Financial Management (UK) articles from December 2000

Financial Management (UK) archives from December 2000

Editor's letter.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 1, 2000... There are many new management techniques that promise to revolutionise the way companies are managed while boosting profits, increasing communication and delivering everything else that employees, shareholders and managers could want. In the...

HBG offers facilities services.(HBG Construction service introduction)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... HBG Construction has launched a facilities management arm offering services from funding to construction to management for properties of every size. "Having a single company responsible for every element of the property over its lifetime, means...

Fresh emission from Greenergy.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... As the climate change levy comes into effect, many companies have yet to act, according to Dr Richard Tipper, managing director of Greenergy Carbon Partners. "Many businesses are ill-prepared, having awaited the outcome of negotiations between...

IT gaps harm UK firms.(report information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... There are huge gaps in the IT infrastructures of many medium to large professional companies. Collaborative Groupware Technology canvassed 1,058 businesses with more than 50 employees and partners (mainly accountants, surveyors and solicitors)...

Dome went bust in February.(Millennium Dome report information)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... An NAO report is blaming poor financial management David James, the "company doctor" now in charge of the Millennium Dome, believes that the attraction was insolvent as early as February 2000, according to a new report from the National...

Big Five told to keep consultancy and audit separate.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... New rules for reforming the accountancy industry, which make significant concessions to the Big Five firms, have been announced by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The rules mean that, while firms will be required to ensure that...

Pre-Budget tax cuts please firms and appease hauliers.(United Kingdom tax policy)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Businesses have welcomed the chancellor's pledges In his pre-Budget report, Chancellor Gordon Brown managed simultaneously to appease fuel protesters and appear as the pensioners' benefactor. Motorists and hauliers were offered concessions...

TV personalities Carol Smillie and Lawrence LLewelyn-Bowen are competing for charitable donations this Christmas.(from the financial services industry)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... TV personalities Carol Smillie and Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen are competing for charitable donations this Christmas. Smillie is urging accountancy firms to make a last push to raise funds for Children's Promise (accountancy firms were the most...

Mail enables more deliveries.(United Kingdom, Royal Mail)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Bull semen orders are big business for Supersires, a Darlington bull and stud farm, and the Royal Mail is celebrating its part in the success story. Exporting bull semen involves a series of rigorously timed health checks; blood samples from...

Pensions on-line.(from Pensionsbusiness.com)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Pensionsbusiness.com offers employers a choice of group personal pensions that comply with stakeholder requirements, and which can be selected, installed and offered to staff on-line. Firms with five or more staff must provide stakeholder...

Mortgage deal for firms.(Mortgages for Business service introduction)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Mortgages for Business has launched an active asset account which allows firms to redraw paid-off sums at any time up to the original mortgage without re-evaluating the situation or restructuring the financial package....

SMEs told to Collect the Cash.(small and medium sized enterprises)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... A year-long campaign to encourage small firms to make trade credit management and debt collection their priority is being launched by the Better Payment Practice Group. Collect the Cash focuses on educating SMEs on credit management techniques...

Accountancy regulators appointed.(to the Accountancy Foundation)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Lord Borrie QC, chairman of the Accountancy Foundation, has announced the members of the Review Board -- the key monitoring body in the new regulatory system. The board's remit has two elements: it will monitor the work of the three operational...

SIC draft interpretation.(standing interpretations committee )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The standing interpretations committee (SIC) has published a draft interpretation to clarify accounting issues under international accounting standards. The draft interpretation, SIC-D27: "Transactions in the legal form of a lease and...

SORP 2000 on charities.(statement of recommended practice )(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The new statement of recommended practice (SORP) "Accounting and reporting by charities" was made available on 25 October on the Charity Commission's website (www. charity-com mission.gov.uk). The new SORP has been drawn up after extensive...

EC president urges British businesses to think European.(European Commission)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The EU `must become even more powerful' according to speakers at the CBI conference The European Union is essential to the success of British companies because it is bringing down barriers to trade and enabling global trade negotiations,...

CIMA members scoop two accountancy awards.(Chartered Institute of Management Accoutants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... CIMA scored twice at a recent awards ceremony. Craig Bennett FCMA, financial director of the Caudwell Group, became financial director of the year, while CIMA's new accountant award went to Judith Law ACMA at the Accountancy Age awards. ...

Letters.
December 1, 2000... Financial Management, 63 Portland Place, London W1B 1AB; financialmanagement@cimaglobal.com Member remember I am a retired member and would like to commend you on the change of presentation in the magazine. I do, however, miss the...

