Benchmarking the finance function.

• Position: RESEARCH

How do your company's finance costs measure up against those of other firms? Benchmarking the Finance Function 2011 examines the results of the second annual benchmarking survey of finance function costs.

Conducted by Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) in collaboration with Robert Half International, report results and analysis are based on data collected using a 46-question online survey of more than 200 financial executives, primarily from public and private U.S. companies.

Among the findings:

* Forty-three percent of respondents use temporary, interim or contract professionals in their finance and accounting departments;

* Managers in accounting and finance typically work 49 hours on a...