Latest news with #COSO
Chicago Tribune
11-07-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Final day deals on Prime Day 2025 bestsellers
The summer sales event that every bargain-hunter has been waiting for has arrived: Prime Day. Not that it's here, you might be overwhelmed by all the options available to you. A great way to get started on your quest for awesome products at great prices is to shop for top sellers of Prime Day 2025. We put together a list of our favorites so you can see the products other people think are worth buying and see if you want in. With so many options available, it's challenging to pick, but we love the deals on the Amazon Echo Show 5 and the ever-popular Apple AirPods Pro. Don't get bogged down by the deals that aren't worth it; check out these Prime Day 2025 bestsellers. These are some of the top sellers of Prime Day 2025. However, since Prime Day is a live event, the deals below were available at the time of writing but might not be the same right now. Amazon Fire TV 2-Series HD smart TV 32% OFF This smart TV is great for cord-cutters, as it lets you stream shows and movies from all the popular platforms without needing cable. The 32-inch screen is nice for people who don't want a TV that dominates the room. It has a 720p high-definition screen, which isn't the best but is good for the price. Peloton Indoor Exercise Bike 25% OFF Peloton bikes let you connect with instructors and other riders around the world to take part in virtual classes on a screen, so it's basically like you're really at a spin class. Measuring 4 feet by 2 feet, it's suitable for small spaces. Just be aware that you need to pay extra for a Peloton membership. Apple AirPods Pro 28% OFF These earbuds are a step up from regular AirPods, with better sound quality and active noise-canceling to help block out noises in your surroundings. You get up to 6 hours of listening time, which extends to 30 hours when you factor in the charging case. The silicone tips are soft and comfortable, and four sizes are included to help you get a good fit. Dyson V8 Plus Cordless Vacuum Cleaner 36% OFF If you haven't tried a cordless vacuum cleaner, get ready for a revelation — it's so much quicker and easier than using a corded version. This Dyson model is lightweight and has powerful suction and motorized tools that are excellent for getting hair out of carpets and upholstery. It takes 5 hours to fully charge and runs for roughly 40 minutes, which is enough to vacuum most homes. Apple AirTag 4 Pack 34% OFF This four-pack of Apple AirTags has a great Prime event discount. If you're not familiar with these devices, they're locator tags to help you keep track of things. You can slip them in luggage, attach them to your keys, or even put them on a pet's collar. Then, you can track the tag using your iPhone or iPad. Amazon Echo Show 5 33% OFF If you're looking for an upgrade from your Echo Dot, now might be the time. The Echo Show does everything a Dot can do — play music, set alarms, answer questions — but it also has a screen. This means you can watch shows, make video calls, and browse the web, too. COSORI Air Fryer 25% OFF Prime Day is the perfect time to pick up a great deal on an air fryer. It has a generous 6-quart capacity, meaning you can cook up to 2.5 pounds of french fries in one go. It has nine functions in one, so in addition to air frying, it can also bake, broil, dehydrate, and more. Waterpik Aquarius Water Flosser 50% OFF Do you hate flossing but want to take better care of your teeth and gums? Maybe you'll prefer a Waterpik. It shoots water between your teeth to get rid of debris and bacteria that can lead to plaque and gum disease. Its 22-ounce reservoir allows for 90 seconds of use. Ninja Blender Mega Kitchen System 10% OFF This comprehensive blender and food processor system can efficiently handle a wide range of recipes and food preparation tasks. It includes a pitcher for blending, which can completely crush ice for smoothies and frozen drinks, as well as an 8-cup bowl for chopping and making up to 2 pounds of dough. It even comes with two to-go cups for blending up individual servings of your favorite smoothie. Stanley H2.0 FlowState Tumbler 24% OFF Stanley tumblers have gone viral on social media for good reason. This version is made of durable, recycled stainless steel and has a lid with a rotating cover that allows for three positions: you can sip through a straw, swig through the drink opening or close it completely to prevent leaks. Both the tumbler and lid are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning, too. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
From adoption to adaptation: Making governance frameworks work for Africa
