Role call.

• Author: Marlin, Brenda
• Position: Marketing Edge - Brief Article

Everyone is concerned about it--not only within our own industry but many others as well. "It" is financial management, financial responsibility, accountability and return on investment. Why is there so much focus today on this topic? Partially it is because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. This federal law. which was passed in 2002. is leading CEOs and CFOs to ensure that all financial activity is clearly exposed to public viewing--in other words, that no financial stone is left unturned.

Marketing professionals need to be aware of the important changes brought about by this law. And. they need to do their part to ensure that their marketing financials also are in order. In the future, senior management will be more intensively monitoring and scrutinizing everything from your budget planning to your campaign analytics.

If you have not done enough in the past to acquaint yourself with the financial...