When the financial crisis reared in 2007, the resulting recession compelled many U.S. companies to reach beyond domestic borders to sell their products and services. With business flat at home, the high market growth rates of China, India and elsewhere presented a tantalizing opportunity to buffer the top line.
Now, it appears this opportunity came with a hidden cost. According to a recent study by The Hackett Group, many newly-global companies are “flying blind,” unable to quickly assess and analyze their performance in overseas markets to make needed changes in budgets, resource allocations or forecasts. Less than half of the more than 100 companies surveyed have acquired real-time visibility into such vital performance data as customer information, business volumes, supplier spend and working capital, among other financial metrics.
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