Many governance environments, whether in State-Owned Enterprises, municipalities, non-profits or segments of the private sector, grapple with informal power dynamics, fragmented oversight and resource constraints, says the author. Image: Supplied By Nqobani Mzizi In a fast-evolving world where markets, mandates and morals are shifting, organisations are being called to govern differently. The traditional rule-bound model of governance is increasingly insufficient in the face of systemic risks, stakeholder activism and digital disruption. As governance thinking evolves, new frameworks continue to emerge, each responding to the demand for purpose-driven, context-sensitive leadership. This proliferation of frameworks reflects the increasing complexity and diversity of modern governance challenges. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO) draft Corporate Governance Framework (CGF), released in May 2025, exemplifies this shift, but its relevance to Africa hinges on aligning its structural approach with local realities. Developed with U.S. public companies in mind and globally recognised for its work on internal controls, the framework nonetheless raises critical questions for governance communities worldwide. In contrast to compliance-heavy codes or board-centric charters, the CGF proposes that governance is not the board's responsibility alone. It is a system of oversight, culture and controls that must be embedded across leadership, strategy, operations and stakeholder engagement. This represents a conceptual shift, with some alignment to King IV's view of governance as the exercise of ethical and effective leadership to achieve sustainable outcomes. This global framework enters an already vibrant African governance landscape, where multiple homegrown initiatives address diverse contexts and needs. South Africa has completed public consultations on its King V draft. Botswana has already developed and implemented a national Corporate Governance Code, now embedded in stock exchange listing rules for Public Interest Entities. Meanwhile, Uganda's Institute of Corporate Governance is spearheading the development of its first national code, engaging stakeholders across sectors to craft a framework suited to local needs. Each of these efforts reflects a different point in the governance code lifecycle. Beyond the continent, the ISO 37000 global standard on governance of organisations offers another reference point, emphasising high-level principles of purpose, value generation and stewardship. COSO's CGF therefore enters a marketplace of ideas, offering structure without necessarily displacing existing guidance. At the centre of COSO's CGF is a model comprising six interrelated components, supported by 24 principles. These components are intended to function in concert rather than isolation, reflecting the layered nature of mature governance. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading Oversight sets the tone at the top, clarifying how authority, accountability and direction flow throughout the organisation. It covers board structure, delegation to management and the safeguarding of stakeholder rights. Strategy anchors governance in long-term purpose, ensuring decision-making reflects organisational values and outcomes beyond short-term gains. Culture affirms that governance is in separable from behaviour, focusing on leadership tone, values and the lived reality of ethics across the organisation. People speaks to the role of human capital in governance, emphasising talent alignment, performance, incentives and succession planning that reinforce purpose and accountability. Communication ensures governance is informed and transparent through effective internal and external information flows, fostering trust and enabling oversight. Resilience, the final component, reflects the organisation's ability to adapt and respond to disruption by integrating governance with risk, internal controls and continuous learning. While the framework is structurally robust, its practical relevance depends on how it is interpreted and implemented across varying organisational realities and jurisdictions. The CGF builds on COSO's earlier work in risk and control frameworks, which may offer continuity for organisations already familiar with those approaches; the InternalControl–Integrated Framework and the Enterprise Risk Management Framework. Governance is framed not merely as an adjunct to control and risk, but as a central organising function influencing strategic coherence and performance. While King IV remains the primary governance code in South Africa, the COSO Governance Framework serves as a complementary model that reinforces its intent. King IV provides a values-based, principle-driven foundation rooted in ethical and effective leadership, supported by recommended practices. COSO, in turn, introduces a structural and systems-based lens that helps to operationalise these ideals within the organisation. Where King IV champions outcomes such as transparency, accountability, fairness and responsible leadership, COSO proposes a structural model that aims to embed these values through oversight, strategy, culture and integration into daily operations. Its emphasis on governance as a holistic capability echoes King IV's insistence that governance be applied in an integrated, outcomes-based manner. Viewed together, King IV and COSO reflect complementary approaches. King IV emphasises ethical direction, while COSO offers a systems-based structure for implementation. For African organisations, especially those operating in emerging or complex environments, the CGF's flexible, non-prescriptive approach may be useful in some contexts. Its principles resonate with key themes in King IV and ISO 37000: outcomes-based governance, stakeholder inclusivity and integrated thinking. However, COSO's U.S.