INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
New England Chapter

News and Views

In this issue:

Member Spotlights

Next Event:
Friday, November 21st

CMC Corner

Member Feature Article:
"Lax Handling of Documents Can Be A Costly Error"
by Fifi Ball & Sally Brickell

Welcome New Members

Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar

emerson consulting
group inc.
"We turn consultants into thought leaders!"

~~~~

Next Event:

Friday
November 21, 2003

Afternoon Workshop
2:00 to 5:00 pm
Sheraton Lexington, Lexington, MA

Up Your Value!
Maximizing the Bottom-Line of Your Consulting Practice

Register NOW online!

For complete details, visit IMCNE.org

Member Spotlights

Fifi Ball and Sally Brickell of Squared Away presented "Defeating Desk Disorder" at Organizing U. 2003, an educational evening sponsored by the New England Professional Organizers.

Carol Bergeron (Bergeron Associates) is the author of the article, Build a Talent Strategy to Achieve Your Desired Business Results, published in the 2004 Handbook of Business Strategy.

Ethel Cook presented Time Management: How to Get the Right Things Done on Time to members of the Central Massachusetts Employer Association in October.

The panel discussion, All In The Family: Growing a Family-Run Business was moderated in October by Bonni DiMatteo, CMC of Atlantic Consultants at The Commonwealth Institute at an event sponsored by Sovereign Bank.

In October Bonni DiMatteo, CMC (Atlantic Consultants) was a panel member talking on the issues of Succession in Family Owned and Women Run Businesses to the Women's Automotive Association International, Women-on-Track Educational Conference, New England International Auto Show.

Allan B. Haberman, Ph.D. (Haberman Associates) is the author of a new book-length report, Post-Genomic Target Validation: Next Generation Approaches and Tools for Optimizing Target Selection, published by Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI) in September 2003. His article "Leading Monoclonal Antibody Technology Companies: Moving Toward Becoming Product Development Companies" was also featured in the September 17, 2003 edition of Decision Resources’ (DR) "Expert’s View" series, on the DR website.

Ken Lizotte CMC (emerson consulting group) presented, Marketing Your Small Consulting Firm to the Society of Actuaries National Conference held at Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL in October.

Isn't it your turn to be in the spotlight? Send your name, your business name and 1) recent awards/distinctions/professional certifications you've received; 2) public speaking engagements; and 3) published articles. (Be sure to include key facts, such as when, where and for whom.) You must be an IMC member or affiliate to be featured. Email them to Ethel Cook at , Subject: IMCNE spotlight.

The CMC Corner

CMC PEG Meeting

The next meeting of the CMC PEG will be Friday, December 12 at 8 AM at the Radisson Marlborough, MA. No charge except your breakfast. CMCs only! For more information, contact Ken Lizotte by email at .

An invitation to IMCNE CMC members — This section is dedicated to you. If you have commentary you'd like to share, here is a forum for you. Send your commentary to our Editor, Ethel Cook, for consideration. Email Ethel at , Subject: CMC Commentary.

Member Feature Article

Lax Handling Of Documents Can Be A Costly Error
by Fifi Ball and Sally Brickell

When a small business we know started collecting their clients’ credit information and social security numbers for a new corporate credit card program, front-line employees tossed the completed forms in a handy file drawer. They thought it made sense to keep the documents accessible.

Unfortunately, this innocent and common document-handling error resulted in a spending spree based on identity theft, a victimized and angry client, a police visit, the filing of criminal charges, and ongoing legal liability for the business.

What went wrong? After six weeks on the job, a new employee began stealing client information from the readily available forms. She successfully used one client’s information and home address to apply for a store credit card. When the store clerk handed her a temporary card to use for the day, she cruised the store and quickly rang up $3,500 in debt under the client’s name, maxing out the card.

When the client received the bill and the "permanent" store credit card in the mail ten days later, she used certain details to trace the unwanted card and debt back to the credit information she had supplied to our small business friends. She then called them and filed a police report.

Alerted along with other staffers that the police were coming to the small business offices to ask questions, the employee excused herself to go to the restroom and never returned. When the police arrived, they had still photos from store surveillance tapes, which enabled the other staffers to identify the missing-in-action employee during her spree.

Like our unfortunate small business friends, many companies are unaware of the sensitive nature of the materials on their desks and in their files and uninformed about how they’re supposed to handle these materials. Others have a sense of what they’re supposed to do, but don’t make document security a priority.

Ignorance and lack of time don’t serve as protection, however. Companies of all sizes need to learn the basics of document security and make specific employees responsible for a comprehensive document security program. This includes deciding what information to collect, determining how to store it, establishing routines for getting rid of it, and following them.

How can you enhance your document security? Here are six ways to get started.

1. Invest in locked filing cabinets for confidential documents (personnel records, sensitive client information, financials, etc.).
2. Limit access to the business owner (in a small business) or to trusted employees (the director of human resources, the chief financial officer, etc.).
3. Never collect more information from employees or clients than you need.
4. Don’t fax sensitive information or accept such information by fax, unless you have a trusted recipient standing at the fax machine to receive it.
5. Send key employees to training in document management. One place to start: the American Records Management Association (www.arma.org).
6. In a large business, hire a trained person to develop and oversee a records management and document security program.

Fifi Ball and Sally Brickell are partners at Squared Away®, a Newton-based office organizing consulting firm.

Welcome New Members

Steve Lipka, Avatar Strategic Partners

Breakfast Brainstorms Calendar
Free to IMCNE members and affiliates, $10 for nonmembers

Monday, December 1, 2003
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Sheraton Wayfarer Restaurant, Bedford, NH

Monday, December 8, 2003
7:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m.
Rebecca's Café, Burlington, MA

Want to host a Breakfast Brainstorm in your area? Contact for details.

Strategic Partner Events — visit our Calendar of Strategic Partner and Other Events on our web site for more information on events of interest. Click www.imcne.org/spcalendar.html.

Book Reviews Solicited

Read any good books lately? Book reviews of up to 150 words are needed monthly. Business books and those you found helpful from other genres are of special interest. Email Ethel Cook at , Subject: IMCNE book review