1) Companies are focusing on innovation-based growth strategies to respond to business volatility and global competition. This impacts financial planning and analysis (FP&A) organizations, which must support innovation through transformation.
2) FP&A organizations need to integrate enterprise performance management (EPM) processes, improve core FP&A processes like planning and reporting, and develop business intelligence and information delivery capabilities.
3) These changes will help FP&A elevate the company's EPM capability and support innovation-based decision making, while improving efficiency to maintain service levels with flat budgets.
The document discusses how technology companies can increase shareholder returns through effective strategic planning and business alignment. It argues that companies often fail to achieve their strategic goals because their corporate decision model is not properly aligned with their new strategy. It provides examples of large tech companies that improved performance by realigning their corporate structure to better support their strategic objectives of innovating, integrating solutions, or focusing on operations. The document advocates analyzing a company's strategy, decision model, and making changes to the model before implementing strategic plans in order to improve investment returns.
This document summarizes a study on how private equity investors create value when exiting investments in North American companies from 2011-2012. Some key findings are:
1) Private equity continues to outperform public markets due to strategic and operational improvements, which accounted for 50% of returns.
2) From 2010-2012, EBITDA growth from portfolio companies accounted for 70% of private equity returns, driven increasingly by organic revenue growth.
3) Private equity firms have shifted focus from cost cutting to growth strategies like expanding into new markets and products.
All the efforts of policymakers to institute more regulations has reshaped the private equity landscape adding yet more pressure on returns. With profit margins squeezed, PEs must focus on operational excellence and appropriate levels of transparency to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.
At SGC Partners, we are enthusiastic about the future of the private equity industry. We look forward to continuing to work alongside the industry and support its efforts to enhance well-being for all stakeholders.
This summary provides an overview of a Deloitte Research study on how companies are transforming their enterprises through finance:
1. The study analyzed over 70 global manufacturing companies to understand how strengthening finance capabilities can improve business performance. It identified four key roles finance can play: strategist, catalyst, steward, and operator.
2. Many companies aim to grow revenues, cut costs, improve margins and asset efficiency. However, they face barriers like a lack of alignment, limited information, and inadequate standards.
3. The study found that "finance masters" - companies with strong finance capabilities supporting business transformation - significantly outperformed their peers. Building finance capabilities in all four roles is linked to superior business performance.
1) While mergers and acquisitions are growing, many fail due to companies underestimating the challenges of integration. Management often focuses on the transaction rather than integration, and cultural differences are commonly overlooked.
2) Effective integration requires a holistic strategy that addresses financial, strategic, cultural, and organizational fit. It is important to analyze culture during due diligence to identify potential issues.
3) Having a clear post-merger vision and objectives helps reduce integration time and ensures synergies are realized. Technology integration also requires planning to consolidate systems and ensure customer needs are met.
Global sourcing offers companies flexibility to change their business and operating models. It allows them to rapidly integrate acquisitions, transfer assets between locations, and incorporate innovations. Research by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that companies sourcing core activities externally value business model flexibility more and have achieved higher shareholder returns compared to those only sourcing back-office or front-office functions. Successful companies plan their goals before considering implementation and view sourcing as a strategic program. Orchestrating a portfolio of sourcing arrangements between internal shared services and external providers provides maximum flexibility.
The report examines companies' business planning processes and finds that:
1) While many companies' planning meets expectations, only 33% achieve excellent performance in planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
2) Companies with decentralized planning processes are more likely to accurately forecast revenue within 2% but are less efficient than centralized peers.
3) Most companies (61%) centralize planning at the corporate level, while 21% decentralize among business units. Centralized planning is more efficient but decentralized planning yields more accurate forecasts.
4) Many companies take over 15 days on average to complete revenue forecasts, strategic plans, operating plans, and annual budgets indicating room for improved cycle times.
Closing C-suite collaboration gaps: How CFOs can strengthen their weakest linksSpencer Lin
For chief financial officers (CFOs) looking to make a bigger impact, greater collaboration with HR, supply chain and marketing can change the value equation. A recent analysis of several research studies revealed that strong collaboration among CFOs and their counterparts in operations, human resources and marketing correlates with better organizational performance. However, while CFOs report strong relationships with CEOs and CIOs, they tend to report weaker ties with the CHRO, CSCO and CMO. Learn how analytics can provide the basis for greater collaboration among CFOs and their business unit peers.
The document discusses how technology companies can increase shareholder returns through effective strategic planning and business alignment. It argues that companies often fail to achieve their strategic goals because their corporate decision model is not properly aligned with their new strategy. It provides examples of large tech companies that improved performance by realigning their corporate structure to better support their strategic objectives of innovating, integrating solutions, or focusing on operations. The document advocates analyzing a company's strategy, decision model, and making changes to the model before implementing strategic plans in order to improve investment returns.
This document summarizes a study on how private equity investors create value when exiting investments in North American companies from 2011-2012. Some key findings are:
1) Private equity continues to outperform public markets due to strategic and operational improvements, which accounted for 50% of returns.
2) From 2010-2012, EBITDA growth from portfolio companies accounted for 70% of private equity returns, driven increasingly by organic revenue growth.
3) Private equity firms have shifted focus from cost cutting to growth strategies like expanding into new markets and products.
All the efforts of policymakers to institute more regulations has reshaped the private equity landscape adding yet more pressure on returns. With profit margins squeezed, PEs must focus on operational excellence and appropriate levels of transparency to achieve and maintain a competitive advantage.
At SGC Partners, we are enthusiastic about the future of the private equity industry. We look forward to continuing to work alongside the industry and support its efforts to enhance well-being for all stakeholders.
This summary provides an overview of a Deloitte Research study on how companies are transforming their enterprises through finance:
1. The study analyzed over 70 global manufacturing companies to understand how strengthening finance capabilities can improve business performance. It identified four key roles finance can play: strategist, catalyst, steward, and operator.
