Business Finance Weekly Update: The Emergence of Business Analysts as Leaders

The scarcest resource in an organization is human ability and competence. But competency is not enough to be a leader. They need curiosity, imagination, and creativity. And the emergence of analytics is creating opportunities for analysts as leaders.

The Global Skills Gap: the Biggest, Most Obscure(d) Risk

Often contradictory, heated, dysfunctional, and fiercely competitive, the global skills gap demands the public sector, government and universities develop a more nuanced strategy to an urgent problem.

Automating External and Internal Financial Reporting

XBRL tagging mandates are growing worldwide. Companies must find the most cost-effective means of dealing with these requirements. Software to automate the process will be an important part of the solution.

Corporate Finance

What CFOs Need to Know About ETFs

With expense ratios lower than those of the average mutual fund, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) provide CFOs with an innovative alternative for generating earnings.

Human Resources

Report: Employers Not Likely to Drop Health Coverage

Despite predictions that healthcare reform would lead to companies revoking benefits to employees, report suggests employers will continue to offer insurance packages to remain competitive in the marketplace.

Employees Avoiding Alternative Workplace Party

If companies want to encourage the use of alternative work arrangements, they need to address the real and perceived barriers that have employees running in the opposite direction.

Business Performance Management

Q&A: Boosting Performance with Integrated Business Services

The new global economic realities have forced shared services to evolve into integrated business services organizations that take a broader scope of influence and play a more strategic role in high performance growth, says Accenture's Gary Duncan.

Tax

Changes in Mail Service Should Make Lockboxes Even More Valuable

The U.S. Postal Service is proposing a range of far-reaching motions to address its staggering deficits. Some might sound ominous for remittance mail and prompt some treasurers to question the value of lockboxes. But according to Business Finance blogger Karen Kroll, the news is not as bad as some might fear.

Software and Systems

What Financial Services Execs Teach About Cloud Computing

The finance industry is slowly, but surely migrating to the cloud. But that transition hasn’t come without some costly mistakes. Business Finance blogger Alan Radding touches on five of the most important lessons being learned.

White Papers/Case Studies

Key Steps Business Owners Should Know About Successful International Payments

This American Express guide helps you streamline foreign exchange payments. It includes a foreign exchange payment provider profile, tips on how to simplify payments, and an insightful FAQ. Download the white paper now.

Events

Sales and Use Tax Conference

November 30th – December 1st, 2011 (Boston, MA): Participate in a 2-day intensive discussion on different strategies and methodologies to achieving the necessary proactive combination of process re-engineering and software automation necessary to limit exposure to governmental tax audits and streamline sales. Benefit from our case study driven format that will seek to address current issues such as the taxability of digital goods, or electronically delivered software. Visit: http://www.marcusevansch.com/bftax, or email ddrey@marcusevansch.com for more details.

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The Emergence of Business Analysts as Leaders