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.

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.

Performance Measurement is a process for assessing progress toward achieving predetermined goals that includes the following: