CFO.com: White Papers

Redefining Defined Contribution Plans To Enhance Retirement Security

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:10:00 GMT

Although the market collaspe has increased the urgency of efforts to reform DC plans, it is important to note that the shortcomings of these plans existed long before the current financial crisis, and will persist after an eventual market recovery. Therefore, DC plans need to be redefined to address their current limitations by incorporating three new elements: built-in risk protection to protect participants' future retirement income against adverse markets, autopilot retirement planning that provides particpants with an automated and pre-defined path from their first day of employment through their retirement and streamlined plan operations that automate and reduce the cost of plan administration.

Fundamentals Of Buy Sell Agreements

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:42:00 GMT

When an enterprise has more than one owner, the question of ownership becomes important, particularly regarding transfer of that ownership. A buy-sell agreement creates the framework for addressing this issue; done right it enhances the development of the organization, increases the value of the owner's interest and provides for a smooth transition.

We recommend that a buy-sell be part of the enterprise structure as soon as there are multiple owners, also providing for the addition of new owners. It should not be viewed as a prenuptial agreement and should not be a shotgun to force a transaction. We believe that the buy-sell creates better teamwork and keeps the enterprise focused on creating value instead of worrying about ownership issues.

This special report examines ownership and compensation in regards to buy-sell agreements, providing key provisions such as how to determine the price of a buy-out, establishing payment-terms, and other concepts that warrant attention.

Process Engineering in the Financial Services Industry

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:03:00 GMT

Although every company is unique in some way, there are "universal" business process-engineering principles that senior executives can apply as they seek to reshape their organizations. These principles allow executives to tap the reservoir of process-engineering methods and tools, and provide clear guidance and direction in efforts to reduce cost, increase customer responsiveness, and improve overall performance.

Warehouse Management Solutions: Embedded Or Best-Of-Breed?

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:51:00 GMT

As distributors face pressure for faster fulfillment and outstanding customer service, many are wondering if a warehouse management system (WMS) would help. As you begin to examine the various WMS offerings, the dilemma of whether a stand-alone WMS, integrated with an ERP solution or if an WMS module that is part of a broader ERP suite, is your best choice. This paper can help you identify and examine vital points of consideration when seeking the best WMS solution that will accomplish your goals and move your company to a more competitive position. Learn if a stand-alone or embedded solution is best for your needs.

Storm Coming for Self-Funded, Multiemployer Health Plans

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:38:00 GMT

Strom Coming for Self-Funded Health Plans highlights 11 economic and legislative factors that are driving up the cost of self-funded employee health plans and offers advice on mitigating their impact. Although this white paper was written as an alert for multiemployer health plans, the finance departments in all self-insured corporations should be aware of and prepared for the cost increases, cost shifting and new costs that will result from financial pressures on healthcare providers, expanded dependent eligibility, the disparity between Medicare and Medicaid payments vs. payments made by commercial insurers, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and seven other factors. This paper was developed by three health insurance industry veterans, David McSweeney, COO of Healthcare Data Management, Inc. (HDM), Barbara Niehus, FSA, a consulting actuary and David Ermer, Managing Partner, Ermer and Brownell, PLLC, Washington, D. C. Posted with the permission of Benefits Compensation...

7 Ways to Improve Corporate Sustainability While Cutting Costs

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:00 GMT

Now more than ever, organizations are looking for new measures that can help reduce costs while meeting corporate environmental mandates and objectives. In this white paper, written by Aberdeen Group analysts and sponsored by Planon, learn how best-in-class companies are cutting costs and improving corporate sustainability through planned maintenance, carbon footprint reduction, and improved management and measurement of critical data across the corporate real estate portfolio.

In Data Warehouses We Trust?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:36:00 GMT

Data Warehouses have grown in both size and importance in the past few years. What was once ad-hoc and haphazard data mining is now a mission critical element of the operation in the form of risk management, compliance reporting, or financial management. Typical state of the art supporting technologies such as ETL and Data Quality still yield a data result that must be intensively manually controlled to ensure the integrity of the Data Warehouse. This white paper details common underlying causes as well as several potential approaches to reconciliation of Data Warehouse details against source and origination systems.

Automoated Controls For SAP

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:36:00 GMT

As more and more companies migrate portions of their information technology portfolio into Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software application suites such as SAP, the question of how best to implement automated controls over the information and processes embodied by the ERP module(s) requires careful consideration. This paper explores several critical factors that must be evaluated in order to construct a control framework that will satisfy current and future company, audit, governance, compliance, and regulatory requirements.

Significant Information Risk Exposure Threatens Your Next Compliance Audit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:35:00 GMT

Application-centric views of IT processing yield controls that lie within applications. Major unchecked sources of risk continue to exist between applications. This white paper discusses the significant information risk points found between applications and the characteristics of automated control systems that best mitigate information risk.

IBM Banking: Smart Collaborations Turn Customers Into Advocates

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:39:00 GMT

Find out how IBM's collaboration technology software, WebSphere(R), can help retail banks turn customers into advocates.