FEI Weekly

January 15, 2020

USMCA to pass Senate this week, accounting fraud punishments, and climate change.

Accounting Fraud Punishments in 2020

New York Times - Paywall

Criminal prosecutions for accounting fraud are uncommon, but late last year, prosecutors took a much more aggressive position in accusing senior executives of violating accounting rules. In December, federal prosecutors indicted executives from Outcome Health and MiMed, and opened an investigation into whether BMW, the German automaker, manipulated its sales figures.

USMCA to Pass Senate This Week

Fox Business

The Senate will likely approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement this week, Mitch McConnell said yesterday. Senate approval would send the USMCA to Trump's desk to be signed, the last step before it begins to be implemented. The House voted 385 to 41 to approve it in December. USMCA is expected to create around 176,000 new jobs and inject $34 billion into the U.S. auto industry.

Larry Fink Zeroes in on Climate Change Ahead of Davos

CNBC

In an annual letter to CEOs published Tuesday, BlackRock chief executive Larry Fink said: “Climate change has become a defining factor in companies’ long-term prospects. Fink’s comments come as business leaders, policymakers and investors prepare to travel to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum next week. The theme at this year’s January get-together, which is often criticized for being out of touch with the real world, has been designated as “Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World.”

Today's CEOs Have These 3 Things in Common

Yahoo Finance

If you have your sights set on becoming a chief executive, the criteria to do so looks a lot different to what it did a decade ago. A new report, which analysed 906 current CEOs in Australia and around the world, found most of them share a particular set of skills. Here are the three common traits the chief executives share: Previous C-suite experience, an advanced degree, and mature age (the average age of a CEO is 56).

From Productive to Meaningful

Forbes

Focusing on productivity restricts us to feeling as though we’ve fallen short of our goal(s) unless we’ve completed or produced something. In contrast, “meaningful time” includes “productive” activities, but also encapsulates avenues to connection, entertainment, rest, growth, self-awareness, creativity, and presence.