As every winning sports team, star athlete and leading coach knows, solid fundamentals support better offense, tighter defense and expanded options for taking home a medal. So too in the realm of finance, solid fundamentals remain the bedrock for evaluating...
With Cisco’s $28 billion planned acquisition of Splunk, it’s clear the M&A landscape has re-awakened. As the economy cycles through stages of slowdown and strength, financial executives must lead with both patience and persistence. At this year’s MIT Sloan CFO...
Meeting customer needs is mission-critical for the success of every company. CFOs have different methods available to gauge customer needs, including direct interaction and intermediary data gathering. CFOs also know it’s important not only to listen, but also to...
Premier one-day conference celebrates 21st year offering insights and expertise from MIT Faculty and leading financial executives The MIT Sloan CFO Summit, the premier conference for CFOs, celebrates its 21st anniversary connecting financial leaders across a broad mix...
The MIT Sloan CFO Summit, the premier conference for Chief Financial Officers, concluded its 20th anniversary with more than 400 CFOs, senior financial executives and MIT faculty participating in formal presentations and informal networking. Themed “20 Years of CFO...
It’s easy to innovate in an exuberant economy when “risk on” is the dominant catchphrase. But when risk aversion becomes the new mantra, smart leaders need new strategies for innovation. As we move through a period of tighter funding and general budget austerity,...
Pivots happen – they can be big or small, planned or opportunistic. Pivots can occur in product offerings, geographical reach, company composition or capital position. Sometimes businesses can plan in advance; at times an opportunity arises that...
Practically nothing is untouched by the pandemic. Significant resets are occurring in every sphere of life: hospitality, work and leisure, travel and holidays, and business and entertainment. Decision-making that used to take weeks and months is now happening in days....
As companies assess the impact of COVID on their businesses, plans to acquire and/or divest are being examined anew. Synergies and valuations are changing, with some deals being accelerated and others deferred. Of course, the fundamentals of assessing a...
Predicting the future is never easy, yet planning ahead is a key function for CFOs. From forecasting next year’s revenue to estimating expenses and allocating resources, CFOs work alongside business units to develop the financial underpinning to set a solid...