2. Many companies aim to grow revenues, cut costs, improve margins and asset efficiency. However, they face barriers like a lack of alignment, limited information, and inadequate standards.
3. The study found that "finance masters" - companies with strong finance capabilities supporting business transformation - significantly outperformed their peers. Building finance capabilities in all four roles is linked to superior business performance.
1) While mergers and acquisitions are growing, many fail due to companies underestimating the challenges of integration. Management often focuses on the transaction rather than integration, and cultural differences are commonly overlooked.
2) Effective integration requires a holistic strategy that addresses financial, strategic, cultural, and organizational fit. It is important to analyze culture during due diligence to identify potential issues.
3) Having a clear post-merger vision and objectives helps reduce integration time and ensures synergies are realized. Technology integration also requires planning to consolidate systems and ensure customer needs are met.
Global sourcing offers companies flexibility to change their business and operating models. It allows them to rapidly integrate acquisitions, transfer assets between locations, and incorporate innovations. Research by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that companies sourcing core activities externally value business model flexibility more and have achieved higher shareholder returns compared to those only sourcing back-office or front-office functions. Successful companies plan their goals before considering implementation and view sourcing as a strategic program. Orchestrating a portfolio of sourcing arrangements between internal shared services and external providers provides maximum flexibility.
The report examines companies' business planning processes and finds that:
1) While many companies' planning meets expectations, only 33% achieve excellent performance in planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
2) Companies with decentralized planning processes are more likely to accurately forecast revenue within 2% but are less efficient than centralized peers.
3) Most companies (61%) centralize planning at the corporate level, while 21% decentralize among business units. Centralized planning is more efficient but decentralized planning yields more accurate forecasts.
4) Many companies take over 15 days on average to complete revenue forecasts, strategic plans, operating plans, and annual budgets indicating room for improved cycle times.
Closing C-suite collaboration gaps: How CFOs can strengthen their weakest linksSpencer Lin
For chief financial officers (CFOs) looking to make a bigger impact, greater collaboration with HR, supply chain and marketing can change the value equation. A recent analysis of several research studies revealed that strong collaboration among CFOs and their counterparts in operations, human resources and marketing correlates with better organizational performance. However, while CFOs report strong relationships with CEOs and CIOs, they tend to report weaker ties with the CHRO, CSCO and CMO. Learn how analytics can provide the basis for greater collaboration among CFOs and their business unit peers.
- Cornerstone is a global leader in cloud-based learning and human capital management (HCM) solutions.
- The presentation discusses Cornerstone's business strategies and provides forward-looking statements and associated risks.
- Key metrics like annual recurring revenue, total revenue, subscription revenue, operating margin, and unlevered free cash flow are highlighted showing Cornerstone's growth and improved profitability.
The role of the CFO in the power utilities sector is changing due to two factors: 1) the overall transformation of the CFO role to be more strategic, value-focused, and future-focused, and 2) the transformation of the energy sector driven by new technologies, market changes, and customer needs. As a result, the CFO's role is becoming more outward-facing, strategic, and focused on optimizing value across new and existing business activities. Key areas the CFO must focus on to address challenges from energy transformation include anticipating new technologies, restructuring asset portfolios, designing new ventures, achieving returns on prior investments, influencing policy, replacing declining revenues, measuring performance of shifting business models, attract
Chapter 7 implementing startegies : Management and OperationsInikeAprilia1
Chapter 7 implementing startegies : Management and Operations by Inike Aprilia L (1511011009) and silvia (1511011010) from economic and business faculty, University of Lampung
Fueling Strategic Transformation at Emirates National Oil CompanyRafael Lemaitre
This case study looks at the transformation journey that Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) undertook, to transform its management capabilities, thanks to the development and implementation of a best-in-class strategy execution framework.
Hi investor presentation 19_mar18 - final for printHillenbrand_IR
The document discusses Hillenbrand's strategy to continue transforming into a global diversified industrial company through organic growth, acquisitions, leveraging their operating model to drive profitability, and deploying strong free cash flow. They have made progress growing revenue and margins across their Process Equipment Group and Batesville segments. Hillenbrand is now focused on building leadership positions and platforms to accelerate profitable growth.
This document provides guidance on strategic partnerships between technology companies. It discusses the benefits of partnerships, such as speeding development time and reducing risks. Key factors for successful partnerships include mutual respect, shared goals/vision, commitment, trust, and fairly shared risk. Partnerships can take many forms on a spectrum from low to high cooperation. Higher involvement like joint ventures require more due diligence. Forming partnerships is similar to forming other relationships as compatibility, communication and adapting to change are important. Termination of partnerships should also be planned for as circumstances change. Special considerations for small firms partnering with much larger ones include approaching the larger firm during slower times when speculative ventures may be more appealing.
The document discusses Regal Beloit Corporation, a global manufacturer of electric motors and mechanical motion control products. It summarizes Regal's financial performance, growth strategies, and acquisition of EPC, which expanded its product portfolio and geographic presence. Regal expects $35 million in annual synergies from the EPC acquisition through facility rationalization, material consolidation, and other measures. The company has a track record of consistent growth, financial performance on par with industrial peers, and expanding globally through acquisitions.
Transformational deals have become desirable, but business leaders agree that they are the most difficult transactions in M&A today. This article lists seven fundamental tenets of M&A integration that can help your company shift its business model and maybe reshape its industry.
M&A’s are among the biggest challenges for companies and their IT organizations to navigate. They often create issues that cannot be dealt with conventional leadership and management techniques.
Ernst & Young - Private Equity primed for new opportunitiesCAR FOR YOU
The survey found that private equity CFOs have expertly navigated regulatory challenges and are focused on operational efficiencies. Nearly half of CFOs see increasing regulation and compliance as their top concern over the next two years due to the drain on resources. Most anticipate regulatory changes will increase costs, and about 40% feel regulations may inhibit cost control and infrastructure improvements. However, CFOs have generally dealt confidently with regulatory burdens like FATCA and AIFMD and do not expect them to reduce fundraising efforts. CFOs are also enhancing valuation processes and increasing involvement in preparing valuations to address regulator and investor demands.
