McKinsey’s Snezhana Otto and Justin Sanders discuss the CFO’s role in a changing activist landscape.

One way companies can raise immediate capital or mitigate the risk of being able to collect on their accounts receivable is to sell them off to a third party -- otherwise known as "factoring". What is it, how does it work, and under what circumstances should a company factor?

Rotman professor and experienced board director David Beatty considers several profound changes.