Cover story
Challenging times mean many executives won't realise the value of long-term incentives. So will there be a move to cash? Derryn Heilbuth reports. » Read the full article
The power to move
Recent events have raised questions about whether executives should disclose
margin loans used to buy their companies’ stock, Derryn Heilbuth reports.
Opinion
As sure as night follows day, a period of market turbulence is followed by increased calls for regulation and disclosure. This time, as share prices swing wildly in global sharemarkets, participants in all major jurisdictions are calling for disclosure of short-selling positions. » Read the full article
The finance director of InterGen (Australia) reveals how the experience he's had on the football field helps in the business world. » Read the full article
Scrip
In brief | AGMs in sharp decline | Gear up for slowdown | Investment charge continues | Offshore revenues beat exports | Mid-tier mentoring | SWFs come to the rescue
Deal watch : The good oil
Beach Petroleum’s over-subscribed $191 million capital raising underlines the value
of clearly explaining growth strategies to investors, Bernard Kellerman writes.
Corporate governance: Profit in creativity
The move to a world where intellectual property has more value than bricks and mortar is
widely reported. But boardrooms don’t reflect the need to succeed in a creative economy, Ann-Maree Moodie reports.
Regulation : Pin-striped predators
The major banks’ dominance of our financial services sector robs customers of real choice while seemingly weak regulators watch meekly from the sidelines. Peter Mair writes.
Interview : Make all the
right moves
NAB lured Mark Joiner to Australia from Citigroup in the US to
help the bank turn things around, Bernard Kellerman writes.
Management
Director's survey : By invitation only
A survey of Australia’s largest companies finds life as a director of a
listed company is becoming tougher, Bernard Kellerman writes.
Business analysis: New age sensitivity
Diverse business processes can threaten a CFO’s control. BlueScope Steel’s value
model offers one approach to getting it back, Bernard Kellerman writes.
Supply chain: Logistical quandary
Finance and operations need to cooperate more closely on supply chain matters in order to avoid a clash
between CFOs’ preoccupations and the practicalities of logistical operations, Christopher Jay reports.
Many finance chiefs began as humble company accountants. Their journeys mix luck with careful planning, Dominic Moffitt writes. » Read the full article
Cost cutting: Creating fresh
control cultures
Inflation is forcing costs up, so CFOs need to think about the way they
make cuts while looking beyond short-term gain, Kate Mills writes.
The economy: East meets West
Australia is one of the few countries that can benefit from the massive build-up in Chinese
savings and, as funds flow in, our banks may find it easier to respond to demand for credit. Fariborz Moshirian reports.
Finance & Treasury
Debt funding: Deal makers
There is still cash for the right projects, so long as the initiatives are
sound and prospects for growth are good, Alexandra Cain writes.
Our domestic bond market may have its day in the sun as companies find it increasingly harder to obtain credit, Elizabeth Fry reports. » Read the full article
Fund raising : Strength of the Samurai
A leading Australian bank has tapped the Japanese market in a novel deal that paves the way for
blue chips to raise funds from yield-hungry retail investors.
Financial modelling: The perfect model
Companies at the lower end of the ASX that use sophisticated financial modelling programs will
find their bankers more inclined to approve vital project finance.
Focus
Transport and Logistics : Bottleneck blues
The tankers waiting patiently off
the coast of Australia at its largest
ports are the most visible signs of
the nation’s bottlenecks at transport
nexus points.
Cargo cult : The
demand for data
As regulation of imports increases, so does pressure on CFOs
to supply more information.
Transport and Logistics : Problems ahoy
Limited reception hours at warehouses for shipping containers are a nagging
bottleneck playing a part in increasing traffic congestion.
CFO Professional
Reporting standards : Digging for
a new standard
The extractive industry sector is struggling over just what financial
information should be provided, Bernard Kellerman reports.
Although current market prices indicate impairment, there may be real value in underlying assets that have simply fallen out of favour, John Shanahan writes. » Read the full article