Accountancy Age articles from February 2006

Accountancy Age archives from February 2006

Controversial use of 'composite company' arrangements.(Wembley Inc., General, Municipal, Boilermakers and Allied Trades Union)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... The controversial use of 'composite company' arrangements to avoid tax at the Wembley construction site (left) has been attacked by a leading trade union, writes Kevin Reed. The GMB claimed the use of composite companies,often used in the...

Witnesses emerge in stabbing case.(Leslie Cummings)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... Byline: Paul Grant. Fresh witnesses have emerged in the police hunt for the assailant of the chief accountant at the Law Society of Scotland, who was the victim of a knife attack last week thought to be connected to his work. Police...

Warring firms cast shadow over Sanctuary's recovery. Beleaguered music label hit by spat between Baker Tilly and Big Four firm, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 2, 2006... A clash between Baker Tilly and a Big Four firm over the state of the music label Sanctuary Group's accounts has thrown the company's recovery plans into further confusion. Sanctuary, which has some of the biggest acts in the music business...

Tax uncertainty threatens QinetiQ's FTSE ambitions. Confusion around tax treatment of employee-related securities could impact on revenue, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 2, 2006... The state-owned defence research company, QinetiQ, is facing a number of tax and accounting risks that could damage revenues when it lists on the stock exchange next month. In its 325-page prospectus, the group warned that uncertainty...

FDs rate Davos a waste of time. Finance directors in the UK have given the annual World Economic Forum in Davos an overwhelming thumbs down, writes Paul Grant.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... When asked whether the get-together of global business leaders and other high-profile personalities was a waste of time, two thirds of respondents to the Accountancy Age/Reed Finance Big Question agreed. Only 28% felt that the event was...

Deloitte 'hides' in BCCI case.(Bank of Credit and Commerce International Ltd., Deloitte Consulting L.L.P.)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... Byline: Paul Grant and Mike Taylor. The Bank of England has accused Deloitte of hiding from a judgment condemning its conduct in the BCCI case. The Big Four firm failed to show up for a High Court hearing this week, which considered an...

News in brief.(European Union's tax rule)
February 2, 2006... The cost of collecting tax in different countries is to be studied by the National Audit Office. Sir John Bourn, head of the NAO, told the public accounts committee on Monday that the spending watchdog was looking into the issue in order to...

Corporates win moral victory in tax battle. Appeal court rules that subsidiaries of European parents were victims of dividend tax discrimination, writes Alex Hawkes.
February 2, 2006... Multinationals challenging historic rules on dividend taxation won a moral victory this week in their battle to have millions of tax repaid. The Court of Appeal ruled that advanced corporation tax rules discriminated against companies with...

Tories join Arctic debate.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Alex Hawkes. The Tories have waded into the row over the Arctic Systems case, demanding more information on why HM Revenue & Customs refuses to treat it as a test case. Mark Hoban, shadow financial secretary to the Treasury,...

Over-priced: Tory health shadow minister hits out at KPMG costs.
February 2, 2006... The Department of Health has paid 'over the odds' by using KPMG's business recovery and consulting experts to help turn round stricken NHS organisations, according to Conservative health shadow minister Stephen O'Brien, writes Kevin Reed. ...

Recent LLPs face higher pension levies.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Alex Hawkes. Firms which have recently converted to LLPs have been warned they could face higher levies from the Pension Protection Fund as they will be regarded as new start-ups. Grant Thornton, the mid-tier firm, this week...

Tax relief extension dismissed. HMRC ditches tax spreading relief, writes Kevin Reed.
February 2, 2006... HM Revenue & Customs has blown out requests by the accounting institutes to extend work-in-progress tax spreading relief to practices and clients who had already adopted revised accounting rules. In a letter to accounting umbrella group...

Barratt FD sets his sight on FTSE100. Newly appointed Barratt Developments finance director Mark Pain has sparked a frenzy of market activity in the sector after signalling his intention to drive the building company into the FTSE100, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 2, 2006... Analysts believe that the FTSE250 group will need to go on the acquisition trail if it is to enter the top index, and Pain's comments prompted a surge in rivals George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow, which by the end of last week had closed 33.5p...

Forensic seal of approval is a pointless exercise, claims expert. Institute accreditation is misconceived and will not carry necessary weight, writes Kevin Reed.(Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... One of the UK's leading forensic accounting experts has dismissed a potential ICAEW accreditation scheme for members in the sector. John Ellison, chairman of KPMG's forensic division, said an accreditation was pointless, because the main...