1) Erie led the sensor industry in operating efficiency and productivity from 2016 to 2021 through strategic investments in automation, training programs, and process improvements. Their focus on cost leadership in low-tech segments led to high profit margins.
2) By 2021, Erie had the second highest profits in the industry at over $34 million, with earnings per share of $14.59. Their investments positioned them well for future growth.
3) Erie's original strategic plan was to gain market share in the low-end and traditional segments through low costs. However, they adapted over time, adding a new traditional product, improving existing products, and expanding into the performance segment due to opportunities they observed.
1. The most important objectives of SRM according to respondents are leveraging supplier capabilities, reducing costs, and improving security of supply.
2. Approximately 60% of respondents have a formal supplier segmentation process in place, most commonly segmenting suppliers based on spend size, product importance, and risk exposure.
3. While the benefits of SRM are acknowledged, the average maturity level of SRM programs is still low. Common challenges include an overemphasis on cost reduction, a lack of SRM competencies, and insufficient alignment between business, procurement, and suppliers.
The document discusses the expanding role of CFOs in mid-sized growing organizations. CFOs now play a more strategic role beyond finance and are involved in decisions around IT investments, risk management, and overall business strategy. They require real-time analytics and business intelligence tools to make better informed decisions. Modern ERP systems can help CFOs manage growth, consolidate acquisitions, optimize resources, and meet increasing compliance demands.
- Current performance management systems are not well aligned with company goals and fail to maximize growth potential. They often drive conflicting behaviors rather than focus employees on key priorities.
- To be effective, performance management must start by clearly linking business goals and human capital performance. Metrics and incentives should drive the right behaviors to achieve milestones and outcomes. Reviews should also focus on adapting to changes in the business environment.
- A new approach is needed to manage performance in today's highly networked environment where collaboration, information flows, and organizational structures have changed. Individual metrics no longer capture real contributions to business outcomes.
The document discusses Hillenbrand's strategy to transform into a global diversified industrial company through acquisitions and organic growth. It highlights how Hillenbrand has strengthened its portfolio and financial results over the past 5 years. The presentation also outlines Hillenbrand's strategic priorities going forward to continue driving profitable growth, including strengthening leadership positions, leveraging the Hillenbrand Operating Model, and making additional acquisitions.
PwC Corporate Responsibility Barometer 2014 Fading MomentumAnna Suomi
The document summarizes PwC's Corporate Responsibility Barometer 2014, which reviews corporate responsibility in Finland from three perspectives: strategic, management, and reporting. Some key findings are that opportunities from sustainability remain underutilized, sustainability performance in supply chains needs improvement, and compliance guides reporting more than focusing reports on material issues. Human rights issues are emphasized in supply chain management but not well integrated into management systems.
AmCham 2015 business climate survey final report Jan 2015Gordon Stewart
The survey summarizes the views of AmCham Taipei member companies on Taiwan's business climate and environment. While most companies were profitable in 2014 and have a positive 5-year outlook, they also face ongoing issues like inconsistent regulations, bureaucracy, outdated laws, and a lack of transparency. The top impacts on business are inconsistent regulatory interpretation and changes in local demand. Support exists for trade agreements but political obstacles remain. Regulatory reform is needed to strengthen Taiwan's competitiveness and attractiveness for foreign investment.
The document discusses navigating mergers and acquisitions to facilitate smooth integration. It explores organic growth versus inorganic growth through acquisition, and reviews the post-merger integration process. The presentation focuses on selecting the right growth method, reviewing integration, and devising ongoing improvement. It emphasizes that the goal is to build shareholder value through maximizing the value of all assets.
This document summarizes the key findings of a research report on how business leaders are using technology to drive organizational efficiency. Some of the main findings include:
- 96% of business leaders believe that technology helps increase efficiency by saving time and streamlining operations.
- Companies that make technology central to their productivity strategies are more confident in achieving efficiency goals than those that are less tech-driven.
- The report found differences in attitudes across regions, with the US being the most tech-driven and confident, while the Netherlands was the least.
- Measuring return on investment for productivity tools can be difficult, but companies generally focus on time-related metrics like time saved and increased productivity. Companies with high IT support are
National Oil Companies (NOCs) have significantly increased their spending on research and development (R&D) over the past decade, outpacing spending growth by Independent Oil Companies (IOCs). However, NOCs have struggled to translate this increased spending into operational impacts and improved performance. While some NOCs have established technological leadership in certain areas, they generally lag IOCs in effectively managing technology and innovation. To close this gap, NOCs need to improve strategic alignment between technology and corporate strategies, better integrate R&D with operations, and strengthen technology deployment and portfolio management processes. Addressing organizational structure, strategic focus, and technology management processes can help NOCs boost performance from their R&D investments without requiring increased budgets.
1) Businesses face new challenges from Brexit including regulatory changes and economic uncertainty.
2) To navigate Brexit, companies need to focus on operational agility through strategies like risk management, data-driven decision making, customer focus, and cost control.
3) Five recommendations are provided: reassess risk and response plans; improve information for decisions; strengthen customer capabilities; monitor data regulations; continue cost management.
This document describes a hierarchical state machine architecture for embedded systems using C++ and message passing. Key points:
- State machines provide a structured framework for managing all possible events and states of complex software.
- The architecture uses hierarchical state machines with parent and child states. Events can be passed up to parent states like object inheritance.
- Each software object runs as a separate task with its own message queue. A message controller routes messages between objects.
- Challenges addressed include avoiding stale messages and data, deferred event processing, and full message queues. The architecture provides solutions like timestamping watchdog messages and maintaining global state variables.
- Cornerstone is a global leader in cloud-based learning and human capital management (HCM) solutions.
- The presentation discusses Cornerstone's business strategies and provides forward-looking statements and associated risks.
- Key metrics like annual recurring revenue, total revenue, subscription revenue, operating margin, and unlevered free cash flow are highlighted showing Cornerstone's growth and improved profitability.
