Features

Linking Governance to Strategy: The Role of the Finance Organization
Cristiano Busco, Elena Giovannoni, Angelo Riccaboni, Davide Franceschi, and Mark L. Frigo
Finance professionals can be directly involved in the corporate governance framework by playing an active role in translating governance principles into strategic decision making and strategic performance management systems, as this case from GE Oil & Gas shows.

The Road to IFRS
Parveen P. Gupta; Cheryl Linthicum, CMA, CPA; and Thomas G. Noland, CMA, CPA
Will the Securities & Exchange Commission ever eliminate the reconciliation of International Financial Reporting Standards to U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles? And what about letting U.S. companies report under IFRS? The possibilities exist.

Creating a BPM Center of Excellence
Raef A. Lawson, CMA, CPA
Companies that want to maximize the benefits of their business performance management efforts should consider creating a BPM Center of Excellence. This internal group helps standardize tools, procedures, and best practices for the organization’s BPM efforts and helps reduce costs.

Seven Keys to ERP Success
Jim Welch and Dmitry Kordysh
As anyone who has been through an enterprise resource planning (ERP) implementation knows, the project is massive and has every chance of being disastrous. Fortunately, there’s a defined set of best practices companies can follow that will help ease the burden and maybe even lead to success.

Flirting with SOX 404
Marianne Bradford, CPA, and Joe Brazel, CPA
Are private companies interested in voluntarily following the mandates dictated by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to better their processes and internal controls? This survey of IMA members shows that some businesses may take the plunge.

Columns

PERSPECTIVES
Our biggest challenge.

BEST PRACTICES
Dropping eggs.

ETHICS
Is BP an acronym for “Big Polluter”?

TAXES
Small Business Act: taxpayer provisions.

EXCEL
Producing a summary report using subtotals.

XBRL
XBRL GL by industry: construction and job costing.

Departments

STREETWISE
Employees turn to “informal organization”
Reorganizing is key
Letters: Comments are on target
SEC discounts concerns about AS5
Books: The emerging ethics & compliance field.

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

TECH FORUM
Atomic and Wi-Fi time.

END NOTE
Translating accounting.