Europe to rule on VAT powers.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Alex Hawkes. Powers to shut down VAT arrangements thought to be undertaken soley for the purposes of tax avoidance could be won by HM Revenue & Customs. The European Court of Justice is due to deliver its verdict in the...

Call to end corporation tax anomaly.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Our parliamentary correspondent. Wholesale simplification of corporation tax is being urged by the right-leaning Conservative Bow Group. The think-tank urged the rationalisation of tax rates to three bands of zero, basic and...

Finance week - Pensions levy set to drive debt markets. Companies with the largest deficits may raise debt to avoid a pension protection fund levy this year, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 2, 2006... The booming debt markets are set for a further boost, as companies look to trim the deficits of their defined-benefit pension schemes and reduce their exposure to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) risk-based levy. The PPF levy, which is...

Finance week - Company reports.
February 2, 2006... MFI reaches an agreement with the taxman, as HMV considers an approach from a mystery buyer. Royal Dutch Shell is set to report record profits of $23bn ([pounds sterling]13m) at a results presentation today. The Anglo-Dutch oil giant is...

Tax - Pepsi and Volvo lead thin cap charge. Multinationals go on the attack over thin cap rules, a key plank in the government's anti-avoidance strategy, writes Alex Hawkes.
February 2, 2006... Multinational corporates launched their latest attack on what they regard as an unlawful UK tax system under EU rules this week. On Tuesday, the so-called 'thin cap' group litigation order was heard in the European Courts of Justice. The...

Tax - New obstacles trump government REITs plan. Property businesses are unlikely to take up Real Estate Investment Trust status if the current plans go through, a senior adviser to the project has said, writes Alex Hawkes.
February 2, 2006... Ros Rowe, tax partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers and a member of the industry working group advising the government on the plans, has warned that key elements will not work. 'REITs have been widely welcomed within the property sector, but...

Tax - Too early for name calling.
February 2, 2006... If I was Rupert Murdoch, I wouldn't be too worried. The News Corp boss and, according to some, the opinion leader of the free world, has complained that David Cameron is not offering a substantial alternative to Gordon Brown on tax. ...

Technology - Can we trust in HMRC?(United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... It's all a question of faith really. I'm not referring to whether England will win the World Cup, but whether HM Revenue & Customs' online filing service can continue to grow exponentially, while keeping up a high level of service and not...

Technology - FSA bucks trend and rejects XBRL. HMRC and Companies House push ahead with with XBRL, despite FSA's reluctance, writes Kevin Reed.(United Kingdom. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, United Kingdom. Financial Services Authority)
February 2, 2006... HM Revenue & Customs and Companies House are battling to encourage business take-up of the controversial reporting standard, XBRL, but the Financial Services Authority has steered clear of the format. Despite the two agencies forging ahead...

Technology - Oracle on target with Fusion. Oracle has underlined the key role that PeopleSoft will play in its next generation of business applications, and has revealed that it is halfway through its Fusion scheme to integrate the product suites, writes James Murray.
February 2, 2006... Charles Phillips, Oracle president, said integration was 'ahead of schedule' and insisted that a full Fusion Applications suite was on target for a 2008 release. Fusion has been heralded as a 'super suite' of business applications, which...

Editorial - To be or not to be accredited?(approval from Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales of accountants)(Editorial)
February 2, 2006... That's the question vexing forensic accountants the length and breadth of the country this week. A chasm has opened up between those who believe the sector is in need of accreditation to help High Court judges identify forensic accoutants as...

Opinion - The Debate - Emergency services. NHS finance managers are not to blame for government mistakes, argues Stephen O'Brien. A combined effort is required, writes Mark Knight.(United Kingdom. National Health Service)
February 2, 2006... Last week it was announced that of the 61 Trusts that KPMG inspected, 18 are in such serious deficit that they required urgent intervention, and a further 23 need additional expertise or resources. It is a disgrace that things have got to...

Jon Ashworth - The corridors of power ...(Anton Rupert)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 2, 2006... The death, at 89, of Anton Rupert - one of South Africa's greatest businessmen - may not have meant much to your average UK reader. But walk past a Cartier shop or pick up a Montblanc pen and you'll feel his influence. Where South African...

