Volume 6 Issue 8
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
March 2016
We would like to thank everyone who was able to
attend February’s meeting with Lori Dreiling. We
had a great turnout! Please join us for our next
meeting on April 19th as we tour the PSU Technology Center.
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JOPLIN TRISTATE CHAPTER IMA
Spring CPE Seminar!
The Joplin Tri-State IMA Chapter is hosting a spring CPE Seminar on
April 22, 2016 from 1:00-5:00. The 2016 Continuing Professional Education Seminar will be held at MSSU in the Cornell Auditorium, Plaster
Hall. There are three sessions for the afternoon, beginning with two
hours on “Leadership” with Dr. Olen L. Greer, Professor of Accountancy at Missouri State University, followed by two, one hour sessions on
“Percentage of Completion Accounting” by Joe Herndon, VP – Finance
at EaglePicher and “Acquisition Accounting” by Jud Fisher, Staff VP –
Segment Reporting.
You can register for the event by filling out the flyer on page 3 and returning it, with payment, to Jennifer Lee at the address on the bottom of
the form.
This is a great line-up of speakers and I hope everyone that can, will
take advantage of this low cost opportunity.
Inside this issue:
Special points of interest:
President’s Corner
2
Meetings
2
 No meeting in March!
2016 CPE Seminar Registration Form
3
 Check out our website and social media
Social Media
8
CMA Quiz
10
Corporate Culture Matters
12
Excel Tip/Funnies
13
March 2016
 April meeting - Touring PSU Technology
Center!
 2016 Continuing Professional Education
Seminar Registration form is available!
1
President’s Corner
It’s nearly spring, so hang in there.
The flowers will be coming up and
blooming soon and (consistently)
warm weather is just around the corner. If you’re having one of those
cold, old winter days, just think about
this summer when it will be 98° and
98% humidity. There, now don’t you
feel better?
We had a great March Chapter
meeting. Lori Dreiling, the HR Manager at Modine presented on resumes,
interviews and negotiation. We had a
very good attendance and picked up a
lot of helpful hints on the job and
candidate search processes. Our April
19th meeting will be a tour of the
Kansas Technical Center at PSU, so
get your taxes filed, catch your breath
and take the evening off for some
CPE. April also holds the opportunity
to earn 4 hours of CPE on April 22nd.
You’ll find more details on how you
can learn about leadership, acquisition accounting and percentage of
completion accounting in April in this
edition of The Data Miner.
Guy Kawasaki said, “The mark of a
good conversationalist is not that you
can talk a lot. The mark is that you
can get others to talk a lot. Thus,
good schmoozer’s are good listeners,
not good talkers.” Good listening is
typically a strength of an introvert so
if you consider yourself to be one,
take advantage of your strength and
use it to expand your network! The
best networking around is our IMA
Chapter. Are you a member of our
LinkedIn Group? Are you a fan of our
Facebook page? Are you attending
Chapter meetings? Are you active in
the Chapter, maybe on the Board of
Directors? If not, why not? Take advantage of your strengths and use
them to build your professional network.
Take advantage of the great opportunity to work with some really outstanding people and take on new
challenges. If you’re interested in
being on the Board or helping one of
our Board Officers (dipping your toe
into the water, so to speak), reach
out to me or any of the Board members. You’ll see a list and contact information on the last page of this
newsletter.
The Heartland Council is holding a
Leadership Training Seminar (LTS) on
Saturday, April 30th. These annual
half day events help train IMA members in leadership. They are excellent
opportunities to meet people from
other chapters (networking anyone?)
and pick up some new ideas. They
are open to all Chapter members and
typically have 2 or 3 hours of CPE associated with them. More information on the April 30th LTS will be
forthcoming as the details unfold.
Thank you for being an IMA member.
Your support for the Chapter and the
profession are greatly appreciated.
Jim
APRIL MEETING FEATURES A PLANT TOUR
No meeting in March! On April 19th we will be touring the PSU
Technology Center. We will be guided by the Dean of the college, Dr.
Bruce Dallman.
Be sure and reserve your calendars for our seminar April 22nd at
MSSU. See the registration form on page 3 for 4 hours of CPE!
What sets the best bosses apart from the pack
How to cope with these hard-to-manage personalities
Many offices have a few problematic employees
who gossip, are grumpy all the time or are disruptive in other ways. This article offers tips for dealing
with these hard-to-manage personality types. Inc.
online (free registration)
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The best bosses fight the urge to seize control in every
situation and instead encourage the people around them
to make contributions, writes Sydney Finkelstein, author
of "Superbosses." Ultimately, great leadership is all about
empathy. Quartz
March 2016
2
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March 2016
3
Are you in charge of your
career?
Take control of your future with
CareerDriver.
At IMA, we know our members are always looking to
advance their careers. That’s why we’re excited to offer
you a new career management tool! With CareerDriver,
you will be able to:

