Accounting & Business

Ireland is rapidly being sold to the United States. To be specific, thousands of the ‘bubble’ property loans that brought down the Irish banks are now in the hands of US investment funds – and in some instances the properties themselves are owned by these funds after administration proceedings against borrowers. NAMA (the National Asset

During the credit crunch, global recession and Irish banking meltdown it became, unsurprisingly, extremely difficult for SMEs to raise either loan or equity finance. There are positive signs that the situation has improved – and is about to get even better. According to a recent cross-border study conducted by InterTradeIreland – ‘Credit constraints and growth’

Universities are at the heart of the modern economy, with graduate skills an essential element in growing productivity and generating wealth. Yet the two Irish jurisdictions have surprisingly different approaches to the higher education sector. While the Republic has continued to increase undergraduate numbers during the recession, Northern Ireland is cutting an already small university

The accounting treatment of student loans is driving policy in ways that damage student finances, universities, apprenticeships and science research, according to a report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI). The balance sheet value of the student loan book has declined markedly in recent years, as the level of debt non-payment has risen. Attempts

The View From…. Mark Atkins FCCA, Business Change Manager, Birmingham City Council It is difficult to describe an average day as the demands of my role are so diverse. I might be preparing business cases for potential projects, developing strategies for the optimal use of the City Council’s retained office portfolio, engaging with senior management

The View From… Ronnie Patton is a member of ACCA’s Public Sector Network Panel and senior lecturer in professional accounting practice at Ulster University There is no average day for me, but almost every day involves interacting with students. It’s fantastic to encourage students and share in their success. One of my tasks the other

Women may not actually be on top when it comes to business in Ireland today, but there are limited signs that the glass ceiling is beginning to look more fragile. The number of women company directors in Ireland rose by 10% in the last six years, with women now holding 36% of directorships in Irish

Local government finance English local authorities’ spending per person fell by almost a quarter – 23.4% – in the course of the last Parliament. Deprived inner city areas reduced spending the most, while rural areas suffered less. Westminster City Council cut its spending by 46.3%, whereas North East Lincolnshire reduced expenditure by just 6.2%. Central

Party political unanimity during an election campaign can be hard to find. Yet there is all party agreement that infrastructure is – literally – the building block on which economic growth is constructed. The problem is that demand for new public infrastructure seems limitless, while the money available for it during austerity is in short

The View From…. Imad Alqasim, accounting manager for Whizz-Kidz charity An average day for me means ensuring our accounting information is up-to-date and accurate. I provide daily support to all our operations, particularly our fundraising department and senior management team. My responsibilities include monthly management accounts, annual accounts, budget and forecast figures, analysing variances and ensuring

The cost of late intervention with children Failures in the parenting and protecting of children do not only have a social cost, they also have an economic cost. They lead to worklessness in adults, mental health problems, crime, anti-social behaviour, substance misuse, violence and injury (including from domestic violence) and school absences and exclusion. That

The View From…. Debbie Kirkley, advisory accountant, HMRC, Salford. My day starts when my alarm goes off at 5:30 am in Blackpool. I catch the 6:30am train to Manchester, when the hour and twenty minute journey often rocks me back to sleep again! I work in an open plan, multi-disciplined office with lots of activity