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| White Papers
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Software guide: forecasting and budgeting software: COA Solutions (October 2008)
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To evaluate forecasting and budgeting software can be a somewhat alarming experience. And if you are not an accountant,
somewhat puzzling. Puzzling, until you realise that from an accountant’s perspective ‘forecasting and budgeting’ means
something different from what it means to everybody else. Alarming, because there seems to be no standard set of rules or
best practice on how to put together a forecast. A profit and loss report for the past has been built on the principles of double
entry. But a profit and loss report for the future can be put together in any way you like.
And different elements of forecasting and budgeting seem to be mutually contradictory. To develop a forecasting model
requires software that is broad brush and totally flexible. Yet for repeated use this forecasting model needs to be clearly
structured with assumptions, logic and outputs separately identified. Is it possible for a single software package to provide both
total flexibility and a disciplined structure?
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How to prosper in a downturn: COA Solutions (October 2008)
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By all accounts, the breadth and depth of the ‘credit crunch’ has been more pronounced and pervasive than most respected
commentators imagined. But given the scale of the calamity, how is it that the early warning signs were not picked up? Why
did boards of management, resplendent with elaborate governance, risk management and compliance processes, fail to
identify the concerns in time? Why have sophisticated performance management and ERP systems failed to furnish
management with the information needed to take evasive action?
“Britain is on the verge of a recession. More than a million homeowners could be at risk and repossessions are due to increase
by about 50%,” says John Moulton, managing partner of Alchemy, a UK-based private equity firm.
Complacency has understandably played a part, against the backcloth of an economy that has grown unabated for 18 years.
Many managers now in influential positions have never experienced a marked downturn and are not necessarily familiar with
the tell-tale signs of a slowdown in their industry.
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Making the business case for software change: Access (July 2008)
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Your MD wants to create a successful and sustainable business. In order to protect the long-term future of the organisation,
they need robust systems, efficient processes and the very best people. As a result, your MD will stringently assess requests
for investment. And rightly so.
It’s a challenge to juggle issues such as managing business growth, increasing market share, improving customer satisfaction
and promoting ongoing product development. So you need systems in place that will meet the needs of the entire organisation.
When the time comes, most IT and finance managers know their software systems need to change but have a mountain to
climb in persuading senior management to make the necessary investment.
This white paper will help you to:
1. Recognise when your system is no longer fit for purpose.
2. Quantify the impact on the business as a result of failing systems.
3. Gain buy-in to the need for change from key business stakeholders.
4. Quantify the financial return on investment.
5. Navigate common stumbling blocks, objections and misconceptions.
6. Demonstrate the additional benefits from investment in improved systems.
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The guide to becoming a successful FD: IRIS (June 2008)
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Too many of the UK’s small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are failing to maximise their commercial opportunities
because they simply have neither the time nor ability to proactively monitor and assess business performance.
Bogged down with the tedious creation of month-end management accounts and regulatory reporting, far too much time is
spent number crunching – leaving little or no opportunity for basic analysis of business performance against key targets, or the
business plan.
There are, however, some simple steps that can be taken to transform the situation: enable real-time access to relevant management information; integrate the spreadsheet with financial software to provide consistency; design one-page dashboard KPI report; utilise exception reporting and alerts for real-time management; automate reporting processes to reduce time spent on report generation; leverage online technology business to improve business value; empower budget holders with real-time access to financial information; and reduce paper and streamline processes to reduce costs.
This white paper provides a brief overview of techniques for improving the day to day life of the beleaguered financial director –
with some examples of just how other SMEs across the UK have followed these steps and achieved quantifiable business
improvements.
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Corporate financial management in enterprising companies: Infor (January 2008)
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Finance executives must meet a growing number of complex demands and challenges if their companies are to reach the next
level of profitable growth.
Operational excellence around core financials is certainly essential. CFOs and their teams are expected to standardise
transactional processes and deploy effective and efficient financial systems. They must deliver strong performance in
everything from cash management to regulatory compliance to merely address foundational financial requirements.
But finance executives can’t stop there. To differentiate their companies and take their own careers to new levels, they must
focus on strategic financials. They need to provide forward-looking insight that enhances strategic planning and decision
making. They must extend the capabilities of their financial systems beyond core activities into new areas, automating more
processes and driving productivity gains still higher.
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Are you outgrowing your finance system?: CODA (October 2007)
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Technology is an essential tool in today’s economic environment. And while it is possible to survive without the latest business
applications, relying on antiquated finance systems which are unable to handle multiple languages, currencies, companies or
different reporting regimes effectively, could seriously threaten your corporate health.
