Deloitte Insights Podcast show

Deloitte Insights Podcast

Summary: Deloitte Insights is an audio news magazine that looks at today’s important business issues.

Join Now to Subscribe to this Podcast

Podcasts:

 Reading the Signs of the Times: Holiday Spending Predictions | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 18:01

It's definitely not a letter to Santa. No one's wish list would include a housing meltdown, a global credit crunch, a compromised manufacturing sector, failing financial institutions and massive bailouts. Instead of jingle bells, what we're hearing sounds more like the roar of the perfect economic storm. To top it off, there are even five fewer shopping days this year than last. What's a retailer to do? Are there any indicators for optimism? What strategies will help the concerned retailer melt the spending ice block? What's hot and what's not this holiday season? Highlights: - According to Deloitte's 23rd Annual Holiday Survey, 64 percent of those who responded think the economy is in a recession. Are we? - Will there be a change in the way consumers shop or socialize this year? - It's been reported that major retailers are intending to be very " promotional " this season. Could well-targeted promotional campaigns prove to be an effective antidote to consumer fear? - What can retailers be doing right now to maximize their sales this year, and what should they be doing now to prepare for next year? Guests: Stacy Janiak, vice chairman and U.S. Retail leader, Deloitte LLP Carl E. Steidtmann, chief economist and director, Consumer Business, Deloitte Research, Deloitte Services LP

 Moving Beyond the Employee Lifecycle: Talent Solutions for a New Workplace | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:02:16

Thanks to globalization and technology, employees are able to move in many directions — laterally as well as vertically — and select from among a variety of work options. And with employees increasingly able to work from anywhere in the world, the traditional idea of the workplace is becoming obsolete. Going forward in these challenging economic times, companies will need to create a difficult balance — retaining their best performers and attracting new people to replace their retiring baby boomers while keeping costs down. This isn't something that can just be handed off to human resources (HR); effective talent strategy is also good business strategy. Highlights: - Have there been any new developments in how companies are conducting the search for talent? - Are companies taking the risk of jeopardizing their competitiveness over the long term by shedding employees and curbing new hires in order to cut costs? - The workplace is changing dramatically — in many cases, it exists only in cyberspace. How does the transformed work environment impact the search for talent? - HR's job is to deliver the infrastructure necessary to support workforce planning. What are some of the ways HR can work with a company's business side to make this happen? Guests: Jonathan Pearce, senior manager, Deloitte Tax LLP Jeff Schwartz, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP Heather Stockton, partner, Deloitte & Touche LLP

 Facing the Music: What Companies Can Do to Prepare for an SEC Investigation | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 49:33

No one likes to think that a hurricane is going to barrel through their town, flood their home and blow their roof off, but it would be foolish not to keep fresh water, food and a working flashlight on hand. It's always better to be prepared — a lesson that applies to companies trying to stay out of trouble. And trouble often comes in the form of an inquiry or an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Companies don't have to wait for a call from the SEC's enforcement division before they act, however. They can take the initiative to get their house in order. You might think you can ride out a storm, but it still wouldn't hurt to check your flash light batteries once in a while. Highlights: There are several different kinds of complaints that come to the attention of the SEC — which categories dominate the SEC's current caseload? Why do they receive more attention from its enforcement division? What's your reaction to SEC Chairman Christopher Cox's recent admission that the SEC should have exercised more oversight, and that self-policing on the part of the financial sector didn't work the way it was supposed to? What industries has the SEC focused on in recent years, and why would fraud be found more often in one industry versus another? No company wants to be the target of an SEC investigation, but it's always good to be prepared for one. What can companies do to cover their bases if a case is opened? Guests: Kerry Francis, partner, Forensic & Dispute Services, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP Walter Ricciardi, partner, Paul, Weiss and former deputy director of the Division of Enforcement of the SEC Bob Sprague, senior manager, Forensic & Dispute Services, Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP

 Forging a New Identity: Why Steel Companies Gain From Consolidation | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 38:02

Matchmaking has never been easy. People who seem meant for each other in theory often turn out to be incompatible when they actually get together. The same dilemma people face when they're looking for romance may also be true for steel companies.

 Putting Your House in Order: Why Companies Benefit From Entity Simplification | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 46:40

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.” While Albert Einstein was referring to physics when he made this statement, his words are just as applicable to business.

 Putting a Price on Risk: How U.S. Investors Can Succeed in Emerging Markets | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 37:46

Putting a value on a target company's assets can be tricky at best, but it's especially so in politically unstable countries with shaky economies and unpredictable legal systems.

 Banking on a New Generation: How Banks Can Woo and Win Over Skeptical Gen Y-ers | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 39:08

Generation Y members want to do their banking in much the same way that they do comparison shopping at the mall. To attract them as customers, banks will have to offer more options, services and products, and make them available via a multitude of channels such as cell phones, interactive television and yes, even virtual world sites — in addition to online banking and the traditional bank branch.

 Embracing Disruption: How Consumers Are Transforming the U.S. Health Care System | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 44:27

If the U.S. health care system is in crisis — and just try to find someone who says it isn't — and it's going to be fixed, any solution will have to take into account the attitudes and behavior of the people whom the system is supposed to serve in the first place.

 Putting People First: Re-Engineering the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:51

On February 5, 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published the final regulations of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, which includes the re-authorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF).

 Losing Out by Aiming Too Low: The Transformational Power of Outsourcing | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 30:52

Companies that outsource and offshore their services and labor are on a metaphorical diet. By focusing narrowly on cost reduction, they can lose sight of the other important benefits outsourcing can offer.

 Bridging the Gap: How Private Investment Can Reduce the Infrastructure Deficit | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 24:54

Cash-strapped governments are increasingly turning to private investors, the investment climate can vary enormously from one country to another, with regulatory hurdles to overcome and special tax considerations to take into account.

 Spinning off Successfully: What Companies Need to Know About Divestiture Strategy | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 32:13

Divestiture isn't simply integration in reverse. It's a complex process that requires special skills.

Comments

Login or signup comment.