Can you handle the truth? Trust, ethics and automation
December 2018 issue of Acuity tackles the big issues. EY Fellow for Trust and Ethics Clare Payne shoots down weasel words, and we look at how robotic process automation (RPA) could save accountants’ jobs.
In brief
- The December 2018 issue of Acuity magazine is out now with a fresh new look.
- The cover story features Clare Payne, the EY Fellow for Trust and Ethics, who takes aim at weasel words and business jargon.
- Other articles include how robotic process automation (RPA) can end accounting drudgery, and real-life tips to use Xero smarter.
The new-look December 2018 issue of Acuity is out now, with inaugural EY Oceania Fellow for Trust and Ethics, Clare Payne, on the cover.
Payne is one of Australia’s most prominent ethicists and her appointment as EY Fellow for Trust and Ethics demonstrates the increasing value big business is giving to the perception of trust.
High on Payne’s agenda is grappling with the way businesses manipulate language to desensitise people to harsh realities or create a false sense of security. In the article on page 18, Payne argues that the words we choose can either build or erode trust. She says business leaders have a responsibility to unpack this language and tell the truth in terms people understand. Read the full interview here.
Acuity also looks into robotic process automation (RPA), and how it can save hours of labour for accountants in both large and small organisations. The 25 ‘robots’ used in Volvo’s finance function have improved the business unit’s efficiency by up to 25%, with a goal of achieving a 70% improvement.
But accountants shouldn’t see RPA as a threat to their jobs, but an improvement. Handing over repetitive tasks to RPA allows financial professionals the clear space to use their heads for more valuable work. Read more here.
This is the first issue of Acuity since Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (CA ANZ) partnered with Medium Rare Content Agency to supply publishing and sales services.
David Breust, chief marketing officer at CA ANZ, says the partnership with Medium Rare will deliver a number of benefits for the organisation’s members through a refreshed Acuity magazine.
“We are pleased to announce this new strategic partnership with Medium Rare, which will strengthen Acuity and continue a tradition of high-quality content for leaders in the profession,” Breust says.
Medium Rare’s managing director, Gerry Reynolds, says: “Our aim is to take Acuity content to the next level in order to help members remain relevant and have successful careers in an age of increasing automation and digital disruption.”
Acuity’s new editor Sally Rose was previously a senior journalist at The Australian Financial Review and, most recently, editor of Investment Magazine.
“I hope CA ANZ members enjoy this new iteration of Acuity, and I look forward to incorporating their feedback into how the magazine continues to evolve,” Rose says.
You can read a pdf versions of the December 2018 issue at https://acuity.partica.online/acuity
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Read the December 2018 issue of Acuity here.