Whether it’s international trading, buying or selling new divisions, diversification or just growing the business, companies can
easily find themselves losing out to competitors that are simply more technologically advanced.
Moreover, as the regulatory environment becomes more complex and the call for good governance and sustainable value
creation more powerful, relying on outdated systems that cannot produce accurate, timely or reliable data offers little
assurance. Growth strategies, therefore (however good), can simply become glorified statements if a company hasn’t equipped
itself with the right tools to execute them effectively. However, for many organisations, concerns over system implementation
and the costs involved are a definite turn-off. After all, if it isn’t broken, why fix it?
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The convergence of corporate social responsibility and IT: Lawson (October 2007)
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Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has been around for decades; however, a heightened interest in the role
of business in society has resulted in organisations in all industries and regions of the world re-evaluating how they impact
their stakeholders.
This white paper will provide an overview of CSR, explore what organisations are doing in this area, and outline a process for
you to establish your own CSR programmes. It will also provide an overview of the Lawson approach to leveraging information
technology to help organisations manage their CSR programmes. CSR, also known as sustainable development or corporate citizenship, has many definitions. For the purposes of this white
paper we’ll highlight two of the more recognised and accepted definitions.
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Health and community enterprise solution: TechnologyOne (August 2007)
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As in all sectors, health and community organisations are experiencing an unprecedented period of change. An environment of
escalating regulatory requirements, increasing demand for services and a proportionally decreasing funding base will continue
to place pressures on already over-burdened organisations; as will the race for additional revenue for privately run
organisations. The need to optimise resources has never been greater.
Whether your organisation is publicly funded or privately run, you should aim to: increase customer satisfaction – happy customers require fewer resources; increase market share – scale can provide cost efficiencies; reduce total cost of ownership of IT systems – leverage your investment in IT; keep pace with regulatory requirements and compliance – you can’t afford not to; streamline your supply chain – ensure you optimise your purchasing; maximise your overall profitability – a delicate balance of all of the above; and integrate all front and back-office IT systems.
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The strategic CFO: Infor (August 2007)
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Finance executives must meet a growing number of complex demands and challenges if their companies are to reach the next level of profitable growth. Operational excellence around core financials is certainly essential. CFOs and their teams areexpected to standardise transactional processes and deploy effective and efficient financial systems. They must deliver strong performance in everything from cash management to regulatory compliance to merely address foundational financial requirements. But finance executives can’t stop there. To differentiate their companies and take their own careers to new levels, they must focus on strategic financials. They need to provide forward-looking insight that enhances strategic planning and decision making. They must extend the capabilities of their financial systems beyond core activities into new areas, automating more processes and driving productivity gains still higher.
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A director's guide: creating competitive advantage: Access (May 2007)
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Most business people would agree that the ability to perform well in a competitive marketplace is essential to the success of
any enterprise.
The advances in global communications and the opening up of emerging economies over the past decade have accentuated
the need for such performance levels.
Pinpointing the factors necessary to establish competitive advantage can be a challenge – but this is a challenge well worth
facing. Indeed some analysts would argue that only those companies that do successfully establish a competitive position will
survive and prosper in the medium to long term.
In this booklet we explore the three steps companies can take towards creating their competitive advantage:
1. Understanding what competitiveness means within their particular marketplace.
2. Identifying the key factors that contribute towards their competitive advantage.
3. Exploiting the technology benefits of their business systems to stay ahead.
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Mid-sized companies and the challenges of growth: EIU/Sapphire Systems (Apr 07)
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Mid-sized companies are important engines of economic growth in many countries, and they have an enormous appetite for
expansion. But, as shown in this new report written by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by SAP, they face their
own, very particular set of challenges as they seek to grow. A majority of survey respondents (62%) profess their firms’
intention to grow at an ‘optimal’, or sustainable rate, indicating a recognition that overly rapid growth can strain their financial,
human and physical assets.
The report includes the findings of a wide-ranging global survey of 3,722 senior executives – half of whom were at the level of
CEO, CFO and other C-level positions – conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit from October 2005 to January 2006.
This is the flagship white paper in the mid-sized companies series, which will also include separate analyses of research
findings for Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, each of 18 individual countries and four sectors.
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Evaluation, selection and implementation of accounting s/w: Access (April 2006)
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The decision to change your accounting software is not one to be taken lightly. The initial recognition that there is a
need for change, including a full review of the current system, can itself be a long process. Then there is the task of
selecting the right package for your business from the vast array on offer – making the wrong decision can have
detrimental effects on your business. This guide is designed to give you some helpful advice on what you should be
looking out for throughout the key stages of the process.
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