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Thursday, 11 March 2010 - 2:57 PM EST

Current Issue

February issue

Cover story: Cash cure

Australia’s top companies have much healthier cash flows than they had a year ago, but sticking to a lean diet in 2010 will test CFOs and company directors, Shaun Drummond writes.

Opinion

Editor’s letter: Ready but steady

The future’s looking brighter, but is it time to put on the shades? Last year wasn’t as bad as many thought it was going to be, due largely to Australia’s fortunate reliance on emerging economies. We also had a willing equity market keen on a bargain.

Viewpoint: Free agent

The CFO of the Norwegian company behind some of Sydney’s major toll technology says the financial crisis has brought him closer to his global customers

Scrip

Liabilities move sparks controversy | Slow payers stifle recovery | Corporate rush possible to US bond market | Beijing "may curb its enthusiasm for commodities" | Forum looks at boosting debt market

Corporate governance: Boards cast a wider net

The global financial crisis has prompted companies to be more selective when appointing new directors, a trend that favours retired corporate executives, especially those with comprehensive and specific skills.

Regulation: Self-serving card sharks

Timid regulators in Australia should keep an eye on events in the United States, where a grassroots reaction is under way aimed at curbing the banks’ insatiable appetite for fee revenue from transactions.

Interview: Lessons learned

The Seven Network’s financial chief is looking forward to a brighter 2010 and his new role as G100 president, Shaun Drummond writes.

Management

Resume: Lasting legacy

After eight years as CFO of Zurich Financial Services Australia, Chris Powell left at the end of last year confident that he had given the company a competitive advantage by improving its reporting ability.

Forecasting: Crunch less, plan more

The GFC has accelerated moves to throw out budgets, with some companies switching from preparing conventional annual reports to making short-term rolling forecasts. Shaun Drummond reports.

The economy: China leads the way

The world economy is now looking rosier, especially in Asia, but the challenges for this year are controlling inflation created by stimulus packages and doing a better job of fixing the banking system.

Human resources: Measure up

Financial chiefs can transform people management from a warm and fuzzy art to a quantifiable process, Craig Donaldson writes.

Focus: corporate travel

The scene changes

Business types appear to be heading for the pointy end of the plane again. But their finance and procurement departments are seeking to drive hard bargains with the airlines.

Blue sky mining

Fly-in, fly-out service contracts make sense for finance chiefs in resources firms as they gear up for resurgence, Dan Hall writes.

Time for travel plans

As economic conditions improve and new trends emerge, this year marks the final boarding call for getting hold of corporate travel bargains and negotiating the best rates and deals, Dan Hall writes.

Finance & treasury

Refinancing in 2010: Larger and livelier

The GFC is over and bond markets are open for business again, but CFOs thirsty for more diversity and longer tenors than available on the domestic market are shopping offshore for debt, Kate Mills writes.

Refinancing: Measure up, borrow away

Australia’s resilient economy makes it attractive to foreign investors, but companies hoping to tap into offshore debt funds still need to meet high individual standards, Shaun Drummond writes.

Accounting for carbon: New rules required

Accounting standards have been generating a lot of heat but proposed guidelines for emissions trading could prove the hottest of all, Leon Gettler writes.


AFR BOSS this month

AFR Boss magazine
TURN UP THE GAS

It’s a wild ride at the centre of the resources boom. Santos chief David Knox tells Paul Garvey about reinventing the Adelaide-based resources company.

CFO Leadership Series

CFO talks to Joanne Green, financial controller Access Testing, Fiona Bowyer, CFO at VeCommerce, and Nandu Mehta, CFO at James Bennett about cost management in the new environment.