What are the most important determinants of GRC success? “Tone at the top” and “people, process and technology,” according to respondents in the 2009 Business Finance GRC Maturity Study. Funding was ranked least important, even though survey respondents identified a lack of funding as the biggest impediment to their program’s success.

Cash-rich companies may be courting sizeable risks, including misguided capital spending and shareholder revolt, according to a recent University of British Columbia study. Cash-flush companies tend to lose their edge; they’re more apt to take bigger risks than cash-strapped competitors and also risk angering cash-strapped shareholders who rely on dividends (which have been pruned or even eliminated) in tough times.

3M, the St Paul, Minn.-based diversified technology company, participated in the SEC’s XBRL voluntary filing program (VFP) well before XBRL filing was mandated. In this Business Finance interview, Tom Jacob, financial manager, external reporter for 3M, shares his experience with the XBRL adoption processes.

As all eyes monitored the new president's economic stimulus plan, a group of individuals operated behind the scenes, preparing to wield their influence on regulatory matters that will affect corporate finance executives long after the credit-and-confidence crisis abates. Here's a rundown of important regulatory issues to be addressed in the months ahead, along with a list of key questions and major sources of influence.

It seems that every company has an ERM program these days, but whether it is actually being followed is another matter. John Johnston of UHY Advisors charts the path to building a successful ERM program.

As the executive pay debate heats up following the TARP-related compensation limits, CFOs at public companies can expect to hear more on the issue from their own corporate directors.

Business Finance blogger Eric Krell recently spoke to Michael Ohata, KPMG LLP’s managing director, advisory services, and one of the firm’s top XBRL experts, about the most effective approaches to XBRL adoption.

Since the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act appears to be a matter of if, not when, it behooves GRC leaders -- particularly those in industries ripe for union activity -- to ensure that their staffs include sufficient labor relations expertise. Here's how to strengthen labor relations skills before the heat of battle.

The uncertainty that emanated from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act during its lengthy "interpretation" by the SEC in 2002-2003 seems to have come back to haunt the new executive-comp pay curbs contained in the stimulus package.

John Gutfreund, the former Solomon Brothers head honcho who was famously portrayed in Michael Lewis’ book Liar’s Poker, and former New York governor Eliot Spitzer provide fresh and slightly contrarian analyses of the bailout executive-pay limits.

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.

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.