The role of the CFO in the power utilities sector is changing due to two factors: 1) the overall transformation of the CFO role to be more strategic, value-focused, and future-focused, and 2) the transformation of the energy sector driven by new technologies, market changes, and customer needs. As a result, the CFO's role is becoming more outward-facing, strategic, and focused on optimizing value across new and existing business activities. Key areas the CFO must focus on to address challenges from energy transformation include anticipating new technologies, restructuring asset portfolios, designing new ventures, achieving returns on prior investments, influencing policy, replacing declining revenues, measuring performance of shifting business models, attract
Chapter 7 implementing startegies : Management and OperationsInikeAprilia1
Chapter 7 implementing startegies : Management and Operations by Inike Aprilia L (1511011009) and silvia (1511011010) from economic and business faculty, University of Lampung
Fueling Strategic Transformation at Emirates National Oil CompanyRafael Lemaitre
This case study looks at the transformation journey that Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) undertook, to transform its management capabilities, thanks to the development and implementation of a best-in-class strategy execution framework.
Hi investor presentation 19_mar18 - final for printHillenbrand_IR
The document discusses Hillenbrand's strategy to continue transforming into a global diversified industrial company through organic growth, acquisitions, leveraging their operating model to drive profitability, and deploying strong free cash flow. They have made progress growing revenue and margins across their Process Equipment Group and Batesville segments. Hillenbrand is now focused on building leadership positions and platforms to accelerate profitable growth.
This document provides guidance on strategic partnerships between technology companies. It discusses the benefits of partnerships, such as speeding development time and reducing risks. Key factors for successful partnerships include mutual respect, shared goals/vision, commitment, trust, and fairly shared risk. Partnerships can take many forms on a spectrum from low to high cooperation. Higher involvement like joint ventures require more due diligence. Forming partnerships is similar to forming other relationships as compatibility, communication and adapting to change are important. Termination of partnerships should also be planned for as circumstances change. Special considerations for small firms partnering with much larger ones include approaching the larger firm during slower times when speculative ventures may be more appealing.
The document discusses Regal Beloit Corporation, a global manufacturer of electric motors and mechanical motion control products. It summarizes Regal's financial performance, growth strategies, and acquisition of EPC, which expanded its product portfolio and geographic presence. Regal expects $35 million in annual synergies from the EPC acquisition through facility rationalization, material consolidation, and other measures. The company has a track record of consistent growth, financial performance on par with industrial peers, and expanding globally through acquisitions.
Transformational deals have become desirable, but business leaders agree that they are the most difficult transactions in M&A today. This article lists seven fundamental tenets of M&A integration that can help your company shift its business model and maybe reshape its industry.
M&A’s are among the biggest challenges for companies and their IT organizations to navigate. They often create issues that cannot be dealt with conventional leadership and management techniques.
Ernst & Young - Private Equity primed for new opportunitiesCAR FOR YOU
The survey found that private equity CFOs have expertly navigated regulatory challenges and are focused on operational efficiencies. Nearly half of CFOs see increasing regulation and compliance as their top concern over the next two years due to the drain on resources. Most anticipate regulatory changes will increase costs, and about 40% feel regulations may inhibit cost control and infrastructure improvements. However, CFOs have generally dealt confidently with regulatory burdens like FATCA and AIFMD and do not expect them to reduce fundraising efforts. CFOs are also enhancing valuation processes and increasing involvement in preparing valuations to address regulator and investor demands.
1) Erie led the sensor industry in operating efficiency and productivity from 2016 to 2021 through strategic investments in automation, training programs, and process improvements. Their focus on cost leadership in low-tech segments led to high profit margins.
2) By 2021, Erie had the second highest profits in the industry at over $34 million, with earnings per share of $14.59. Their investments positioned them well for future growth.
3) Erie's original strategic plan was to gain market share in the low-end and traditional segments through low costs. However, they adapted over time, adding a new traditional product, improving existing products, and expanding into the performance segment due to opportunities they observed.
1. The most important objectives of SRM according to respondents are leveraging supplier capabilities, reducing costs, and improving security of supply.
2. Approximately 60% of respondents have a formal supplier segmentation process in place, most commonly segmenting suppliers based on spend size, product importance, and risk exposure.
3. While the benefits of SRM are acknowledged, the average maturity level of SRM programs is still low. Common challenges include an overemphasis on cost reduction, a lack of SRM competencies, and insufficient alignment between business, procurement, and suppliers.
The document discusses the expanding role of CFOs in mid-sized growing organizations. CFOs now play a more strategic role beyond finance and are involved in decisions around IT investments, risk management, and overall business strategy. They require real-time analytics and business intelligence tools to make better informed decisions. Modern ERP systems can help CFOs manage growth, consolidate acquisitions, optimize resources, and meet increasing compliance demands.
- Current performance management systems are not well aligned with company goals and fail to maximize growth potential. They often drive conflicting behaviors rather than focus employees on key priorities.
- To be effective, performance management must start by clearly linking business goals and human capital performance. Metrics and incentives should drive the right behaviors to achieve milestones and outcomes. Reviews should also focus on adapting to changes in the business environment.
- A new approach is needed to manage performance in today's highly networked environment where collaboration, information flows, and organizational structures have changed. Individual metrics no longer capture real contributions to business outcomes.
The document discusses Hillenbrand's strategy to transform into a global diversified industrial company through acquisitions and organic growth. It highlights how Hillenbrand has strengthened its portfolio and financial results over the past 5 years. The presentation also outlines Hillenbrand's strategic priorities going forward to continue driving profitable growth, including strengthening leadership positions, leveraging the Hillenbrand Operating Model, and making additional acquisitions.