-centric origins and its underlying assumption of mature governance infrastructure raise questions about its applicability across diverse African contexts. Many governance environments, whether in State-Owned Enterprises, municipalities, non-profits or segments of the private sector, grapple with informal power dynamics, fragmented oversight and resource constraints. Even well-intentioned reforms can falter where implementation capacity is limited or incentives misaligned. Without thoughtful adaptation, the CGF risks reinforcing form over substance or overlooking the contextual realities that shape governance on the ground. To gain meaningful traction in Africa, its principles must be interpreted through a local lens, one that accounts for regulatory unevenness, cultural nuance and developmental priorities across both public and private institutions. Governance breakdowns in Africa often stem from blurred lines between board and executive, among other factors. COSO's emphasis on role clarity and functional oversight is therefore timely and necessary. Yet African governance challenges are not only about the absence of skills, controls or enforcement. A deeper, less discussed gap may be the lack of a shared governance vocabulary; one that bridges purpose and performance, values and structure and enables accountability to be both principled and practical. No framework is a silver bullet. Each has a role to play in supporting governance, but their value lies in how thoughtfully they are applied. The success of COSO's CGF depends on boards tailoring it thoughtfully to local laws, resource constraints and cultural nuances. If adopted, it must coexist with established codes throughout the continent, national listing rules and industry-specific regulations. Ultimately, effective governance requires more than adopting frameworks. It calls for continuous evaluation, adaptation and a willingness to refine practices in response to evolving realities. As this governance conversation unfolds, I leave readers with four questions to stimulate reflection: 1. Does our framework align purpose with performance in locally relevant ways? 2. Are we investing in culture and values, not just in controls? 3. Do our mechanisms enable real accountability or merely tick boxes? 4. Does our governance vocabulary bridge global standards with local realities? The answers may well determine whether we are governing for compliance, or for continuity, complexity and change. Nqobani Mzizi is a Professional Accountant (SA), (IoDSA) and an Academic. Image: Supplied
Associated Press
27-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Yooz Revolutionizes AP Security and Fraud Detection with the Launch of YoozProtect
Yooz, a leading cloud-based purchase-to-pay (P2P) automation provider, today announced the North American launch of YoozProtect, an advanced fraud prevention and security solution designed to set a new standard in safeguarding accounts payable (AP) operations. Already established and highly rated in EMEA, YoozProtect is now available to businesses in North America, delivering the most powerful combination of AI tools against fraudulent activity, enhanced vendor authentication and secure payment workflows. The launch comes at a critical time as financial leaders face increasing risks of fraudulent attacks. According to 83% of CFOs have experienced payment fraud attempts in the past year, with 70% expecting these risks to grow. YoozProtect equips finance and AP teams with cutting-edge AI and machine learning tools to proactively detect and stop fraud before payment execution. 'The finance function has long been reactive when it comes to fraud, relying on manual controls that simply don't scale against today's evolving threats,' said Laurent Charpentier, CEO of Yooz. 'The future of fraud prevention isn't about catching fraud after it happens—it's about stopping it before it starts. AI-powered automation enables finance teams to do just that, ensuring every transaction is verified before risk can take hold.' Key Features of YoozProtect: Smart Fake Detection: Advanced AI and machine learning forensically analyze metadata, detect anomalies and flag suspicious invoices before they can be processed. Atypical Amount Detection: Statistical behavior analysis identifies irregular vendor payment patterns, ensuring transactions align with historical benchmarks. Vendor Authentication and Management: Real-time vendor detail verification, banking data identification, and Master Data enrichment to prevent fraudulent account setups. User Authentication and Security: Role-based access control, Single Sign On (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and AES-256 encryption ensure only authorized personnel access sensitive financial data. Process and Audit Assurance: Comprehensive audit trails track every document action, ensuring compliance with financial security frameworks such as COSO, PCI-DSS, and NIST. Unlike traditional fraud detection solutions that rely on post-incident audits or basic anomaly detection, YoozProtect leverages a unique combination of AI-powered document analysis, vendor behavior tracking and real-time risk assessments to prevent fraudulent transactions before they happen. This proactive approach helps finance teams reduce financial exposure, improve compliance and maintain stronger vendor relationships. 