Bonus points.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Many employers believe they can award or withhold staff bonus payments at their discretion but, warns Sue Nickson, they must be able to defend their decisions and prove that they were rational If a bonus payment is discretionary, what...

Stake your claims.(pensions)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The new stakeholder pensions will be introduced in April 2001. Trevor James and Jan Burke explain what businesses need to understand, and highlight a few of the main implications Since the green paper on pension reform in December 1998,...

Capital plan.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Companies are putting greater emphasis on intellectual capital, but it has been a slow awakening, As M&S appoints a team to tackle the issue, Peter Bartram asks what others can do to bring hidden assets to the fore Next time you're in the...

Measuring up to change.(intellectual property)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Accountants must find a way to incorporate accurate measures and values of intellectual capital in formal company reports or they will become irrelevant, argues James Guthrie The information economy has started a business revolution and it...

Prophets of Dome.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... The problems of the Dome have highlighted once again issues about financial management in the public sector. David Allen asks whether the sector will ever be able to adopt forward-looking accounting methods For some time now, I have been...

Paradise losses.(Accountants in Indonesia)
December 1, 2000... It's got paddy fields, tropical sunshine, sandy beaches running down to the Indian Ocean -- and corruption, civil unrest, an appalling human rights record and an economy in crisis. Tim Cooper asks whether doing business in Indonesia is a...

Eurovision.(accountancy in European Union)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Car manufacturers were the first to suffer but, warns Peter Bartram, every company that sells its goods in the eurozone has to face up to the potential consequences of price transparency The automobile industry has been the first to suffer...

Step on the gas.(Mobil North America Marketing and Refining)(Statistical Data Included)
December 1, 2000... Robert S Kaplan, the inventor of the balanced scoreboard, and David P Norton look at how Mobil transformed its approach to customers and boosted cash flow by $1 billion a year, in the first of a series of excerpts from their new book, The...

Knowing e, knowing you.(knowledge management)
December 1, 2000... The information revolution is creating virtual networks of organisations but, argues Liz Lee-Kelley, firms have to learn vital lessons about how they manage their knowledge, their resources, their staff and their customers if they are to...

World class.(employment abroad)
December 1, 2000... If you're willing to trade your western salary and comforts for a chance to make a real difference and experience unique challenges, voluntary bodies are crying out for accountants. Gemma Townley talks to two people who have no regrets about...

Fast forward in Raiwind.(Raiwind, Pakistan)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... I arrived in Pakistan with a group of five people and no two stories were alike -- three of us married Pakistanis, one spent long periods in a beautiful isolated mountain village, and the fifth was unhappy with his placement and returned to the...

Talk isn't cheap.(business meeting productivity)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Meetings about meetings are eating into company time and money, so perhaps it's time to reassess the value of gathering around a table. As Malcolm Smith discovers, there are many ways to achieve collaboration without elaboration Firms are...

Whole body experiences.(performance measurement standards based on the whole company)
December 1, 2000... A holistic approach to performance management could mean the difference between organisational success and failure. Roland Stringer discusses how firms can benefit from aligning their performance measurement systems One of the consequences...

You are what you wear.(image is important to businesspeople)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Worrying about corporate image and customer relationship management may be good for your company's balance sheet, but if you want to get ahead you should spend more time on your own image strategy. According to Managing Your Image (Hodder &...

EU throws in towel over holiday rules.(paid holidays vary between countries in the European Union)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Labour law and practices on paid holidays continue to vary widely between different countries in the EU. Research by William M Mercer reveals that annual leave and public holidays, when added together, can range from 29 to 43 days depending on...

Peopleism makes the difference.(in accounting firms)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Accountancy is dead -- long live peopleism. According to Alec Reed, founder of the Academy of Enterprise and chairman of Reed Executive, traditional accountancy should be swept away and replaced with something new. And what is this great, new...

Dotcom dreamers told to get real.(realistic management of high tech companies)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... If your New Year's resolution is to be a dotcom millionaire within 12 months, you should first hone your management skills. According to Tim Gordon, a dotcom expert at Ernst & Young, companies and investors in the world of e-commerce are...

Tee time.(Stapleford Park, Leicestershire, UK)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Looking for the ultimate venue for your corporate golf day during the winter months? Or perhaps a team-building day for your department? If you're keen to drive away the winter blues, Stapleford Park, in Leicestershire, is offering a special...