PwC Corporate Responsibility Barometer 2014 Fading MomentumAnna Suomi
The document summarizes PwC's Corporate Responsibility Barometer 2014, which reviews corporate responsibility in Finland from three perspectives: strategic, management, and reporting. Some key findings are that opportunities from sustainability remain underutilized, sustainability performance in supply chains needs improvement, and compliance guides reporting more than focusing reports on material issues. Human rights issues are emphasized in supply chain management but not well integrated into management systems.
AmCham 2015 business climate survey final report Jan 2015Gordon Stewart
The survey summarizes the views of AmCham Taipei member companies on Taiwan's business climate and environment. While most companies were profitable in 2014 and have a positive 5-year outlook, they also face ongoing issues like inconsistent regulations, bureaucracy, outdated laws, and a lack of transparency. The top impacts on business are inconsistent regulatory interpretation and changes in local demand. Support exists for trade agreements but political obstacles remain. Regulatory reform is needed to strengthen Taiwan's competitiveness and attractiveness for foreign investment.
The document discusses navigating mergers and acquisitions to facilitate smooth integration. It explores organic growth versus inorganic growth through acquisition, and reviews the post-merger integration process. The presentation focuses on selecting the right growth method, reviewing integration, and devising ongoing improvement. It emphasizes that the goal is to build shareholder value through maximizing the value of all assets.
This document summarizes the key findings of a research report on how business leaders are using technology to drive organizational efficiency. Some of the main findings include:
- 96% of business leaders believe that technology helps increase efficiency by saving time and streamlining operations.
- Companies that make technology central to their productivity strategies are more confident in achieving efficiency goals than those that are less tech-driven.
- The report found differences in attitudes across regions, with the US being the most tech-driven and confident, while the Netherlands was the least.
- Measuring return on investment for productivity tools can be difficult, but companies generally focus on time-related metrics like time saved and increased productivity. Companies with high IT support are
National Oil Companies (NOCs) have significantly increased their spending on research and development (R&D) over the past decade, outpacing spending growth by Independent Oil Companies (IOCs). However, NOCs have struggled to translate this increased spending into operational impacts and improved performance. While some NOCs have established technological leadership in certain areas, they generally lag IOCs in effectively managing technology and innovation. To close this gap, NOCs need to improve strategic alignment between technology and corporate strategies, better integrate R&D with operations, and strengthen technology deployment and portfolio management processes. Addressing organizational structure, strategic focus, and technology management processes can help NOCs boost performance from their R&D investments without requiring increased budgets.
1) Businesses face new challenges from Brexit including regulatory changes and economic uncertainty.
2) To navigate Brexit, companies need to focus on operational agility through strategies like risk management, data-driven decision making, customer focus, and cost control.
3) Five recommendations are provided: reassess risk and response plans; improve information for decisions; strengthen customer capabilities; monitor data regulations; continue cost management.
This document describes a hierarchical state machine architecture for embedded systems using C++ and message passing. Key points:
- State machines provide a structured framework for managing all possible events and states of complex software.
- The architecture uses hierarchical state machines with parent and child states. Events can be passed up to parent states like object inheritance.
- Each software object runs as a separate task with its own message queue. A message controller routes messages between objects.
- Challenges addressed include avoiding stale messages and data, deferred event processing, and full message queues. The architecture provides solutions like timestamping watchdog messages and maintaining global state variables.
The document is a grant proposal from the Historic Hudson Community Association (HHCA) seeking $105,883 from the Licking County Foundation to redevelop the North Street Park in Newark, Ohio. The HHCA aims to transform the neglected park into a safe, professionally-designed space for children to play, community gatherings, and group activities. The multi-year redevelopment project would improve accessibility, add a playground, shelter, and landscaping. Completing the project would boost quality of life and socioeconomic development in the surrounding Historic Hudson neighborhood.
The document provides an analysis of the Book of Jonah structured as a chiasm. It highlights how the chiasm draws attention to the central theme of God's saving mercy in the face of Jonah's disobedience. Specifically, it contrasts Jonah's indifference with the pagan sailors' compassion for Jonah. It also analyzes Jonah 1:3-16, noting Jonah's downward movement representing his spiritual state, and how the passage illustrates the key theme of fear through the different responses of Jonah and the sailors.
The document summarizes the City of Alliance's Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the 2014 program year. It describes how Community Development Block Grant funds were used to support housing rehabilitation, code enforcement, demolition, public services, and the acquisition and rehabilitation of a vacant property. Key accomplishments included rehabilitating homes, inspecting properties, registering vacant buildings, assisting those in need of food and prescription medications, and providing shelter and services to domestic violence victims. The CAPER evaluates the outcomes of these activities and ensures HUD requirements were met.
This document presents an action agenda for historic preservation in legacy cities with 9 action items organized under 3 themes:
1) Shape a new approach to preservation in legacy cities by recognizing unique challenges, engaging communities, and using data.
2) Adapt preservation tools and policies to meet legacy city needs through creating toolkits, developing financing, reforming policies, and aligning federal programs.
3) Support place-based collaboration by building local coalitions and participating in discussions among legacy city organizations. The agenda calls for pragmatic preservation priorities in legacy cities facing challenges such as weak real estate markets, abandonment, and limited resources.
Python (Jinja2) Templates for Network AutomationRick Sherman
Templates allow network configurations to be defined separately from the configuration data. This makes configurations reusable, shareable, and easy to update. Jinja2 is a popular template language that allows variables, conditionals, loops, and inheritance in templates. Templates separate the "how" of the configuration syntax from the "what" of the configuration data values. This document provides examples of basic Jinja2 template features like variables, filters, includes, inheritance blocks, and using data sources.
Business Viability Assessment: Hastings EntertainmentTemi Vasco
This document provides an analysis of the business viability of Hastings Entertainment, a multimedia entertainment retailer. It begins with an industry analysis of the retail specialty sector for music, video, games, books and stationery. This industry enjoys fierce competition and moderate threats. The document then analyzes Hastings' competitive position, financial health, strengths, weaknesses, and provides recommendations to improve financial performance such as increasing sales and reducing costs. Overall, the document conducts a thorough analysis of Hastings' industry and competitive position to evaluate its business viability.
