Business

2003 articles

• The way forward for non-executive directors
• Are non-executive directors the answer to problems raised by recent accounting scandals? Paul Moxey considers the roles of NEDs
• Beware of the spreadsheet
• "Inherently insecure", "difficult to maintain", and even "dangerous" are just some of the criticisms being thrown at the humble spreadsheet. Is this backlash really justified? Liz Fisher writes
• Controlling foreign subsidiaries
• cd
• UK tourism: from winter of discontent to glorious summer?
• 2001 was the worst year for the UK's tourism industry for a decade. 2002 did not see the recovery many expected, and needed. Steve Keenan reports
• Enterprise and insolvency
• Patrick Hartigan explores the brave new world introduced by the insolvency provisions of the UK's Enterprise Act 2002
• Are UK restaurant chains getting indigestion?
• Jon Ashworth asks whether restaurant chains in the UK are doing enough to keep their customers coming back for more
• Vancouver lands the 2010 Winter Olympics: what now for the local economy?
• Eve Lazarus considers the financial implications for the community when the Olympic gravy train rolls into town
• Does Sony need a new game plan?
• Huge net losses, share price crashes, film flops... Recent times have been particularly rough indeed for Sony, as Jon Ashworth discovers
• Martha Stewart: the rise and fall of America's domestic goddess
• Once a national treasure, America's lifestyle guru, Martha Stewart, is now facing potential ruin since the SEC charged her with insider trading. Abigail Rayner reports
• Identity theft - a growing epidemic?
• Identity theft is an increasing problem for individuals. But, as Lesley Meall finds, it also has serious cost, security and systems implications for business and government
• Hit by the raging storm
• Reuters, the UK news agency, is suffering its worst losses ever due to the reduced spending of its clients in the financial sector. Can it ever recover?Jon Ashworth considers the question
• The doomed partnership
• Jon Ashworth reports on probably the most high profile failure of the Internet boom, the merger of AOL and Time Warner
• The bidding scramble at the 'house of brands'
• The new arrival of Selfridges in Birmingham, UK, has heralded a remarkable change in the department store's image. Jon Ashworth reports
• The dangers of ageism at work
• We live in an ageist society, particularly when it comes to the workplace. But are attitudes to age starting to change? Liz Fisher reports
• Executive pay: fat cats and stakeholders
• Richard Willsher asks whether the current UK debate should not be far more wide-ranging
• ACCA accountants pour their talents into Africa
• Margaret Mwanakatwe and Anna Chifungula are two accomplished Zambian accountants who have risen through the ranks in Zambia's private and public sector. They tell Colette Steckel about their successful careers in accounting and business
• BBC: is the national treasure worth its weight in gold?
• The BBC brand is among the best recognised and most trusted in the world. But in its 80 year history the corporation has rarely been far from controversy, and never more so than today, says Stefan Stern
• IBM: being blue
• IBM has survived changes in business practice and technology for almost 100 years - despite teetering on the brink a few times. Today, Lesley Meall finds it mirroring the experiences of many of its clients, as it prepares for an uncertain future