Leave on-line beats leaves on lines ...(managingtravel.com)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... If you're disenchanted with your travel company and want savings rather than charges, check out managingtravel.com, a new web-based on-line business travel management service. For companies with a travel budget of over 50,000 [pounds sterling],...

Pulling strings ...(Go Guitar)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Looking for that special something to make business trips more harmonious? Why not try Go Guitar, the handmade guitar made specifically for travelling. Not only does it fit neatly in the luggage hold in business class, but it will also tell the...

Time to mend the working practices behind Stress City.(job stress in the UK)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Feeling down? Overworked and underpaid? Drinking more than the recommended units per week on a regular basis? The chances are that you are suffering from work-related stress, and the bad news is that it's on the increase. The percentage of...

Up the intrapreneurial path (without a scooter).(Henley Management College)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Managers who are keen to develop their "intrapreneurial" skills (in other words, to become an entrepreneur without having to leave their company, raise investment and move into an office where everyone rides round on scooters), are the targets...

Spa of wonder, spa of light ...
December 1, 2000... Do you need some serious pampering in preparation for the busy Christmas period? Or perhaps you are hoping to get away from it all after New Year to undo the ravages of those Christmas parties before going back to the office? Either way,...

Banking on skills.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Looking for a job with great salary, marvellous perks and huge potential? In that case, investment banking could be the place for you. According to Peter Padua, manager of accountancy at recruitment consultancy Joslin Rowe, management...

Save for goals.
December 1, 2000... Want a new car? Aiming to pay off your mortgage by the end of 2001? Whatever your financial goals, visit virginmoney.com and the "Goals calculator" will work out just how much you will have to save a month in order to achieve them. Just don't...

View to a killing.(forensic accounting)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Not only are accountants in an excellent position to spot fraud, but legal cases often stand or fall by the analysis and opinions of expert witnesses. Terry Chilvers discusses the role of the forensic accountant Forensic accounting is the...

Council makes Ibis system a priority.(Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Only 325 long-term passed finalists were removed from the CIMA register at the end of September, it was revealed at the CIMA council meeting of 27 October. This demonstrates the appeal of CIMA membership and the hard work of the membership unit...

Members in practice demonstrate CPD commitment.(Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)(continuing professional development)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Steve Hughes, CIMA's acting, head of professional standards, reports on the 1999 CPD monitoring exercise for members in practice All registered members in practice living or working in the UK must undertake a minimum of 30 hours a year of...

Boris Patta: associate 0494632.
December 1, 2000... The Disciplinary Committee considered a complaint against Mr Patta made by former clients, for whom he had failed to submit tax returns to the Inland Revenue for the year ending April 1998, despite having claimed to do so. The committee found...

Thomas Ashton Gill: fellow 0240621.
December 1, 2000... The Disciplinary Committee considered a complaint against Mr Gill received from the Insolvency Service. Mr Gill was, pursuant to Section 6 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986, disqualified as a director in the High Courts of...

Paul Eric Young: registered student 8416667.
December 1, 2000... The Disciplinary Committee considered a complaint against Mr Young made by his former employer, Ducal Ltd. He had completed employment forms referring to himself as ACMA, having passed the examinations in 1994. His business card also included...

Kevin Gary Allsopp: registered student 9877355.
December 1, 2000... The Disciplinary Committee considered a complaint against Mr Allsopp. He had used offensive language on the Financial Reporting examination script, sat on 24 May 2000. The committee found the complaint of unprofessional conduct to be...

Linguists wanted.
December 1, 2000... Are you a German-, Italian- or French-speaking accounting academic? If so, would you be interested in becoming an exemptions assessor, reviewing degree in diploma programmes in your specialist language? For details contact Sarah Page at...

What's new in India?(Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... To support an ever-increasing number of students and members, CIMA has opened an office in Mumbai. The office is staffed by Mr S V Anand, business development officer, and is located at 11-12 Himalaya House, 79 Palton Road, Mumbai 400 001,...

Elections to council 2001.(Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... 1. Notice is given that, as the term of office of the council member in each of the following electoral areas expires at the end of the annual general meeting in June 2001, elections will be held in January and February 2001. Nominations for...

Dublin firms pay top prices for CIMA accountants.(Chartered Institute of Management Accountants survey of salaries)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Management accountants in Dublin are the highest paid in Ireland, earning up to 14 percent more than their colleagues based outside the capital. A salary survey conducted by CIMA in association with Premier Recruitment found that the average...

