Archive

How many spreadsheet jockeys does your business employ? Finance departments continue to devote almost 60% of their time to gathering data as opposed to analysing it, according to a recent report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. But why are organisations continuing to waste specialist finance resources and skills, what are the business drivers to knowledge sharing, the key objections and should busines... [read more]

How many financial people enjoyed the 2009 budgeting and forecasting processes? And how many companies felt the figures they forecasted a year earlier came anywhere close to the reality that ensued? With the world in turmoil, the days of the annual budget could be due a rethink. The question is, how can you make forecasting fast and flexible enough to meet your ever-changing business needs?

IT budgets are hard to justify at the best of times, but in a recession proving the value of technology investments is essential. How can companies gauge the potential for IT cost cutting within the business and reduce the overheads of their IT infrastructure without compromising on IT efficiency? This seminar will look at strategies for identifying and implementing technology savings without affe... [read more]

Globalisation, increased risk and information overload have created a challenging business environment that for many businesses is fraught with inefficiencies and complexity. And yet research shows that many business leaders continue to make crucial decisions based almost entirely on intuition and personal experience rather than hard facts and intelligent information. How can you build a more pred... [read more]

In a world of increased risk and regulatory compliance, having a helicopter view of business processes can be key to avoiding disaster and arming business with the intelligence it needs to thrive. But what information strategies should businesses adopt to create a single source of data truth.

With budgets under ever increasing scrutiny, being able to justify any IT investments has never been more important. But where should you start when it comes to proving your IT infrastructure's worth? What are the metrics to consider and are there tools out there to help you measure the value technology adds to the business?

Cost and currency fluctuations, customer and supplier vulnerability and all manner of global risks are pushing supply chain management up the agenda of most finance departments. How can FDs and their teams better understand customer demand - and improve their visibility of threats to their supply chain? Drawing on recent research and interviews with 400 finance professionals, this latest Insider B... [read more]

Justifying investments in technology is tough at the best of times, but in a recession IT rollouts are under even more scrutiny. In this session we ask where technology budgets should be focused, how to establish the return on investment of technology projects and, just as importantly, how to sell those investments to the rest of the board

How are current market conditions affecting pension schemes and what new models for pension scheme management can be used to address the depression gripping financial markets? And what impact will the crisis have on the relationship between employers and the pension schemes that run in their name? In this latest Insider Business web seminar, our experts will also be examining the future of the pen... [read more]

As any bank will tell you, the events of recent weeks have highlighted the speed at which change impacts on business. The furious pace of today’s work environment - combined with the challenges that an increasingly globally integrated economy creates – is causing organisations to redefine their concept of ‘normal’. Yet despite knowing that adaptation is vital, many chief executives and f... [read more]

Access to cheap money is no longer an option and analysts are scrutinising levels of working capital as the threat of a slower economy becomes real. Recent IBM research has identified that many leading companies seem to have taken their eye off working capital with peer comparison showing that there is a widening gulf between the best and the rest on key debtor and inventory indicators. What shou... [read more]

Energy costs for UK businesses have increased by 50% over the last 12 months – and further rises are expected. With property and facilities management accounting for up to 25% of a typical company’s cost base, it’s a growing headache for finance directors. And with 40% of UK CO2 emissions coming from buildings, companies are looking to make better use of their office assets to drive down cos... [read more]

Smart companies and finance directors are using the downturn to position their companies for future business growth. But how can you best balance short-term delivery with future change – especially when faced with demanding customers inside and outside the organization? This session will draw on a recent IBM survey of more than 1,000 chief executives from around the world about their future pla... [read more]

As tough trading conditions force businesses to focus more and more on margins, the need to understand customer profitability is paramount. But too many companies do not know which channels and customers are their most profitable - either through a lack of information or by failing to use the information available to them properly. In this session our experts look at how businesses can improve mar... [read more]

Despite often substantial investment in systems, the production of management information and subsequent reconciliation continues to cause pain for finance teams and business units alike. The promise of the nineties that mega ERP, CRM and executive information systems would deliver information integration failed to materialise and companies continue to battle to identify a single and accurate sou... [read more]

