Financial Director articles from March 2007

Financial Director archives from March 2007

A worhty sacrifice?
March 27, 2007... Byline: John Maslen A worthy sacrifice? Do your sums right and salary sacrifice schemes will make fleet finance cheaper and have a green-tinged tax advantage for finance directors, making company cars a worthwhile benefit ...

Miles Better.(fuel cards )
March 27, 2007... Byline: Catherine Chetwynd miles better Fuel cards still provide the best means of keeping track of mileage claims and fleet costs despite associated paper trail Fuel cards have long provided the simplest way for drivers to buy...

business simulator takes off.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Robert Bruce business simulator takes off Visualisation techniques will help accountants and non-financial staff to develop an intuitive understanding of the essentials of business. Robert Bruce would have liked to have had...

Two wheels good.(Product/service evaluation)
March 27, 2007... Byline: John Maslen two wheels good Fuelled by climate change concerns, a desire to avoid sitting in traffic jams and paying congestion charges, cycling is more popular than ever among Britain's commuters, who are voting for change...

Green streets.(Product/service evaluation)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Steve Fowler green streets With company car tax, congestion charges and road fund licence all based on how green a car is A- not forgetting endlessly rising fuel prices A- environmental concerns are playing an increasingly...

All change.(finance transformation)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers All change The transformation of the finance function is an ongoing process that needs wholesale investment in technology and structures. But this will only happen when business recognises its true contribution...

Black, gold and green.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh Black, gold and green With soaring oil prices affecting the bottom line, fleet managers will be held over a barrel unless they develop alternative fuel strategies to help keep costs and emissions under control ...

Tax breaks for bike fleets.
March 27, 2007... Byline: n Tax breaks for bike fleets Transport for London's Take a Stand scheme aims to improve parking for cycling commuters, as the City of London tries to help its population swap from cars to bicycles and assist reaching its...

Why are diesel cars appearing in green motoring lists?
March 27, 2007... Byline: Steve Fowler Why are diesel cars appearing in green motoring lists? Among the talk of bio-fuels and liquified natural gas, diesel still appears in some cars built specifically to appeal to the climate change-aware market. But...

Pick up the tab.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Peter Williams pick up the tab If the government stops funding the Financial Reporting Council, what price the Accounting Standards Board? This month, the Financial Reporting Council is consulting stakeholders on how...

Group hug.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Robert Jaques group hug Forget the harmony, just think of the cash they could generate if FDs and CIOs could only get on It is fair to say that the historical relationship between many FDs and their CIOs has been...

Mary, Maryi?1/2.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Robert Bruce mary, mary... Quite contrary to popular belief, good corporate governance really does mean better performance One of the joys of journalism is to take the contrarian view. If the whole media world is...

Regulator to clarify audit role.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Neil Hodge regulator to clarify audit role The FRC attempts to codify the role of audit committees may improve efficiency and choice in the audit market The UK's corporate governance regulator, the Financial Reporting...

Grey Budget with shades of Brown.(Alistair Darling )(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh Grey Budget with shades of Brown In his first Budget, Alistair Darling unveiled a raft of environmental incentives for business and individuals A- such as his car tax reforms that will rake in around [pounds...

EC prepares energy use roadmap.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh EC prepares energy use roadmap EC emissions legislation to shape energy management policy for European companies A draft standard on energy management for European companies is currently being drawn up by the...

Software counts CO2 footprint.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh software counts co2 footprint New software system will allow companies to measure and manage carbon emissions for every transaction A software firm has responded to companies' increased awareness of climate...

Nobody's Darling.(Alistair Darling)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Dennis Turner nobody's darling Hype surrounding the Budget often means more than the content, and this year was no exception A virtual industry has been created around the Budget. Newspapers have in-depth supplements...

Decisions leader.(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Melanie Stern Alistair Darling may not agree, but going green has well and truly matured from a high-falutin', hippy-go-lucky concept that had nothing to do with business, to being enshrined in myriad European, British and even...

publiccalling.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Anthony Harrington publiccalling A shortage of skills means the public sector is struggling to attract talented and ambitious FDs words Anthony Harrington illustration david lyttleton Why wouldn't a bright, energetic,...

US recession forces unconventional response.
March 27, 2007... Byline: David Kern US recession forces unconventional response With gold prices at $1,000 per ounce, oil prices at $110 per barrel, the US dollar falling and a US recession almost a certainty, global prospects have deteriorated and the...

Root and branch tax reform.
March 27, 2007... Byline: n/a root and branch tax reform A complete overhaul of the out-dated and confusing tax system is needed to restore the UK's competitiveness The last time anyone really reformed the UK business tax system was when Tory...

iti?1/2s been emotional.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Wilf Altman it's been emotional Emotions, it seems, play just as important a role as fundamentals when it comes to making investment decisions. But objective technical analysis, or a degree in mathematics, also helps, says Wilf...

Financial services blame 'complexity' for credit crunch crisis.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers Financial services blame 'complexity' for credit crunch crisis Directors and lawyers working for financial services firms have been dishing out plenty of blame for the credit crunch crisis engulfing their...

MAnagement A-Teams elusive, but crucial.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Melanie Stern Management A-Teams elusive, but crucial A new piece of research has highlighted the link between fostering executive talent and business success. Development Dimensions International, in association with the...

Programme of reform.(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Peter Williams Programme of reform l A headline corporation tax rate of 18% within eight years. The CBI says the cut will pay for itself over time through increased economic activity. l Tax calculated on the basis of...

FSA on internal controls.(Financial Services Authority )(Brief article)
March 27, 2007... Byline: Neil Hodge FSA on internal controls The Financial Services Authority says that financial institutions should consider carrying out reviews of their front and back office operations to make sure that the chance of a rogue trader...

MindtheGAAP.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers MindtheGAAP He turned UK accounting standards on their head and got Europe to adopt IFRS. Now IASB chairmen Sir David Tweedie is ready to bag the big prize: America words Andrew Sawers portraits Alex...

going their separate ways.
March 27, 2007... Byline: Charlotte Moore going their separate ways A decoupling of equity and credit markets has left analysts wondering whether the credit markets are artificially depressed or if equity investors are in denial over the extent of the...

Single version of the truth.(international financial reporting standards )
March 27, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers Single version of the truth It's a good thing most of you are accountants because that's where we're coming from this month. In February, the chairman of US regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission said it...

Open the door.(acquisitions and mergers)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Anthony Harrington open the door FDs need to establish how much of the company's capital is locked up in property before they can release its true value It used to be the case that every plc acquired property of various...

The real deal.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Tony Harrington the real deal New real estate investment trusts could be just the tonic for property companies. But watch out: your rent may go up Assuming that you are not the finance director of a property company such...

Lease said.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Peter Bartram lease said Companies must consider all the options for raising cash or reducing debt before doing a sale and leaseback deal When Sainsbury announced last year that it planned to raise [pounds sterling]2.07bn...

finance vs IT.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae finance vs IT Research among readers of Financial Director and sister title Computing shows there's a disconnect between finance and IT -- and debate over who does what The purpose of our reader research,...

Hot property.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Richard Willsher HOT PRO PERTY Global commercial property investment is booming, especially in the UK -- and it looks set to continue for the forseeable future. But Eastern Europe and Asia are the real hot spots, writes Richard...

Right shed fred.(DHL Exel's Mike Samuels)(Interview)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Peter Bartram right shed fred Warehouses may look like boring, oversized barns, but they are increasingly becoming a critical part of business strategy Strategy and planning director for DHL Exel Supply Chain Mike Samuels...

Buy-in for greener buying.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Rachael Singh buy-in for greener buying Sustainable procurement guidance aims to put pressure on government departments to change buying behaviour In March, the government decided to set a benchmark for...

Quarter pounder.(United Kingdom Financial Services Authority asks for quarterly reports from public limited companies)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Peter Williams quarter pounder The FSA wants plcs to report on their performance four times a year. But it's not quarterly reporting Finance directors are facing additional reporting burdens as a result of the latest...

Ripple effect.(financial statements)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Robert Bruce ripple Effect Financial reporting is changing around the world and the implications are even being felt across the pond When a tide turns you can hear, down on the foreshore, a huge noise. It is the sound...