Letter - Mr Popular: Mike Warburton. Grant Thorton's senior tax partner has made a big impression on former colleagues.(Letter to the Editor)
February 2, 2006... Like MP Stephen Williams (19 January, page 32), I too think that Mike Warburton is the nicest person I have ever worked for - and yes frustrating too. The trick here was to wait until he had booked his holidays and then make sure yours...

Letter - Show George some respect.(Letter to the Editor)
February 2, 2006... I can understand why our American-controlled gutter press is having a go at George Galloway - but I cannot understand why Accountancy Age (26 January, page 2) is joining in. If your recent poll is representative of FDs as a whole, then I...

Letter - Success story.(Letter to the Editor)
February 2, 2006... I read with amusement Mr D Sullivan's letter about falling ICAEW student numbers and his remarks about never trying to join one of the 'failures' institutes. May I respectfully point out to Mr Sullivan that only a few weeks earlier,...

Letter - Business sense.(Letter to the Editor)
February 2, 2006... In his letter about investments in the consolidators Tenon and Numerica (26 January, page 11), David Shearn asks: 'Are accountants any good about running their own business?' The very fact that the two consolidators did NOT pay any dividends to...

Letter - A mismatch.(Letter to the Editor)
February 2, 2006... First CIPFA, now the IFA with sister organisation the International Association of Bookkeepers. Whatever next? If there is an International Association of Roadsweepers I hope Eric is kept unaware of its existence. Andrew Cliffe, via...

Letter - Correction.(Letter to the Editor)(Correction Notice)
February 2, 2006... On last week's letters page we wrongly attributed the letter headlined All bark and no bite to BDO Stoy Hayward managing partner Jeremy Newman. The letter was in fact from an entirely unconnected Jeremy Newman and we would like to apologise to...

Insider - Prize catch. Aggressive, maverick leaders may have had their day, if new research is anything to go by. But the new generation of top bosses still need to take some risks, says Alysoun Stewart.
February 2, 2006... We all know that every successful organisation needs good leadership. In today's competitive business environment it can make the difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary, success and failure. But what makes a good business leader?...

Insider - Profile: Mark Coughlin, exporting an institute from down under - Aussie rules. As our friends from down under invaded the pub last week for Australia Day, another, quieter invasion is afoot. CPA Australia, under the leadership of president Mark Coughlin, has come to the UK, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 2, 2006... In late October last year, as Eric Anstee and Steve Freer, the chief executives of the ICAEW and CIPFA, were digesting a narrow defeat in their attempt to merge their institutes, the president of an accounting institute 20,000km away in...

Insider - Overview - Fever pitch. On the frontline: E&Y has its work cut out auditing tickets for the World Cup, writes David Callaghan.
February 2, 2006... Sven-Goran Eriksson is leaving after the World Cup and the search is on for a new England manager. The speculation as to who will take over is likely to reach feverish proportions over the next few months until an announcement is made. But...

Insider - Three steps to ... Being a 21st century leader.
February 2, 2006... STEP 1: Trust your people Effective communication, strong teams and a demonstrable value set founded on integrity and honesty are the most valuable leadership characteristics. These attributes deliver competitive advantage and are a...

Insider - Buzzwords - SarPox. (noun) Highly contagious infection afflicting a business that has, at most, a tenuous link with a US firm dealing with Sarbox.
February 2, 2006... You're a small UK subsidiary of a US corporation. You mind your own business pretty well, or so you think. Suddenly, in steps a US audit firm to check your controls - how rude! Your company has caught SarPox. Maybe your business just supplies...

Insider - Keep the flame of OFR burning. The chancellor's decision to abolish the operating and financial review has produced extreme reactions. Although the intention was to remove red tape, its demise was not entirely welcomed by investors, shareholders and industry.
February 2, 2006... Byline: George McDevitt, vice-president of finance at Oracle UK, Ireland and South Africa. In a letter last month to the DTI, a group of investors and corporate governance activists warned that companies' reporting efforts could be...

Taking Stock - The ultimate con-artist.(Timothy Worel)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... TS was intrigued by the story of conman Timothy Worel, who passed himself off as a 'highly qualified individual in accountancy', according to prosecutor Leighton Hughes. Worel was given a two-year sentence after dishonestly placing a...

Taking Stock - Tenon in the headlines.(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... A proposed MBO, an under-performing share price and chunky debt have all combined to keep possibly soon-to-be delisted accounting firm Tenon in the headlines. The speculation and rumour has had TS gasping for more - a bit like the latest Arctic...

