Benchmarking Archives - CFO

How Should CFOs Select Peer Firms for Benchmarking?

How Should CFOs Select Peer Firms for Benchmarking?

Knowing how to select a good set of comparable firms can improve CFOs’ internal performance assessments and aid with decision-making.

By Rani Hoitash, Ahmet Kurt, Udi Hoitash, and Rodrigo Verdi | May 2, 2023

Metric of the Month: Cycle Time To Perform a Financial Evaluation of New Products

Metric of the Month: Cycle Time To Perform a Financial Evaluation of New Products

Leading companies bring finance into the new product or service design process early for faster and more forward-looking financial evaluation.

By Perry D. Wiggins, CPA | November 4, 2019

Metric of the Month: Return on Invested Capital

Credit & Capital

Metric of the Month: Return on Invested Capital

Strategic CFOs know that smart investors look for organizations that effectively invest capital where it generates the best returns.

By Perry D. Wiggins, CPA | October 1, 2019

The Activist Investor: A CFO’s Unlikely Ally

The Activist Investor: A CFO’s Unlikely Ally

Don't be caught by surprise — learn to view your company through the eyes of an activist investor.

By Vincent Ryan | March 7, 2019

Metric of the Month: Number of Accounts in the Chart of Accounts

Growth Companies

Metric of the Month: Number of Accounts in the Chart of Accounts

An unwieldy chart of accounts can cause significant headaches for chief financial officers.

By Perry D. Wiggins, CPA | March 4, 2019

Retailers’ Financial Cycle Times: The Hare Beats the Tortoise

Retailers’ Financial Cycle Times: The Hare Beats the Tortoise

A new ranking of corporate speed and agility shows why some brick-and-mortar retailers, especially Macy's, are ailing.

By Joe Perfetti | January 10, 2019

Metric of the Month: Business Entity Revenue Per Employee

Metric of the Month: Business Entity Revenue Per Employee

Employee productivity is closely linked to organizational revenue. But how much revenue should each employee be expected to generate?

By Perry D. Wiggins and CPA | December 5, 2018

Prepare for This Pay-for-Performance Measure

Risk & Compliance

Prepare for This Pay-for-Performance Measure

ISS is adopting a metric that may impact how investors evaluate pay practices. Companies that don’t use it already should consider doing so.

By Marwaan Karame | December 4, 2018

How to Make Time For Strategic Thinking

How to Make Time For Strategic Thinking

As a busy executive, you have nearly unlimited demands on your time. Making the most of it is always smart.

By Jason Worley and Asset Drone | October 30, 2018

A CFO’s Guide to Preparing for a Sale

A CFO’s Guide to Preparing for a Sale

A cohesive narrative will build credibility during the due diligence process and save CFOs from spending valuable time producing one-off analyses.

By Matt Marcus and Accordion | September 17, 2018

Five Actions to Improve Sales Force Effectiveness

Workforce Management

Five Actions to Improve Sales Force Effectiveness

Attempts to fix a sales force's incentive plan often just create additional problems.

By Marwaan Karame | July 23, 2018

Automation Won’t Reduce Finance Staffs: Study

Automation Won’t Reduce Finance Staffs: Study

Perhaps counterintuitively, finance executives say they don't plan to cut head-count costs in response to technology-driven efficiencies.

By David McCann | July 3, 2018

Metric of the Month: Days Sales Outstanding Measures Efficiency

Working Capital

Metric of the Month: Days Sales Outstanding Measures Efficiency

Collections are key to a low days sales outstanding (DSO) number — and the faster the money comes in, the more breathing room an organization has.

By Perry D. Wiggins | May 9, 2018

Metric of the Month: Shared Services

Metric of the Month: Shared Services

The best-performing shared services centers (SSCs) accomplish more work with fewer employees.

By Perry D. Wiggins | April 2, 2018

Metric of the Month: Cycle Time for Monthly Close

Financial Reporting

Metric of the Month: Cycle Time for Monthly Close

There’s one big factor that’s key to shaving time off of this monthly process: good quality data.

By CPA and Perry D. Wiggins | March 5, 2018