Technical Trading Rules for the NASDAQ100Temi Vasco
This paper analyzes technical trading rules applied to 15 years of daily NASDAQ 100 index data. It finds that simple moving average crossover rules generated more positive returns on buy days compared to sell days, though the differences were not statistically significant. A strategy of going long the index on buy signals and holding cash on sell signals did not outperform a simple buy-and-hold strategy after accounting for transaction costs. The results suggest technical trading rules did not provide a reliable way to earn excess returns in this market over the period studied.
This document provides a stock valuation of General Electric Company using several models. It first discusses GE's industry and company overview, strengths, and weaknesses. It then estimates the intrinsic value of GE's stock using the constant growth dividend model, residual income model, and market multiples approaches. The constant growth dividend model estimates a value lower than the current stock price, suggesting the stock is overvalued and recommending a short position.
This document summarizes an operations management case study analyzing how to minimize transportation costs for SKB Healthcare India's supply chain. The case study develops a transportation model using linear programming to determine the optimal shipping plan from multiple packing stations to depots to meet product demand at lowest cost. The model is compared to the company's current shipping method and is found to reduce daily freight costs by over Rs. 1,000. While lowering costs, the model must also consider other qualitative factors like quality, delivery speed and customer satisfaction.
ITFit provides a customized IT management software called ITFit that is based on the KaseyaIT platform. ITFit will customize KaseyaIT by designing procedures, tasks, schedules, and scripts to automate IT tasks and provide recommendations. This will provide customers with a plug-and-play IT management system. ITFit is owned by four individuals with experience in IT management, sales, and accounting. The software will be offered as a SaaS model to customers nationwide.
Financial Analysis: La Paloma Restaurant & BarTemi Vasco
Variance analysis, financial ratios, common-sized statements, trend analysis and common sense evaluation to identify root causes and recommend possible solutions
White Paper: Predictability Through Planning AgilityHost Analytics
Outperform your competition by making financial processes more relevant in driving organizational excellence, efficiency and informed decision-making, while improving forecast and budget accuracy.
This document summarizes the key findings of a survey of over 900 finance professionals on planning, budgeting and forecasting (PBF) processes. It finds that current PBF processes are often flawed and do not meet strategic needs. It recommends three areas of focus for improvement: 1) Create the right organizational culture where PBF is a partnership between operations and finance and aligns with strategic goals. 2) Integrate PBF across the enterprise using high quality data. 3) Deploy effective and scalable technology like cloud solutions for real-time reporting and continuous improvement. The CFO needs to take a leading role in transforming PBF to make it more forward-looking and integrated. Addressing issues like short-term incentives and
The document discusses enterprise performance management (EPM) and the results of surveys conducted with over 2,600 finance professionals. It finds that EPM processes like planning, budgeting, forecasting, performance reporting, and cost analysis are often disjointed and not well integrated. Additionally, ownership of these processes frequently remains with the finance function rather than the wider business. The document advocates integrating EPM processes, focusing on key value drivers, and addressing challenges like data quality and technology adoption to help organizations better manage performance.
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The document provides an overview of a survey of over 900 finance professionals about planning, budgeting and forecasting (PBF) processes. There are three key findings:
1) Current PBF processes are often flawed, with budgets produced as politically agreed numbers rather than aligned with business realities. Ownership of PBF is also unclear.
2) To improve PBF, organizations must create the right culture where PBF is a joint business-finance partnership. PBF ownership should shift to the business over time. Incentives should also align with long-term strategic goals.
3) Integrating PBF enterprise-wide using high quality data, and deploying effective technology solutions can help make PBF a
Business-Transformation-Initiatives-Unlocking-Benefits-for-ManufacturersAlina Aronova, MBA
This document discusses how business transformation initiatives can deliver benefits to manufacturing organizations. It notes that many companies' enterprise application portfolios are suboptimal and they are missing out on benefits from modernization. A business transformation effort that upgrades applications and improves business processes can increase profitability, reduce costs, and improve efficiencies. The document provides examples of how manufacturers have successfully implemented business transformations that standardized processes, integrated systems from acquisitions, and realized estimated cost savings and other benefits.
This survey of over 70 finance executives examined current trends and best practices in budgeting and planning. Key findings include:
- Larger companies (over $50M revenue) tend to use corporate performance management tools instead of spreadsheets for more complex needs.
- Using rolling forecasts (frequent updates) reduces the effort for finance teams and budget managers compared to annual budgets.
- Simplifying the budgeting process by focusing on key metrics and reducing unnecessary line items can significantly improve efficiency.
- Enabling scenario analysis and "what if" modeling improves budgeting efficiency and makes budgets more useful management tools.
Etude PwC sur le reporting intégré (sept. 2014)PwC France
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Creating the Performance Driven Organisation - Paul LimPaul Lim
The document discusses the importance of performance management for organizations. It outlines a methodology called VisionBridge for developing performance management programs. The methodology has three phases - identify, design, and execute. The identify phase uncovers business assumptions and maps operations. The design phase identifies key performance drivers, objectives, and indicators. The execute phase implements the performance system. The document argues that properly identifying and prioritizing the right performance metrics is critical for success. VisionBridge uses a technology architecture to integrate performance data across systems and support decision making.
Delivering more value to the business through
performance measurement and improved decision
support is the top priority for the finance function
through 2020. Among senior finance professionals
participating in the 2014 EY Global Insurance CFO
Survey, 71% indicated that “being a better business
partner” ranked among their top three priorities,
with 35% placing this as number one.
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Accenture 2014 High Performance Finance Study 1 Accenture 2014 High Performan...Claire Webber
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1) Finance functions have improved their ability to manage volatility and complexity compared to 2011 and CFOs are more satisfied with performance.
2) Complexity is the biggest challenge finance faces but also an opportunity for high performers who standardize processes to streamline operations.
3) Companies are shifting focus from cost control to growth and many CFOs are taking on broader roles driving business transformation and building value.