Taking Stock - Boardroom antics.
February 2, 2006... Recent behaviour has raised an eyebrow or two in TS Towers, as left-wing MPs have extolled the virtues of British boardrooms, holding them up as an example of good governance that Tony Blair should follow. Nine MPs have signed a Commons...

Carousel fraud.
February 2, 2006... Is carousel fraud a question of tax avoidance or tax evasion? That's the quandary some advisers are supposed to be in (though TS has yet to locate any) if HM Revenue & Customs is to be believed. When HMRC has been holding meetings with...

Taking Stock - Oh no he didn't!(John Robert Whiting, acting skills)(Brief Article)
February 2, 2006... Old Kieran Poynter had a panto, e-i-e-i-o. And in that panto a tax partner acted, e-i-e-i-o. With a John Whiting here, a John Whiting there, here a John, there a John, everywhere a John John. TS will calm down now. But it has been hard to...

Advisers seek rivals to Tenon MBO.(management buy-out plan)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... In a bold bid to generate more interest in AIM-listed accounting group Tenon, the company's advisers have actively pursued potential buyers to challenge chief executive Andy Raynor's management buy-out plan, writes Nicholas Neveling. This...

Despair as consultation on OFR descends into 'farce'. Profession fears the government is only paying lip service to its concerns, writes Paul Grant.(operating and financial review)
February 9, 2006... Negotiations urgently arranged to discuss the government's reform of the operating and financial review are set to backfire after senior figures from the profession warned all confidence had been lost in the government's consultation process....

BP boss slams IFRS as 'unnecessarily complex'.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Nicholas Neveling. The most powerful chief executive in the UK has launched a scathing attack on international accounting standards, describing the new methods as 'difficult' and 'asymmetric'. BP's Lord John Browne (pictured)...

Extended scrutiny causes alarm for foreign auditors. US oversight board plays down growing overseas inspections, writes Alan Osborn.
February 9, 2006... The US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has attempted to allay fears over plans to significantly increase the number of inspections of foreign audit firms this year. The board indicated that the rise was due to 'natural growth',...

KPMG property revamp put on ice.(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... Byline: Nicholas Neveling. A high court judgement has forced KPMG to put plans to restructure its property portfolio on hold. The Big Four firm wanted to leave its Puddle Dock building by 2007 in an overhaul of the five offices in its...

Mobile firms in [pounds sterling]3.5bn VAT dispute.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Alex Hawkes. The major mobile phone companies have bid this week to get [pounds sterling]3.5bn back from the taxman in their dispute over VAT on the 3G licences. Hutchison 3G, 02, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone collectively paid...

News in brief.
February 9, 2006... MPs have demanded that tax return filing dates should be spaced to end the intense pressure to have everything filed by 31 January. The proposal is one of a number from the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee, which also included making...

Equitable Life probe targets role of FSA. Inquiry will examine allegations that the regulator failed to protect policyholders, writes Keith Nuthall.(United Kingdom Financial Services Authority)
February 9, 2006... A special European parliament committee of inquiry into the near collapse of Equitable Life is to investigate the role of regulators in accounting at the life assurer. The involvement of the Financial Services Authority in particular is to...

E&Y joins Big Four billionaires. Big Four firm Ernst & Young is set to break the [pounds sterling]1bn barrier in revenues this year, chairman Nick Land has predicted, writes Alex Hawkes.
February 9, 2006... The landmark result will not affect the ranking of E&Y as the fourth largest accounting firm, as KPMG, which is third, has grown significantly. E&Y reported 21% half-year growth, but KPMG earlier released figures showing a rise in income...

KPMG faces [pounds sterling]60m pension hole.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Gavin Hinks. KPMG partners will have to find [pounds sterling]60m over the next five to 10 years to settle the firm's pension fund deficit following a decision by the House of Lords to deny an appeal on the issue. This week's...

ASB decides on future role.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Paul Grant. The future of standard setting in the UK could be decided today as the Accounting Standards Board meets to thrash out proposals for reform. The board convenes this morning to discuss responses to the questions it...

Till death us do part. Same sex couples need to consider the tax implications of their new found rights.(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... Valentine's Day next week will be a momentous occasion for same sex couples looking to legally tie the knot after years of waiting, but this elation could be tempered by changes in their property tax status, writes Chris Evans. Before...

