The most recent articles from Best Practice

Finances: focus on cash not profit

Peter Charles — 2008-08-15T11:26:00.000Z

Peter Charles, Best Practice, Friday 15 August 2008 at 11:26:00

As the economy turns down, the need to focus on cash not profits is paramount. but don’t expect clients to do it on their own

No business ever runs smoothly. Every adviser knows that because they see businesses from the inside every day of their working lives....

Web seminar: riding out the credit crunch

Kevin Reed — 2008-06-19T15:41:00.000Z

Kevin Reed, Best Practice, Thursday 19 June 2008 at 15:41:00

The latest Accountancy Age practice web seminar saw industry experts highlight the tough decisions that firms will have to make if they are going to ride out the effects of the credit crunch and looming economic slowdown

Rob Lambden, founder, Online 50, the forward thinker Q: Do firms make enough of providing value added services? A: There is a challenge to accountants to work out what services...

The entrepreneurial mind

Ken Blanchard — 2008-06-19T14:46:00.000Z

Ken Blanchard, Best Practice, Thursday 19 June 2008 at 14:46:00

How are you weathering the economic downturn so far? Even if you’re one of the few who are not worried yet, you can’t afford to be complacent

Every year at The Ken Blanchard Companies, we run an annual survey asking businesses what they think will be their key challenges for the next year....

Fraud: look out for the warning signs

Andrew Durant — 2008-06-19T14:28:00.000Z

Andrew Durant, Best Practice, Thursday 19 June 2008 at 14:28:00

Andrew Durant finds evidence of fraud

You don’t need to be Poirot to uncover a fraudster. The warning signs are usually in plain sight and should be enough to get an accountant’s grey cells working....

Profile: Chris Walklett, aviation specialist and PEM partner

Liz Loxton — 2008-06-19T11:01:00.000Z

Liz Loxton, Best Practice, Thursday 19 June 2008 at 11:01:00

Aviation specialist and PEM partner, Chris Walklett, is a high flyer in every sense of the word. Here, he tells our reporter what it takes to make it in the turbulent airline industry

Given Chris Walklett’s CV, PEM’s clients will be reassured that he seems to have experienced every situation that they could be concerned about....

The entrepreneurial mind

Richard Denny — 2008-05-22T12:04:00.000Z

Richard Denny, Best Practice, Thursday 22 May 2008 at 12:04:00

The UK is apparently poised on the brink of a recession with all indicators pointing to a slowdown of economic activity over the next twelve months

What can businesses do to make sure they maintain growth and stay in the black? Businesses mainly fail because of a decline in their activity of winning new customers and...

Technology: when disaster strikes

Catherine Everett — 2008-05-22T10:36:00.000Z

Catherine Everett, Best Practice, Thursday 22 May 2008 at 10:36:00

Hiding is not an option when it comes to getting your clients through a disaster

Even though businesses rely heavily on their corporate data to operate, a high number are still failing to put adequate disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity management (BCM) plans in...

Credit crunch: business owners, look on the bright side

David Cox — 2008-05-22T10:14:00.000Z

David Cox, Best Practice, Thursday 22 May 2008 at 10:14:00

The credit crunch has created opportunities for business owners

The credit crunch and a downturn in the UK economy could be good news for business owners looking for opportunities to acquire businesses at attractive prices....

Post-deal integration: lasting committment

Deborah Allday — 2008-04-25T12:29:00.000Z

Deborah Allday, Best Practice, Friday 25 April 2008 at 12:29:00

Companies need strong leaders to look beyond the thrill of the chase. Focusing on post-deal integration secures a meaningful union

Despite a drop in deal volume prompted by fallout from the debt markets, M &A deal value still reached almost $4 trillion worldwide in 2007....

Raising finance: secret stash

Antony Fanshawe — 2008-03-20T00:00:00.000Z

Antony Fanshawe, Best Practice, Thursday 20 March 2008 at 00:00:00

As a recession looms, an undisclosed sale of your debt could be critical

Whether we plunge headlong into recession or simply flirt at its edges, there is little doubt that cash will be the critical make or break factor for businesses for the...

Panic stations

Phil Shohet — 2008-03-20T00:00:00.000Z

Phil Shohet, Best Practice, Thursday 20 March 2008 at 00:00:00

As a downturn looms, what do clients need?

In recent months there has been much speculation among economic pundits as to when, rather than if, we are heading into an economic downturn....

Innovative SME funding packages: know where to look

Mark Blayney — 2008-02-14T00:00:00.000Z

Mark Blayney, Best Practice, Thursday 14 February 2008 at 00:00:00

Despite the credit squeeze, there is a glut of innovative SME funding packages out there if advisers know where to look

As managing director of a brokerage raising funding for SMEs I am often involved in sourcing funding for proposed acquisitions....

How to rescue an over stretched finance department?

Peter Charles — 2008-01-10T00:00:00.000Z

Peter Charles, Best Practice, Thursday 10 January 2008 at 00:00:00

There are some tell tale signs of an over stretched finance department. if you can help clients recognise them early, they can act quickly to rescue it, and ultimately their business, from the brink of collapse

Accounting, even in the most complex of businesses, really should not be that difficult. But work with a variety of businesses and it soon becomes apparent that finance departments can...

Legal Q&A: money laundering directive

Michael Furness — 2008-01-10T00:00:00.000Z

Michael Furness, Best Practice, Thursday 10 January 2008 at 00:00:00

With the money laundering directive recently complete, our reporter irons out what it means for your clients and how they can keep their businesses clean

A new money laundering directive came into force during December. Does it affect my clients? On 15 December 2007 the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 came into force....

The entrepreneurial mind

Erkko Autio — 2008-01-10T00:00:00.000Z

Erkko Autio, Best Practice, Thursday 10 January 2008 at 00:00:00

The largest global study of high-growth entrepreneurship ever conducted reveals that entrepreneurial ambition in the UK lags behind several other high-income countries, including the US, New Zealand, Iceland and Canada

The report, from international accountancy and advisory group Mazars and the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor GEM, measures start-up ambition by examining the phenomenon of high-expectation entrepreneurship - start-up firms expecting to...