Financial Director articles from September 2008

Financial Director archives from September 2008

Tissue anyone?
September 25, 2008... Byline: Dennis Turner tissue anyone? The US is now well placed to avoid recession, while the UK is reluctant to admit it's caught the same cold The broad outline of events is very familiar. A previously robust economy is...

DB scheme deficits up i?1/212.6BN.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern DB scheme deficits up [pounds sterling]12.6bn Statistics on the aggregate funding position among the index of 7,783 defined benefit pension schemes monitored by the Pension Protection Fund reveal a yawning [pounds...

Hike in late payments puts the squeeze on cash management.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern Hike in late payment puts the squeeze on cash management The effects of the credit crunch have started to show up in the financial supply chain, as companies are waiting to settle bills to creditors and suppliers...

Decisions intro.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern With uncontrollable oil prices and a downturn pressurising all corners of the economy, squeezing every last drop from your fleet has rarely been more crucial. In our April 2008 Fleet supplement, we focused on...

rules paradise.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Robert Bruce rules paradise Less is usually more, as far as regulation is concerned. But one rule has been scrapped that should have stayed There are two sides to the question of corporate governance and private...

Boost for pensions contributions.(Survey)(Brief article)
September 25, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern Boost for pensions contributions More FTSE-350 companies have made special contributions to UK and overseas pension schemes in the past 12 months, on the back of intensified pressure from trustee groups and...

see through.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Peter Williams see through The US is now prepared to adopt IFRS, but only if the standard-setting process becomes more transparent The idea that US companies will be reporting under global accounting standards in a...

Electric avenue.(Product/service evaluation)
September 25, 2008... Byline: John Maslen ELECTRIC AVENUE The price tag can be scary, but all-electric vehicles are tax-free, petrol-free and emissions-free A- and their fuel costs can go as low as 1p per mile. John Maslen reviews ten electric vehicles that...

Trouble in store.(data storage and access)
September 25, 2008... Byline: Robert Jaques Trouble in store With technology constantly changing, finding ways to store and access data beyond system lifetimes is vital Albert Einstein famously observed that technological change is like an axe in...

Huge rise in cash surplus expected as FTSEs control costs and credit.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh Huge rise in cash surplus expected as FTSEs control costs and credit Cash cows KPMG expects FTSE-350 companies to generate a cash surplus of [pounds sterling]301.9bn by 2010, substantially higher than its...

Eyes on the road.
September 25, 2008... Byline: John Maslen EYES ON THE ROAD Telematic systems can save fleets money and make them more efficient A- but some think they're dangerously intrusive Rising fuel costs and increasing concerns about managing drivers have driven...

Sailing round the storm.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Anthony Harrington Sailing round the storm For finance directors, getting through the credit crunch can feel like walking the plank. But it can also be a great opportunity to plot a better course words Anthony...

downturn brings risk to the fore.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Neil Hodge downturn brings risk to the fore The temptation to cut corners during an economic slowdown should not undermine efforts to manage risk As companies are under increasing pressure to show shareholders they can...

timeline clarifies CRC rules.(Chronology)
September 25, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh timeline clarifies CRC rules Companies should act now in preparation for new carbon management obligations or risk facing heavy fines Ahead of receiving Royal Assent this November, and following our...

Low take-up on green incentives.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh Low take-up on green incentives UK businesses are missing out on [pounds sterling]1.2bn worth of funding by failing to go green Companies are not taking full advantage of financial incentives on offer to make...

Loads better.(fleet operators on savings on operations)(Interview)
September 25, 2008... Byline: Catherine Chetwynd loads better A small tweak to a fleet can generate impressive savings. We talk to leading fleet operators to discover how they've done it Yes, yes A- the UK is heading for a recession. So fleet directors...

Name dropping.(branding vehicles)
September 25, 2008... Byline: Catherine Chetwynd name dropping In the absence of vast marketing budgets, companies are beginning to recognise the importance of using fleets to promote their brand by keeping the name in people's minds Eddie Stobart and...

Fannie-Fred may stump alump but feed inflation.
September 25, 2008... Byline: David Kern Fannie-Fred may stump slump but feed inflation An effective nationalisation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac highlights the seriousness of the US housing crisis. It also confirms the US will go to enormous lengths to...

Mac mae be the biggest bailout.(Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., and Federal National Mortgage Association)
September 25, 2008... Byline: Phil Thornton Mac mae be the biggest bailout With foreign investors warning of the catastrophic consequences of a collapse, the US government's "nationalisation" of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae was as inevitable as it was...

Make hay while you can.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Phil Thornton Make hay while you can Optimism over the $100 oil barrel may be short-lived. Analysts predict falling commodity prices are just a blip as the market corrects itself, says Phil Thornton Like Wile E Coyote, the...

value from values.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Melanie Stern value from values The Co-operative Group may be synonymous with social goals, but as CFO Martyn Wates argues, there is a serious business beneath its ethical policies words Melanie Stern portraits Jonathan...

too short by half.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Rachael Singh too short by half Reform will cut the time companies have to chase debt, leading to more litigation, writes Rachael Singh Creditors may see the time allowed for chasing debts reduced from six years to three,...

readallaboutit.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers readallaboutit What industry figures are saying about their industries' figures The economy "[The economic times we are facing are] arguably the worst they've been in 60 years. And I think it's going to...

ten days that shook the world.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers ten days that shook the world The $300bn Fed bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must be the biggest in history. What happened over the following week and a half was just as shocking, if not quite as expensive,...

Bonfire of the vanities.
September 25, 2008... Byline: Andrew Sawers bonfire of the vanities They're falling like dominoes -- the biggest, damn skyscraper-sized dominoes you can imagine. When a Republican administration effectively nationalised half the US mortgage market by...