Financial Director articles from August 2008

Financial Director archives from August 2008

The Big Chill.(British economic recession)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Dennis Turner the big chill The economy is still growing, but in every other sense, the UK is on the brink of recession We may be well into the summer months now, but a chill still persists, whistling round the...

trouble on deck.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Robert Bruce trouble on deck Financial markets were once about capitalising on success. Now profiting from loss is a sexier game At times, regardless of economic circumstances, it can feel very secure being on the...

Complex Solution.(Financial Reporting Council)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Peter Williams complex solution Identifying then separating harmful complexity from critical detail is as political a task as it is mind-bending The idea that the Financial Reporting Council is working on a project...

JUST SAY NO.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Robert Jaques JUST SAY NO Reports claim that information overload at work is more damaging to productivity than smoking marijuana Remember the words of American writer Gertrude Stein? How "everybody gets so much...

Every Last Drop.(cash flow)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Anthony Harrington everylastdrop Downturns put pressure on cash flow. Squeezing your suppliers with slower payment isn't the right response words Anthony Harrington One of the inevitable consequences of a long economic...

Taxman's Knock.(Great Britain's new tax law)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Peter Williams taxman's knock New legislation gives the taxman the power to come to your door and rummage around more or less as he sees fit. But don't worry: HMRC is about to 'consult' on some guidelines, writes Peter...

stashofcash.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Anthony Harrington stashofcash It's early days, but pooling global accounts will revolutionise cash management for large corporates words Anthony Harrington There have been three industrial revolutions since the end of...

Bank On Support.(business-bank relationships)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Anthony Harrington What makes the difference between a bank deciding to pull the plug on an ailing company, or extending it a lifeline? By staying close to its bankers, a company has a fair chance of persuading them that the glass...

Chapter and Verse.(insolvency procedures similar to Chapter 11 proposed by Conservatives)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth Jeffries chapter and verse As David Cameron announces plans for a Chapter 11-style process, critics question whether companies should have the last word in insolvency, writes Rachael Singh The Conservative party...

green tax looks jaded.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh green tax looks jaded Once anathema to Conservative policy, taxation is taking centre stage as the party tries to promote its green credentials, writes Elisabeth Jeffries Tax used to be a dirty word in the...

Central banks forced to abandon hawkish stance.
August 28, 2008... Byline: David Kern Central banks forced to abandon hawkish stance Inflation continues to accelerate, but threats to growth are even more severe, forcing central banks to either ditch or delay plans for additional tightening. The...

DoYourBest.(Financial Directors' preparations for United Kingdom's economic downturn)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern DOYOURBEST Our reader survey reveals that finance directors have been readying themselves for a prolonged downturn and, as a result, exude a confidence in otherwise scant supply these days Words Melanie Stern...

Sustainability report gets public audit.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh Sustainability report gets public audit More detail and greater transparency is needed to give credence to sustainability reporting, says KPMG Most of the FTSE-100 now publish annual sustainability reports....

Defra Hints at Green Tables.(United Kingdom, Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh Defra hints at green tables New carbon emissions rebate scheme will force UK companies to pay up front for high energy usage The government's drive to meet its 60% reduction target by 2050 has fuelled the...

Credit still difficult to find despite claims that the worst is behind us.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh Credit still difficult to find despite claims that the worst is behind us Costly credit Over three-quarters of CFOs have found credit harder to obtain this year, according to Deloitte's quarterly survey of...

Foreign Tax Change Put on Hold.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Neil Hodge foreign tax change put on hold Fears of large-scale tax avoidance has forced the government to rethink cumbersome foreign tax proposals The UK government has put off plans to change the taxation of foreign...

BCC Warns of 'Difficult Years' Ahead for Business.(British Chambers of Commerce)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern BCC warns of 'difficult years' ahead for business The UK will be in recession by 2009 followed by weak growth going into 2010, according to the British Chambers of Commerce. The BCC revealed in its quarterly...

Bank profits halved as write-downs cause further losses.
August 28, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern Bank profits halved as write-downs cause further losses Pre-tax profit across the UK's five biggest banks sank by nearly 60% in the first six months of 2008 as a result of huge write-downs on bad loans. ...

Not Just a Beanz Counter.(Garry Price of H.J. Heinz Co. Ltd.)(Interview)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers notjust abeanz counter After almost quarter of a century working for HJ Heinz, FD Garry Price hasn't lost any of his enthusiasm A- it seems 57 varieties really are the spice of life words andrew...

No Need for Panic.(UK economic downturn)
August 28, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers no need for panic The wise advice is that this is no time for panic measures. There are probably a few of you, however, who think this is the perfect time for panic measures. No point panicking when things are all...

Lies, damn lies...
August 28, 2008... Byline: Anthony Harrington Lies, damn liesa[bar] As consumer spending weakened and economists warned of recession, the Office for National Statistics reported growth in retail sales A- data that was taken with a pinch of salt by the...