Financial Director articles from July 2006

Financial Director archives from July 2006

Pension plan.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Peter Williams pension plan The costs of company pension schemes have to be recorded in financial statements. Most finance directors would agree with that statement, but after that the consensus over accounting for pensions...

Local Trouble.(auditing )
July 13, 2006... Byline: Robert Bruce local trouble With Sarbanes-Oxley fees resolutely rising and a bonanza of what used to be called consultancy work, audit firms are doing very nicely indeed. Quite where that leaves their clients is anyone's...

HMG confused by its own TUPE laws.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Peter bartram HMG confused by its own tupe law Finance directors planning to buy an insolvent business could have been handed a big bonus as a result of a bungled change in the law on transfers of undertakings -- the provisions...

Lords back 'fair share' settlement.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Neil Hodge Lords back 'fair share' settlement Two separate rulings by the House of Lords in May supposedly upheld the right for former spouses to receive an equitable and fair share of the matrimonial pot, though high-flying...

Black mark for white paper.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Anthony Harrington black mark for White paper Having already witnessed the government's willingness to stand the pensions industry on its head -- as with the enthusiastic introduction of Stakeholder Pensions, which were meant...

Making it in China.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Anthony Harrington making it in china Debates about the future and fate of UK manufacturing tend to run into trouble from the outset over the slippery nature of the term 'manufacturer'. As Finbarr Livesey, director for the...

Growth oriented.(China grows)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Byline: Anthony Harrington growthoriented n Since 1978, China has achieved a 10% average rate of growth, quadrupling GDP per capita in that time n By 2015, China's GDP will be on a par with the US n By 2050, China's GDP is...

Gr8 spelling.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers Gr8 spellinga[bar] If you've ever wondered why a thorough plough through the problems of English spelling is a rough task that will leave you coughing and with nought to show for it, then there's a new book...

Notes to the accounts.(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers Notes to the accounts l If the headline in the BBC website is correct, the pensions crisis is a lot worse than we thought. l "Tax Freedom Day" -- the day from which the UK taxpayer starts to work for himself...

Educate to accumulate.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Rachael Singh educate to accumulate Finance directors, one would hope, understand the value of money and all its complications. But what about their children? It is a question being posed by the ICAEW which, together with the...

Beyond tick & bash.(auditor practices)(Discussion)
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers beyond tick & bash Should an external auditor be a watchdog or bloodhound? Should auditors be entitled to cap their exposure in the event of scandal? From a company's point of view, what role should internal audit...

The free range FD - he's a good egg!
July 13, 2006... Byline: David Rae The free range FD -- he's a good egg! Companies that adopt a flexible approach to their working practice can benefit from more productive staff with improved morale, according to research carried out by Microsoft...

Digital boom resonates across M7A market.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers Digital boom resonates across M&A market The next boom in the technology industry will be driven by digital convergence and the merger activity that results from that, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers study....

New equity becomes an issue.(business financing )
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers new equity becomes an issue Unlike equity markets in most other parts of the world, pro rata pre-emption rights have long been a cornerstone of company law and London stock market practice. Last year,...

The pioneering finance director.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers the pioneering finance director The recent dramatic demise of Marconi has tended to overshadow the fact that, in terms of its style of financial management, it was really quite a pioneering company in its heyday....

Risk fears endanger enterprise.
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers risk fears endanger enterprise The public's appetite for risk has diminished progressively in recent years. Our first inclination is to protect our children from dangers that we, their parents, used to regard as...

Diagnosis: healthy IT for NHS.(information technology for National Health Service)
July 13, 2006... Byline: David Rae Diagnosis: Healthy It for NHS According to a recent National Audit Office report, the National Health Service IT project -- Connecting for Health -- has been a success, despite its budget more than doubling from...

Markets off key despite sound fundamentals.(inflation threat )
July 13, 2006... Byline: David kern Markets off key despite sound fundamentals Equities Prices are still below recent peaks. It is unclear whether we have seen a correction, or the early stages of a bear market. Volatility in the commodity markets has...

Value beyond measure.(technology application in financial sectors)(Interview)
July 13, 2006... Byline: David rae value beyond measure How has your and your company's outlook on technology investment changed over the past two years? "The rate of change of available technology has been so rapid it has encouraged us to...

League leaders.(globalisation in United Kingdom)
July 13, 2006... Byline: Dennis Turner league leaders Globalisation is a clumsy label that is attached to a series of political, economic and social developments, such as the influx of overseas footballers into the Premiership, off-shoring of British...

Digging deep.
July 13, 2006... Byline: David Rae Digging deep Everything about BHP Billiton is big. It's the biggest mining company in the world and has a majority holding in the world's biggest open-pit copper mine. It has a market capitalisation of around $125bn...

Justified expense.(investment in information technology)
July 13, 2006... Byline: David Rae justified expense Next time you're chatting with a stakeholder in your business about a potential IT outlay, use the phrase 'technology-related business growth' to shoot down in flames any suggestions that an IT...

Chris Lynch CV.
July 13, 2006... Byline: David Rae CV Name Chris Lynch Age 52 Qualification Fellow of Australian Certified Practising Accountant (FCPA); MBA Deakin University March 2006 Group president, Carbon Steel -- present Materials, BHP...

Abolish budgets, embrace IFRS.(international financial reporting standards replaces generally accepted accounting practices)
July 13, 2006... Byline: Andrew Sawers abolish budgets, embrace IFrs Many media reports have suggested that the transition from UK GAAP to IFRS has been "smooth, no surprises, steady as you go and everything is hunky-dory", said Isobel Sharp from...