Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in Most Corporations,

¶ … Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in most corporations, both public and private, has expanded exponentially in recent years (Favaro, 2001). Compliance requirements and increased dependence on accounting information has caused the role of the CFO to take on increased importance.

The role and responsibilities of the CFO vary from corporation to corporation and there is no hard and fast rule as to what the role and responsibilities of a CFO might be (Farag, 2011). Such roles and responsibilities can be extensive but there are essentially five major roles that nearly every CFO fills in the modern corporation. The first such role is to participate fully in the leadership of the corporation. In this role, the CFO, using his knowledge of accounting rules and principles, contributes to the overall corporate strategy and assists in formulating policy for the organization.

The second role filled by the CFO is to be actively involved in the corporation's business decisions. This would require that the CFO exercise his financial knowledge to assist the decision making team in making decisions and to do so with an eye toward not only the current status of the corporation but also long-range plans that the corporation might have. The CFO has the responsibility of being uniquely aware of the financial status of the corporation and he is, therefore, entrusted with using this knowledge prudently. He must be able to examine the rewards and risks involved in any corporate action and make informed recommendations based on these rewards and risks. Because CFOs, in most cases, report directly to the corporation's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the relationship between the two individuals must be good one professionally. A break down between these two individuals can spell doom for the corporation and the CEO must be able to rely upon the financial judgment of the corporation's CFO.

The public reaction to incidents such as Enron has brought considerable pressure on the role of CFOs. The enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Bill by the U.S. Congress has placed additional compliance pressure on publicly traded corporations and enhanced the responsibilities of CFO (Zhang, 2007). The unethical financial practices exercised by a few corporations have forced corporate accounting departments to be more diligent in their accounting practices and CFOs are ultimately responsible for all corporate disclosures regarding its finances. In the end the CFO must take appropriate action to ensure that the corporation's money is properly protected at all times and that it is being properly used in the promotion of the corporation's purposes. Toward this end, the CFO must make sure that the members of the corporate decision making team are provided with the proper financial information available well in advance of the time necessary for making decisions. In the event that the decision making team has questions, the CFO must be prepared to answer those questions fully.

Corporate financial operations can be quite complicated. In these days of globalization and diversification, a CFO must be current in his understanding of the various business functions of the corporation and possess a working knowledge of the accounting standards in the various jurisdictions that the corporation is doing business. The CFO must design a corporate accounting system that satisfies all necessary requirements.

Beyond designing the accounting system, the CFO must also actively promote financial literacy throughout the entire corporation. Diligent leadership from the top and the promotion of attention to detail by all members of the financial team ensures that the financial affairs of the corporation are closely monitored and comply with both federal and state regulations. As the regulations vary from state to state within the United States and vary internationally, the CFO must monitor a staff that is proficient in the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which the corporation transacts business.