This is the first in a series of surveys on corporate finance. In coming issues, we will be asking CFOs about practices in auditing, investment banking, and corporate governance.
1. What is your title?
- CFO or Finance Director: 19%
- EVP or SVP of Finance: 4%
- VP of Finance: 18%
- Director of Finance: 31%
- Controller: 19%
- Other: 9%
2. What were your company's (or business unit's) approximate revenues for the most recently completed fiscal year?
- Less than $99M: 4%
- $100M to $499M: 15%
- $500M to $999M: 15%
- $1B to $4.99B: 27%
- $5B to $9.99B: 13%
- $10B to $19.99B: 12%
- $20B to $29.99B: 6%
- More than $30B: 8%
3. Have you disclosed more information in your financial statements during the past three months?
- Yes: 59%
- No: 41%
4. Where did such additional disclosure take place? (Based on those who answered "yes" to question 3.)
- Income statement/balance sheet: 9%
- Footnotes: 72%
- Both: 19%
5. Will you disclose more information during the next 12 months?
- Yes: 57%
- No: 43%
6. Where will such additional disclosure take place? (Based on those who answered "yes" to question 5.)
- Income statement/balance sheet: 12%
- Footnotes: 70%
- Both: 18%
7. What percentage of your debt or other liabilities is not reflected on your balance sheet?
- None: 73%
- 25% or less: 20%
- More than 25% but less than 50%: 4%
- 50% or more: 3%
8. Do you use special-purpose entities to achieve that result? (Based on those who did not answer "none" to question 7.)
- Yes: 61%
- No: 39%
9. Do you guarantee or otherwise protect the investment of third parties in such entities? (Based on those who did not answer "none" to question 7.)
- Yes: 42%
- No: 58%
10. How much of your off-balance-sheet debt would you have to consolidate if, as expected, FASB increased the minimum level of investment required by a third party from 3 percent to as much as 10 percent? (Based only on those who did not answer "none" to question 7.)
- None: 71%
- Some: 21%
- Most or all: 8%
11. Do you report pro forma results in your quarterly earnings press releases?
- Yes: 54%
- No: 46%
12. What items do you typically exclude from EPS as calculated under U.S. GAAP? (Based only on those who answered "yes" to question 11. Check all that apply.)
- Goodwill charges: 41%
- Restructuring charges: 67%
- Gains or losses on asset sales: 29%
- Pension gains or losses: 10%
- Other: 21%
13. Do you reconcile your pro forma results to U.S. GAAP? (Based only on those who answered "yes" to question 11.)
- Yes: 82%
- No: 18%
14. Will you continue to use pro forma results in your quarterly releases during the next 12 months? (Based only on those who answered "yes" to question 11.)
- Yes: 93%
- No: 7%
15. How often have you felt pressure from your company's CEO to misrepresent its financial results during the past five years?
- Never: 83%
- Once: 4%
- Twice: 1%
- Three times: 1%
- More than three times: 11%
16. How often have you engaged in aggressive accounting practices during the past five years?
- Never: 93%
- Once: 1%
- Twice: 1%
- Three times: 0%
- More than three times: 7%
17. How often have your accounting practices violated U.S. GAAP during the past five years?
- Never: 95%
- Once: 1%
- Twice: 1%
- Three times: 0%
- More than three times: 4%
(Total exceeds 100% due to rounding.)
18. What did such practices involve? (Check all that apply.)
- Reserves: 63%
- Revenue recognition: 33%
- Business combinations: 21%
- Fixed assets: 21%
- Investments: 17%
- Leases: 13%






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