Business Credit articles from November 2005

Business Credit archives from November 2005

M&A activity sets new record in the A/R management industry.(acquisitions and mergers, accounts receivable )(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... After a slow start in the first half of the year, 2005 M&A activity kicked into high gear in the Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) industry thanks to a dramatic spike in third quarter transactions that produced $1.14 billion in total deal...

Comprehensive Labor Index at odds with White House claims.(unemployment rate )(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... This year, the Bush administration has cited the half-point decline in the unemployment rate as evidence of the economy's strength. But the government's unemployment rate is not a good gauge of economic health, according to Grog Werlinich,...

Pitt announces creation of new RFID Center.(Radio Frequency Identification Center of Excellence)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Radio frequency identification (RFID) is often described as the next generation of bar codes. The University of Pittsburgh has announced the creation of a Radio Frequency Identification Center of Excellence, which will enable the University to...

Compliance forces shift in e-mail archiving.(front page)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... According to research firm Radicati, the market for e-mail archiving will grow from $465 million in 2005 to $4.4 billion in 2009. At the same time, customer needs are also changing. Growing concern about the potential risks associated with...

Calendar.(Calendar)
November 1, 2005... DECEMBER December 5 Teleconference: Letters of Credit Presenter: Madeline Sprague, CCM For more information, please contact the NACM Meetings Dept. at 410.740.5560. December 7-9 FCIB 2nd Annual Credit Conference in...

Good will and the promise of things to come.(COMMENTARY)
November 1, 2005... As we settle in to enjoy the holiday season, or the season of good will, I'd like to extend my good wishes to each of you, for the brightest and best! As the year draws to a close, we begin to assess our accomplishments, failures and progress....

Supreme Court refuses to hear appeal from ruling that California preference lawsuit is preempted by U.S. Bankruptcy Code.(CREDIT COLUMN)
November 1, 2005... On October 3, 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal's decision in Sherwood Partners v. Lycos, Inc. The Ninth Circuit had ruled that California's preference statute--contained in...

States team up to collect sales taxes on remote purchases.(SELECTED TOPIC)
November 1, 2005... Vendors and retailers selling items through catalogs and over the Internet--called remote purchases--are being courted by a group of states to voluntarily remit state and local sales taxes on these transactions. In September, a group of states...

Measuring your way to credit management success.
November 1, 2005... In the highly competitive global economy, U.S. businesses are striving harder to lower costs and improve their processes. The key to improvement is measurement. Often, Day Sales Outstanding (DSO) is utilized as a performance metric of the...

Can customer profitability be accurately measured?(REQUIRED READING)
November 1, 2005... Customer relationship management is all the rage in an increasingly service-oriented economy, as businesses search for the right marketing mix to, among other things, increase the economic profit of their customers. An article in the New York...

Legislative conference 2006.(laws and regulations)
November 1, 2005... NACM Legislative Conference Held In Wake of Hurricane Katrina Participants in the 34th NACM Legislative Conference arrived at a time in Washington when most Congressional energy and attention was focused on the suffering, damage and...

Awards nominations form & information.
November 1, 2005... NOMINEE APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS DOCUMENTATION, INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS If you are nominating someone, please be sure to consult with the nominee about all of the information requested. Each application will be judged on its own...

The premier event for business credit professionals: May 21-24, 2006: Nashville, Tennessee Gaylord Opryland Resort.(NACM's 110th Credit Congress & Exposition)
November 1, 2005... The 110th annual Credit Congress & Exposition, hosted by the National Association of Credit Management, is the premier event for the business credit and financial professional. No other industry conference allows you so many opportunities,...

Empowering others.(REQUIRED READING)(types of people empowerment)
November 1, 2005... Once you know how to empower people, how to motivate and inspire them, they will want to work with you to help you achieve your goals in everything you do. Your ability to enlist the knowledge, energy and resources of others enables you to...

Am I meant to mentor? Five attributes of best-in-class mentors.(SELECTED TOPIC)(Column)
November 1, 2005... As a young consultant I really thought I had it all together. I was getting great ratings, great raises and wonderful accolades from clients. Because I--in my own mind--thought I was such hot stuff, I was not active in seeking out advice from...

Market presence is critical in identifying credit fraud.(REQUIRED READING)
November 1, 2005... Verifraud's study on the underlying characteristics of 700 credit fraud attempts (Business Credit, January 2005) showed just how sophisticated and dangerous credit fraud has become. The results of our study showed that nearly 60 percent of the...

"Critical vendor" status is no escape from preference risk.(CREDIT COLUMN)(Fultonville Products)(Howell Electric Motors)
November 1, 2005... Credit grantors continue to hear about bankruptcy cases where the courts have approved a debtor's payment of the prepetition unsecured claims of "critical vendors". Sometimes a credit grantor is lucky enough to be one of the "chosen ones,"...

