The ABB Group, a provider of automation and power technologies, is one of the world’s biggest conglomerates, so when I got wind of an indirect tax software initiative at the firm, I was eager to find out about it. I talked with Peggi Rockefeller, director of sales, property, and indirect tax, who explained how ABB is pulling a very impressive ROI from the project.

John Cummings: When did you implement your transaction tax solution?

Peggi Rockefeller: We chose to upgrade our tax technology to coincide with a major ERP implementation — we were moving 20 ERPs to one version of SAP! At the time, we only had a few bolt-on sales tax modules for certain businesses; I realized that we absolutely had to have one standard solution for taxation, and I wanted to go Web-based.

The process started in 2008 with blueprinting the solution, and it was basically a two-year implementation process through Q1 2010. Actually, we started with 19 ERPs, but in the midst of our process we acquired another company that had to be integrated into the new landscape in Q1 of 2010. At that point, we were easily able to migrate the acquisition into SAP and Vertex. Overall, though, this project had a very aggressive time line because you’re talking about literally dozens of divisions. There were many who said it couldn’t be done. more

Quick quiz: What are the seven key pieces of information you need before you can begin calculating depreciation?

If you have no clue, or can only come up with a couple, you might want to check out a new ebook from BNA Software called Fixed Assets Primer: The Essentials for Managing Fixed Assets (available as a free 20-page pdf; requires a simple sign-up). All the basics are here: approaches to defining assets, reconciliation and reporting, calculating and managing depreciation, inventory audits. Given the recent barrage of changes in the tax laws, the sections on Section 179 expenses and bonus depreciation are especially useful for anyone looking for a refresher. more

The future of the eurozone has been much on my mind since my recent post about the catastrophic failure of tax governance in Greece. Just when I was starting to feel that Europe might scrape through this crisis, Michael Lewis’s stunning report on the depth of the corruption in Greece, amounting almost to a disintegration of civic life, made me think again.

Michael Elliot sounds an optimistic note in this CNN article, pointing out that while pundits have been predicting the collapse of the euro for months now, it ain’t happened yet: “The euro has been strengthening against the dollar. Europe’s political commitment to the single currency remains as strong as ever. There has been remarkably little labor unrest in Greece since the spring, nor in Spain, where the government adopted a tough austerity package that included wage cuts for public servants.” more

Two weeks ago, I mentioned the FM Global report, “Flirting with Natural Disasters: Why Companies Risk It All.” Among other findings, the report examines the role that psychology plays in BCM efforts (and more specifically, natural disaster preparedness).

Last week, I followed up with Ruud Bosman, FM Global’s vice chairman of the board of directors, to ask him several questions about the report:

Eric Krell: What prompted you to raise this issue – the psychology of human nature’s role in natural disaster preparedness efforts – in a report?

Ruud Bosman: Year after year, human factors are the direct or indirect cause of at least 70 percent of business and commercial property losses. It was compelling for us to look at such factors in the context of business leaders’ perceptions when it comes to preparing and protecting their operations against natural disasters. The often devastating aftermath of natural disasters is well-known and expected, so it is striking that many companies often do not pay more attention to loss prevention. more

Will I see you at the Lean Accounting Summit in Las Vegas, on Sept. 21-22?

This year’s Lean Accounting Summit – my session takes place Tuesday and is titled “Creating Lean Future Ready Companies” — marks the fifth anniversary of this event. Lean Accounting can help you add more value in two ways. First it can show you how to make your organization more efficient. Second, it shows how accounting can, and should, change to become more effective. more