It’s that time of the year again, when M & S explains that although clothing sales have fallen food is up blah blah blah. But the issue here is not really about Marks and Spencer, it’s a conundrum that faces many of your clients – the squeezed middle. I’ve been there and it’s not pleasant territory to be in and if it is not recognised and dealt with the results ain’t pretty. So get your thinking caps on….
Lord Lawson has hit the nail on the head with Europe. I was thinking how 10 years ago I was sprouting forth that the EU was not good for us and we mustn’t join the Euro . On the latter I was vindicated for exactly the reasons I was saying it. On the former, hopefully the more” big guns” with the guts to speak up , the sooner I will be vindicated there too. He goes further than me by stating that the opportunities lie in Asia not the EU It’s the elephant in the room.
But what it did get me wondering was, why did an ordinary bloke like me see what could happen so far ahead of the insiders ? The answer is quite possibly that those in power were pressing ahead to make a name for themselves rather than the greater good of the country. So nothing new there then.
Earlier this month the bigwigs from the Co-op bank were trumpeting about how their bank was in fine fettle and today it seems the viability of the bank is being called into question. So, how does a leader in “ethical banking” explain the sudden deterioration of fortune?
Simple, you pick and choose your ethics. You stand on your soap box and shout how you don’t invest in this industry or that industry, but you don’t come clean about your finances and whether or not you are a going concern.
Ethics is not a la carte – it’s all or nothing.
Once I got the giggles out my system, after hearing the learned judge’s outburst in the Vicky Pryce perjury trial, I pondered the matter and realised that trial by jury is not unlike the witches ordeal of old.
Consider the make up of the jury; people whose single qualifying attribute for the task is the fact that they are on the electoral register.
How would you feel having your fate decided by the sort of people that you normally cross the road when you see them coming towards you? I could go on with a list of undesirable character traits and intelligence deficiencies ad infinitum, but I think you get the gist of it.
Everything else in the world is subject to change and update – I believe they call it “moving with the times”. It is time to examine whether a jury is still fit for purpose or whether we need to use professional jurors in order to “keep up with the times”
Most accountants probably don’t give much thought to what their return on capital is . In fact, they aren’t even giving consideration to what their capital actually is . When we are asked to value a practice a lot of our clients get a shock when they realsie how much their main asset (after their house) is actually worth, based on the gross recurring fees and other factors. Once this is established it rapidly becomes clear how ineffiicient some of these firms actually are , which makes them ripe for takeover by a predator. but doesn’t push down the value . This is obviously great for practitioners looking to sell up , but for those who cannot afford to quit it should ring alarm bells for them and prod them into action.
The question is not what your target return should be , it is what it could be.
FD’s Maximiti division has a range of free online tools to help you focus on the value of your practice
http://www.formationsdirect.com/accountancypracticegrowth.aspx NOTE TO MARC – THIS LINK LEADS TO A ‘PAGE CANNOT BE FOUND’
FD started out as a UK limited company registration agent in 1994 and remains a market leader. FD is now split into specialist divisions for company restoration, practice growth advice and practice sales, electronic company registers and client ID checking
Tel : 0161 798 9999
So the latest government shake up of the police is leapfrogging your way into a to post even though you may never have come anywhere near a copper in your whole life.
Absolutely barmy in my humble opinion. The police have a certain culture within their ranks, you only need to spend a little time with plod to work that out, even if you haven’t been nicked. Some things you can only become a part of through experience and the police force is one of these things. If you haven’t pounded the streets, been spat at, verbally abused and had bricks thrown at you, you will never ever understand how your subordinates feel about the job. It is not like any other job where instead of producing widgets the new job produces boxes. Manufacturing and policing are chalk and cheese. Aha, I hear you say, what about an ex-forces chap? There are certainly similarities but let’s face it, reforming the police this way is about as useful as a chocolate teapot!
