Home » Posts tagged 'CIMA' (Page 2)
Tag Archives: CIMA
Not all accountants are the same!
Watch this video to see how we are different…
steve@bicknells.net
Why start ups need a CIMA Non Exec
Before you have even started trading, getting advice from an CIMA accountant can be critical here are some key areas where advice can really help:
- Creating the Business Model and Business Plan
- Obtaining Loans, Finance and Investment
- Business Structure, Shares and Shareholder Agreements
- Choosing Accounting and Business Software and Systems
- Creating a Cash Flow Forecast
- Understanding your legal duties
Then when you start trading……
- Tax Compliance – PAYE, NI, VAT, Corporation Tax
- Pensions – Auto Enrolment
- Managing relationships with Banks and Investors
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Product Pricing and Tendering
Once the business has become established……
- Growth Strategies
- Funding Growth
- Research and Development
- Decisions on whether to buy or rent new equipments and premises
- Managing the Cash Cycle
CIMA Accountants have worked in business, they understand from the inside what running a business is really like and how to make a business successful.
You can also get some useful tips from HMRC http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/startingup/
steve@bicknells.net
CIMA shows professionals how to do the right thing
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) has produced an ethical scenario tool to help businesses comply with ethical standards in a volatile and complex business environment.
This follows a recent Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) survey which revealed that nearly 25% of respondents worldwide worked for an organisation that had suffered from a serious reputational failure. This rose to over a third in the UK, which has witnessed a series of corporate crises ranging from LIBOR to tax avoidance and meat scandals. CGMA research last year also highlighted that one in three finance professionals around the world have faced pressure to act unethically.
As CIMA members in practice are committed to upholding a Code of Ethics, the institute has produced this interactive tool to support and guide ethical decision-making. Created with input from members globally, and available to the wider business community, it takes the user through a series of challenges in areas such as conflict of interest, the supply chain, bribery and data protection.
Tanya Barman, CIMA’s Head of Ethics, said:
“Ethical challenges are part of working life, and often there is no perfect answer. But if they are not dealt with appropriately, there may be severe consequences when they come to light – both for the individuals and for the companies they work for.”
“Unfortunately it is still common for employees, be they in finance or in other parts of the business, to face pressure to compromise their ethical standards, and the standards of their company. It is vital to act ethically; to build long-term business success and avoid the shortcuts that can turn into tomorrow’s scandal.”
“Through releasing this tool – to both members and the wider business population – we hope to encourage better working cultures that lend themselves to the ethical standards that most firms subscribe to.”
The tool is available at: www.cimaglobal.com/ethicstool
‘Bean counter’ view of accountants is holding back entrepreneurs
Some entrepreneurs and small businesses may be holding themselves back by refusing to share information with their accountants who they sometimes regard as little more than “bean counters”, according to a new study.
There is a tendency for UK businesses, to make decisions without adequate financial information or analysis, there is often poor cash flow management and time and opportunities are being wasted because some owner-managers don’t want anyone else to know their business, it concludes.
The report, funded by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and compiled by Dr Michael Lucas of the Open University along with Professor Malcolm Prowle and Glynn Lowth, from Nottingham Business School, part of Nottingham Trent University urges accountants to improve their image by refuting bean counter accusations and promoting themselves in business partnering roles.
“Given the importance of financial issues and the increasing need for enterprises to operate economically, efficiently, effectively, efficaciously and ethically, management accounting has potentially a crucial role to play in improving the quality of planning, control and decision-making,” says the CIMA report called Management Accounting Practices of UK SME’s.
The authors also call for further research into the way small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) reach critical decisions and into the psychological profile of executives, particularly owner managers.
Dr Lucas said: “While most business owners are good at using accounting services for monitoring cash flow and costs they do not always appreciate that management accountants can add a great deal to decision making in the management of the business. Accountants were sometimes regarded as little more than bean counters, rather than potentially having a business partnering role where they can advise and improve efficiency
“Some entrepreneurs, in particular, are reluctant to employ management accountants, expressing a desire to maintain control and have exclusive access to information they consider sensitive.This could lead to higher costs in terms of management time which is turn can put constraints in time spend in growing the business.”
The report says its exploratory findings give important insights which should inform the development of further large-scale survey research into whether accounting tools were used and, if not, why not.
These tools include: Product costing; budgets for planning and control; standard costing variance analysis; cost-volume-profit analysis; responsibility centres; capital expenditure appraisal techniques; working capital measures; and strategic management accounting.
Dr Lucas is Senior Lecturer in Accounting at the Open University Business School, Professor Prowle is professor of business performance at Nottingham Business School and Mr Lowth, who is a former President of CIMA, is a visiting fellow at the Nottingham business school.
DUE DILIGENCE
Buying, selling or thinking of setting up a business always do your research, known in the trade as due diligence.
The holy trinity of due diligence is always the customers, the company, and the management.
The fundamental question is there a demand for the service or product? Don’t base it just on hunches or observations. Who are already out there doing it? For very little money Companies House or try Company Check can be a great starting point, it’s amazing what information you can get, even for a small company.
Don’t forget pricing, premium products and services command premium pricing try and pull off anything less will fail. The adage is true “You can’t fool all the people all of the time”.
