Carter Mackenzie International

During the pandemic, online communication was a necessary mode to conduct business. It feels like it’s time to get back to what makes the business world run—face-to-face interactions. I’m lucky enough to have worked both in-person and virtually, and the advantages of in-person far outweigh the near-reality of online.        Many candidates today, especially those who are entering the workforce or are young in their careers, are missing an incredible opportunity. Live interplay allows you to meet your team and engage in conversations that don’t overlap or are impossible to understand due to connectivity issues. When someone is talking, I want to turn my attention in their physical direction and listen to their valuable input. I feel like I’m looking at a dozen people online, trying to figure out whose mouth is moving.        One of the topics addressed in remote and hybrid work models is keeping company culture. Well, where did that culture originate? That’s right, in person. It’s about professional relationships strengthened through meaningful discourse at the conference room table or maybe next to the water cooler. I would never ask a colleague a personal question during a Zoom call, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I’m interested in their well-being and will ask that question the next time we have a chance to chat one-on-one in the office.        Another often overlooked aspect of working in the office is structure. When you’re at your desk, looking at a full calendar, the only task is prioritizing and completing your work. If you’re at home, laundry, dirty dishes, pets, and sometimes children pull attention away from your work responsibilities. I prefer to be laser-focused on the job without distractions—my thinking is more precise, and my productivity is much higher.        On that same note, yes, I can complete work in my pajamas, but there’s a difference when I wear a suit and tie. I stand a little taller, am more confident, and bring my best to the table instead of bringing my breakfast. My boss knows I’m serious about chasing developing opportunities in real time; I’m on the job and ready to work. And at the end of the day, there’s no better professional closing to an Adam James International or Carter Mackenzie International meeting than looking someone in the eye while shaking their hand.       #WorkplaceCulture #Recruitment #Success #Office

...Part II 5. Talent and Skill Utilization  ·       Why It’s Missed: The focus on cost-cutting and eliminating redundancies can lead to losing key talent.  ·       Impact: Failure to harness the unique skills and expertise that could be leveraged to drive innovation and growth.  ·       Mitigation: Identify key talent promptly and develop strategies to retain them. Consider how the combined workforce can be redeployed to drive and support new initiatives.    6. Brand and Market Positioning  ·       Why It’s Missed: Companies might underestimate the importance of brand integration and market positioning.  ·       Impact: Market confusion, diluted brand value, and missing the chance to strengthen market presence.  ·       Mitigation: Develop a clear strategy for brand integration and communicate this to all stakeholders including customers, employees, and partners.      7. Regulatory and Compliance Alignment  ·       Why It’s Missed: Regulatory and compliance issues are sometimes treated as afterthoughts in the excitement of closing the deal.  ·       Impact: Non-compliance can result in fines, legal challenges, and reputational damage.  ·       Mitigation: Involve legal and compliance teams beforehand to identify and address all regulatory issues swiftly.    8. Innovation and Research and Development (R&D) Synergies  ·       Why It’s Missed: The focus on immediate cost savings can lead to cuts in R&D budgets or the failure to integrate innovation capabilities.  ·       Impact: Missing opportunities to leverage combined R&D strengths for future growth.  ·       Mitigation: Assess the innovation and R&D pipelines in advance and explore how the merged entity can accelerate development.    9. Communication Strategy  ·       Why It’s Missed: Companies often fail to develop a comprehensive communication plan that addresses all stakeholders.  ·       Impact: Misinformation, rumors, and uncertainty can create resistance and hinder integration efforts.  ·       Mitigation: Develop and execute a clear and consistent communication plan that keeps all stakeholders informed and engaged.    Takeaway  To fully capture the synergies in an M&A, companies should adopt a more comprehensive approach that includes--yet reaches beyond--financial and operational considerations. By addressing these often-overlooked areas, companies can maximize the value of the merger or acquisition and set the stage for long-term success.    At Adam James International and Carter Mackenzie International, we recognize that our clients need knowledgeable professionals who understand the variable processes in motion during any M&A transaction and will support them throughout the experience.    Which of these was the most surprising? Let me know in the comments below...    #MergersAndAquisitions #CorporateFinance #BusinessMergersAcquisitions #Recruiting 

Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) can be a goldmine of opportunities, but some crucial synergies are frequently left unnoticed during the integration phase. Here is a closer look at four that tend to slip through the cracks, with an additional five in Part II to provide a comprehensive yet concise overview of these more nuanced synergistic opportunities: 1. Cultural Alignment  ·       Why It’s Missed: Companies often focus on numbers and organization while cultural integration is on the back burner.  ·       Impact: Misalignment in culture can lead to conflicts, employee turnover, and poor morale, undermining the merger’s success.  ·       Mitigation: Identify cultural differences early on and then take proactive measures to align them through strong leadership, communication, and effective change management.    2. Customer Retention and Cross-Selling Opportunities  ·       Why It’s Missed: The focus is often on cost-cutting and streamlining operations, which leaves untapped revenue potential.   ·       Impact: Losing key customers and missing opportunities to leverage the combined customer base for cross-selling.  ·       Mitigation: Engage the sales and customer service teams ahead of time to preserve current customer relationships while opening the door to new opportunities.     3. Technology and Data Integration  ·       Why It’s Missed: Technological integration is often seen as a back-end issue, with limited involvement from top management.  ·       Impact: Incompatibility in systems can lead to inefficiencies, data loss, and missed occasions for data-driven decision-making.  ·       Mitigation: Bring IT leadership into M&A planning during the initial stages, ensuring that technology integration is a priority.    4. Supply Chain and Vendor Rationalization  ·       Why It’s Missed: Companies tend to focus primarily on internal operations, causing them to overlook potential synergies in procurement.  ·       Impact: Missing windows for cost savings, supply chain efficiencies, and vendor renegotiation.  ·       Mitigation: Conduct a thorough review of the combined supply chain and vendor relationships to identify prospective savings and improvements.      Takeaway  To fully capture the synergies in an M&A, companies should adopt a more comprehensive approach that includes--yet reaches beyond--financial and operational considerations. By addressing these often-overlooked areas, companies can maximize the value of the merger or acquisition and set the stage for long-term success.    At Adam James International and Carter Mackenzie International, we recognize that our clients need knowledgeable professionals who understand the variable processes in motion during any M&A transaction and will support them throughout the experience.    Which of these is the most surprising? Let me know in the comments below...    #MergersAndAquisitions #CorporateFinance #BusinessMergersAcquisitions #Recruiting

As a recruiter with a background in IT, I find it important to consider technological improvements as they affect the job market. Lately while working at Carter Mackenzie International, I've been thinking about how accounting and finance roles will be supplemented heavily with AI soon. Will it eventually become a requirement for employment? AI made significant leaps and bounds over the past few years, breaking into various industries. from expressive works such as art and film to agricultural tasks involving irrigation and fertilization. Bearing in mind such complicated and skill-intensive projects have been accomplished with the assistance of machine learning, it would be unsurprising to me that accounting and finance will be overhauled. Big 4 firms have already adopted AI in some form. This improved services for their clients by utilizing machine learning to review documents, extract unstructured data, and analyze Big Data sets as part of the auditing process. Smaller firms have started to use AI tools to streamline the accounting process, where expenses, account reconciliations, and financial reports are automatically generated. AI has entered the automation space and it's here to stay, but will it go further than that? Many articles and videos have a ‘doom and gloom’ slant on the topic of artificial intelligence, to the point where robotic, dystopian themes from Terminator, The Matrix, and 2001: A Space Odyssey are seen as prophetic. Do I think AI will completely replace people in accounting and finance? Absolutely not.  Machine learning is imperfect. Such imperfections are not exclusive to artistic mistakes, such as generating a painting of someone with disproportionate hands. It’s within the realm of possibility for AI to make errors in the accounting and finance world, too.  AI will be a tool like any other-- one professionals utilize to speed up the automation processes. However, a machine’s work will always have to be checked and potentially corrected by a human being. AI will not replace skilled professionals, but professionals will have to know and understand AI and incorporate it into their skillset very soon. #AI #DigitalTranformation #FinancialServices #Accounting