A little import regulation compliance work up front can save time and money down the road. According to Susan Pomerantz, vice president of global trade management consulting with JPMorgan, "Companies are focused on what they absolutely have to do to get goods into the country, versus looking at overall compliance." Here Pomerantz outlines several misperceptions that can land you in hot water.

Many people, including the majority of economists in a recent National Association for Business Economics poll and a number of corporate executives, see inflation in the nation's future. Arun Bansal, managing consultant in the corporate enterprise risk management group of Towers Perrin, recommends taking these steps to protect your organization.

The SEC is considering a number of changes to the regulations governing money market funds, including a proposal to limit the funds to holding just the highest-rated, or A1/P1, securities. Under current law, most money market funds can hold up to 5 percent of fund assets in A2/P2 securities. This proposal, however, could "have a negative and unintended impact on capital formation that far outweighs any speculative increase in investor protection," a group of treasurers and a representative of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce wrote in a letter to the SEC.

Free cash flow has risen from December 2008 through June 2009, according to an analysis by Charles Mulford, professor of accounting and director of the Georgia Tech Financial Analysis Lab. While this is a sign of economic recovery, the news isn't as good as it initially seems, says Mulford.

With a new commissioner, Gary Gensler, now at the helm of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the agency likely will head in a different direction. The big question is, where will it go?

Last month, a group of 28 big names from the Aspen Institute's Business & Society Program, including Warren Buffett and Louis Gerstner Jr., issued a paper calling for the end to short-termism, which it says has made short-term considerations a higher priority than long-term growth and a sustainable profit. The signatories offer three recommendations for a “return to a responsible and balanced approach to business and investment.”

How integrated are your company's sales forecasting and demand planning (SFDP) activities? Combining these forward-looking functions can increase innovation and effectiveness. Read Ventana Research's Analyst Note "Integrate Sales Forecasting and Demand Planning" in the BPM Resource Center to learn more.

The 6th Annual BPM Summit 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 access to the audio and slide shows from the keynote presentations at our on-demand archive.