In this Hackett Book of Numbers⢠Insight, we examine how and why world-class finance groups more effectively managed the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Sarbox.) Further, we highlight the Hackett-Certified⢠Practices that others can adopt to reduce the cost of Sarbox compliance and optimize overall finance performance. These include centralization, standardization and automation of finance and related processes. The ability of world-class finance organizations to absorb the requirements of Sarbox underscores the importance of these best practices. Moreover, world-class executives have leveraged their compliance investment to improve governance processes, leading to better performance. They earn a positive return on investment, whereas for the peer group, compliance remains purely a cost burden.
