Financial management #FAIL

by Dynamic Business on Jul 30, 2010

Michael Derin is the founder and managing director of accountancy firm Azure Group. Derin is passionate about helping small and medium-sized businesses reach their financial and business objectives and achieve success. He has developed sophisticated ways in which SMEs can compete effectively with larger organisations that have more resources. Each fortnight he can be seen on Sky Business Newsa Trading Day program. The other day I was asked why some small businesses fail and others succeed and it got me thinking about the defining characteristics of Australian small businesses. In my role as accountant, CFO and business advisor, I come…

Read More

Lehman Bros.' unexpected afterlife

Topics: Chapter 11

The former investment giant, which triggered the worst phase of the financial crisis two years ago, plans to emerge from Chapter 11 as a profitable operating company with a new name, Lamco. Lehman Bros. is supposed to be dead and gone, but if you step off the elevator at the 40th floor of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper, you might think you've seen a ghost. Behind imposing glass doors stands a gleaming brown reception desk displaying, in silver letters, the name of the Wall Street giant that collapsed spectacularly two years ago this month, triggering the worst phase of the financial…

Read More

Boeing may have interest in buying Northrop

Topics: Merger

Speculation about a merger is fueled by a Boeing executive's comment that the company is exploring purchases of unmanned aircraft and cyber security businesses - fields in which Northrop is a key player. The aerospace industry is bracing for major consolidation among contractors, and Boeing Co. could lead the way in a colossal merger with Northrop Grumman Corp. in Century City that would create the world's largest defense contractor. The possibility of such a combination arose this week after a Boeing executive disclosed that the Chicago aerospace and defense contractor is actively looking at potential acquisition opportunities amid prospects of…

Read More

For $1 billion, could Amazon.com pick up Go Daddy's 43 million domains?

Topics: Advertising, Entrepreneur

Go Daddy has built a name for itself as the place to buy domain names with its risque Super Bowl ads. But could it land in Jeff Bezos's shopping cart? The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based domain-name registrar has put itself up for sale, reports the Wall Street Journal, at a price that could top $1 billion. Qatalyst Partners, run by Frank Quattrone, the famous Silicon Valley investment banker, is handling the auction. Private-equity firms, which have purchased other domain-name companies for their reliable cash flows, are obvious bidders. But a tech observer has a different buyer in mind: Amazon.com. At first, it…

Read More

Why the Next Few Years Look Grim for Health Coverage at Small Businesses

Topics: Insurance, Small Business

Before most of the health insurance reforms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) take effect in 2014, the tax credits already in effect for small firms that offer insurance will do little more than slow the erosion of coverage. But in the long run, if the state health insurance exchanges work properly, the savings for small companies and individuals may be much greater than expected. That's the take-home message of a new report from the Commonwealth Fundand an earlier paper that examined the impact of the ACA on the growth of health spending and insurance premiums. About 16.6 million people…

Read More

Proposal to Repeal Tax Rules Unacceptable, Treasury Says

Topics: Small Business

A Senate proposal to repeal new tax-reporting rules opposed by small businesses is "not acceptable in its current form," a Treasury Department official said. The Senate is set to take a procedural vote Tuesday on a proposal from Sen. Mike Johanns (R., Neb.) to repeal the information-reporting rules. Enacted as part of health care-overhaul legislation, the rules would require businesses to report to the IRS payments to suppliers that exceed $600 in a single year. Mr. Johanns offered the repeal proposal as an amendment to a small-business-lending bill pending in the Senate. The amendment will require 60 votes to overcome…

Read More

Five more reasons DEMO Fall 2010 will really jam

Topics: Consultant, Management, Marketing, Networking, Sales

Rarely have I been as excited about the huge trends we're seeing in technology as I am right now. Billion-dollar businesses are being created and destroyed. And the best place to get into the thick of things is DEMO Fall 2010, right here in Silicon Valley, next Monday through Wednesday, September 13-15. We're going to see nearly 70 companies launching new products on stage. They're shaking up industries from dating to healthcare to real estate and consumer electronics. And speakers from industry titans and upstarts will share their views of the battlefield. You're not going to want to miss this…

Read More

Find the world's best tweeters