Case Studies: Finance & Accounting  Case Studies RSS Feed 03/22/10TV Organisation Broadcasts F&A Outsourcing and Internal Transformation BenefitsFaced with falling advertising revenues, this organisation engaged EquaTerra to investigate opportunities to create value from outsourcing and transforming elements of its back and front office support functions. Ultimately, Finance and Accounting tasks were outsourced, while Human Resource and Procurement tasks underwent internal transformation. 03/17/10Global Music Company Changes its Tune Finance and Accounting Service Delivery Evolves to Support Business Needs and Adapt to Market Changes: Significant shift in market dynamics placed pressure on the company's revenue and profitability. As a result, the business re-examined its finance cost base for both its North American and European operations and identified an opportunity to deliver cost saving and efficiency benefits. 07/27/09“Checking Out” F&A Outsourcing in the Hotel BusinessProminent Hotel Asset Manager Seeks Visibility to Potential Benefits from Migrating Captive F&A Processing to an Outsourced Provider 07/21/09EquaTerra Helps Large Consumer Products Company Make F&A Shared Services Operations More CompetitiveEquaterra proposed a five week project plan that included data collection, analysis, interviews, workshops and formulation of a future state delivery model. Also included was a transformational roadmap on how they could go from their current state, to a future state. 12/22/08Global Communications Company Successfully Implements F&A OutsourcingEquaTerra initially started working with this global communications company with a brief to close a Finance and Accounting (F&A) outsourcing deal with an alreadyselected service provider. After an intense period of negotiations, an agreement was signed between the Service Provider and the client. 12/22/08PSEG Services Corporation Shared Services DiagnosticPSEG's Services Corporation (SC) provides multifunctional support to the PSEG operating companies. Though successful and mature, SC was looking for significant improvement opportunities. EquaTerra provided the analytical framework, insight and experience to help PSEG identify desired savings and develop a roadmap for transformation. EquaTerra’s Shared Services Diagnostic was integral to the engagement, and helped uncover hidden value opportunity in SC’s shared services offerings. 07/31/08Fortune 100 Company Creates 'Outsourcing Center of Excellence' to Align its Outsourcing Efforts Company-WideThis Fortune 100 company's procurement organization needed a better grasp of its outsourcing provider services to better leverage cross-business outsourcing deals. To do this, the procurement organization turned to EquaTerra to help it create a framework for managing outsourcing provider services and develop stronger governance oversight. After a data gathering and analysis effort, EquaTerra recommended the creation of an Outsourcing Center of Excellence (CoE), which would serve as the primary, central resource to the company�s lines of business and corporate functions and would be responsible for researching, evaluating, contracting, implementing and managing outsourcing deals. The company expects to realize signifi cant cost-savings, improve service delivery, and facilitate access to greater capabilities company-wide as the CoE becomes an integral part of its business and culture. 11/30/07EquaTerra Delivers Ground-Breaking Outsourcing Deal for Thomas CookThis case study details how EquaTerra helped one of the U.K.’s largest travel companies chart new territory, moving its shared services centre offshore to India. With the growing demands and innovation associated with the global travel industry at its door, the company needed a new approach to achieve cost savings while maintaining superior customer service. Thomas Cook U.K. & Ireland (Thomas Cook) achieved not only major and sustainable cost savings, but it was able to retain and build on the efficiencies of the company’s first outsourcing deal, which was signed in 2001. 11/30/07EquaTerra Has the Recipe for Support Services at Darden Restaurants, Inc.Darden Restaurants, Inc. was faced with an opportunity to redefine how back-office support services should be delivered to best meet the needs of its operating divisions. Like many companies, Darden was interested in the advantages of outsourcing, but senior management wanted to ensure that outsourcing was the right decision at the right time. To assist with the decision-making process, Darden requested that EquaTerra assess the company�s current situation, develop a service delivery model for the future and prepare a transformation plan that would meet its need. The result was not what Darden management had expected. 11/30/07EquaTerra Strikes Ground-Breaking Outsourcing Deal for Linde AG Material Handling Division of GermanyThis case study examines how Linde AG Material Handling – a global leader in its market – turned to outsourcing as a means to improve its financial processes while reducing finance and accounting (F&A) costs. In order to maintain global leadership in the market, Linde sought to improve the efficiency of its back-office operations to run best-in-class operations regarding cost and quality. EquaTerra supported Linde from supplier identification through contract signing. After identifying the best supplier for the job, EquaTerra negotiated a deal that would provide step-change cost reductions as well as reduce cost over the life of the deal. EquaTerra helped Linde finalise a contract that ensured the transfer to the offshore environment would be carried out with minimal risk. In the end, Linde was able to choose the most appropriate supplier and solution with a partner that proved to be a cultural fit. 11/30/07Major Nordic Bank Optimises Procurement and Accounts Payable ProcessesA major Nordic bank that grew quickly through a myriad of acquisitions discovered that its complicated accounts payable and procurement processes were costing it money. Furthermore, the Bank needed to implement new technology. EquaTerra advisors showed the Bank how it could outsource to improve efficiency across all areas of its operations, including the back office. Through its assessment, EquaTerra identified methods to make group demand and expenditure more transparent. EquaTerra helped to identify and engage the right partner, delivering an ASP Procurement System � including electronic catalogues, a procurement workflow, order and invoice matching tools � with an integrated outsourced accounts payable service. As a result, the Bank was able to reduce its costs, as well as harmonise its processes and suppliers across four countries. The Bank maintains its dominant position in the Scandinavian market. 11/30/07Statewide Health Insurance Provider Undertakes IT and Business Process Outsourcing EffortsThe statewide licensee of a national health insurance provider was seeking opportunities for cost savings and improved service delivery. EquaTerra was retained to assess the situation and develop a post-governance plan for the newly outsourced functions. Not only did the company meet its goals but, working with EquaTerra, the provider implemented numerous improvements that will help it achieve a stronger, more competitive position in the marketplace.