For many of you, this may be the first time you’re reading this column on an electronic device, such as your desktop or laptop computer, your tablet, or your phone. That’s because we’ve made the decision to bring Strategic Finance into the Digital Age that we at IMA® talk about so often. Each month, you’ll be able to read SF through its digital edition—mimicking the layout and design of print—or online at SFmagazine.com. For a few select issues per year, starting with the January 2023 issue, you’ll also receive a print version.
There were a number of factors that went into this move to digital. First and foremost, this move is part of IMA’s overall strategy to invest in technology that will enable us to deliver a better, more robust member experience. That includes development of our new IMA website, which will be unveiled this fall, featuring improvements to our e-commerce and payment capabilities (including the ability to support new international payment methods) and many other enhancements, as well as a new look and design for SFmagazine.com. Moving SF to a digital format is just one of the many initiatives designed to help us deliver our resources—insights to help accounting and finance professionals grow more successful in their work and lives—in more relevant, up-to-date ways.
The digital SF format will also allow us to offer you new content that we weren’t able to provide in a printed magazine. As we travel this digital journey, look for bonus features that can help you get even more out of our articles and columns: Links to relevant podcasts, videos, and additional online content will supplement and enhance your reading experience. Equally important, the updated SF digital experience—encompassing the monthly digital edition and the new website—will give readers more freedom and flexibility to consume SF content when they want, where they want, on whatever device they want.
Another benefit of this change is that it addresses environmental concerns that are endemic to publishing (and mailing) a print magazine. We at IMA care deeply about environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues, so much so that we recently formed a global task force to help our profession contend with the challenges related to these concerns. As an organization, IMA is committed to standing by the principles of sound environmental stewardship. Put simply, the environmental impact of transitioning to a digital format will significantly reduce our carbon footprint and drastically cut our paper usage.
Strategic Finance is among the most valued IMA member benefits as well as an essential component of our mission to serve and support management accountants across the globe. While we know moving to a digital format might be a tough transition for some, we hope that continuing to publish select print issues throughout the year will enable us to deliver a hybrid experience that gives our readers the best of both worlds. And to ensure that we’re delivering the best content and experience possible for our members and the profession, IMA will continue to assess reader feedback. Please feel free to share your comments with me.
September 2022