As the credit crunch bites and the threat of recession looms, how should finance directors respond to what the Bank of England describes as the most challenging economic environment they have seen for a decade? How can FDs manage investment with less funds available, cope with shocks when there is less room to be flexible and still meet market and stakeholder expectations? And how can finance t... [read more]

After what was the most exciting PBR of recent years - our experts look at the fall-out for corporates. Headline measures may effect private equities recent market dominance and the new capital gains regime is bound to influence investment decisions - but what lies underneath? We will be answering these and other questions as well as taking a look at the latest measures introduced in the new com... [read more]

Seventy-five percent of companies say their inability to develop future leaders is a critical issue. Yet no complex organisation can transform itself without great leaders – those who can deliver business results while guiding an organisation through ongoing turbulence and uncertainty. What new leadership skills are needed in finance teams to cope with the new challenges associated with globaliz... [read more]

As finance directors look to spend more of their time focusing on strategy, do shared service centres have a role to play in freeing up their diaries? How can FDs and senior members of their teams best manage the roles and responsibilities of a centralised function and of the core team that's left to run the organisation? How can they become intelligent customers of centralised services? And how c... [read more]

A company must have a clear picture and understanding of what assets they own before they can even begin to manage their IT effectively, however many organisations fall some way short of this. In this session we look at how companies can better identify, manage and value IT assets. Should IT be treated any different from other more tangible assets? What are the essentials of an effective governa... [read more]

Companies face a real challenge in simultaneously managing costs and growth initiatives. These activities are not however mutually exclusive since monies saved from effectively managing a company's cost structures can be applied to new business transformation initiatives. The challenge facing FDs is to be successful in driving growth and cutting costs at the same time - in other words, innovatio... [read more]

The last few years have seen a rise in private equity activity and the market is transforming the business landscape. Our panel of experts explore the role of the finance director in a private equity-backed business, including the expectations placed on the FD by the private equity investors, and examines the importance and pitfalls associated with the exit process.

How can businesses best combine corporate social responsibility with their responsibility to shareholders when it comes to green issues? Our experts discuss issues around greener business – from energy management to taxation, and managing wider stakeholder interests to ensuring your supply chain shares your concerns.

How can businesses collate the intellectual knowledge they hold within their organization? How can it be transferred into a format that enables finance directors and other senior financial managers to share the information? And how can businesses get the most out of the information. This session will look at structured techniques – business intelligence, CRM and ERP software – and unstructured... [read more]

How can UK companies best succeed in an increasingly global economy? What factors should be borne in mind in deciding where, when and to what extent businesses should invest? And crucially, how can finance directors and their teams ensure that risks are managed, opportunities pursued and potential rewards maximized? Our expert panel will be on hand to offer advice and examine success stories.

Does anyone read the annual report. An FD recently confessed that all anyone looked for in the annual report was the directors' pay. So what are annual reports intended for, are they too big, can they be slimmed down and how do you make yours relevant and engaging.

In driving business growth, finance departments need to partner more, and analyse and predict, not simply record and report. But do finance teams have the right strategic skills to do so? And do they have the operational culture to ensure a successful transition? In this session our experts outline the new skills that are needed and offer advice on how to acquire them.

How can companies use financial reporting to promote greater transparency of corporate strategy and performance? And how can they provide investors and others with the information they need to make better decisions? In this session we look at enhanced business reporting? the provision of the financial and non-financial information that can help stakeholders move away from short-term business decis... [read more]

Managing finance staff across many countries to produce consolidated accounts can be a tricky business. Assurances are required that all staff are working to the right quality and that all accounts are reliable. HR has to be sure its appointed the right staff and FDs have to be sure communication is pinpoint accurate. How are these and many other difficulties overcome? And how can outsourcing help... [read more]

With merger and acquisition activity so pronounced in Europe over the past two years, the spotlight is again falling on the need to conduct post-deal integration quickly and effectively. Too many corporate marriages fail to deliver shareholder value – how can you ensure yours is successful? In this session we look at how best to ensure the right kind of leadership, communication and structured pla... [read more]

Pensions, and particularly controversy surrounding the closure of defined benefit schemes, hogged the headlines in 2006. Will the issue continue to dominate in 2007? Given the bad publicity any such move attracts, is termination always the right answer? Should corporates consider run off, buy out or something else? How should the news be best communicated to trustees and employees? And how, after ... [read more]

