wiredFINANCE: How Can You Manage Unstructured Processes?

July 30, 2009

Unstructured processes are difficult to manage because it is unlikely that they'll be repeated exactly the same way. So how should you tackle them? Currently companies can either go with a handful of vendors that have built in unstructured management capabilities or else try their luck with business process management tools (BPM).

BASIS POINTS: Confident People Are More Persuasive

July 30, 2009

Confident people are more persuasive, according to a new study. While that's not surprising news, it does put finance execs in a tough place as they try to present company forecasts with confidence without overstating the case.

CPM INSIGHT: CPM Helps Companies Prioritize

July 30, 2009

Corporate performance management (CPM) can help companies to identify and address underperforming areas of the company and prioritize projects.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Courion VP Explains System Access Risks

July 30, 2009

In this interview, Courion Vice President Kurt Johnson explains the system access risks that exist when companies do not turn off past employees' user accounts.

Bred Tough: The Best-of-Breed, 2009

July 29, 2009

Specialist software firms continue to make a strong case for selective investments. Survivors of the tech freeze will be around for some time to come as the economy thaws.

PROCESS POINTS: Cases of Fraud on the Rise

July 28, 2009

Fraudulent activity across the financial industry is becoming more common, according a new report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen). There was a double-digit increase in the percentage of suspicious activity reports (SARs) filed from 2007 to 2008 for all of the fraud categories FinCen examines.

wiredFINANCE: Top Companies Outsource Almost Half of IT Processes

July 27, 2009

How much of your IT infrastructure should you outsource? According to the Hackett Group, world-class companies outsource a significantly larger percentage of their IT processes than their peer group companies.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Important Internal Controls Questions

July 27, 2009

Management teams looking to strengthen the effectiveness and efficiency of their internal controls frameworks should ask themselves four important questions.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Boards Seek Public Policy Experience

July 23, 2009

Board members with public policy expertise are a hot commodity these days, according to a new report.

BizTaxBuzz: U.K Tax Compliance Gets Harder

July 23, 2009

The U.K.'s annual Finance Bill, the omnibus legislation for changes in the tax laws, adds additional compliance requirements to the tax reporting process.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Choices Are Limited When Selecting a Directorship Candidate

July 23, 2009

Although the typical executive search process is rigorous, the search for a member of the board of directors is relatively easy -- most nominating committees are presented with only one candidate.

PROCESS POINTS: Companies Must Balance Internal Controls and Business Needs

July 23, 2009

Companies need to find a balance between business needs and effective and efficient internal controls if they're to weather these tough economic times.

BASIS POINTS: Proposed Changes to Regulatory System Affect Corporate Treasurers

July 22, 2009

Corporate treasurers should be on the lookout for a new report from the Department of the Treasury containing proposed changes to the U.S. financial regulatory system.

wiredFINANCE: Financial Portals Incorporate Social Networking Technology

July 21, 2009

Portal technology, which finance departments have used for over a decade, is about to change. Big players like Microsoft and IBM are incorporating social networking into their new programs in an attempt to differentiate their offerings.

THE FINANCE TRANSFORMATION: Budgets Aren't Useful for Long

July 21, 2009

Budgets lose their usefulness quickly, according to a majority of participants in a Business Finance budgeting and planning survey -- most respondents expect their current budgets to be invalid by the middle of the year.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Laid Off Workers Could Strike Back

July 20, 2009

Companies that don't immediately shut down terminated workers' access rights to company systems are asking for trouble. If left with user privileges, former employees can use these "zombie accounts" to access important data or attack the system.

BizTaxBuzz: California Considers Lowering Deficit by Taxing Pot

July 20, 2009

Although possessing, growing, and selling marijuana for recreational use isn't currently legal in California, legislators are still trying to figure out ways to tax sales of the drug.

Ventana Research: Evaluating Software Investment

July 16, 2009

Finance organizations play an important role in evaluating software investments. Here are some suggestions on how to do this more effectively.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Rating Helps Identify Most Trustworthy Companies

July 15, 2009

Research firm Audit Integrity's accounting and governance risk (AGR) rating is helping Forbes determine the trustworthiness of companies.