Financial Director articles from May 2008

Financial Director archives from May 2008

The new black.(balance of payments)
May 29, 2008... Byline: Dennis Turner the new black Balance of payments is back in fashion as an economic indicator. With a yawning trade deficit, it should be Economists are part of a fashion industry. Each group of policymakers seems to have...

No more nice guys.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Peter Wlliams no more nice guys There is a way to speed up the standard setting process A- pre-set the destination and limit debate The international accounting standard setting process isn't working. We know that because...

Stand to reason.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Robert Bruce stand to reason Sir Derek Higgs's no-nonsense approach to corporate governance was just what was needed post-Enron Cultural change works at different speeds. Sometimes it can take generations to come...

Twitter ye not.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Robert Jaques twitter ye not It was good to talk. Now it's good for business to talk. But the Facebook era still puts the wind up some FDs There is more than a slight hint of old wine in new bottles about the hype...

the good fight.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern the good fight Voluntary Services Overseas' FD Jo Knowles recalls the governance revolution in UK charities and believes the finance function's groundwork is crucial to the third sector's success, writes Melanie...

Emission reports: hot air?
May 29, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth Jeffries emission reports: hot air? Closing a loophole in CO2 emissions reporting will give a more realistic assessment of companies' performance Like a party balloon, corporate emissions reductions move around...

regulation, regulation, regulation.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Phil Thornton regulation, regulation, regulation As Brussels pushes for a more interventionist approach with an independent supervisory body, policymakers will be under pressure to get the right balance between market...

EC acts on antitrust breaches.(European Commission)
May 29, 2008... Byline: Neil Hodge EC acts on antitrust breaches Damages action system will simplify compensation claims and help promote compliance with antitrust rules Following four years of research, internal consideration and public...

Thegreatescape.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Charlotte Moore Thegreatescape The exodus of multinationals to Ireland is a very public indictment of the UK corporate tax system words Charlotte Moore illustration david lyttleton The decision by Shire and United...

Oil and food prices signal prolonged downturn.
May 29, 2008... Byline: David Kern Oil and food prices signal prolonged downturn The markets have been surprisingly robust, but global threats have worsened because of surging commodity prices. The downturn will be longer than previously predicted,...

Why BAE cried Woolf.
May 29, 2008... Byline: a why bae cried woolf Lord Woolf's review urges the board to take greater responsibility for ensuring a company's ethical conduct A review into business practices at defence business BAE Systems has called for...

Financial controllers take on a more strategic business role.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh Financial controllers take on a more strategic business role Over the past five years, regulation, risk and controls have been major challenges facing financial controllers. But times have changed and the...

Buyout IPOs beat the markt i?1/2 eventually.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers Buyout IPOs beat the market A- eventually An initial public offering on the stock market is often regarded as the crowning glory for a private equity-backed company, giving the investment fund a high profile exit,...

Shelf Life.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern shelflife Richard Pennycook is addicted to the cut and thrust of corporate turnarounds, so the FD role at Morrisons was just "irresistible". But now the supermarkets outfit is out of intensive care, will he find...

Money for nothing.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern Money for nothing Balm arrived for the stricken UK financial services sector with the announcement of rights issues from Royal Bank of Scotland, HBOS and Bradford & Bingley, worth [pounds sterling]12bn, [pounds...

Update Nibs.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern Gilt trip The Bank of England announced its government bailout plan, worth [pounds sterling]50bn, for the beleagured UK banking sector. Banks can temporarily swap 'high-quality' mortgageA-backed securities for...

Old shire, new shire.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Charlotte Moore where in the world Assume that a fictional company, ABC Pharma plc, has subsidiaries in the US and the Netherlands and receives dividends from both. Let's also assume that the Dutch subsidiary holds some patents...

Where in the world.(Shire Pharmaceuticals Group PLC)(Brief article)
May 29, 2008... Byline: Charlotte Moore old Shire, new shire Pharmaceutical group Shire is moving to Ireland via a scheme of arrangement that creates a new UK-listed, Jersey-incorporated holding company whose tax domicile will be Ireland. The new...

I'm finei?1/2no really, I'm fine.(work related stress)
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers Anxiety, exhaustion, indecision, confusion, paranoia, sudden rages, inability to concentrate, procrastination A- it's all there in the mind of an over-stressed FD Words Andrew Sawers Stress is good for you....

welcome to your club.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers welcome to your club Our best-ever conference programme is driven by the people who know best what the key issues are A- our readers, and some of the country's leading FDs. You will find them at the Financial...

Programme highlights.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers PROGRAMME HIGHLIGHTS Tesco FD Andrew Higginson will be opening the programme with a keynote speech themed 'The credit crunch and beyond', in which he will set out the key challenges for FDs over the next...

stress test.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers stress test Banks responded to the symptoms, rather than monitoring long-term risks, writes Andrew Sawers It's well known that a major cause of the credit crunch was the failure of investment banks to...

Technical Update.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers Technical update Auditing The Financial Reporting Council has issued a consultation document that considers the possibility of allowing outside capital in audit firms and whether a change in the current...

therei?1/2s more to business than business.
May 29, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers there's more to business than business There's a joke about a grandmother who slips her grandson some money. "Here's [pounds sterling]5 for you," the doting granny says. "Don't tell your mother I gave it to you."...