Everyone loves reading a juicy fraud story. We are instinctively drawn to the key information: what company was hit, what job did the fraudster do, how did they steal the money, and – most importantly – how much did they get?

Working inside an ERP system can be tricky. Sure, these complex technology packages come brimming to the teeth with useful functions, but more often than ERP providers would like to think, users have no idea how to handle them. The goal is to make ERP systems as easy to use as the many consumer-level programs we all interact with daily.

Software developers are always struggling to strike a balance between program functionality and usability. The most comprehensive software program available will be of no use if organizations don’t know how to use it, and vice versa.

When it comes to corporate fraud, it would appear that the United States does not have a monopoly. Last week the head of India’s fourth largest business process outsourcing firm, Satyam, confessed that he’s been cooking the books for years. The total damage: $1 billion!

When discussing accounts payable automation, we at TAPC tend to mention how it saves time, effort, and money. However, we rarely mention the environmental benefits of automating manual invoice processes.

Recently, the idea of “going green” has gone from being the rallying cry of environmentalists to the new corporate strategy for many businesses. Across the country, businesses are recycling, adopting alternative energy sources, and lowering their “carbon footprints.”

In the world of technology, two years can seem like an eternity. With the speed that DVD replaced VHS, Blackberries replaced PDAs, and MP3s replaced CDs, it’s not surprising that in two year’s time, Forrester Research has flip-flopped its opinion of the two ERP juggernauts’ software lineups.

While attending the IOMA AP Conference in Las Vegas last month, I spent a great deal of time wondering how I would turn the fascinating things I was learning about AP processes and professionals into an insightful blog post. That is until I found my way to the blackjack table.

The political bug has bitten me, so I’m stepping on my soap box to stump for the AP Best Practice Doctrine. Hey, wait a minute……is there really such a thing? Sure there is. Well, why not, as it seems there all sorts of doctrines floating around these days according to CNBC, FOX News & CBS’s Katie Couric; like the McCain Doctrine, the Obama Doctrine, Church Doctrines, Strange Doctrines, Pocket Doctrines, if you’re short on time, et.al., so it’s high time AP has a Best Practice Doctrine, too.

With the recent news coming from the financial world, people across the country (and the world) are joining together in shouting this famous exclamation. Energy prices are skyrocketing, unemployment is rising, and the stock market is at its lowest level in years.

While things look bad, there’s no way of predicting how hard this slowdown will be or how long it will last. The best thing AP departments can do is ensure that they are doing everything in their power to meet cash management goals.

Few pieces of legislation are as controversial to the business community as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Passed during the fallout of the Enron and Worldcom accounting scandals, Sarbanes-Oxley, typically abbreviated SOX, requires the CEO of all public companies to personally certify the accuracy of their organization's audit reports.

With many organizations claiming that the rules are too expensive and time consuming to follow, all eyes have been on a recent court case challenging the legitimacy of the law. Unfortunately for them, the court ruled in the government's favor.

Although the U.S. has not officially slid into a recession, many businesses are feeling the pinch of a slowing economy. Rising fuel prices and the weakening dollar are causing organizations to rethink how they spend their money. In many cases, travel budgets find themselves at the business end of a cost-cutting initiative.