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The Fear of All Sums

(continued)

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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