DTI signals a climbdown over liability cap fears of auditors. Revelations from Treasury spark allegations about undue influence on government legislation of accountants seconded from Big Four.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Paul Grant. Fears that government intransigence over the wording of auditor liability legislation could force accountants to negotiate liability caps against their wishes have been allayed following talks with the profession. ...

MP links Big Four secondments to drive for changes in liability law.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Our parliamentary correspondent. Seconded accountants from the Big Four may have influenced the 'protective arrangements' limiting the liabilities of top accountancy firms, according to a senior Labour MP. The allegation...

Taxpayer 'loses out' on QinetiQ. Almost three-quarters of finance directors believe that the flotation of defence research group QinetiQ deprived the government and taxpayer of realising the full value of the state-owned firm, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 9, 2006... In this week's Accountancy Age/Reed Finance Big Question, 73% of the 138 FDs polled felt that the QinetiQ flotation was not the best way to deliver value for money for government and taxpayers. Only 24% said the float was a good option. ...

Finance Week - Doubts cast over chances of first FTSE100 buyout. Private equity buyouts seen as less lucrative going into 2006, writes Nicholas Neveling.
February 9, 2006... Doubts have been cast over the chances that 2006 will see the first private equity buyout of a FTSE100 company, after two batches of research indicated that private equity players were not enjoying the bumper pay outs of previous years. ...

Finance Week - Company reports.
February 9, 2006... Shell paid [pounds sterling]674m in taxes to the government in 2005. The company, which announced the highest-ever profits earned in the UK last week, paid twice as much in tax as it had done the previous year. Soaring oil and gas prices saw...

Management consultancy - Consultants act as 'band aid' to NHS. Extra government investment has done little to solve the NHS financial crisis, writes David Callaghan.
February 9, 2006... Management consultants have been pulled into the firing line as new 'hit squads' attempt to turn failing NHS finances around. The NHS has run into financial trouble, despite record levels of government investment. The hit squads or...

Management consultancy - E&Y steams through to win Network Rail contract.
February 9, 2006... Ernst & Young has beaten off competition from Big Four rivals PwC and KPMG to land a Network Rail contract that will see the firm involved in a multibillion-pound redevelopment of some of the country's biggest railway stations. The project...

Management consultancy - You saw it here first.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Gavin Hinks, editor of Accountancy Age. We saw it three weeks ago in Accountancy Age, but last week's survey from the Management Consultancies Association confirmed what we were hearing anecdotally. Public sector managers are pretty...

Technology - Vendor forced out of audit market. Complexity of international standards and falling audit thresholds sees market shrink, writes Kevin Reed.
February 9, 2006... Auditing software company AuditPlus has been forced out of the market due to falling audit thresholds and increased legislation, leaving practitioners with less choice. AuditPlus, which had provided auditing software to accounting...

Technology - IT briefs.(Confederation of British Industry report, Joseph Ltd.)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... Inadequate IT security is putting SMEs and their supply chain partners at risk, according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI). Despite 60% of medium-sized firms using the internet in their supply chain, 52% have poor or no security...

Editorial - Only billionaires need apply to join the Big Four.(Editorial)
February 9, 2006... So Ernst & Young will break through the [pounds sterling]1bn turnover barrier this year for the first time. It's an important threshold to cross. Not, perhaps, as noteworthy as breaking through the sound barrier, but for the accountancy sector...

Opinion - The Debate - Never a borrower be. Filling the pensions hole with a loan is a risky business, writes Steve Priddy. But employers can make borrowing work for them, says Steve Osbiston.
February 9, 2006... Is it right for companies to borrow to cover pension deficits? This question bundles together some complex assumptions based on a narrow view of time and responsibility. The first assumption is that the deficit is quantifiable. But there...

Letter - Lottery luck: Earl strikes the jackpot.(Letter to the Editor)
February 9, 2006... 'The UK National Lottery is GTech by another name' writes Jon Ashworth (26 January, page 11). GTech is a supplier to Camelot, and a highly skilled and trusted supplier at that. But so, too, are Scientific Games, IBM and many other...

Letter - Time to ditch the blinkers.(Letter to the Editor)
February 9, 2006... I was astonished to see in your graph (2 February, page 5) that 66% of UK finance directors think Davos to be a waste of time. I find it worrying that leaders of important companies in the UK can still be so blinkered and lacking in vision....