Market turmoil exposes underlying risks.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Kern Market turmoil exposes underlying risks Major financial upheavals have forced a re-pricing of risk and have flushed out some of the previous, dangerous over enthusiasm. But recession fears are unjustified as the...

Takeovers 'breeding ground' for insider trading.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae Takeovers 'breeding ground' for insider trading There has been a significant reduction in the amount of insider trading which takes place before FTSE-350 companies' trading announcements, according to extensive...

New York's status under threat from Chinese stock market.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae New York's status under threat from Chinese stock market Research by Global Futures & Foresight of more than 700 business leaders from around the world has found that while Western companies are scared by the...

vista -- plan before you deploy.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Robert Jaques vista -- plan before you deploy The arrival of Microsoft Vista marks a nodal point at which businesses must decide if it is worth upgrading, staying with their existing systems or moving to something different...

Propertyalternatives.(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Peter Bartram propertyalternatives With a sale and leaseback, company property can be gone for ever. But there are alternatives, as Midas Corporate Consulting's Andrew Pegg explains. n Sale and short-term leaseback ...

Profits galore.(Alex Short, William Grant and Sons)(Interview)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers Profits galore A single malt whisky takes 12 years to produce -- leaving plenty of time for William Grant & Sons FD Alex Short to distil his own blend of growth and profit words andrew Sawers Portraits Nick...

Chairmannow.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae chairman now FDs have always been good with figures -- our research shows they're just as good with boards words DAvid Rae Proof -- finance directors make excellent company chairmen. While the CEO and the...

Footnotes.(FTSE International Ltd. index)(Brief article)
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae Footnote The list comprises FTSE-350 chairmen who have previously been an FD whether at their current company or another. For each company, the total shareholder returns data and CAGR runs from the 15th of the month...

Topperformance.(Robert Speirs, Jan du Plessis, Philip Hampton)
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae Robert Speirs Stagecoach Group Operating bus routes may not be the most thrilling of industries, but in terms of shareholder returns, the past five years or so have been hugely impressive for Stagecoach Group....

End of an era.(Gordon Brown)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Dennis Turner end of an era Gordon Brown's last, and record breaking 11th, Budget was another exercise in give and take For the Chancellor, this was a big Budget, his 11th (a record) and almost certainly his last. It was,...

pensions regulatory overlap?
March 29, 2007... Byline: Anthony Harrington pensions regulatory overlap? Bringing workplace pensions under a single inspection and enforcement body may simplify the regulatory landscape, but not everyone is keen on a possible merger, writes Anthony...

How big is small?
March 29, 2007... Byline: Andrew sawers How big is small? A new slimmed-down set of IFRS is being proposed for small and medium-sized entities. But it's the larger unquoted companies that could be most interested in using them, says Andrew Sawers...

Prerdict able.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae predict able The big players in software need to get some serious business intelligence. Did you see that coming? Hurricane Katrina, terrorist activity and struggling public companies don't have a great deal...

the greens come in from the cold.(awareness of environmental conditions)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers the greens come in from the cold It's early spring and it's bloody freezing. Last Friday, the team was enjoying a lunchtime pint in the sunshine, doing our utmost to encourage the good weather to stick around for...

get to the top of your profession.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae get to the top of your profession The environmentally-friendly, financial trouble-shooting, legally-minded, technically-savvy, ambitious finance director. That's you -- and if it's not, then June's Financial Director...

Chinese property rights.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae The Chinese government finally passed legislation to hand its citizens improved legal property rights. Although passed last year, the law was delayed due to unprecedented levels of protest from the usually placid National...

Where's the money gone?(government spending, London Olympics)
March 29, 2007... Byline: Andrew Sawers where's the money gone? Seven years after the Millennium Dome fiasco, the ballooning budget for the London Olympics is making the government's track record at running big projects look like anything but a personal...

Google unveils Office offering.
March 29, 2007... Byline: Robertjaques Google unveils Office offering In February, Google unveiled its Google Apps Premier Edition, a suite of hosted collaboration tools and productivity applications targeting enterprises. The launch was seen by...

Decisions leader.
March 29, 2007... Byline: David Rae Deciding whether to plump for a hotel or play safe on another couple of houses during the traditional Christmas game of Monopoly is probably the closest many FDs have come to thinking strategically about their property...