'We talk a lot about fraud as an inevitability, but the reality is that businesses don't have to accept financial losses at the cost of doing business,' Charpentier continued. 'Technology has evolved to outpace bad actors, and organizations that embrace AI-driven fraud prevention will gain a strategic advantage—not just in security, but in operational resilience and financial confidence.' YoozProtect is now available to all Yooz customers in North America at no additional cost. The solution is fully integrated within the Yooz AP Automation platform, providing a seamless and intuitive fraud prevention experience for AP teams across industries. For more information on YoozProtect, visit About Yooz Yooz provides the smartest, most powerful, and easiest-to-use cloud-based E-invoicing and Purchase-to-Pay (P2P) automation solution. It delivers unmatched savings, speed, and security with affordable zero-risk subscriptions to more than 5,000 customers and 300,000 users worldwide. Yooz's unique solution leverages Artificial Intelligence and RPA technologies to deliver an amazing level of automation with extreme simplicity, traceability, and end-to-end customizable features. Yooz North America is headquartered in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area with global offices in Europe. Breanne Ngo SOURCE: Yooz Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/27/2025 08:02 AM/DISC: 03/27/2025 08:02 AM
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
COSCIENS Biopharma Inc. Announces Possible Delay in Filing Year-End Reporting Documents
TORONTO, ONTARIO, March 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COSCIENS Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCI) (TSX: CSCI) ('COSCIENS' or the 'Company'), a life science company which develops and commercializes a diversified portfolio of cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products, today announced that there is a potential for delay in the filing of: (a) its annual financial statements as of December 31, 2024 and 2023 and for the years ended December 31, 2024, 2023 and 2022, and its related management's discussion and analysis (collectively, the 'Financial Statements'); (b) the CEO and CFO certificates relating to the Financial Statements; and (c) the Company's annual information form (in the form of an annual report on Form 20-F) (collectively, the 'Required Filings'), beyond the prescribed filing deadline, being March 31, potential delay in filing of the Required Filings is a result of additional time that may be required to address certain matters related to the 2024 all stock merger transaction (the 'Transaction') between the Company and Ceapro Inc. ('Ceapro'). In connection with the Transaction, Ceapro, which was formerly listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, was required to undergo a conversion of its accounting procedures to ensure compliance with the Company's existing SEC reporting obligations and internal control requirements. This is first audit of the combined entity that has been required since the Transaction, which has not only added additional complexity to the audit process but also required additional time to complete the review of Ceapro's internal controls. As a result, there has been an unexpected volume of matters necessary to address in order for the Company's auditors to complete the audit. Relatedly, the Issuer's management has determined that material weaknesses in the Issuer's financial controls existed as of the year ended December 31, 2024. Specifically, based on the criteria established by the COSO framework, the Issuer's management identified deficiencies in the COSO framework principles associated with the control environment, control activities, information and communication and monitoring components of internal control, that constitute material weaknesses, either individually or in the aggregate. Separately, the Company's auditors have undertaken a review of the impact of the prospective U.S. tariffs on the Issuer, which introduced an additional layer of review. The Company continues to work diligently with its auditors to complete the Required Filings as soon as practicable, and will issue a news release once the Required Filings have been filed. The Company has made all efforts and allocated all available resources to the preparation, completion and filing of the Required Filings. The Company's auditors has also made significant efforts to complete its audit of the Required Filings within the prescribed timeframe. As a precaution, the Company has applied to the Ontario Securities Commission, as principal regulator for the Company, for the imposition of a management cease trade order ("MCTO") under National Policy 12-23 - Management Cease Trade Orders ("NP 12-203") throughout the duration of a possible default. There is no certainty that the MCTO will be granted if the Company is not able to meet the required filing deadline. The MCTO, if, as and when approved, will generally not affect the ability of persons who are not or have not been management of the Company to trade in its securities. The