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Article: Conceptual artists: it's not often that financial managers are asked to give vent to their imagination, but that's what you need to do if you want to play an active role at the strategic level.(Management)
- Article from:
- Financial Management (UK)
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Back in the days when the business environment was relatively stable by current standards, the predominant level of management and control was tactical. Senior managers and even directors were preoccupied with questions starting with the word "how"--for instance, "how high a price should we charge, how long a lead time should we quote and how much stock should we carry?"
Stability spawned continuity in the sense that people assumed that firms would continue using the same sort of facilities to make the same sort of products to sell to the same sort of customers. The principle of exceptions ruled, as management accountants contributed to the quest for better ...