Elections to membership.(Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)
December 1, 2000... Associates Abbott, M H, Polaroid UK, Glasgow Abdul Rahman, N, Perusahaan Otomobil National Sdn Bhd, Malaysia Abell, P K, Yorkshire Water Services, Bradford Ablett, R C, Pegler, Doncaster Accam, A T, Texaco, London...

Steve Pereira FCMA has joined Whitbread, food supply chain division, as its commercial accountant.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Steve Pereira FCMA has joined Whitbread, food supply chain division, as its commercial accountant. Prior to this, he worked for Hays Distribution as a financial controller.

Steve Cant FCMA has been appointed an associate director by Cornwell Affiliates.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Steve Cant FCMA has been appointed an associate director by Cornwell Affiliates. Cant was previouslywith PricewaterhouseCoopers, most recently as a director.

Russell Finex has promoted Mike Henson FCMA to the newly created role of chief operating officer.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Russell Finex has promoted Mike Henson FCMA to the newly created role of chief operating officer. Henson joined Russell Finex in 1991, having previously worked for a number of major manufacturing companies including BOC, United Bakeries and...

Baan UK has appointed Russell Johns as its new marketing and strategic alliances manager.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Baan UK has appointed Russell Johns as its new marketing and strategic alliances manager. Johns has worked for Baan in a range of management roles. Prior to this, he was director and co-owner of Resource Control, until the company was acquired...

Plexian has appointed Mark Taylor FCMA as managing director and Howard Butterfield as executive chairman.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 1, 2000... Plexian has appointed Mark Taylor FCMA (left) as managing director an Howard Butterfield as executive chairman. The company was formed after a merger between Olympian Consultancy and Plexus, with both companies featuring in the top 20 of the...

David Bateman ACMA has recently joined Paperchase Products as finance director.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... David Bateman ACMA has recently joined Paperchase Products as finance director. Previously Batemar was head of finance at Dial Home Shopping, an Arcadia and Littlewoodsjoint venture.

Bob Williams ACMA has been appointed finance director andcompany secretaryof Mouse New Media.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Bob Williams ACMA has been appointed finance director and company secretary of Mouse New Media. Williams joins Mouse from ISS Group, where he was financial director.

Steve Brown has joined recruitment firm Sharp Consultancy.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Steve Brown has joined recruitment firm Sharp Consultancy. Before this, Brown spent two years as a professional footballer at Sheffield Wednesday FC. On leaving, he completed a degree and subsequently became assistant finance manager at Marks...

4imprint has appointed Christopher Lee as its new group financial controller.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... 4imprint has appointed Christopher Lee as its new group financial controller. He joins the Manchester headquarters from the Hull office of Ernst & Young, where he was audit manager.

Alan Saffer has joined Glotel as group finance director.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Alan Saffer has joined Glotel as group finance director. Saffer joins the company from Druid Group, where he was group finance director. Prior to this, he was director of acquisitions and director of accounting for Hertz Europe.

Sewell Moorhouse financial recruitment consultancy is expanding its Leeds office in line with growing client demand.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Sewell Moorhouse financial recruitment consultancy is expanding its Leeds office in line with growing client demand. Sewell Moorhouse, which has further offices in Sheffield and Doncaster, has increased turnover by 500 per cent with staff...

Airtours UK Leisure Group has appointed Will Waggott as its new financial director.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Airtours UK Leisure Group has appointed Will Waggott as its new financial director. His appointment comes shortly after he was made financial director for Airtours UKLG charter and retail distribution division.

Numark, has appointed Stephen Marks as its new financial director.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Numark, has appointed Stephen Marks as its new financial director. Before moving to Numark, Marks was director and company secretary at Poldrait Textiles.

Robin Schleien has been promoted to president of Carlson Wagonlit Travel North America.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Robin Schleien has been promoted to president of Carlson Wagonlit Travel North America. Most recently, Schleien served as president of Carlson Wagonlit Travel Canada and as global CEO for Carlson Wagonlit Travel's digital business.

Ernst & Young is to be appointed principal auditor of the CGNU Group for 2001.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Ernst & Young is to be appointed t principal auditor of the CGNU Group for 2001. The decision follows an extensive review process after the merger of CGU and Norwich Union earlier this year. Ernst & Young, which was previously auditor to...

Glen Patterson FCMA has been nominated as the most outstanding MBA student at the University of Leicester, and was subsequently shortlisted for the Association of MBAs' student of the year award.(masters of business administration)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2000... Glen Patterson FCMA has been nominated as the most outstanding MBA student at the University of Leicester, and was subsequently shortlisted for the Association of MBAs' student of the year award. The AMBA compiles its list of nominations from...