Assess your skills against 40 management account-
ing roles ranging from entry-level to CFO

Build an actionable development plan

Close competency gaps with recommended learning
resources and on-the-job activities
Now you can take the guesswork out of career planning.
Get started at imanet.org/CareerDriver today!
“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word -- excellence. To know how to do something well is to
enjoy it."
-- Pearl S. Buck, writer
“Competition is a rude yet effective motivation."
-- Toba Beta, writer
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do
them."
-- Michael Jordan, athlete
“Having just the vision's no solution; everything depends on
execution."
-- Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist
“Having just the vision's no solution; everything depends on execution."
-- Stephen Sondheim, composer and lyricist
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March 2016
4
Exclusive Benefits for IMA Members
Save on UPS Shipping
Save up to 34% on UPS ® shipping. Plus, get 50%* off select services for up to four weeks after you enroll. Save on a broad portfolio of services, including air, international, ground and freight. Put the power of
logistics to work for you. To enroll and start saving today, call 1-800-MEMBERS (1-800-636-2377) or visit savewithups.com/imanet.
Automobile Insurance
As an IMA member, you could receive up to an 8% discount off Geico's already-low rates on your automobile
insurance. As part of our agreement, GEICO will also be able to offer you savings on homeowner's, renter's,
condo, motorcycle, boat, PWC, ATV, and RV insurance.
Simply go to GEICO online or call 800-368-2734, to complete a simple, no-obligation rate quote.
Personal Insurance
IMA Members have access to outstanding insurance plans at economical rates not available to the general
public. Insurance coverage includes term life, health insurance, accident, long term care, disability and other
options from financially sound insurance carriers.
Office Supplies Discount Program
IMA has partnered with Office Depot® to bring you a free national discount program. Save up to 80% off
preferred products. Shop online or in stores with free next day delivery on orders over $50 (excludes furniture). To shop online or print off your in-store savings card, click here.
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Members enjoy up to 25% off every Avis rental. Simply mention your Avis Worldwide Discount (AWD)
#R043500 when making a reservation or visit www.avis.com/ima for more information and additional coupons that can be combined with your IMA discount for even greater savings!
Budget Rent A Car
Members enjoy up to 20% off every Budget rental. Simply mention your Budget Customer Discount (BCD)
#S290600 when making a reservation or visit www.budget.com/ima for more information and additional coupons that can be combined with your IMA discount for even greater savings!
DELL
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Members enjoy special savings (up to 35%) on business class and consumer systems as well as special offers on a wide range of electronics and accessories including printers, projectors, cameras and TVs.
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March 2016
5
MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
How are those New Year’s Career resolutions
coming along? If they are not going well, it is
never too late to start! A great way to start is by
attending the next Joplin Tri-State IMA meeting
on April 19th. There are never a shortage of opportunities to improve your leadership skills, get
to know other professionals in your community,
or get one step ahead with some extra knowledge.
Jennifer Lee
VP of Membership
WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS!
Kayla Bartelsmeyer
Reason 3 why you should encourage your coworkers to join the IMA today!
Another great benefit of being an IMA member is the
excellent conferences and events offered at a discounted cost to IMA members. These allow members
to stay current with developments in the profession,
be in contact with industry experts and of course my
favorite is to network with other area professionals. I
am a firm believer that who you know will get you
where you want to go. Don’t forget the other great
benefits that have been mentioned over the last few
months, which would be the available CPE offered
through Global IMA website and the opportunities to
serve on or help the Board of Directors.
CONGRATULATIONS
MARCH ANNIVERSARIES!
Penny Collins
Christine Crahan
David O’Bryan
Scott Bullette
Patricia Pyle
Sarah O’Neal
Stephen Williams
Haley Patterson
Eugene Michael
Kayla McCully
Karen Derrick
Jared Boman
Economic slowdown poised to continue to
dominate international business landscape
Job cuts, low investment and finance tougher to come by, says global
survey
Join IMA here today!
The Data Miner
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/economic-slowdown-poisedto-continue-to-dominate-international-business-landscape300214257.html?tc=eml_cleartime
March 2016
6
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC member SIPC
417-624-0600
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March 2016
7
DON’T WAIT! CONNECT WITH OTHER
PROFESSIONALS TODAY USING
CHAPTER SOCIAL MEDIA
“Like” us on our Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/
joplintristateima.
Join our group on LinkedIn –
https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=8354156
Visit our website at
http://www.imajoplintristate.org/
Visit our group on LinkUp IMA (IMA
membership required)
http://linkup.imanet.org/



