About Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Human capital management (HCM): Align workforce and strategy
If your organization resembles the traditional personnel management model, consider adopting the more progressive HCM approach. While implementation may require adjustments and upfront costs, the benefits far outweigh the investment.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
4 minutes read
December 4, 2024 
Employee benefits and internal controls
Employee benefits require internal controls in addition to all the effort that goes into designing benefit packages to attract and retain talent. As such, human resources, payroll, benefits administrators and finance must be involved in benefits administration to ensure compliance, accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency. In fact, consider this the first internal control over employee benefits.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Five considerations for commission policies
A commission is an entitlement to compensation based on attaining a target. Employers should remember the following five things when designing and operating commission schemes:
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Financial competence for boards and senior management
Directors and officers have fiduciary duties under tax, bankruptcy, incorporation, environmental and other statutes, with personal exposure for unpaid wages, salaries, and statutory deductions, and other liabilities.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Human error and internal control failures cause US$62M fine
In May 2024, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and Prudential Regulation Authority imposed fines and penalties totalling about £62M on Citigroup.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
E-commerce controls should be on your radar
E-commerce controls are relevant to an overwhelming number of organizations—even smaller ones— perhaps especially smaller ones, without a brick-and-mortar presence.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Segregate payroll duties … or enable fraud
For every classic payroll fraud, there is a classic internal control to prevent or mitigate the fraud. In the case discussed here, segregation of duties might have prevented the fraud or reduced the likelihood or severity of the fraud.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Operational controls in an environmental management system
Operational controls in an environmental management system (EMS) reduce the risk that the organization will not achieve its environmental objectives. Operational controls are the processes that management implements to provide reasonable assurances that the organization will achieve its environmental objectives.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)
Segregation of duties and accounts payable
Segregation of duties strengthens internal controls. Accounts payable or AP is one of the easiest channels for an organization to lose money if internal controls are weak. The AP department’s responsibility to monitor, process, and control payments to creditors is essential to avoiding improper payments. If there is no segregation of duties, internal controls are likely to be weak. If internal controls are weak, the risk of errors and improper payments increases.
Apolone Gentles, JD, CPA,CGA, FCCA, Bsc (Hons)