What is the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) why would somebody want to trade with this business? Recognise it, flaunt it.
The company has to be sound, fit for purpose. There has to be clarity on costs, know the suppliers. Is there sufficient support, think about staff, IP, premises and systems, benchmarking, QA?
Thirdly, the management, no man is an island. The most undervalued asset in any business is the staff. It is often unlikely a person holds all the skills to perform all roles and responsibilities. Identify the key skills and resource.
Whether you are buying selling or setting up a business it always takes longer than first estimates and you can’t forecast for all events.
Covering the bases these are some generic points to be going on with.
| Customer | 1. Market Research |
| 2. Customers’ Profile | |
| 3. Competitors’ Profile | |
| 4. Managing Market Risks | |
| 5. Pricing | |
| 6. Promotion and Advertising | |
| Company | A. Running the Business |
| 1. Staff | |
| 2. Key Suppliers | |
| 3. Equipment | |
| 4. Managing Operational Risks | |
| 5. Legal Requirements | |
| B. Finances | |
| 1. Start-up / Selling Costs | |
| 2. Breakeven Analysis | |
| 3. Funding options and Tax incentives | |
| 4. Cash Flow Forecasting | |
| 5. 5 Year Plan | |
| 6. Profit & Loss Account | |
| 7. Balance Sheet | |
| Management | 1. Job descriptions |
| 2. Contracts | |
| 3. Remuneration |
12 ways to get your invoices paid faster
- Discuss credit terms with your new client – set the expectation
- Change your credit terms to be less than they are right now – research has shown that invoices are paid 2 weeks late. So better to be paid late on short credit terms than late on long credit terms
- Get invoices out on time – be clear about what makes a service or product billable and bill it. Don’t be shy about billing promptly, the client has had the service\product, they need to pay for it
- Make it standout – clients processing lots of invoices may put it on the pile with the rest, but if it stands out then chances are that it will get paid faster
- Be able to report your aged debtors and then chase the late ones rigorously. Send a statement and call them – some people get so much email that it gets ignored
- Add late payment charges – you can always reverse them but it will generate a conversation where you can re-iterate your priority to be paid on time
- Get the entity right that you are invoicing – if it is called Jupiter Construction Limited, don’t put JC limited on the invoice
- Make it get to the right person – does it need to go to the budget holder or accounts payable or both
- Do you offer multiple payment methods – cheque, bank transfer, paypal, debit card, credit card – the more methods the more likely you will get paid faster.
- Review the average days to pay for your clients and target the late ones – don’t treat all clients the same
- Delegate your credit control – if you are running the business and delivering to clients you won’t focus on this and a part time resource can
- Send electronic invoices with Pay Now feature – Xero cloud accounting does this
david@graceaccountants.co.uk
CIMA la difference?
For most clients the institute a qualified accountant is a member of isn’t a key factor, especially if they are only looking to have their accounts prepared and tax return done. Some simply look for a “Chartered” accountant, which most qualified accountants in practice are if they belong to one of the main professional bodies.
However there are some key differences between the skills and experience of a traditional “high street” accountant and a CIMA Member in Practice. Here are a few:
- A CIMA accountant will tend to look at the business from the inside, rather than just the numbers that make up statutory accounts.
- Their professional training placed a lot of emphasis on providing businesses with meaningful data to support the day to day running of the business, so called management accounts.
- They are likely to have been exposed to a variety of different software systems, and may think more in terms of business processes.
- They are less likely to have worked on statutory audits (which are usually only needed for companies that meet 2 out of the following requirements: turnover of over £6.5 million; assets of more than £3.26 million; has more than 50 employees) so for SME’s that tends not to be an issue.
- They will generally be less obsessed with timesheets and billable hours!
That’s not to say that hiring an accountant who has just emerged from a 30 year career in the Management Accounting department at a local shoe factory is going to be the best thing for a small business, but CIMA have thought about that. Before a CIMA member can get the Practising Certificate they need in order to provide services to the public they need to meet the institute’s skills and experience requirements.
Back to the beginning, many individuals and companies hire an accountant without checking if they are qualified at all. Unlike the financial services industry, accountancy is lightly regulated and anyone can set up shop. Indeed, there are many “qualified by experience” accountants out there giving a good service to their clients. However should things go wrong ……. we’ll look at “when accountants go bad” in a future blog.
Compare the market!
As a nation we seem obsessed with comparison websites and we readily switch insurers to save £50-100 on our car or home insurance. So why don’t businesses market test their accountant more often? Is it because they are happy enough with the basic service and see little differentiation between local firms, or do they think its a lot of hassle to change even if they are open to the idea? I often meet business owners who aren’t entirely happy with their accountant but can’t bring themselves to do much about it, so when I get the chance I explain how easy it is to change, at the right time.
Service and other benefits aside, businesses can often save significant amounts by shopping around. This particularly applies the more services you require. Take a look at your accountancy and bookkeeping costs over the last year. How many items were billed separately, or in addition to the core fee you had agreed? Was your personal tax on top of the fee for the accounts?
In a future blog I’ll look at how to go about changing accountants and the differences a CIMA accountant can bring.
Meanwhile if you can see some benefit in changing your accountant, go (and) compare!
Business Accountant 