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ALL THE DETAILS ARE MENTIONED IN THE DOCUMENT RELATED TO ALL 4 PERSPECTIVES OF BSC.
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Reinventing Enterprise
Performance Management
to Support Sustainable,
Innovation-Based Growth
For 2014, The Hackett Group’s Key Issues research finds that companies are focusing on
innovation as a core strategy to deliver growth. Financial planning and analysis organisations
are profoundly impacted by this strategic orientation as well as the main business drivers
behind it (global competition, volatility and the “information revolution”).
Gilles Bonelli, The Hackett Group
To rise to the challenge of supporting innovation-based growth,
FP&A organisations must pursue a broad transformation
agenda covering:
• Integration of EPM processes and development of
business partnerships
• Improvement of core processes to recalibrate FPA’s
value proposition
• Development of business intelligence information
delivery capabilities
While owned by FPA, this agenda is aimed at elevating the
company’s broader EPM capability level, and thus extends
beyond the functional boundaries of FPA.
Strategic Priority in 2014:
Sustainable, Innovation-Based Growth
The Hackett Group’s EPM Key Issues research is based on a study
conducted in late 2013. Study participants included executives
from over 150 large companies globally. The study covered their
business strategies, revenue and budget expectations, as well as
key initiatives for 2014.
The study found that the business environment continues to
be characterised by high levels of volatility and risk. Volatility of
demand has been a recurring theme since the global financial
crisis and remains the number-one driver of business strategy.
However, other types of risk and instability are becoming more
prominent. These are related to competition, regulation and
talent. Furthermore, the lingering risks of the crisis are still
being factored into business strategies by 62% of companies
participating in The Hackett Group’s 2014 Key Issues Study; so
is supply volatility (for example commodity prices), included by
70% of companies.
Despite persistent uncertainty about business conditions,
most companies have reverted to a focus on creating value
for shareholders through revenue growth and margin
improvement. Over half of study participants cite revenue
growth as their top financial objective; 25% indicate margin
improvement is their main goal. Just 4% of companies are
actually targeting the acceleration of their historical revenue
growth rate. This very low percentage indicates a great amount
of lingering caution in business.
This conservative outlook is reflected in the business strategies
that will be deployed to realise financial objectives in 2014.
Sustainable, innovation-based strategies are top-ranked, but
only for the purpose of maintaining historical growth rates.
Traditionally, innovation was usually associated with a growth-
acceleration strategy. Today, it is a prerequisite to simply
maintaining growth rates, staying competitive and ultimately
remaining commercially viable.
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For many, this will require changes touching all aspects of
operations. The most important among these are adopting
technology, unlocking the value of information, and realigning
talent. Companies also continue to look for growth in other
countries, as reflected in the high priority given to expanding
the customer base. Globalising the business brings its own
challenges. Not surprisingly, then, finding or developing the
right talent remains a fundamental issue.
EPM BI: Critical to Achieve Sustainable, Innovation-
based Growth
EPM and BI are critically important organisational competencies
to develop and execute an innovation-based growth agenda.
While both competencies extend beyond the boundaries of
the FPA organisation, in our research we focused just on the
implications for FPA organisations of the need to support the
enterprise’s innovation- based growth agenda. For many, this
will demand the reinvention of their own service offering and
decision support capability.
The majority of companies are pursuing changes in cost
structure, led by reduction in SGA cost. As a result, few
organisations will find additional budget for net-new
investment in FPA, so any reinvention will need to be self-
funded. Staffing levels across the finance function are expected
to decrease in 2014, while operating budgets will increase
slightly (Fig. 1). FPA budgets and staffing levels will closely
track these projections. Yet FPA organisations are expected to
meet higher demand levels. Our model assumes that demand
is proportional to the revenue base supported by the FPA
organisation (which is projected to grow at 6-7%). This increase
in demand, plus the anticipated budget cutback of close to 1%,
translates into a need for productivity gains in the range of 7-8%.
An Agenda for Reinvention of FPA
The need for transformational change in FPA to support the
evolving requirements of the business is nothing new. Ever since
the financial crisis, companies have generally been operating
in a structurally higher-risk (and thus less predictable) business
environment. Meanwhile, the transition from the industrial-
age economy to the information-age economy is accelerating,
creating its own set of challenges for EPM. These trends all
have major implications for financial planning, forecasting,
performance reporting and analysis processes.
With innovation now prominent on the enterprise agenda, FPA
has gained yet another reason to rethink its value proposition.
An innovation-based enterprise agenda requires rigorous
decision-support based on operational and financial modeling.
FIGURE 1: ANTICIPATED CHANGES IN FINANCE BUDGET AND STAFFING 2013-2014
FIGURE 2: EPM PRIORITIES IN 2014
The FPA function plays an important role in providing this
support throughout the entire innovation life cycle. Innovation-
related business decisions are fraught with far more uncertainty
than traditional capital investments and resource allocation.
Hence, FPA needs to innovate itself in order to support
innovation in the core business.
Our research shows that to improve the organisational EPM
competency level, FPA needs a broad transformation agenda,
which can be clustered into the following three themes (Fig. 2):
1. Integrate EPM processes and develop business partnerships:
Financial planning and analysis is at the core of the enterprise
EPM capability, which extends beyond finance. The maturity
of EPM as a decision-making competency is a function of
integration between planning domains (strategic, operational
and financial) and the maturity of partnerships between
FPA and the business.
2. Improve core processes to recalibrate FPA’s value
proposition: FPA is the custodian and owner of the
organisation’s core financial management control cycle:
financial planning and budgeting, forecasting and
performance reporting, supported by analytics. Continuous
improvement in this cycle is needed to improve service levels
and drive out cost. Efficiency gains are also necessary to
free up resources to move up the value chain with a flat or
declining cost base. Further, providing better value to the
enterprise will rely on FPA groups’ability to better integrate
and garner business operational knowledge to take their
insights to the next level.
