Financial Director articles from February 2009

Financial Director archives from February 2009

Paper tiger.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Dennis Turner paper tiger Quantitative easing may be a reality for the UK, but it remains a difficult and potentially dangerous science Nobody can accuse the authorities of standing idly by while recession bites deep...

Wake up call.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Robert Bruce Wake up call Make company-wide risk management run like clockwork, or you could wind up facing catastrophe It was the veteran muck-raking journalist Claude Cockburn who used to provide the sort of advice we...

umbrella standard welcomed.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Rachael Singh umbrella standard welcomed ISO14001 applications set to increase as companies seek shelter from a deluge of UK environmental laws Applications to the British Standards Institute for IS014001 environmental...

Ex-FD queen takes up Ceo reins as royal storm brews over 3i.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern Ex-FD queen takes up Ceo reins as royal storm brews over 3i Queen's succession is the latest in a clutch of FDs to be crowned CEO at the embattled private equity firm Troubled private equity group 3i has made...

McIlwee a logical choice for Tesco.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern Mcilwee a logical choice for tesco Tesco ended its seven-month search for group finance director Andrew Higginson's successor with the appointment in late January of its distribution director and one-time UK FD,...

Huge Q4 increase in liquidations as fraud hits 13-year record high.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern Huge Q4 increase in liquidations as fraud hits 13-year record high Liquidations soar Company liquidations in England and Wales increased by 51.6% in the last three months of 2008 compared with the same time in...

Vulture culture.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Peter Williams Vulture culture With uncertainty circling weakened companies, FDs must fight hard to ensure they're not the next carcass These days, wherever two or three finance directors are gathered together, there is an...

running dry.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Anthony Harrington running dry US cost-cutting measures are draining funds from pensions. And there's a danger the funding drought could spread here American companies have cut back on both defined benefit and defined...

Manufacturing slump dents UK profitability.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern Manufacturing slump dents UK profitability The net rate of return by non-financial UK companies in the third quarter of 2008 dropped by almost 2% to 13.9%, back to the level of total profitability for the UK...

More companies consider abandoning UK as tax Domicile.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern More companies consider abandoning UK as tax domicile The number of companies thinking about redomiciling outside the UK for tax purposes has more than doubled in the past year, according to an annual survey...

take your chances.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Anthony Harrington take your chances Defined contribution schemes absolve employers from responsibility for their employees' pension pot. But trying to pass all the risk on to employees could come back to bite them One of...

Giveusthecash.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Phil Thornton giveusthecash Despite all the initiatives launched by the government, the banks are still being accused of being more keen to get their money back than to lend it out again words Phil thornton illustration...

careless whisper.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Robert Jaques careless whisper Old PCs can talk and you can't be sure who's listening. Make sure you wipe the data properly, or get a shotgun Last month's IT column focused on the danger posed by portable computer...

Hound of the bank villains.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Peter Williams Hound of the bank villains With the Treasury Select Committee on its trail, the auditing industry must defend its role in the banking crisis. But is the financial watchdog's lack of independence and scrutiny...

feeling the strain.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Anthony Harrington feeling the strain Despite some high-profile corporate failures, the Pension Protection Fund insists it isn't overburdened. The Pensions Regulator will prevent trustees making the situation worse When...

aheadofthe.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern aheadofthe learningcurve Doug Webb likes dynamic -- that's why he joined the London Stock Exchange as it fights to retain its technological supremacy against a host of upstarts words Melanie Stern...

return of the long weekend.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Rachael Singh return of the long weekend A three-day weekend should be cause for celebration. But not all employees will welcome a cut in the working week Companies looking to tighten their belts are not just turning...

Honeymoon over as markets spurn Obama advances.
February 26, 2009... Byline: David Kern Honeymoon over as markets spurn Obama advances Poor reception to President Obama's fiscal package and steps to revive the banking system will heighten global risks, while embarrassing withdrawals of senior...

Looks interesting.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Anthony Harrington Looks interesting Pension scheme assets have taken a hammering, with poor investment returns leaving huge deficits. But these pale in comparison to the dangers posed by longer life expectancy FTSE-100...

Four by Big Four.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Rachael Singh Four by Big Four Professional services firms that are seeing their workload decline are jumping on board the reduced working week bandwagon. Big Four accountancy firm KPMG and Charles Russell, one of the top 50...

Decisions Leader.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Andrew Sawers If you do nothing else with this Decisions supplement on pensions, have a look at the box at the top of page 10. There is one figure in there that ought to send a shiver down your spine -- a shiver of fear if you have...

british roulette.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern british roulette The finance director's responsibility for risk management is under fire, writes Melanie Stern Two hard lessons abound from analysis of recent bank implosions. First, neither our banking...

barack bins bank bonuses.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Neil Hodge barack bins bank bonuses Financial institutions will come under greater scrutiny as the Obama administration looks to kickstart the US economy At the beginning of February, US President Barack Obama's new...

Third watch.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Andrew Sawers Thirdwatch While the commercial sector has received more attention in the past 25 years of FD interviews, there have been many remarkable stories in the not-for-profit sector words Andrew Sawers Julian...

Hickman breaks links with HBOS.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Rachael Singh Hickman breaks links with HBOS Peter Hickman takes up the chief financial officer role at Linklaters, the 'magic circle' law firm, leaving his role as group risk director with HBOS. He joined HBOS in 2004 as...

how bank fds measure up in the bonus stakes.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Andrew Sawers how bank fds measure up in the bonus stakes Criticism over bank bonuses has gained momentum as the government is under pressure not to reward failure. How will this affect FDs, asks Andrew Sawers Chris Lucas,...

the snows of killjoy man heroes.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Andrew Sawers the snows of killjoy man heroes The worst of the snow had disappeared from London within a few days, though the pavements remained treacherously icy for almost a week. Meanwhile, the boss was handing out 'hero...

figure it out.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Andrew Sawers figure it out Companies have the people with the ideas and experience to work through today's problems. Now all they have to do is get them to work together to find the solutions, writes Andrew Sawers In...

Technical Update.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Andrew Sawers Technical update Pensions The Pensions Regulator responded to employer worries about the pressures they are under to make up final salary scheme deficits at a time when businesses are already under pressure....

Update nibs.
February 26, 2009... Byline: Melanie Stern 20/20 hindsight Texan cricket mogul Robert Allen Stanford has been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission with perpetrating an $8bn fraudulent investment program. Selling 'certificates of deposit' to...