Company confirms that, in the event an MCTO is granted, it will satisfy the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the above-noted filing requirements. The potential delay in filing has no immediate effect on the listing of the Company's common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The Company plans to file its Form 20-F as soon as practicable; however, no assurance can be given as to the definitive date on which such periodic report will be filed. The Company confirms it is not subject to any insolvency proceeding and that other than its Required Filings, there is no other material information relating to its affairs that has not been generally disclosed. Other than as disclosed herein, the Company is up to date in its filing obligations. About COSCIENS Biopharma Inc. COSCIENS is a life science company resulting from the merger of Aeterna Zentaris and Ceapro Inc. COSCIENS develops and commercializes a diversified portfolio of cosmeceutical, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical products. We are focused on leveraging our proprietary extraction technology, which is applied to the production of active ingredients from renewable plant resources currently used in cosmeceutical products (i.e., oat beta glucan and avenanthramides which are found in leading skincare product brands like Aveeno and Burt's Bees formulations) and being developed as potential nutraceuticals and/or pharmaceuticals. The Company is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market and the Toronto Stock Exchange, and trades on both exchanges under the ticker symbol "CSCI". For more information, please visit COSCIENS' website at Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this news release, referred to herein as "forward-looking statements", constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and "forward-looking information" under the provisions of Canadian securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address circumstances, events, activities, or developments that could or may or will occur are forward-looking statements. When used in this news release, words such as "anticipate", "assume", "believe", "could", "expect", "forecast", "future", "goal", "guidance", "intend", "likely", "may", "would" or the negative or comparable terminology as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements include such words. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to: the potential delay in filing the Required Filings; the satisfactory resolution of issues that have led to the potential delay in filing the Required Filings; the issuance of an MCTO by the Ontario Securities Commission and the content of any MCTO, including its anticipated effects on the ability of securityholders to trade in our securities, as well as the possibility that an MCTO will not be issued; the Company's fulfillment of alternative information guidelines if an MCTO is granted; and the anticipated effects of the potential delay in filing on trading of the Company's securities on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, operational and other risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors, including those described below, which could cause actual results, performance or achievements of the combined Company to be materially different from results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and, as such, undue reliance must not be placed on them. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which include, among others: the combined Company's present and future business strategies; operations and performance within expected ranges; anticipated future cash flows; local and global economic conditions and the environment in which the combined Company operates; anticipated capital and operating costs; uncertainty in our revenue generation from our marketed products, product development and related clinical trials and validation studies; results from our avenanthramide product and other products under development may not be successful or may not support advancing the product; the failure of the DETECT-trial to achieve its primary endpoint in CGHD may impact the market for macimorelin (Macrilen®; Ghryvelin®) in AGHD and the existing relationships we have for that product; ability to raise capital and obtain financing to continue our currently planned operations; our now heavy dependence on sales by and revenue from our main distributor of our legacy Ceapro products and its customers, the continued availability of funds and resources to successfully commercialize our products; the ability to secure strategic partners for late stage development, marketing, and distribution of our products; our ability to enter into out-licensing, development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution agreements with other pharmaceutical companies and keep such agreements in effect; our ability to protect and enforce our patent portfolio and intellectual property; and our ability to continue to list our common shares on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Issuer: Gilles R. GagnonPresident & CEO+1 (780) 421-4555E: ggagnon@ Investor Contact: Jenene ThomasJTC TeamT (US): +1 (908) 824-0775E: csci@ in to access your portfolio