Letter - Ask the experts.(Letter to the Editor)
February 9, 2006... I am writing in response to 'To be or not to be accredited?' (2 February, page 8). For my sins it was I who mooted accreditation for experts when I first joined the Forensic Special Interest Group committee some years ago - though other...

Letter - Seeing red.(Letter to the Editor)
February 9, 2006... I am writing in response to Paul Reichel's letter (19 January, page 11) regarding the payment of professional fees. In his letter he says the Big Four pay members fees. This is factually incorrect. I work for KPMG and it does not pay any...

Letter - Too hot to handle.(Letter to the Editor)
February 9, 2006... I read in the press recently about the lady Deloittes employee who burnt her feet firewalking during a 'team building' exercise. Will they be adding 'trial by ordeal' to their audit tests, with finance directors being required to do...

Letter - Resistance is futile.(Letter to the Editor)
February 9, 2006... Some of your commentators on the rumoured associations between ICAEW and IFA have made the assumption that the members of IFA would leap at the chance to merge with the ICAEW on any footing. As a happily paid up member of a number of institutes...

Jon Ashworth - the corridors of power ...(frivolous lawsuits)(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... Byline: Jon Ashworth, a freelance journalist. For reasons best left unexplained, I have recently become an expert on divorce. Did you know that you can get divorced in the UK for as little as [pounds sterling]230? There's a [pounds...

Insider - The price of freedom. The Freedom of Information Act set out to create a culture of openness. Sumita Shah assesses the impact it is having on accountants.
February 9, 2006... The era of freedom of information is now upon us, thanks to the introduction in January 2005 of the groundbreaking Act, allowing the public access to information held by over 100,000 public bodies in the UK. The idea is to open them up to...

Insider - Profile: Andrew Jackson, the CFO tackling a power struggle. The government's energy review has put nuclear power under the spotlight - but for UK Atomic Energy Authority CFO Andrew Jackson deregulation of the clean-up market and the shift to a commercial culture present more immediate challenges, writes Rachel Fielding.
February 9, 2006... Atomic Theory When Andrew Jackson first got the call from a headhunter about a CFO position at the UK Atomic Energy Authority, he admits the job didn't exactly float his boat. 'I won't hide the fact that my reaction wasn't exactly...

Insider - Fear of the unknown. Insight: tackling the non-executive recruitment crisis.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Gerald Russell, senior partner of Ernst & Young in London and chairman of its non-executive programme. The growing compliance burden means Britain's blue-chip companies face a recruitment crisis for top-quality non-executive...

Insider - Overview - Deputy dogged by past. On the frontline: Sir John Gieve's new position at the Bank of England is being overshadowed by the mess he left behind at the Home Office, writes Paul Grant.
February 9, 2006... At the start of the year, Sir John Gieve walked into one of the most significant financial roles in the country. As deputy governor of the Bank of England, and a member of the interest rate-setting monetary policy committee, his influence over...

Insider - Three steps to ... Finding job search success using door-to-door sales techniques.
February 9, 2006... Step 1: Sell your knowledge, skills and experience Market your features, benefits and value to the company. Position yourself as a solution to someone's problems instead of a problem looking for a solution. Step: 2 Be dynamic ...

Insider - Buzzwords - BPOs. (noun) Business Prevention Officers - officious public sector types who see it as their job to interrupt private sector enterprise.(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... For this, we are indebted to the Malmaison founder Ken McCulloch. Asked about Glasgow councillors whose traffic policies had made the capital's traffic system a nightmare, McCulloch said: 'I call them BPOs, Business Prevention Officers....

Insider - Spanner in the works.
February 9, 2006... The last 20 years have seen vigorous innovation and debate in management accounting, generating new tools and practices like activity-based costing, EVA and strategic performance measurement systems. But while these tools and practices are...

Taking Stock - Puzzling time for ICAEW.(Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales )(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... Having attended the odd ICAEW council meeting or two, TS knows that sometimes proceedings can be a little dull. On occasion we've found ourselves staring off into the distance and before we knew it, wake up in an empty hall. We would...

Taking Stock - Public Accounts Committee meeting.(Brief Article)
February 9, 2006... Does Sir David Varney have some beef with MPs that we don't know about? TS only asks because he often acts churlish with them at select committees, answering their questions in a sullen fashion, as if they were being impertinent. At last week's...