Washington -- The Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rules that would improve disclosure to investors regarding the nominating committee processes at public issuers, and also the ways by which stockholders may communicate with directors.

Washington -- President George W. Bush has signed bipartisan legislation offering tax relief for military men and women, including reservists.

New York -- Urging financial executives to become “role models for good corporate behavior” in the era of Sarbanes-Oxley, Securities and Exchange Commission chair William Donaldson reminded attendees at the Financial Executives International confab that they are an integral line of defense against corporate malfeasance.

by Seth Fineberg

Washington -- The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service issued a notice and temporary regulations to prevent the use of trusts to accelerate deductions for liabilities that a taxpayer is contesting.

New York — In a meeting in late November with the partnership of Big Four firm KPMG, former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Arthur Levitt said that auditors must make the investing public their top priority.

MICROSOFT VAR TECTURA GETS $12M FOR ACQUISITIONS: Tectura, a Tempe, Ariz.-based reseller for Microsoft Business Solutions, has received $12 million in financing from venture capital firm Pequot Ventures that it will use to make acquisitions.

by L. Gary Boomer

by Sheldon Needle

PC DISPOSAL COSTS CAN BE HIGH: Enterprises selling personal computers after three years of ownership receive 3 percent to 5 percent of the original equipment price. However, they would still incur net disposal costs of between $85 and $136 per personal computer, depending on the disposal method, according to a report from technology industry watchers Gartner Inc.

by L. Gary Boomer

by Ted Needleman

by Seth Fineberg

by John Covaleski

SAP ATTRACTS BEST VARS IN SMB PUSH: High-end enterprise software developer SAP has, since June, signed up at least two of Best Software’s value-added resellers to handle its Business One suite of applications for small and midsized businesses.

by L. Gary Boomer

by John M. Covaleski

by Randolph P. Johnston

by Seth Fineberg

HOSTED CRM GAINS IN POPULARITY: Information technology researcher Aberdeen Group says that 35 percent of businesses it recently surveyed said that they already use Internet-hosted customer relationship management products, and 85 percent said that they would evaluate hosting as they enter the market for CRM solutions.