Management Strategy

• Advised health care businesses on appropriateness of physician compensation for specialized services, and assisted them in complying with regulatory requirements.
• Working with two capital management firms based in the Northeast, Black has identified clients seeking funding, analyzed their situations and advised management on financial structure and strategy, compiled and edited business plans and projections, located potential merger or acquisition targets, presented client information packages to potential acquirors or funding sources, and participated in funding negotiations.
• Assisting the Government of Jamaica in focusing country-wide efforts to address complex information management issues, and continuing to advise Jamaica on focusing national efforts to benefit from the Information Communications and Technology (ICT) revolution.
• For a virtual consulting company based in Boston, Black developed a national consulting practice for Year 2000 business and legal risk assessments, reporting to the Board of Directors or top management levels with focused, quantified recommendations on risk minimization and contingency planning. He led and coordinated multi-location interdisciplinary client and consulting teams to assess worldwide Year 2000 preparedness and risk for manufacturers, retailers and utilities. Black created assessment methodologies and risk evaluation tools, and generated training materials and quality control procedures. He directed and conducted Year 2000 contingency planning evaluation efforts and key sector risk assessments for the Government of India and the Government of Jamaica for the World Bank, and assisted the State of Rhode Island in managing Year 2000 contingency plans for 23 key agencies. Other clients included billion-dollar diversified manufacturers, utilities and retailers, public sector entities and technology companies.
• Black developed the conceptual design and business model for a start-up purchasing consortium targeting the lumber and plywood industries in the Southeast. He performed purchasing audits of hardwood and softwood mills producing more than 100 million board feet annually. Black researched and selected purchasing systems to improve internal control, reduce "rogue purchasing", minimize clerical effort and purchasing headcount, and facilitate consolidated pricing from industrial suppliers.
• For a regional health management organization, led a records management and reconstruction project to identify deficiencies in business processes, expedite billings and collections, and coordinate multi-location communication.

As Manager of Financial Planning for a division of a "Fortune 200" conglomerate, Black directed the development and consolidation of short range, annual and long range plans and forecasts. He managed the Capital Expenditure review process, and implemented the first Corporate Office personal computer network, replacing time-sharing terminals. Black served as internal audit liaison, and assisted several divisions with cost accounting systems improvements and government contract compliance.

While serving on the technical staff of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (the private-sector standards-setting body for the accounting profession in the United States), Black assisted in the development and issuance of major components in the conceptual framework for financial accounting and reporting, including Qualitative Characteristics of Accounting Information, Elements of Financial Statements, and Measurement.