Treading Water

Finance chiefs’ spirits have hit the summer doldrums. Buffeted by bad news about rising oil and commodity prices, declining home sales, bouts of severe weather at home and abroad, and ongoing global political instability, CFOs are less optimistic than they were last quarter, according to the late...

By Kate O'Sullivan • July 15, 2011

What’s in Store for Consumers?

Consumer demand, long a top concern of CFOs as measured by our quarterly Duke University/CFO Magazine Global Business Outlook Survey (see “Treading Water“), has been the focus of intense study of late. A new report from Boston Consulting Group, released in June and based on a survey of 24,000 wor...

By CFO Editorial Staff • July 15, 2011

Explore the Trendline➔

Tax policy shifts: What CFOs need to know to stay ahead

Discover how evolving tax policies are creating new opportunities and challenges for CFOs.

By CFO.com staff

A Feel for the Deal

With substantial stores of cash on hand, companies continue to toss more money into mergers and acquisitions. The total value of M&A has jumped by 39% this year compared with this time last year, although the number of deals is down, according to a recent tally by PricewaterhouseCoopers.But s...

By Marielle Segarra • July 15, 2011

Sources of Misery

As a compliance manager at TriQuint Semiconductor, John Sharp has spent much of the past year focused on one little-known compliance rule before it goes into effect. To satisfy it, he must query hundreds of suppliers to figure out the origin of some 450 materials used in his company’s products. I...

By Sarah Johnson • July 15, 2011

After the Settlement, He’ll Be Watching You

The increasing number of settlements between companies and authorities over bribery-for-business cases usually include public promises to pay hefty penalties and clean up compliance programs. Added on top of the punishment is often an independent monitor to keep these companies in line.What happe...

By Sarah Johnson • July 11, 2011

Enemy Number One: The Clock

CFOs face plenty of hindrances in trying to get their job done right: office politics, sluggish staff members, and a never-ending set of new regulations demanding compliance, to name a few. Which one is most vexing, though?In a recent survey, CFO asked more than 300 finance executives at small an...

By Alix Stuart • July 6, 2011

Going Global: Choosing a Location

With this column, CFO begins a series of articles about how businesses can expand into new geographic territories more successfully. For expert advice, we asked Bill Hite, CEO of Hull Speed Associates, a firm that helps companies set up overseas operations, for his perspective. In this first colu...

By Bill Hite • June 28, 2011

A Depression in Greece?

Having survived a confidence vote on Tuesday, the Greek government is set to approve new austerity measures in another effort to right Greece’s economic ship. But European CFOs say such measures have a nearly one-in-two chance of plunging the country into a depression.Greek Prime Minister George ...

By Kate O'Sullivan • June 23, 2011

A Depression in Greece?

Having survived a confidence vote on Tuesday, the Greek government is set to approve new austerity measures in another effort to right Greece’s economic ship. But European CFOs say such measures have a nearly one-in-two chance of plunging the country into a depression.Greek Prime Minister George ...

By Kate O'Sullivan • June 23, 2011

Risk Managers’ Outlook Improves, Somewhat

Risk managers have loosened up a bit. Emphasis on “a bit.”The financial crisis is still fresh in memory, and they have plenty of worries to keep them up at night. But a fairly new index that measures risk managers’ concerns has declined since last year, suggesting their optimism is growing.For no...

By Sarah Johnson • June 10, 2011

CFO Optimism Is Down, and So Is Hiring

Like so many economic indicators lately, finance chiefs’ expectations have taken a turn for the worse, as the unease that has dogged the recovery since it began has deepened in recent months. From the ongoing European debt crisis to the disaster in Japan to rising oil prices and bouts of severe w...

By Kate O'Sullivan • June 8, 2011

CFO Optimism Is Down, and So Is Hiring

Like so many economic indicators lately, finance chiefs’ expectations have taken a turn for the worse, as the unease that has dogged the recovery since it began has deepened in recent months. From the ongoing European debt crisis to the disaster in Japan to rising oil prices and bouts of severe w...