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STAY INFORMED
BECOME INVOLVED
JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION & SHARE
March 2016
8
THIS MONTH IN HISTORY
March 1, 1961 - President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps, an organization sending young American
volunteers to developing countries to assist with health care, education and other basic human needs.
March 3 - Birthday - Telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) was born in Edinburgh,
Scotland. Bell and his father were involved in teaching deaf persons to speak. Bell developed an interest
in the vibrating membrane as a method of electrically transmitting sounds. His very first sentence spoken on the newly invented telephone on March 10, 1876, was to his assistant, "Mister Watson, come
here, I want you."
March 5, 1946 - The "Iron Curtain" speech was delivered by Winston Churchill at Westminster College in Fulton,
Missouri. Churchill used the term to describe the boundary in Europe between free countries of the West and nations
of Eastern Europe under Soviet Russia's control.
March 6 - Birthday - Renaissance genius Michelangelo (1475-1564) was born in Caprese, Italy. He was a painter,
sculptor, architect, poet and visionary best known for his fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and his sculptures
David and The Pieta.
March 10, 1862 - The first issue of U.S. government paper money occurred as $5, $10 and $20 bills began circulation.
March 14 - Birthday - Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was born in Ulm, Germany. His theory of relativity led to new ways of thinking about time, space, matter and energy. He received a Nobel Prize
in 1921 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1933 where he was an outspoken critic of Nazi Germany. Believing the Nazis might develop an atomic bomb, he warned President Roosevelt and urged the development of the U.S. Atomic bomb.
March 19, 2003 - The United States launched an attack against Iraq to topple dictator Saddam Hussein from power.
The attack commenced with aerial strikes against military sites, followed the next day by an invasion of southern Iraq
by U.S. and British ground troops. The troops made rapid progress northward and conquered the country's capital,
Baghdad, just 21 days later, ending the rule of Saddam
March 24 - Birthday - Harry Houdini (1874-1926) was born (as Erik Weisz) in Budapest, Hungary. He came to the
U.S. with his family as an infant and lived in New York City. He began as a Coney Island magician, then became a
world famous escape artist, known for escaping from chains, handcuffs, straightjackets, locked boxes and milk cans
filled with water. He died on Halloween 1926 from a burst appendix and was buried in Queens, NY.
March 30, 1981 - Newly elected President Ronald Reagan was shot in the chest while walking toward his limousine
in Washington, D.C., following a speech inside a hotel. The president was then rushed into surgery to remove a 22caliber bullet from his left lung. "I should have ducked," Reagan joked. Three others were also hit including Reagan's
Press Secretary, James Brady, who was shot in the forehead but survived. The president soon recovered from the surgery and returned to his duties.
March 30 - Birthday - Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was born in Groot Zundert, Holland.
He was a Postimpressionist painter, generally considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt. During his short (10-year) painting career he produced over 800 oil paintings and 700
drawings, but sold only one during his lifetime. In 1987, the sale of his painting Irises brought
$53.9 million, the highest price ever paid for a work of art up to that time. During his life, Van
Gogh suffered from despair and bouts of mental illness, at one point cutting off part of his own
left ear. He committed suicide in 1890 by gunshot.
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March 2016
9
CMA QUIZ
Costs are allocated to cost objects in many ways and for many reasons. Which one of
the following is a purpose of cost allocation?
A. Evaluating revenue center performance.
B. Measuring income and assets for external reporting.
C. Budgeting cash and controlling expenditures.
D. Aiding in variable costing for internal reporting.
Answer on next page.
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March 2016
10
Answer to CMA quiz.
Answer B is correct. Cost allocation is the process of assigning and reassigning costs to cost objects. It is used
for those costs that cannot be directly associated with a specific cost object. Cost allocation is often used for
purposes of measuring income and assets for external reporting purposes. Cost allocation is less meaningful
for internal purposes because responsibility accounting systems emphasize controllability, a process often ignored in cost allocation.
DID YOU KNOW…?

