ARBA 9.68 Ariba Launches Podcast for Chief Financial Officers Session discusses need for link between finance and procurement to improve business performance Jun 25, 2007 8:30:00 AM Copyright Business Wire 2007
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the leading spend management solutions provider, today launched a podcast designed to help chief financial officers, vice presidents of finance and controllers understand how by working with procurement, they can advance in the battle to control costs and improve business performance. Available through Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine at www.sdcexec.com, the podcast discusses the results of a recent survey conducted by CFO Research Services sponsored by Ariba which shows that procurement is a key ally when it comes to lowering costs and enhancing business unit decision making, planning, budgeting and forecasting.
"Traditionally, there has been a gulf between finance and procurement," said Paul Tong, Senior Product Manager, Ariba. "Leading finance executives are realizing that in order to achieve their objectives, they must bridge this gap. Financial systems such as ERP can automate routine transaction processing and reporting functions. But they cannot provide timely and accurate information on spend that is needed to support strategic initiatives. Procurement has this information and with the right solutions and processes, finance can access and leverage it to their advantage."
Last month, Ariba unveiled the results of a survey of senior finance executives at companies throughout North America, conducted on its behalf by CFO Research Services. The survey, "CFOs Views on Procurement-Information, Risk and Money," provides an in-depth look at how CFOs view procurement, as well as their thoughts on the role that procurement can play in helping them achieve their goals. Among the key findings:
-- When seeking to control costs, executives see the greatest opportunity in managing spending on direct materials and indirect goods and services, sourcing through preferred vendors and improving their interactions with suppliers.
-- Most companies are unable to gather timely and accurate information on purchasing activities and consequently have poor visibility into their spending.
-- Organizations that have adopted and implemented technology-based solutions report greater satisfaction with and better information from their procurement functions.
"Controlling costs is something that all companies struggle with, regardless of their size or the industry they operate in," Tong continued. "But by looking beyond large scale transactional systems that fail to provide consolidated and forward-looking views into spend and forging a strong partnership between finance and procurement, they can succeed."
Ariba provides a comprehensive range of solutions that combine market-leading technology with deep category expertise and industry best-practices to help companies manage their spend from end-to-end. Flexible and easy to use, Ariba's solutions seamlessly integrate with all major ERP systems and enable companies to understand their spending patterns, identify opportunities for savings, and design and execute strategies to get them to the bottom line.
To learn more about Ariba(R) Spend Management(TM) solutions and the benefits these solutions are delivering to companies around the world, please visit: www.ariba.com
Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of spend management solutions to help companies realize rapid and sustainable bottom line results. Successful companies around the world in every industry use Ariba Spend Management(TM) software and services. Ariba can be contacted in the U.S. at 1.650.390.1000 or at www.ariba.com.
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Ariba, the Ariba logo, AribaLIVE and SupplyWatch are registered trademarks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Spend Management, Ariba Spend Management. Find it. Get it. Keep it., Ariba. This is Spend Management, Ariba Solutions Delivery, Ariba Analysis, Ariba Buyer, Ariba Category Management, Ariba Category Procurement, Ariba Contract Compliance, Ariba Contracts, Ariba Contract Management, Ariba Contract Workbench, Ariba Data Enrichment, Ariba eForms, Ariba Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment, Ariba Invoice, Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Spend Visibility, Ariba Travel and Expense, Ariba Procure-to-Pay, Ariba Workforce, Ariba Supplier Network, Ariba Supplier Connectivity, Ariba Supplier Performance Management, Ariba PunchOut, Ariba QuickSource, PO-Flip, Ariba Settlement, Ariba Spend Management Knowledge Base, Ariba Ready, Ariba Supply Lines, Ariba Supply Manager, Ariba LIVE and It's Time for Spend Management are trademarks or service marks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Proprietary and Confidential. All rights reserved. Patents pending. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995: Information and announcements in this release involve Ariba's expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future and are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to Ariba as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to Ariba's operating and financial results to differ materially from its current expectations include, but are not limited to: delays in development or shipment of new versions of Ariba's products and services; lack of market acceptance of Ariba's existing or future products or services; inability to continue to develop competitive new products and services on a timely basis; introduction of new products or services by major competitors; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; difficulties in assimilating acquired companies; long and unpredictable sales cycles and the deferrals of anticipated orders; declining economic conditions; inability to control costs; changes in the company's pricing or compensation policies; significant fluctuations in our stock price; the outcome of and costs associated with pending or potential future regulatory or legal proceedings; the impact of our acquisitions, including the disruption or loss of customer, business partner, supplier or employee relationships; and the level of costs and expenses incurred by Ariba as a result of such transactions. Factors and risks associated with its business, including a number of the factors and risks described above, are discussed in Ariba's Form 10-Q filed May 9th, 2007.
Source: Ariba, Inc.
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Ariba Inc. Karen Master 412-297-8177 kmaster@ariba.com
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