Optimizing Back Office Operations: Best Practices to Maximize Profitability

by Zahid Khalid

Overview

According to industry experts, a typical one billion dollar company spends approximately $27 million on unnecessary working capital and inefficient processing functions because they lack visibility into the financial supply chain. Optimizing Back Office Operations: Best Practices to Maximize Profitability uses examples and case studies to show how cost optimization—and not cost reduction—in the core back office operations is the right approach to maximizing profitability and enterprise value. Implementation guidance is provided for Executives, CFOs, and Controllers on transitioning from outdated processes to a fully-optimized financial supply chain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780470603956
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	01/28/2010
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Zahid Khalid is Managing Partner at The Hardstone Group, a management consulting practice specializing in helping clients increase profitability through improvements in financial supply chain processes. He has authored numerous articles on finance and technology in various industry publications and is a frequent presenter at events related to working capital optimization. He can be reached via the firm's Web site: hardstonegroup.com.

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Table of Contents

Preface.

CHAPTER 1 Profits: The Reason a Business Exists.

Profitability Defined.

Profitability Equation and Related Metrics.

Liquidity, Growth, and Financial Flexibility.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 2 Cost and Capability: Strategic Choices.

Capability: One Size Does Not Fit All.

Cost: You Get What You Pay For.

Measuring Capability.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 3 Financial Supply Chain: Entering the Gold Mine.

What Is the Financial Supply Chain?

Working Capital Defined.

Working Capital Processes.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 4 Platform for Execution: A System for Maximizing Profits.

Process Benchmarking.

Process Optimization.

Process Automation.

Process Integration.

Process Standardization.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 5 Optimizing Accounts Payable.

Implications of A/P Effectiveness.

Best Practices.

Enabling Technologies.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 6 Optimizing Accounts Receivable.

Implications of A/R Effectiveness.

Best Practices.

Enabling Technologies.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 7 Optimizing Purchasing.

Implications of Purchasing Effectiveness.

Best Practices.

Enabling Technologies.

Conclusion.

CHAPTER 8 Optimizing Treasury Operations.

Implications of Treasury Effectiveness.

Best Practices.

Enabling Technologies.

Conclusion.

Epilogue.

Index