Financial Director articles from April 2007

Financial Director archives from April 2007

openingdoors.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Karen Day openingdoors Housing associations are now a multibillion pound sector willing to open their doors to new investors words Karen Day illustration David Lyttleton The face of the social housing sector today is...

Cutting your losses.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Peter Bartram cutting yourlosses Demergers are a massive undertaking definitely not for the faint-hearted FD. But done properly they can improve business focus and create long-term value words Peter Bartram ...

Learn the ropes.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Sarah Perrin learn the ropes Whether it's on-the-job training or external courses, finance professionals need a function-specific training programme There are many ways to develop talent: on-the-job coaching, external...

Pale male stale.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Sarah Perrin pale male stale Businesses still need to do more to ensure that talented staff make it to senior positions regardless of age, race or gender Organisations may feel they are striving to promote people based on...

fds face liability litigation.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Peter Williams fds face liability litigation As the government commissions yet another review of issuer liability, FDs could find themselves in the firing line as more investors sue for damages over misleading or false...

Further afield.(the demand for accountants)
April 26, 2007... Byline: Neil Hodge further afield With key accountancy skills in short supply, companies are increasingly looking abroad to poach suitable candidates Never has anyone with a financial qualification been so in demand. According to...

Best in class.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Neil Hodge best in class FDs are spending more of their time grooming talent. Are they really the best people to lead career development? Most leading companies now have a formalised talent management programme and, as...

I owe who?
April 26, 2007... Byline: Jules Stewart I owe who? The phenomenal growth of the leveraged debt market has led to greater risk and less discipline, writes Jules Stewart. The problems may come when corporates need to restructure their loans If...

Pressure's on.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Neil Hodge pressure's on Companies must keep testing the limits of top performing staff. Push too hard, though, and you risk a serious case of burnout There's no doubt that a company's talent pool needs to be tested if its...

Precarious optimism as risk appetite resurfaces.
April 26, 2007... Byline: David Kern Precarious optimism as risk appetite resurfaces The markets have recovered swiftly from the recent acute turmoil, but the warnings have been forgotten with unseemly haste. New appetite for risk is dangerous and the...

Ethical agenda starts with board.(Brief article)
April 26, 2007... Byline: David Rae Ethical agenda starts with board Ethical business practices are now a boardroom issue according to the 2007 European corporate identity survey, a report into 500 of the largest publicly listed companies in Europe by...

China turmoil fuels pensions volatility.
April 26, 2007... Byline: David Rae China turmoil fuels pensions volatility Pension deficit volatility has returned with a vengeance with the past 12 months showing huge swings compared to the previous three years when measured under FRS17, according to...

Poor integration hinders M&A success.(mergers and acquisitions)(Brief article)
April 26, 2007... Byline: David Rae Poor integration hinders M&A success rate More than 90% of mergers and acquisitions fail to meet their expectations because of differing corporate cultures and structures and because companies are prioritising...

Banking on clean energy.(Brief article)
April 26, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh banking on clean energy Investment in green economy is the best way to cut carbon emissions Gordon Brown recently addressed the World Bank at a conference regarding the clean energy investment framework. ...

compliance stifling outsourcing.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Neil Hodge compliance stifling outsourcing Increased regulatory pressures and the fear of sanctions for failure to comply are making FTSE-350 FDs reluctant to relinquish control over sensitive finance and accounting functions,...

Private equity in public eye.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Tony Harrington private equity in public eye Regulators are getting increasingly involved in private equity mega-deals. Will the firms lose their appetites? With the private equity house Kohlberg Kravis Roberts pulling out...

FDs tackle reporting processes.(Finance Directors)
April 26, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers fds tackle reporting processes A new report into reporting and forecasting processes in European companies offers suggestions for improvement What are the hot topics that finance directors are facing this...

THE SPIN ON spin-offs.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Peter Bartram THE SPIN ON spin-offs Companies that are spun-off from a parent because they look like hot properties may produce above average short-term returns but don't create value in the long run. However, when the...

Charmed, i'm sure.(Editorial)
April 26, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers charmed, i'm sure Barring any last minute glitches in the carefully planned arrangements, I'm going to meet a finance director tonight. Unusually, I admit to a certain amount of trepidation because, you see, this...

NObull.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers NObull Acertec FD David Roache prefers to 'tell it like it is' to the stock market. In fact, he would have preferred to stay in private equity and not talk to the market at all words Andrew Sawers Portraits...

Bank of England.
April 26, 2007... Byline: David Rae Bank of England governor Mervyn King was forced to write a letter of explanation to Gordon Brown for the first time in 10 years following the shock increase in CPI inflation to 3.1%. The inflation rate is more than one...

blunt message.(Company overview)
April 26, 2007... Byline: Robert Bruce blunt message As FDs can attest, when you're at the sharp end of corporate governance the blunt approach can be best There is a growing perception that life in the world of the finance director is...

critical stance.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Peter Williams critical stance The new IAS23 standard has caused widespread scepticism, doing little for the convergence cause Welcome to standard setting, global style. A place where it is accepted, perhaps even...

false dawn.(economic growth in Europe)
April 26, 2007... Byline: Dennis Turner false dawn Recent trends show eurozone output is set to outstrip the UK. Don't worry, though, it's still safe to gloat Schadenfreude is a particularly appropriate German word for how many Brits have...

brown's budget is off colour.
April 26, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh brown's budget is off colour Gordon Brown's last Budget will do little to incentivise businesses to take environmental issues seriously In spite of much speculation about a green Budget before his speech,...

latent value.(London Stock Exchange implements TradElect electronic trading system)
April 26, 2007... Byline: David Rae latent value It's the fast, robust and scalable technology platform that's enticing suitors to pay over the odds for the LSE If there were a million reasons why Clara Furse was right in fighting so hard to...