2004 articles

• South Africa and the corporate fightback against AIDS
• Nowhere on Earth has felt the scourge of AIDS and HIV more than the African continent. Amanda Vermeulen reports on how the business sector has stepped up to lend a helping hand in the fight against the epidemic
• Merger collapse?
• Jon Ashworth reports on why institute mergers may be doomed to fail
• Preservation
• Richard Willsher considers how to handle the difficult situation which arises when a company faces the need to refinance the business
• The omnipresent CEO: an enduring myth
• What is the myth perpetuated that everything about business is down to the CEO? Gideon Haigh looks at a world of corporate capitalism which has never been so personalised
• Does your MBA still make you leader of the pack?
• As the number of MBA graduates continues to rise, Richard Brass asks whether having an MBA is still the golden ticket to wealth and job promotion
• Is iTunes taking a bite out of Apple Corp?
• As the two iconic Apple companies again square up to each other in the English courts, Stefan Stern traces the history of the relationship and considers the core of the dispute
• Why diversity is the spice of working life
• Diversity is not just a business buzzword. Matt Warner finds out why companies that pay attention to the benefits of diversity in the recruitment programmes are more likely to succeed.
• Is the Royal Mail about to implode?
• Jon Ashworth considers the Royal Mail's recent troubled history, and asks where now for the UK's famous postal provider
• Reflection and responsibility
• Dale Williams gives an intriguing insight into why he believes that many are to blame for the recent spate of corporate scandals, not just those executives directly involved
• Talking business
• Elaine Saunders takes us on an intriguing journey back in time to discover how some of our favourite, and not so favourite, business terms first came about
• Business thinking in the virtual post-capitalist age
• In the first of a series of articles on the issues surrounding leadership in the 21st century, Margot Cairnes discovers that very few companies understand the changes taking place and fewer can keep pace with them
• Corporate activism: why more shareholders are showing executives the red card
• Long seen as a low priority, the concerns of shareholders are now beginning to resonate with executives. Richard Brass reports on how corporate activism is taking hold in the boardroom
• How healthy is your boardroom?
• Richard Brass reports on how companies are approaching boardroom evaluation

2005 articles

• Less fat in lean business
• Employers are anxious about the impact that an unhealthy workforce could have on operational and financial performance, says Sarah Perrin
• New CEO, same old company?
• Could Willie Walsh, new CEO of British Airways, have ever expected taking over the company’s helm at such a troubling time? A full in-tray certainly welcomes him to the role, reports Richard Brass
• The triple bottom line
• Not all businesses exist simply to make as much money as possible, as Lesley Meall finds when she looks beyond the profit motive with Jonathan Bland of the Social Enterprise Coalition
• The blogging revolution
• Blogging has been described as an even more revolutionary medium than the internet. Richard Brass explores the popular concept, discovering how corporates intend to make blogs work for them
• Beware the free lunch!
• When does taking a prospective client for a lunchtime treat cross the line to outright bribery? Richard Willsher ponders the concept of hospitality corruption
• Women at the top?
• Alison Arnot wonders why there aren't more women on boards
• Successful succession
• The process of business succession can often throw up a whole range of awkward situations, but Richard Willsher discovers how a touch of forward planning could help avoid many potential obstacles
• The need for the NED
• Who do companies want as their non-executive directors, and are they available? Sarah Perrin reports
• Ethical behaviour and the CEO
• Stefan Stern reports on the risks involved when CEOs cross the moral line
• Taking on the Sarbox challenge
• George Thomas provides some guidance
• Voiceover
• Catherine Chetwynd finds that voice coaching might be the answer to conquering nerves before an important business presentation
• Keep it human: why more technology means less work
• Social anthropology is leading the way to better business performance, reports Richard Brass

2006 articles

• The dilemma facing every business in the West
• A diminishing workforce in the West has led businesses to rethink their retirement policies. Richard Willsher writes on the benefits of retaining ageing employees
• The grass is not always greener
• Farhan Bokhari discusses the problems facing Dubai’s growth as a world leading financial centre
• Innovate or die
• Richard Willsher looks at how companies have used innovation to outwit the competition
• The trauma of SME succession
• For family-owned businesses, handing over to the next generation can be a complex process involving many aspects - not just legal, tax and funding technicalities, but personal issues too. Sarah Perrin explains
• Have they sold their souls?
• Faith Glasgow reports on the quandary faced by the founders of small ethical companies when it comes to bringing their products into the mainstream by accessing the superior marketing and distribution network of a multi-national
• MBA: gilding the lily?
• In the US, it is considered a must-have for ambitious managers. But is an MBA really that useful for finance professionals who already have a business education? Richard Young investigates
• Don’t forget the audience
• Ian Dilks and Tim Harris explain why investors’ views matter to the IFRS
• CEOs behaving badly
• How on earth do you deal with the CEOs from hell? Stefan Stern reports
• Partnering business with the arts
• Chronic underfunding has led European museums and galleries to look for innovative ways of financing their permanent and temporary exhibitions. Faith Glasgow reports on how corporate sponsorship is making its commitment to the visual arts
• Mentoring
• A good mentor is a rare thing, but invaluable when one turns up, says Liz Fisher
• Where have all the customers gone?
• Are department stores going out of fashion in Canada? With the decline of the long-established Hudson’s Bay Company, the belief certainly has some validity, as Alison Arnot finds out

