Message to our supporters.

• Author: Braden, David B.

Research that can be applied in practice ... this phrase guides how Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) delivers knowledge to the finance profession and to the members of Financial Executives International (FEI). For 65 years, FERF has been guided by the mission to advance the profession and practices of financial management through research and education.

This has no doubt been a turbulent time since the financial crisis hit the global economy over a year ago. These unprecedented circumstances have led to an environment marked by change and new regulatory, standard-setting and business reforms both in the United States and abroad.

This is evidenced in our CFO Quarterly Outlook surveys that gauge the sentiment of our members on the economic outlook and the impact on their companies. For more than 11 years, this survey has provided not only a snapshot of business challenges, but a view of how FEI members are managing them. Related articles this year also have covered enterprise risk management and future articles will cover board oversight and risk governance.

Other research publications have focused on financial reporting and accounting. Our quarterly financial reporting updates continue to be a convenient compliance and regulatory checklist for companies' quarterly and annual reports. Research this year also summarized best practices for adoption of extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) and providing earnings guidance. Looking more long-term in the area of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), FERF published a series of reports that addressed considerations for both large and small and medium-sized public as well as private companies--as the profession continues to monitor the convergence efforts of the Financial Accounting Standards Board and International Accounting Standards Board and await the U.S. Securities and Exchange's decisions on whether or not IFRS will be adopted in the U.S.

FERF surveys continue to be popular and provide benchmarks on financial executive compensation and technology issues. We also expanded our audit fee survey to include private companies. As our research can be downloaded from the FEI Web site, we have been able to identify the most relevant topics for all FEI...