from seattle to scottsdale, italy to india, finance managers report on economic climate.
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by rick telberg
at large
corporate finance managers are tempering their generally optimistic views of the year ahead in 2007 with nagging worries about the energy and housing markets and political uncertainties.
“the housing downturn has a direct impact on my personal employment and growth opportunities,†according to one senior manager at a mid-sized business in the united states. “secondarily, the run-up in energy costs is troublesome and definitely a potential source of future economic disruption if price trends move upward again.â€in fact, most finance professionals are clearly concerned about declining customer demand, increasing cost of supplies, rising health insurance and employee benefits expenses and potentially new and problematic government rules and regulations, according to bay street group research into 11 key indicators.
overall, some 65 percent of management finance professionals term the economic outlook “good†or “excellent.†and a fair portion of them are gaining in confidence.
to be sure, the finance professionals in business and industry are markedly less confident about business prospects than their counterparts at cpa firms. we can only wonder if they can both be right.
still, finance managers report they are most optimistic about the prospects for themselves and their own families.
“i have always been an optimist and most often close to target,†says a confident glenn smith, president of planpro llc, a small consulting firm in scottsdale, ariz. his reasons? “low unemployment. inflation is under control. and more interest in conservation means more jobs.â€
but finance managers also show real doubts about the outlook for their own companies, their company’s customers and the economy in general.
so, while they expect improvements next year, the gains won’t come easily.
for instance, 74 percent are expecting a better economic environment for revenue increases at their companies, but only 57 percent expect a better climate for profits.
“all costs are increasing, both on a personal basis as well as for corporations,†says a c-level executive at a mid-sized company.
brad miller, vice president and senior audit manager at washington mutual in seattle naturally worries about the effects from the housing market and interest rates. “however,†he adds, “auditors with specialized skill sets in financial services should still be in high demand.â€
a 25-year expatriate cpa working as a senior supply chain executive in milan, italy, adds a global perspective. “continued various and sundry armed conflicts, exchange rates and oil prices have not convinced me that we are getting ahead or better,†he says.
but balance that with the perspective from hyderabad, india. vijay kumar, general manager at epsilon consulting, a business services provider with clients like ernst & young and john deere, expects a booming 2007 fueled by cooling inflation globally and job growth locally.
from seattle to scottsdale, and italy to india, finance executives are looking at the economic and business climate with a wary eye.
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[first published by the aicpa]