Currently 48,000 CMAs worldwide

26,000 CMA Candidates as of November 2015

Statistics about candidates
Average age 33, therefore, somewhat established in their career
38% female, 62% male
20% have advanced degrees
35% are “accountants” or “analysts”
20% are students

The pass rate for the CMA exam in the US is 62%.
The Data Miner
March 2016
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Attend these FREE Webinars for CPE
Linking Business Strategies to Quality and Lean Management Systems
(QLMS)
March 03, 2016 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Register
Talent Management
March 15, 2016 1:00 - 2:30 PM
Register
Corporate Culture Matters: Assessing if a Candidate Has
the Right Personality for Your Team
With the limited number of skilled accountants on the job market, many managers know all too well the
difficulty of finding candidates with the right mix of skills and experience needed for filling open positions.
One criteria you’ll want to be certain to examine when making a hiring decision is a candidate’s fit with
your corporate culture.
New employees who lack a few technical skills can be trained. It’s much harder, however, to teach them
how to fit in with their new colleagues and office environment. Bad hires not only cost your organization
time and money, they can also bring down employee morale and productivity.
As you evaluate candidates, one of the many things you should look for is whether they’ll fit in with your
corporate culture and thrive as full-time employees. Here are four tips for finding the right personality type
for your team.
1. Ask the right questions. Ther e ar e the standar d questions: “Why do you want to wor k her e?” and
“Tell me about yourself.” Those aren’t bad, but you need more information. Asking more targeted questions will give you a glimpse into a candidate’s work behavior such as how they relate to coworkers and
react under pressure, and whether they have the determination and professional demeanor to thrive in your
company culture.
As an example, you could ask, “Why did you leave your last employer?” If they start badmouthing their
boss or colleagues, it may be a sign that they’re not good at collaborating or resolving petty workplace conflicts and might not be a good fit with your corporate culture. Here are a few other interview questions that
dig deeper:

What did you like best/least about your previous position?

Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a colleague’s approach to a problem. How did you handle the situation?
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March 2016
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
If you could have any job in the world, what would it be? Why?

Describe an instance in which you had to think on your feet. Were you satisfied with the result?

What aspects of our company’s corporate culture do you find attractive?

