A recent report from the Private Capital Markets Project at Pepperdine University shows that both investors and business owners appear to be cautiously optimistic about the direction of the economy, although financing remains tight. About three-quarters of bankers, 55 percent of asset-based lenders, 69 percent of factors, and 53 percent of angel investors forecast improving business conditions over the next 12 months.

On the other side of the table, more than half of business owners, when assessing the past 6 months, said that their revenues had increased, and 63 percent had greater opportunities for growth.

The report, prepared by senior researcher John Paglia, an associate professor of finance at the university, is an exhaustive (150-some pages) look at the deals under way at a range of lenders and investors: bank loan officers, angel investors, factoring firms, and PE groups, to name a few. more

Achieving the full vision of the enterprise performance management framework involves more than selecting one of its many methodologies and then purchasing software to install and implement the solution. It requires individuals with talent and skills. Here is a list of famous people who have inspired me and exemplify the traits valuable in achieving that full vision:

• Socrates: An effective way to help people learn is by asking them questions that lead to meaning. Socrates taught Plato and other Greek philosophers by making them think about answers to his questions rather than just lecturing. For example, asking “Does our organization measure the correct performance indicators that reveal progress toward achieving our strategic objectives?” is more stimulating than simply providing a list of commonly accepted industry metrics.

• Thomas Jefferson: Americans typically have a favorite “founding father” of their nation. Mine is Jefferson because he believed in a fair society. Performance management involves equitable treatment of allocating resources to align with the organization’s strategy to optimize results. For example, activity-based costing traces costs accurately, compared to traditional broadly averaged cost allocations that give false impressions because some product’s costs subsidize others. more