Measuring staff performance.(employee performance appraisals)
November 1, 2005... Few management responsibilities are more common than conducting performance appraisals. Yet as widespread as this practice may be, many credit departments--both large and small--experience challenges in organizing and managing an employee...

Five key points to reduce risk of financial ruin.(HEADLINE)
November 1, 2005... Revitalization Partners, an international specialty management and business advisory firm headquartered in Seattle, has in a range of industries--from technology to retail to manufacturing--who usually seek out help from the company's partners...

An American tragedy: Katrina's legal and business consequences.(SELECTED TOPIC)
November 1, 2005... The bidding has already begun to rebuild New Orleans and affected areas in Mississippi. Alas, so too have the insurance disputes and sundry other potential actions. Next Alert[TM] asked two leading experts in disaster planning and management,...

Performance management methodology.(SELECTED TOPIC)
November 1, 2005... The mandate to operate at an optimal level of performance and meet financial and organizational expectations is transforming the way organizations do business. This evolution is driving higher standards of competence in day-to-day operations...

Collaborative effort can avoid unexpected bad debt losses.(REQUIRED READING)(non-payment of a trade debt)
November 1, 2005... Even in today's strengthening economy, losses attributed to non-payment of a trade debt or bankruptcy can occur. I believe it's better to avoid them through proactive intelligence, than to simply react to the consequences after the fact. That's...

NACM Credit Manager's Index: report for October 2005.(CREDIT MANAGER'S INDEX)
November 1, 2005... The Credit Manager's Index remained unchanged in October. Sharp deteriorations in bankruptcy filings, sales, and new credit applications were offset by modest increases in the other seven components of the Index. "As noted previously, the...

Creditor fraud: a cause of action or a category of claims?(CREDIT COLUMN)
November 1, 2005... Recently a new cause of action referred to as "creditor fraud" has appeared in cases where an attorney has advised and facilitated a debtor to fraudulently convey property and/or hide assets to delay, hinder and avoid creditors. Is there a...

You are what you write: six ways to ensure that your e-mail makes--not breaks--your career.(SELECTED TOPIC)
November 1, 2005... Type. Click. Send. We do it every day without a second thought. E-mail has become the most prevalent form of communication in the business world. Professionals are increasingly known by their "e-mail personas" as this medium replaces...

Where do metrics come from? A metrics sourcing strategy.(REQUIRED READING)
November 1, 2005... One of the popular topics in management is metrics and measurement. Forrester published a series of reports on the Balanced Scorecard and articulated key metrics for each of the four perspectives. However, these only represent a starting point;...

The 411 on 419 fraud schemes.(SELECTED TOPIC)(foreign companies management)
November 1, 2005... In today's high-tech world, the exchange of information happens almost instantaneously. The clearinghouse for this information exchange is, of course, our e-mail servers--compliments of the Internet. The critical information we receive ranges...

Japan--land of rising export opportunities for U.S. companies?(INTERNATIONAL SECTION)
November 1, 2005... For Japan, known as the Land of the Rising Sun, the United States has provided a bright spot on its economic horizon in the form of exporting opportunities. American consumers have long purchased billions of dollars of Japanese products from...

Survey reveals a high-degree of preventable disputes.(HEADLINE)
November 1, 2005... A survey of over 100 financial, collections and receivables executives at mid- to large-sized companies in varying industries discovered that many organizations still take a reactive approach to collections and receivables management. Specific...

Hot spots: Japan.(economy)
November 1, 2005... The latest surveys of consumer and business confidence and talk that the Central Bank may soon begin to tighten policy have raised fresh concerns about the sustainability of the economy's recovery. While it is true, however, that Japan is not...

FCIB pays tribute to Dr. Hans-Werner Hauck at 119th International Conference in Prague.(Finance, Credit and International Business)
November 1, 2005... In October, FCIB hew their 119th International Conference & Workshop in Prague. While there, Brian Clarke paid tribute to a gentleman retiring after 38 years of continuous FCIB membership, Dr. Hans-Werner Hauck--"surely the longest serving...

CFDD Conference East.(MEMBER NEWS)(Credit & Financial Development Division)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... CFDD National hosted the CFDD Conference East in Florence, KY, October 20-22, 2005. Over 80 delegates, guests and Board members were in attendance for this educational event--including eight past National Chairmen of CFDD! A mini-expo held...

Excellence--across the board!(MEMBER NEWS)(Brief article)
November 1, 2005... Learning new skills or improving skills keep all professionals at the top of their field. Certification underscores an individual's quest for professional excellence and a commitment to maintaining high standards. Meet the Board of Directors of...