Small Business Shared Interest Group

  • 1.  Topic suggestions for IMA 2026 Conference panel

    Posted 08-19-2025 09:45 AM

    Hi Small Business SIG members!

    The Small Business SIG is planning on submitting a proposal for a panel presentation at the 2026 IMA Americas conference in Tampa, FL. We would love to hear your suggestions! What small business topics would be of interest to you?Want to be considered as a panelist? Let us know that, too! 



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    Jennifer Pinder, MBA, CMA
    Controller
    Watchdog USA, LLC
    Philadelphia, PA
    United States
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  • 2.  RE: Topic suggestions for IMA 2026 Conference panel

    Posted 08-19-2025 02:07 PM

    Thanks for posting this @Jennifer Pinder !!!

    Lets get a chat going on here, lets brainstorm ideas . . . ?💡 … speak your thoughts out loud!

    I recall from our fantastic monthly team meeting (takes place every 3rd Tuesday at 9AM ET🗓️):

    @David Belnap had mentioned that #ai may be oversaturated.🤖

    @Amanda Bernard spoke out about level of expertise we bring to topic(s).🎯

    @J. Stephen McNally highlighted panel/Q&A vs. individual presentation formats 🎤

    We can create more than 1 idea topic and submit to see if IMA has an interest in one over the other presentation - maximize chances. (Topics should be time durable, they should remain relevant then.)

    Few ideas to get juices flowing:

    • Competition: Small biz VS. big box.
    • Sales platform facilitation: Small biz on Amazon & other platforms.
    • Trade associations/chamber of commerce: shifts in function & service delivery.
    • Critical thinking: curiosity, "the why's", what is missing in the next strata of workforce.
    • Health/wellbeing - how do you deal with stress? How do you manage things outside of your control. Tools, tips, tricks.
    • Impact to small biz: Make America Healthy Again - FDA regulations (bans, ingredients).

    And remember, we don’t necessarily need all the answers. It depends on how we frame it. Prefacing with “these are things that have worked for us” or “we’re not experts, but we’ve gained real experience to share” sets the right tone. The goal is sparking meaningful conversation, leaving room for takeaways and follow-ups for everyone.

    Join us:

    👉 Join us at the next Monthly SIG meeting: IMA Small Business Shared Interest Group
    📅Tuesday, September 16 · 09:00 – 10:00 ET.
    🔗 Video call link: https://meet.google.com/frr-jhtp-ivp



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    Ilya Ilienko, dual MBA, CPA, CMA
    Board Member / Director
    East Coast - United States
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  • 3.  RE: Topic suggestions for IMA 2026 Conference panel

    Posted 08-19-2025 08:52 PM

    Hello Jennifer and Ilia,

    I just returned from AMCIS 2025 in Montreal, and I would summarize the current status of AI as follows: while it may appear oversaturated due to the flood of hype-driven headlines, broad claims, and general research, this saturation is largely at the surface level. Beneath the hype, there is still significant room for meaningful, domain-specific, and evidence-based work, particularly for SMEs and within areas such as practical adoption, governance, regulatory issues, and industry-focused applications, which remain underdeveloped and far from saturated.

    Best regards,

    Ahmad



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    Ahmad H. Juma'h, Ph.D., CMA, CPA
    Professor of Accounting
    University of Illinois Springfield
    Illinois, USA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Topic suggestions for IMA 2026 Conference panel

    Posted 08-25-2025 09:52 AM

    Thanks @Ahmad Jumah!

    Most of the time there is room for creative and thought-provoking research. Indeed, the feeling of oversaturation maybe due to a lot of #AI_fluff floating around, like @Jennifer Pinder pointed out - theoretical and lack of concrete applicability.  Pointed and focused discussions generally provide room for creative research and presentation opportunity. As long as it is framed well 🧠 - our material can be based on firsthand experiences - need not be an SME in the area // or we may think about veering slightly and providing an academia spin (surround the presentation in well-researched material, case studies - scenarios, which is what a few of you including @David Belnap were mentioning) 🤝// we can also present as SMEs as long as the cross-section of domains are right (accounting, finance, management, technology).

    Just trying to further the brainstorming process. 

    😁



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    Ilya Ilienko, dual MBA, CPA, CMA
    Board Member / Director
    East Coast - United States
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  • 5.  RE: Topic suggestions for IMA 2026 Conference panel

    Posted 08-20-2025 10:48 AM

    When I said that AI may be oversaturated, I was referring to webinar and breakout sessions about AI. Almost every webinar now has "AI" in its title. What is needed isn't a general overview of AI, but hands-on training and practical application of AI. This is not something that can be done via a panel discussion.

    Something that just popped into my head is we could do an analysis of a sample company or more depending on time. Said sample company could be an actual company but with their data being anonymized. We could also have scenarios submitted by potential audience members for the panel to discuss.

    I would be willing to be on the panel.



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    David Belnap, CMA, CSCA, CPA
    David.Belnap@...
    Pembroke Pines, FL
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    Original Message


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