Michael Kramer talks about his stint as CFO of clothing manufacturer Walls Industries Inc., where he tackled the problems caused by an incentive system based on EBITDA.

Communication is key in the budgeting process, according to Flowserve CFO Mark Blinn. That is why his company, which moves, controls, and protects the flow of materials in some of the world's most critical industries, uses both a traditional budget as an "an expectation that you talk from" and a rolling forecast to encourage dialogue.

In a recent interview with Steve Player, Patricia Cochran, CFO of Vision Service Plan, shared insight into her company's budgeting and forecasting processes, including its approach to economic volatility.

In the capital-heavy oil and gas industry, a 5-year planning outlook just won't cut it, says Joe Householder, SVP, controller, and chief accounting officer of Sempra Energy. In a Business Finance interview, Householder explained how a new business performance management (BPM) system is transforming the energy giant's planning, reporting, and cost management processes.

Now more than ever, finance professionals are specializing in multiple disciplines. To better meet this demand for more knowledge, Business Finance introduces The Big Fat Finance Blog, where finance professionals can engage our bloggers and editors in multiple disciplines. Join the conversation at http://bigfatfinanceblog.com

The 6th Annual BPM Summit, Generating Value Through Visibility, brought together some of the business world's foremost practitioners to explore the transformational role of finance in the enterprise. If you missed the live event, you can still enjoy unlimited access to the audio and slide shows from the keynote speaker presentations at our on-demand archive.

How far ahead can companies peer into the economic gloom? How are budgeting processes holding up in the downturn? Help us find out by participating in this 10-minute survey. If you respond by April 3, you will have the opportunity to enter into a drawing for one of two $100 Visa gift cards.

After serving nearly ten years as our nation's chief auditor, former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker resigned to meet an objective the public sector had long denied him.