Business Finance magazine and JPMorgan Chase surveyed 500 corporate Treasurers to better understand the trends impacting their departments and what keeps them up at night.

Large Companies ($2 billion + annual revenue) vs. Smaller Companies (under $100 million)

79 percent of large companies identified
internal efficiency as the factor of greatest importance in the
treasury area. Among smaller companies, 73 percent identified the
economy as the most important factor impacting the treasury function.
M&As, the third-ranking factor, were cited by 61 percent of the
larger companies but only 27 percent of the smaller companies.

However, the large/small dichotomy again showed in the responses to
globalization, the factor ranking fourth overall. Globalization was
cited as an important factor by 51 percent of larger companies but only
35 percent of smaller ones.

The Transition from Paper to Electronic

Although the paperless office will never happen
in anyone's lifetime, companies continue to express interest in moving
from paper to electronic processing. The three big drivers here are the
opportunity to gain greater operational efficiency (cited by 70 percent
of the respondents), the chance to lower the cost of electronic
clearing (50 percent), and the ability to optimize the availability of
funds (40 percent). Despite the recent attention on green business
practices, only 11 percent of respondents cited environmental concerns
as an influence.

Learn more:

Top of Mind
Survey: Tressury's Methods in Flux
by Alan Radding
Business Finance
October 2007