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In-depth case studies

Financial Shared Services features case studies from leading international organizations. Get the inside stories on these pioneering organizations which recognize the value of shared services and find out why and how they are exploiting its potential to boost their business performance. Below are abstracts from just a few of the case studies specially researched for this new report.

In 1999, FedEx’s CFO called on the global finance organization to reinvent itself, to inspire the rest of the company to improve its service and quality offering but at a lower cost. The deployment of a global finance shared services solution was, in part, a response to this call for reinvention. In this case study, Jay Cofield (vice president of worldwide financial services and the controller for FedEx Express), Hack Witherington (programme management advisor) and Rick Bateman, (managing director of accounting and controls for FedEx Express) describe the structural and change management challenges of setting up a shared services operation within a highly decentralized organization.

An early adopter of the shared services model, The New York Times Company is now a benchmark for other organizations planning their shared services journey. Charlotte Herndon, director, finance shared services, describes some of the challenges they have faced on the road to shared services excellence and how innovative tools and approaches helped transform an initially sceptical business into strong supporters of the shared services solution.

Agilent Technologies has opted for an offshore shared services centre as part of the structuring of its Global Finance Services (GFS) operation. Jerry Schaefer, director of GFS and David Goffredi, senior manager for quality, communications, organizational development and programmes, explain the process by which GFS was restructured into global hubs, centres of expertise and in-country operations and the benefits delivered to the business.

InterContinental Hotels Group has established standard global processes supported by common technologies throughout its four regional finance shared service centres. In this case study, Charlie Lee, director of global process engineering, explains how this project was managed and implemented, and why partnership with the business was an overriding project focus.

Additional case studies featured in this report include

• NHS
• Eastern Health
• Cape Town
• Reuters

To download a free case study from this report click here