Posts By: Brent White

Down, but is it out?

Posted by & filed under Canadian governments, Taxation.

Description: Last week Globe and Mail political  writer Jeffrey Simpson had a tersely worded warning for one Canadian province: “New Brunswick is flat on its fiscal back.” The article noted that New Brunswick is “the worst case in Canada” in terms of fiscal problems. One issue seems to be a reluctance to raise the harmonized… Read more »

A sweet story

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Corporate Strategy.

Description: It’s spring.  The sap is flowing. And the world’s largest maple syrup producer, the Province of Quebec, is facing increased competition from American competitors. Whereas Quebec once controlled 80% of the market through its tight supply management system, it is predicted that by 2018, that figure could drop to 63%. Source: Globeandmail.com Date:  April… Read more »

Art auction surprises Christies

Posted by & filed under Accounting Principles, Accounting Theory, Auditing.

Description: Two anonymous 19th century Canadian paintings sold last Wednesday in London for a lot price of close to $1 million. This was over a dozen times Christie’s original estimate of what the lot might attract. A representative of Christies auctioneers was obviously “thrilled.” Source: Globeandmail.com Date:  April 1, 2015 Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/paintings-netting-nearly-1-million-set-new-benchmark-in-canadian-art-sales/article23757063= Discussion Points: 1)… Read more »

MEC’s new space

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers.

Description: Mountain Equipment Co-operative (MEC)  has a brand new head office space in Vancouver and it seems to be one that fits MEC’s vision. The four-story HQ which has an employee lounge with mountain views, in addition to a climbing wall and bike lockers, is about 70% more energy efficient than  comparable commercial buildings. CFO… Read more »

MBA in decline?

Posted by & filed under Accounting Careers, Student life.

Description: There are over 40 MBA programs in Canada and many, many more in the United States. A funny thing happened after the financial crisis though. Canadians have been enrolling in MBA programs in smaller numbers, causing a number of those concerned to begin rethinking the MBA model. Source: GlobeandMail.com Date:  April 3, 2015; updated… Read more »

The Atcon affair

Posted by & filed under Auditing, Canadian governments.

Description: In most Canadian jurisdictions, citizens would be upset if their government lost $70 million of hard-earned taxpayers’ dollars. But in a small jurisdiction like New Brunswick, the pain is magnified. On March 24, Auditor General Kim MacPherson, released a report on the NB government’s loss of $70 million for various financial arrangements it had… Read more »

Mega-Food

Posted by & filed under Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting.

Description: As some have observed, for years people have been putting Heinz Ketchup on Kraft Dinner. So maybe that serves as visual reminder of another mega merger this past week as the two companies join together. One motivation seems to be to open the Kraft brand to more international markets. The second motivation could be… Read more »

Blackberry’s black ink

Posted by & filed under Financial Accounting, Marketing & Strategy.

Description: Well, there’s sort of good news and bad news to this story. The good news is Blackberry’s fourth quarter results surprised observers with $28 million in reported profit, about 4 cents per share. The bad news is that the revenue figure of $660 million was below what some analysts felt it should be. The CEO… Read more »