Our expert panel discuss the issues and answer listeners’ questions on how finance directors and other board directors can help make their companies more environmentally friendly. We look at how environmental issues can be incorporated into the everyday business decision-making process, rather than simply being an afterthought. We also look at whether ‘green taxes’ are really green – or ju... [read more]

A benign economy and market liquidity have made it difficult for the biggest businesses to fold. But corporate insolvency figures are rising, so who is going under and what can be done to help businesses near to the brink of collapse? Should embattled FDs turn to specialist funds who will take a punt on their business? Is administration the best way to help employees and creditors get the best dea... [read more]

Most financial executives say they would like to improve the accuracy of their forecasts and many would like to reduce the time spent on them. And with the business environment also growing ever more complex, should companies continue to use traditional budgeting and forecasting methods? This session will examine the alternatives and deal with questions arising from a switch. How do you keep contr... [read more]

The level of regulatory change has led to a rush of activity within and beyond finance to ensure compliance with new directives. In ensuring this compliance, have businesses implemented solutions which reduce the cost of doing business or are they turning to ones that deliver no realisable shareholder benefit? And with other business risks increasing all the time, what should businesses be doing t... [read more]

Financial directors ? and those harbouring an ambition to become one ? need much more than technical competence to succeed in the role. They need the capacity to understand the business, an ability to think strategically and to be in possession of impeccable communication skills. How can these skills be acquired? And what else do FDs need to cut it?

Booming economies such as China, India and Russia offer unrivalled opportunities for growth and companies that are not already operating in these business hotspots must radically rethink their strategies. But what are the risks of doing business in these emerging economies and the tax and regulatory issues that companies will face?

Given that there is often a communication gap between IT and finance, how can these two key stakeholders make sure that technology delivers? And with some IT expenditure too important to be justified using conventional ROI, what are FDs looking for, if it isn’t ROI? In this live event from Softworld, the UK's premier accounting and finance software event, our expert panel deal with these and other... [read more]

With cost pressures increasing all the time, companies should be asking themselves whether their current procurement policies are the most effective. Should companies embrace emerging markets sourcing? And how can the risks be avoided? Should they be looking at eAuctions? Equally should they looking at outsourced procurement solutions? Our expert panel answers these and other procurement-relat... [read more]

Mergers & acquisitions provide the growing business with the opportunity to make a 'step change' in corporate development but they are also fraught with hazards, relating to due diligence, pricing and post-merger integration. Our experts discuss the issues to help FDs ensure their acquisition programme stays on track.

How green is your car fleet, and what are you doing to make it greener? Is it more sensible to opt out of cars and provide a cash alternative ? Are employee car ownership schemes better than company cars?

Managing, developing and retaining talented staff is essential for the effectiveness of any finance department. Our panel of experts discuss how you can develop the brightest and the best.

The avoidance debate has thrust tax issues back into the headlines. How can companies minimise their tax bills and where is HMRC’s avoidance crackdown heading next? Three of the UK's foremost tax experts are on hand to answer your questions.

With the IFRS switchover continuing, auditing issues will never be far from the headlines. And with firms winning increased protection on claims, what can companies expect from the new audit environment?

Everyone has to be alive to the threat of fraud these days – individuals and companies alike. Even auditors have been among the victims of identity threat in recent months. This session will look at techniques you can employ to minimise the threat to your business. It will also address data protection issues thrown up by security concerns. And our panel of experts will take your questions of one o... [read more]

Another subject with the potential to dominate the financial agenda in 2006. If an organization is not asking itself serious questions about outsourcing at least part of its back office function it's not doing its job properly.

Staffing issues have the potential to hold back growth in many organizations. A comprehensive benefit package can help attract high quality staff and retain your best talent.

For finance directors and their teams fleet management is a big issue. We'll keep them abreast of new issues in the sector as they emerge.

Technology issues have never gone away. And with accountants wrestling with an ever increasing compliance burden it's only IT that will get them through it.

IFRS was the biggest financial issue of 2005 and is still high on the agendas of all listed companies as they publish their first IFRS-compliant accounts between now and the summer. What have been the major headaches in the transition? Which standards have proved the most controversial? And where will IFRS bite next? In this session, we have gathered together four leading IFRS experts to answer ... [read more]