By Kate O'Sullivan • June 8, 2011

What’s Your Return on Buybacks?

During informal discussions after a recent presentation to a company’s investors and analysts, I stood with the CFO and watched in dismay as he was barraged with questions about buybacks. He and his CEO had presented a strong growth strategy and were commended for it, yet the questions were dispr...

By Gregory V. Milano • June 3, 2011

Measured Response

In the mid-1990s, labor economist Laurie Bassi began to notice a strong correlation between public companies’ stock prices and how much they invested in training-and-development programs. On average, the more a firm invested in training in a given year, the higher its stock went the following yea...

By David McCann • June 1, 2011

As the World Churns

At the risk of getting a certain Disney song stuck in your head, let’s acknowledge that it truly is a small world after all. Companies no longer need to be thought of as “multinationals” to do business in multiple nations. And even the most local of companies is now vulnerable to disruptions on t...

By Scott Leibs • June 1, 2011

Feeling the Pain

With oil prices averaging nearly $4 per gallon (as of late May) and gas prices reaching all-time highs in some parts of the country, finance chiefs are once again struggling to find ways to keep their energy and materials costs down. But the weak economy — and their companies’ relatively lean cos...

By Marielle Segarra • June 1, 2011

Light at the End of the Wallet

For the better part of three years, CFOs have consistently cited consumer demand (or lack thereof) as among their top concerns, if not their number-one worry. But a new report from CFO Research Services, in collaboration with KPMG, finds that there may be reason for optimism.In a survey of nearly...

By CFO Editorial Staff • June 1, 2011

The Great Divide

It turns out that the remedy to the global economic downturn comes in two strengths: a less-potent recovery for mature economies (the United States and most of Europe) and an extra-strength version for emerging markets (including India, Hong Kong, and Argentina). A new study from CFO Research Ser...

By Josh Hyatt • June 1, 2011

Going Global

From the earthquake and tsunami in Japan to political uprisings in Africa and the Middle East to the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe, a seemingly unending series of dramatic global events has captured headlines in recent months. Many U.S. businesses have been directly affected by supply-c...

By Kate O'Sullivan • June 1, 2011

Going Global

From the earthquake and tsunami in Japan to political uprisings in Africa and the Middle East to the ongoing sovereign debt crisis in Europe, a seemingly unending series of dramatic global events has captured headlines in recent months. Many U.S. businesses have been directly affected by supply-c...

By Kate O'Sullivan • June 1, 2011

The Great Divide

It turns out that the remedy to the global economic downturn comes in two strengths: a less-potent recovery for mature economies (the United States and most of Europe) and an extra-strength version for emerging markets (including India, Hong Kong, and Argentina). A new study from CFO Research Ser...

By Josh Hyatt • June 1, 2011

Feeling the Pain

With oil prices averaging nearly $4 per gallon (as of late May) and gas prices reaching all-time highs in some parts of the country, finance chiefs are once again struggling to find ways to keep their energy and materials costs down. But the weak economy — and their companies’ relatively lean cos...

By Marielle Segarra • June 1, 2011

Back on the Map

Ian Curley, CFO of Dublin-based Smurfit Kappa Group, has it better than most of his peers. Like many of the other companies in the ISEQ 20 — the Irish Stock Exchange’s benchmark index — SKG, a $9.3 billion packaging firm, has managed to survive Ireland’s economic meltdown by outgrowing its home m...

By Janet Kersnar • June 1, 2011

A Two-Track World

The U.S. economy continues to bump along unsteadily, and the eurozone countries are grappling with ongoing debt crises. Japan, already stymied by years of economic stagnation, has been sidelined by a natural disaster. Yet, while these developed markets struggle, opportunities abound in the develo...

By Kate O'Sullivan • May 27, 2011

A Two-Track World

The U.S. economy continues to bump along unsteadily, and the eurozone countries are grappling with ongoing debt crises. Japan, already stymied by years of economic stagnation, has been sidelined by a natural disaster. Yet, while these developed markets struggle, opportunities abound in the develo...

By Kate O'Sullivan • May 27, 2011