.com .

And it could save businesses a lot of money.

While most states still require that employees have the option to receive paper paychecks, more than 70% of Americans participate in direct deposit.

What about workers who don’t have bank accounts?

According to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, pay cards are one of the least expensive ways to receive wages. They act like debit cards for wages and can provide the cost savings and convenience of electronic payments even for employees who don’t have bank accounts.

The most expensive way to pay wages? Paper checks.

Source: American Payroll Association, www.americanpayroll.org.

Source: Consumer Reports’ 2007 State of the Net survey, www.consumerreports.org/security.

33
Percentage of U.S. private companies that expect to change hands in the next 10 years. 

25
Percentage of those businesses that expect to do so within the next two years. 

Source: Grant Thornton International Business Report , www.internationalbusinessreport.com .

That’s why internship programs can be a valuable way for students and employers to get to know each other before making a big commitment. But just how effective are internships as a test run?

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, nearly two out of three respondents offered full-time jobs to their interns. More than 70% of those offers were accepted.

Source: NACE’s 2007 Recruiting Benchmarks Survey, www.naceweb.org.