2007 articles

• Is business travel going green?
• With companies more conscious than ever of their corporate social responsibility, Catherine Chetwynd looks at how many are forcing a rethink on the ways they conduct overseas business
• Dancing to the tune of private equity
• As private equity funds adopt a more aggressive role in Australian business, Janine Mace looks at a new breed of corporate raider
• Sing out your stress
• Catherine Chetwynd reports on how singing can act as an antidote to workplace stress, and looks at the benefits to workers and how some major employers have picked up the baton
• Press power
• As an increasing number of corporates begin to realise the power of media coverage, Faith Glasgow reports on what exactly this means for their PR and marketing departments
• Payroll perspectives
• The growing complexity of payroll may be bad news for business, but it could be very good news for accountants, says Lesley Meall
• The travel bug
• For many smaller businesses, the idea of using a travel agent is a luxury. Catherine Chetwynd asks why
• Funding innovation
• Richard Willsher asks why innovation matters in business and looks at how companies might seek funding
• The rise and rise of interims
• Why would an individual choose a way of life with considerably less security and no company pension, holiday or sick leave benefits, where a new assignment must typically be lined up every few months? Faith Glasgow welcomes us to the interim market
• Letter from... the UK
• Private equity bosses have been stunned by their sudden exposure to the glare of publicity, reports Paul Gosling
• Business angels
• What are the pros and cons of using a business angel as opposed to the more conventional channels of investment like venture capital and bank loans? Faith Glasgow investigates
• Incentives to deliver
• Peter Bebb explores the motivation of public sector employees and suggests some ways in which public sector morale and productivity could be improved
• Finding the badger's stripe
• Ruth Badger, runner-up in the BBC business programme, The Apprentice, is interviewed by Sharon Garfinkel
• A wall of money
• Richard Young analyses the private equity market in the UK and considers the impact and consequences
• Profit or greed?
• Recalling Gordon Gekko's famous line - greed is good - Stefan Stern writes on how companies like Tesco are treading the fine line between achieving high profitability and good corporate behaviour
• IFRS for SMEs... at last
• A key milestone was passed when the long-awaited exposure draft of the IFRS to be applied by SMEs was published by the IASB. Richard Martin writes

2008 articles

• The silver entrepreneur
• Retirement no longer has the appeal it once had, says Faith Glasgow
• Got what it takes to be CEO?
• It takes a brave individual to take on the mantle of business leader, what with the many expectations and, often, constant criticism of staff to endure. So what qualities does it take to be a successful CEO? asks Stefan Stern
• Next stop...?
• Sarah Perrin looks at the growing interest in international travel for accountants
• In charge, Asia-style
• What does it take to be an effective leader in Asia? Alexandra Harney reports on the region's corporate culture and discovers why its CEOs may end up having the edge over their Western counterparts
• When finance met marketing
• Richard Young finds out why finance directors are starting to see the value of marketing to business
• Get rich quick
• Such has been the growth in China's elite during the past decade that its super-rich are now multiplying at a much faster rate than those in the West, reports Peta Tomlinson. And they are getting younger too
• Next stop: the boardroom
• Peta Tomlinson charts the evolution of the accountant from mere number-cruncher to key player in vital business decisions