Archiving and Backup are the foundation of the next generation of information governance. However, commodity data protection tools and basic archives are only good for storing data.

This report provides a statistical look at worldwide workforce diversity data, a unique and first-of-its-kind ranking of employee diversity across 50 global economies, 14 industrial sectors and nine occupational categories. As a comprehensive atlas of corporate diversity and inclusion (D&I) efforts, the goal of this report is to learn from the varied and unique situations faced by countries and corporations around the globe: Which approaches work best? How can companies continue to increase diversity and effectively translate this into business opportunities and higher productivity? This study also seeks to provide a benchmark, revealing how much progress has been made and where renewed effort is necessary.

In addition, this report spotlights D&I programs at five companies—Hewlett-Packard, Ericsson, Procter & Gamble, Royal Dutch Shell and Deloitte—to showcase the way global corporations are engaging this issue.

For the study, Forbes Insights commissioned Oxford Economics to build a unique global ranking model based on a weighted composite index to compare and benchmark employee diversity across countries, industries and occupations. The index is comprehensive and takes into account many different types of diversity including gender, age, ethnicity, disability, country of birth, skills and education, number of hours worked, language, and sectoral and geographical distribution.

The finance function is a strategic one because it helps drive organizations to higher levels of performance by delivering information that enables key strategic decisions to be made. In addition to strategic planning, a well-run finance department supports sound financial management, organizational performance reporting, treasury-related activities, and financial reporting (among numerous other things). It tells you how many dollars are coming and going, and where they’re coming from and going to. Without that information, people are driving blindfolded, and the organization will have a difficult time building and then sustaining long-term value.

The phrase “corporate sustainability” remains open for definition. While some organizations appear more concerned with hashing out its meaning and relevance, others are moving forward with sustainability initiatives designed to satisfy stakeholders, cut costs, and, in a growing number of cases, generate shareholder value.

“A major part of our sustainability effort is to support our sales and marketing team in gaining access to new market segments, reinforcing our pricing strategies, and improving our customer mix so that there is a strong fit between our product offer and what different segments of the market value,” notes Lyn Brown, vice president corporate relations and social responsibility of Catalyst Paper.

A new report jointly produced by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), and UK-based Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) sheds light on current sustainability practices. The 24-page report, “Evolution of Corporate Sustainability Practices,” suggests that corporate finance can and/or should play a central role in these efforts.

“Accuracy in measurement is an essential first step in the sustainability process,” says Steve Leffin, director of global sustainability for UPS. “In the short term, this accuracy enables you to understand if you are acting and reporting appropriately. Over the long term, customers, governments, and agencies are going to ask you for your sustainability numbers – via an accepted protocol and verified by third parties.”

The report presents a snapshot of current sustainability drivers and strategy; sustainability programs and their scope; measurement approaches; and the finance function’s involvement in corporate sustainability.

eProcurement offers most organisations a genuine opportunity to derive quantifiable business benefits around cost control, process efficiency and procedural visibility. These benefits will be maximised both during, and as a result of, an implementation project if the strategic goals are clearly defined and sufficient groundwork is done to ensure the project is adequately scoped and welcomed by the work force.

An awareness of the ever-deepening connection that now exists between the world’s economies should by now be hard-wired into corporate strategic thinking. Very few countries can escape the impacts of developments elsewhere, both positive and negative. Assessing the risks and opportunities presented by these impacts is a key responsibility of those who lead and manage companies. Unfortunately, as we move into 2012, the task has never been more complex and difficult, and the premium on judgment never higher.

Today’s corporations face increasing expectations for taking an active role in meeting the world’s environmental and social challenges. The accounting profession, too, has a critical role to play in helping to meet these challenges.

As Executive Director, Education, at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Robert Jelly is at the forefront of research on finance, accounting and related matters.

Going green has become an imperative, not an option, for companies facing the new reality of balancing business objectives with dwindling environmental resources. Limited energy supply and skyrocketing costs are compelling organizations to take radical measures to reduce their carbon footprint.