http://bigfatfinanceblog.com Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:06:20 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Did you see the movie Up in the Air, starring George Clooney? Those of you who have not seen it probably have heard something about it. It involves a professional with a job who flies in airline jets so much that hotels and airports become his life. There are parts ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/15/up-in-the-air/ Could anything be more useless than a use tax? Consumers bear the brunt of use taxes, of course — at least in theory — because these levies are designed to function as states’ fall-back position for regular old sales taxes when those are not collected for one reason or another ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/12/complying-with-the-whats-the-use-tax/ Forget about "information overload." Instead, reexamine your assumptions. The return on your time and attention investment will be worth it. I recently read an interesting blog entry from Thomas Davenport, who co-authored Competing on Analytics (Harvard Business School Press, 2007) and works as a professor at Babson University. In his blog, ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/12/the-assumption-fallacy/ One of the great business ironies this recession is beginning to expose across numerous finance organizations is that the very talent CFOs have sorely depended on to bring costs down – and in effect save their companies – is now at risk. It’s a development that once again ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/12/three-ways-to-avoid-the-cfos-axe/ It’s a challenge far removed from the expense-minded initiatives most CFOs have toiled on over the last 18 months. And it’s one any number of finance leaders would likely envy. However, the act of spending speedily is apparently no small feat, especially when your consequent shareholders are the president of ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/11/a-cfos-enviable-challenge-how-to-quickly-spend-36-billion-and-make-an-impact/ The saga involving the proposed regulation of over-the-counter derivatives, as covered in this post from last month, continues. For several weeks, Senator Christopher Dodd (D., Conn.) has been expected to introduce a bill that addresses several of the stickier issues surrounding OTC derivatives. Over the past month, he has been ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/10/otc-derivatives-the-story-continues/ In its latest study, IBM dubs the CFO “the new value integrator.” Think about that the next time you bump into the CIO. Check out IBM’s full CFO study here, along with a ton of related content, including a discussion forum and video. Here’s IBM’s rationale: Value integrators are skilled at ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/10/cfo-as-the-new-value-integrator/ Harvard economist David M. Cutler jumps on the sugar-tax boat this morning in an opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. Arguing that the Obama health-care reform program is worth salvaging because it will help flatten the medical inflation curve, he nevertheless faults the proposals for lack of nutrition-sin taxes. ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/09/hands-off-my-pizza/ Zing! A peppery interview with “Madoff whistle-blower” Harry Markopolos recently appeared in the decidedly mainstream publishing environs of the New York Times Magazine. In the Q&A, Markopolos (who conducted a lengthy, and nearly fruitless, effort to persuade the SEC that Bernard Madoff was a fraud), provides a mass audience with some ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/09/sec-smack-talk/ The excitement of the Oscars may be over for another year, but thanks to Florida lawmakers, the movie biz is lingering on in the limelight today. Rep. Stephen Precourt is in the hurt locker over a bill that offers a $75 million tax incentive package for companies that produce “family-friendly” ... http://bigfatfinanceblog.com/2010/03/08/florida-movie-tax-break-shows-with-gays-need-not-apply/