3. Develop BI information delivery capability: As the preeminent
value-added information provider to the organisation, FPA
is at the center of the BI revolution. Often a driver and major
contributor to kick-starting initiatives in these areas, FPA
is well positioned to help bring a focus on what matters in
analytics, as well as bridge the gap between financial analytics
and those in other business domains (e.g., sales, marketing,
operations). Transforming and innovating the way information
is delivered will become a critical capability for FPA.
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In the remainder of this report, we explore each theme and its
associated initiatives in more detail.
Integrate EPM Processes Develop Business
Partnerships
While financial planning and budgeting, owned by FPA, have
traditionally been at the heart of the organisation’s performance
management cycle, EPM is inherently an enterprise-wide
capability and includes the strategic, operational and financial
planning domains. In part, integration of these domains revolves
around formal process and data integration and alignment
of planning calendars. Various EPM performance studies
conducted by The Hackett Group since 2011 have all found
a strong correlation between EPM performance and process
and data integration, consistently showing far higher planning
integration at top-performing organisations.
However, without effective collaboration among stakeholders,
successful integration of operational, finance and strategic
planning will be elusive. Many organisations focus either on the
(structured) process and information aspects of integration, or
the (unstructured) partnership aspects. The most successful
organisations focus on both and maturity evolves in parallel; as
FPA business partners benefit from better information access,
analytical capability and more mature processes, they can add
more value to the partnership.
Improve Core Processes to Recalibrate FPA’s Value
Proposition
Many FPA organisations are redesigning parts of their core
financial management control cycle (financial planning and
budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting), motivated
in part by widespread frustration over the ineffectiveness
and inefficiency of the traditional annual financial budgeting
process. While some organisations aspire to eliminate the
financial budgeting process altogether, very few have actually
achieved this. Most are trying to ease the pain of annual
budgeting simply through process improvement, technology
enablement and complexity reduction.
The financial forecasting process is often hampered by the same
complexity and excess detail that burden budgeting. Hackett
research shows that effective forecasting is driver-based, and
that failure to reduce complexity is the main reason many rolling
forecast implementations do not achieve their objectives. Our
2014 Key Issues Study strongly confirms finance organisations’
emphasis on improving core FPA processes. Improving
the efficiency of annual budgeting is the highest-ranked
performance improvement initiative among finance functions,
with 18% of companies considering this their top priority;
another 55% have a major initiative planned for 2014.
The third core FPA process, business performance reporting,
is often resource-intensive, inefficient and ineffective. As
with budgeting and forecasting, complexity is performance
reporting’s worst enemy. World-class organisations cover
most of their reporting needs through standard reporting, use
well-defined, standard reporting packs, and have a rigorous
governance process to prevent unnecessary complexity
from creeping in. They also use self-service reporting portals
and scorecards far more extensively than the peer group to
improve reporting efficiency and timeliness. (The need to
improve business performance reporting is aligned both with
the “improve core FPA processes”and “develop information
delivery”themes discussed in the next section.)
Improving core FPA processes is a prerequisite for moving up
the value curve in decision-support services. In the absence of
additional funding to develop new capabilities, the reinvention
of FPA needs to be self-financed. Only efficiency improvements
beyond the rate needed to meet additional growth-driven
demand can free up the necessary resources.
Develop BI Information Delivery Capability
After decades of investment in transactional backbone systems,
and the digitisation of content (documents, multimedia)
on a massive scale, companies are accumulating data at an
unprecedented pace. Add in universal connectivity, access
to virtually unlimited amounts of information through the
Internet, an explosion of information access devices and
technologies, and it is clear that a “perfect information storm”
is brewing. For years, Hackett studies have found that BI and
analytics rank among the top three most important technology
investments, and are often the number-one priority. This year’s
Key Issues Study findings were no different (Fig. 3).
FPA’s primary role is to improve business decision making by
providing value-added information (including analytics) services
to the business. The vast majority of business decisions have
a financial dimension, which is the primary area of focus and
expertise of FPA organisations. This puts FPA at the center
of the BI analytics revolution. First, FPA is the custodian (and
in many cases, the owner) of purely financial information and
analytics. Second, it plays an important role in developing the
financial dimension of analytical models in other areas of the
business. Third, it is responsible for ensuring consistent financial
planning assumptions of financial and operational analytical
models and tools used throughout the organisation. And finally,
it is responsible for governance of much of the financial master
data, KPIs, data definitions and metadata underlying all of these
models and tools.
Given financial planners’and analysts’central role in BI/
analytics, it should come as no surprise that in many
organisations these staff are aligned with BI/analytics Centers of
Excellence. They may be the de facto functional owners of BI and
analytics data models and toolsets, and help elevate the general
BI/analytics competence level throughout the organisation.
FIGURE 3: BI, ANALYTICS AND DATA MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT PRIORITY
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Strategic Implications
The demand emanating from changes in the external business
environment, business strategies focusing on innovation,
and the information revolution puts tremendous pressure on
FPA organisations for reinvention. Those that remain stuck
in a pattern of facilitating the annual financial budgeting
cycle, periodic forecast and financial variance reporting will
rapidly become viewed as adding no value, and thus strictly an
overhead cost.
To avoid this fate, FPA organisations must pursue a very
broad transformation agenda, simultaneously making core
FPA processes more efficient, developing new BI and analytics
capabilities, integrating financial planning processes with
the operational and strategic planning domains, and building
partnerships with the business.
The FPA transformation roadmap must be the outcome of a
deliberate design process, based on current-state performance
and capability in assessment and gap analysis.
Fortunately, Hackett research indicates most FPA
organisations recognise the challenge and are answering the
call, as reflected in their aggressive transformation agendas for
2014 and beyond.
ABOUT
THE
AUTHORS
Gilles Bonelli
Practice Leader, The Hackett Group
Gilles Bonelli is Practice Leader, Enterprise Performance Management Business
Intelligence Executive Advisory Program, Europe, for The Hackett Group.
Article written in conjunction with Erik Dorr Sherri Liao