What qualities do you prize in coworkers, and why?
2. Check references. This is an impor tant step some manager s skip in their eager ness to land skilled finance professionals quickly, especially when they look great on paper and impress you with their interview answers. But disregard reference checks at your own risk. Unlike a resume or interview, references give you independent and objective insights into a candidate’s honesty, work ethic and interpersonal skills. Before you make
the job offer, do your company and staff the favor of making a few phone calls to verify that what you see is
what you’ll actually get.
3. Mix and mingle with candidates. To better gauge a potential new hir e’s per sonality and fit with your
corporate culture, consider meeting outside the office with a few of your team members. Informal settings such
as industry mixers and casual gatherings are ideal opportunities to evaluate candidates when they’re not
“performing” in the spotlight. It’ll also give your team the opportunity to chime in on your decision. After the
gathering, ask one or two team members whether they think the candidate will work well in your corporate culture.
4. Conduct a “working interview.” Sometimes the decision will war r ant a longer evaluation. In fact, 34
percent of chief financial officers who responded to a recent survey from Accountemps, a Robert Half company, said they gained the greatest insight into a candidate’s corporate culture fit by having them work on a temporary basis initially. A temp-to-hire strategy allows you to observe a candidate’s workplace fit in real time and
is less risky than bringing on a full-time finance worker after only a few interactions in a somewhat artificial
environment.
To get the most out of this approach, give these provisional employees challenging assignments so you can see
whether they can keep up with the team. Be sure to treat them as you would any full-time worker so they’re
comfortable enough to show their true selves.
Unlike college degrees or finance certifications, which are easy to check off, determining whether a new hire
will fit in with your corporate culture is more challenging to assess. That’s why even though it takes more effort, a thorough and extended evaluation is a wise investment of your time.
Accountemps, a Robert Half company, is the world’s first and largest specialized staffing firm for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. Accountemps has more than 340 locations worldwide. More resources, including online job search services and the Accountemps blog, can be found at accountemps.com.
Excel Hot Topic:
Adding or Subtracting Rows
in a Table Based on a Cell
Value http://ow.ly/XBfkN
The Data Miner
You Might Be An Accountant If…

You deduct Ex-lax as “moving expenses”

You have no idea that GAP is also a clothing store

Your idea of thrashing your hotel room is refusing
to fill out the guest comment card

You are doing it now because you checked the file
and found that you did it last year

You decide to change your name to a symbol and
you choose the double underline
March 2016
13
The Joplin Tri-State Chapter was established in 1964. Since then our Chapter has represented the management accounting profession in companies like Leggett & Platt, Lozier, Tamko, Empire District, and Eagle Picher, as well as many others. Our mission is
to provide Tri-State account-
ants and financial profession-
als opportunities to develop,
network and advance in their
careers; and to become trust-
ed business advisors in their
organizations through mentor-
ing, certification, education
and adherence to high ethical standards. We encourage you to reach out to us, visit our
website, visit a Chapter meeting, “like us” on Facebook and connect on LinkedIn. Join
us for professional education, networking and fun!
JOPLIN TRI-STATE CHAPTER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT – JIM WILLIAMS, CPA [email protected]
SECRETARY – RICH VAUGHAN, [email protected]
TREASURER – CLYDE EPPARD, CMA, CFM, [email protected]
VP OF MEMBERSHIP – JENNIFER LEE, [email protected]
VP OF ADMINISTRATION – Open This could be you!
DIRECTOR OF CMA – ALTA SMITH, CMA, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF MEETINGS – GENE MICHAEL, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF SOCIAL MEDIA—BECKY BURNS, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF MEETING ATTENDANCE – CLYDE EPPARD, CMA, CFM, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF MSSU ACTIVITIES – DR. WILLIAM HUFFMAN, CPA [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF PSU ACTIVITIES – BECKY CASEY, [email protected]
WEBMASTER – TIFFANI GILBERT, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM ROSTER – DAKOTA GOING, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF NEWSLETTER – JESSICA JENSEN, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS – ROBERT BROWN, [email protected]
DIRECTOR OF HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – DAVID SMITH, [email protected]
MSSU ACCOUNTING CLUB BOARD LIAISON – Open This could be you!
PSU STUDENT CHAPTER BOARD LIAISON – KAYLA MCCULLY, [email protected]
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March 2016
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