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1、The Activist CFOAlignment With Strategy, Not Just With the Business A report prepared by CFO Research Services in collaboration with Booz Allen Hamilton The Activist CFOAlignment With Strategy, Not Just With the Business A report prepared by CFO Research Services in collaboration with Booz Allen Ham
2、ilton CONTENTS About this Report Introduction Four Profiles for the Corporate Finance Team Profitability, Profiles, and Mismatched Finance Agendas Activist Role as a New Model for the Senior Finance Team Conclusion Appendix: CFO Agenda Profiler Sponsors Perspective 2 3 5 12 15 19 21 22 APRIL 2005 20
3、05 CFO PUBLISHING CORP. 1 The Activist CFOAlignment With Strategy, Not Just With the Business 2005 CFO PUBLISHING CORP. APRIL 2005 2 April 2005 Copyright 2005 CFO Publishing Corp., which is solely responsible for its content. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a
4、 retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, without written permission. ABOUT THIS REPORT In October 2004, CFO Research Services (a unit of CFO Publishing Corp.) and Booz Allen Hamilton launched a research program to explore the changing agenda of senior finance teams and to documen
5、t an increasingly activist role among leading CFOs. This report presents the findings of our electronic survey of more than 1,600 senior finance executives and in-depth interviews with finance executives. CFO Research Services and Booz Allen Hamilton developed the hypotheses for this research jointl
6、y. Booz Allen Hamilton funded the research and publication of our findings, and we would like to acknowledge Vinay Couto, Gary Neilson, Mark Moran, and Frank Galioto for their contributions and support. At CFO Research Services, Sam Knox edited the report and managed the project. The Activist CFOAli
7、gnment With Strategy, Not Just With the Business is published by CFO Publishing Corp., 253 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210. Please direct inquiries to Lisa Nelson at 617-345-9700, ext. 249 or . APRIL 2005 2005 CFO PUBLISHING CORP. 3 INTRODUCTION “I think controllership is an essential part of the CF
8、Os role,” says Bruce Nolop, CFO of Pitney Bowes, “but whats important now more than ever is to be a well- rounded CFO so youre not just a business partner but also an alter ego to the CEOto really influence and deliver on strategy.” Nolop brings to the surface an emerging role for the CFO and the se
9、nior finance teamone in which finance serves the companys strategy as much as it fills the traditional roles of controllership, financial reporting, regulatory compliance, and decision support. Most observers would agree that CFOs and their senior finance teams should base their finance agendas on t
10、heir companies overall corporate strategies. Companies focused on growth through innovation and market expansion have one set of priorities. Those facing a turnaround have priorities that are often entirely different. For the finance organization to be truly effective, its agendathe initiatives it p
11、ursues to track and report results, to allocate capital, to ensure control and compliance, and to support decision makingshould be aligned closely with the companys overall strategy. Such alignment with the finance function, or indeed any function, should be commonplace across all companies, large o
12、r small. But recent changes in the C-suite and companies external environment have thrust the CFO into a new and expanded role in which finance teams are revisiting this issue of alignment. Increasingly, investors have little tolerance for companies that cannot deliver on growth and earnings commitm
13、ents. Regulators and prosecutors have come down hard on companies in an effort to restore confidence in the transparency of reporting to the capital markets. And as CEOs are challenged by the external market and their boards of directors, they increasingly need a trusted adviser to help develop and
14、execute corporate strategy. Thus CFOs are poised to take on an expanded and increasingly activist role within their companies. As part of this activist role, CFOs are increasingly aligning their function not just with the business but with the companys overall strategy. And by doing so, they are not
15、 just supporting the business with information and analyses, but also ensuring that the entire enterprise delivers on its commitments. So what is an activist CFO? How is his or her finance agenda unique? Regardless of industry or strategic position, the activist CFO has an expanded and ambitious relationship with his or her C-suite peers and business unit leaders. And he or she has recast the agenda of the corporate finance organization, tying it closely to competitive and operat