Demystifying SAP Business Objects Enterprise XI
Context Gartner this year published its Magic Quadrant for Business Intelligence and Corporate Performance Management suites. While the read was quite informative, I nevertheless decided to further investigate the alternative offerings available. Today, I’ll set out to demystify the latest release of SAP Business Objects Enterprise XI – SAP’s flagship BI suite. As most of us know, in recent years we’ve seen a polarisation of BI capabilities.... [Read More...]
Business intelligence as a source of competitive advantage
According to a recent study by IBM, more than 80 percent of CIOs and CFOs rate business intelligence and analytics as their top priority in enhancing business performance. So what are the issues? Faced with ever-mounting levels of data from an increasing number of sources, many businesses struggle to keep up with the daunting task of interpreting its meaning. As a result, there are some inherent challenges associated with managing information as... [Read More...]
How Finance can contribute to faster company-wide efficiencies
A recent study by IBM of more than 1,900 CFOs found that companies with integrated, enterprise-wide standard financial processes and data definitions enjoyed a compound annual growth rate some ten times that of non-integrated companies. So what are the issues? Given the overwhelming evidence in support of integrated financial processes, it is verging on scandalous that just 20% of companies have properly integrated systems in place. But it’s hardly... [Read More...]
Gaining reliable customer intelligence to maximise conversion
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted, and the problem is I do not know which half.” Lord Leverhulme, 1851-1925, founder of Unilever and philanthropist It is estimated that the world spends an eye-watering 1.2 trillion dollars a year on advertising and marketing. With marketing budgets absorbing as much as 20 percent of all revenues – and with much of this technically unaccounted for – it might explain why they’re among... [Read More...]
The expanding role of the CFO in a world of economic uncertainty
The global economic crisis has brought with it one unexpected long-term benefit for businesses: by virtue of necessity, the CFO has become the most influential person in the organisation. From dwelling in the metaphorical shadows of the back office, the CFO has been propelled centre stage to take on a much wider role. And it’s not a moment too soon. With the economic turmoil predicted to continue, it is critical that finance has the broadest possible... [Read More...]
Independent research confirms that Balanced Scorecard delivers increased shareholder value
The use of financial performance measurement tools to help plan and implement business strategy is now a firmly established practice, and has become a critical element in the evaluation of an organisation’s success. So what are the issues? The choice of performance measures used in managing an organisation is of vital importance. Purely financial performance measures, while useful, tend to be of limited effectiveness, because they are inherently... [Read More...]
Can all CFOs be good Chief Performance Officers (CPOs)?
Until Barack Obama appointed Jeffrey Zients to the role of Chief Performance Officer, the job of the CPO had yet to be properly appreciated in corporate Britain. There’s a reason for this. In the USA, the CPO is generally distinct from the CFO and FD. In the UK, however, it frequently becomes the lot of the FD to double-up in the role. Traditionally, the role of the CFO and FD is to control spending and to monitor financial performance. But increasingly,... [Read More...]
Retaining the cost cutting culture of 2009 could lead to missed opportunities in 2010
Ford has posted an annual profit for the first time in four years. The carmaker made £1.7bn in 2009, compared with a loss of almost £10bn in 2008, and has forecast continued profitability for 2010. Microsoft has announced a 60% jump in profit, in at £4.13bn for the three months to 31 December 2009, up from £3bn for the same period last year. Shares in Yell Group jumped 10% after the publisher of Yellow Pages reported better-than-expected results... [Read More...]
Launching our new website
Great news for businesses wanting to stimulate growth through improved efficiency and performance! Performance management – Business intelligence World-class consultancy for small and mid-cap businesses Geojan offers the same level and quality of consultancy enjoyed by multi-nationals and large-cap organisations, but with the focus on small and mid-cap businesses. We arm you with the right information to make quality decisions, align behaviours... [Read More...]
Global Oil & Gas
The challenge: A global oil and gas trading and supply organisation had recently merged multiple operations across Europe. The budgeting process was very high-level, partly because of the lack of standard management information. It also failed to link with performance management and strategic planning. The solution Took senior management through a process of agreeing to a joint interpretation of the strategy and operating model Led a single-country... [Read More...]