Dating back to the days of the mainframe, general ledgers have grown steadily flabbier as companies have piled more and more detail into their chart of accounts. The result: slow, inefficient, redundant financial systems. A white paper from ISA Consulting points to a way out.

Many companies that offshore their general and administrative processes, either through a captive or a service provider, save 25 percent to 50 percent of their baseline costs, according to new research from The Hackett Group.

John McCain and Barack Obama both want to introduce a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emissions. A PricewaterhouseCoopers report looks at the implications for corporate financial statements.

Sarbanes-Oxley was a wake-up call, but few companies had the time to get methodical about spreadsheet risk management. Now they’re coming back to the problem with robust methodologies and new software tools.

The Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG) has released an updated version of its GRC Capability Model, aka the Red Book. The Phoenix, Ariz.-based nonprofit describes the document as “a comprehensive guide for anyone implementing and managing a GRC system or some aspect of that system, including those involved in compliance, training, hotlines and investigations.” Business Finance talked with OCEG’s CEO, Scott Mitchell, about the Red Book’s view of the GRC universe.

Governments are increasingly relying on indirect taxes to fill their coffers, adding to the strain on U.S.-based companies' compliance systems.

If the SEC mandates international financial reporting standards (IFRS), many U.S. companies will need, for a while at least, to be bilingual in IFRS and U.S. GAAP, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. And the time to start learning the new grammar is now.

T-shirts and coffee mugs won't cut it, but gift cards and cold, hard cash just might. More companies are reporting a healthy return from their health and wellness incentive programs.

Pay-for-performance crucially hinges on understanding and optimizing compensation in all its various forms, from hourly pay to stock awards. But gaining an overall view of workforce costs is far from straightforward.

Is there any escape from the cycle of late nights staring at spreadsheets and enormous changes at the last minute? A report from Deloitte suggests some first steps.