Business Credit articles from April 2008

Business Credit archives from April 2008

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... APRIL Apr 2 Teleconference: Fraud Investigations Presenter: Bruce Dubinsky, MST, CPA, CFE, CVA NACM Meetings Dept. 410-740-5560 Apr 7 Paperwork Deadline for Certification (CBA, CBF and CCE) Exams at Credit Congress NACM...

The new competitive reality ... customers are in charge: the world is oversupplied and underserved.(commentary)
April 1, 2008... In today's business environment, credit management needs to go beyond the primary functions of assessing and avoiding risk. With the development and growing influence of the Internet, your customers have access to the product your company sells...

Surviving the dreaded "R&D" in business.(selected topic)
April 1, 2008... To many people in the business community, "R&D" stands for research and development. To many others, the dreaded "R&D" refers to restructuring and downsizing. In today's global market, many companies that merge or buy out smaller businesses...

Tough competition: regulators look to crackdown on counterfeit goods as statistics rise.(credit column)
April 1, 2008... Those who frequent big cities have more than likely seen their fair share of counterfeit goods. On a number of New York City streets, it's possible that a resident or tourist could walk past several thousand dollars of counterfeit goods at any...

Hearing what's not said can prevent costly credit mistakes.(extra credit)
April 1, 2008... "Our liquidity is fine. As a matter of fact it is better than fine, it's strong..." --Ken Lay, CEO Enron 9/26/01 (Not said... the only available source of liquidity was a $3 billion line of credit.) Sometimes, it's not what's said...

Size relationships and the ability to manage DSO and terms.(selected topic)
April 1, 2008... To what degree does a company really have control over its credit terms? Its ability to set and control its terms is affected by a number of factors, many of which are relational in nature. The more competitive a supplier market, the less...

What every commercial landlord should know about the treatment of leases in Chapter 11 reorganizations.(credit column)
April 1, 2008... Business people have heard more and more in recent months about the credit crunch. Landlords have witnessed some of the impact of this predicted crunch in recent Chapter 11 retailer bankruptcy filings. Savvy landlords are reviewing the effects...

Success: safety in numbers.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The amount of money that American businesses risk on sales on credit each year is measured in the billions. Every credit manager is held to an increasingly high standard of success to ensure that the transactions...

The subprime mortgage mess: why lower interest rates will not resolve the credit crunch in the near term.(selected topic)
April 1, 2008... It's been almost three years since I wrote"Rising Interest Rates and the Impact on Accounts Receivable" for the May 2005 issue of Business Credit. Briefly, the article highlighted how companies that rely on outside financing have deficient cash...

Careless clicking: the consequences of "I agree".(credit column)
April 1, 2008... Browsing on the Internet one day, Sally decides to make a purchase online. Before completing the transaction, Sally reaches a screen that requires her to click "I agree" before she is able to proceed to the next screen to complete her purchase....

Credit @ work.
April 1, 2008... Dear Andy, My company is tightening its belt, and I'm concerned about what effect this will have on my ability to keep my best workers. What are some tips to help me retain my top performers? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Managing a...

NACM's 112th Credit Congress Exposition: May 18-21, 2008: Louisville Kentucky: Kentucky International Convention Center.(National Association of Credit Management)(Conference news)
April 1, 2008... NACM Welcome This Year's Keynote Speakers [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GENERAL SESSION SPEAKER VINCE POSCENTE Peak Performance Strategist, Olympian, Author and Chair Guy Monday, May 19 * 8:30-10:45am Vince Poscente used his unique...

PACA trust destroyed by written agreement extending payment terms.(credit column)(Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act of 1930)
April 1, 2008... The Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act ("PACA") is a federal statute that creates special protections for sellers of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eligible produce sellers are the beneficiaries of a trust, consisting of all of the buyer's...

Become a better leader: tips for inspiring peak performance.(extra credit)
April 1, 2008... In addition to handling responsibilities related to administering and enforcing credit and collections policies and procedures, much of the day-to-day work of credit managers involves motivating and managing staff members. Credit managers may...

Hot spots: France.(international)
April 1, 2008... After President Nicolas Sarkozy moved into the Elysee Palace last year, he lost no time trying to put a slew of his reform ideas into practice. With this, he gained the admiration of the International Monetary Fund, which praised his...

Do your homework: cultivating an effective international business relationship takes time, dedication and preparation, but almost always pays out in the long run.(international feature)
April 1, 2008... A universal right exercised by seemingly all students aged five through 18 is the freedom to vehemently express distaste for homework assignments. In the older portion of that aforementioned age bracket, it's probably understood that...

Successful customer settlements: working with your customers for positive results.(selected topic)
April 1, 2008... When was the last time you negotiated a settlement with a key customer to resolve outstanding deductions and "clean up" the account? If you are like many companies, it may have been a while ago. According to the 2006 Credit Research Foundation...

The year of the exporter.(international)
April 1, 2008... There's no denying it: the U.S. economy is in the toilet at the moment. Layoffs are slicing their way across major industries, gross domestic product (GDP) growth has slowed to a snail's pace and the persistence of the subprime mortgage mess...

Uncovering accounts payable fraud using "fuzzy matching logic": Part 2.(selected topic)
April 1, 2008... With the increasing growth of accounts payable transactions every year, there's an increasing risk of potential fraud and abuse. Here are seven different ways that you can detect potential accounts payable fraud. Refer back to the March issue...

Conference etiquette: tools to survive your next industry event.(extra credit)
April 1, 2008... Michael looked forward to attending his first industry conference. He was entering his third year in the accounting field, and wanted to meet the right people and stay on top of industry trends. Unfortunately, he was unprepared for his...

Mike Brittain, CAE retires from NACM MidAmerica.(National Association of Credit Management )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On March 31, 2008, Mike Brittain, CAE retired as president and chief operating officer of NACM MidAmerica. Mike has a career of 35 years in the business credit community. The 17 most recent of these were with NACM...

NACM Credit Manager's Index: report for february 2008.(National Association of Credit Management)
April 1, 2008... The seasonally adjusted Credit Manager's Index (CMI) remained unchanged in February, breaking a streak of five consecutive declines. A rise of 1.5% in the manufacturing index was offset by a decline of 1.6% in the service index. However, the...