Recent TRG blog posts

Consumers have become dissatisfied and angered after being frustrated by poor brand experiences, according to a study of 7,000 consumers across six countries by analytical and surveillance software supplier Verint.

Finance and Accounting is always one of the first choices for many students when they need to make their career decisions. According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, the number of students registered for Finance and Accounting in annual Vietnam’s university entrance exam from 2009 to 2011 accounted for 41% of the total number of students taking part in the exam. Moreover, in recent years, international bodies and associations such as CIMA, ACCA, CPA, etc. have also gained more and more popularity in Vietnam. It is not surprising that careers in Finance and Accounting are becoming very attractive and rewarding as Finance and Accounting are the backbone of most organisations. Finance and Accounting teams play an important role in providing the Management Board with strategic decisions in the uncertain economy. The important status of Finance and Accounting team has placed higher challenges and responsibilities onto the hands of finance professionals and accountants. In order to support the organisation to meet its strategic objectives and grow, they are required to be not only excellent at their core finance and accounting specialism but also skillful in other leadership and soft skills.

Effective planning, budgeting and forecasting processes are indicative of good business performance. A study conducted by Aberdeen Group in 2011 identifies five key performance criteria that distinguish the best-in-class (top performing) from industry average and laggard companies.

It is that time of the year again when keen retailers, from top level managers to single store operators, gather for the flagship retail event by National Retail Federation (NRF) in New York. From Jan 13 - 15, visit Retail Pro in booth #769 of EXPO Level 1 and see for yourself why best global brands trust it for their operations.

The International Financial Reporting Standards establish 34 new accounting policies that in general affect how companies value their assets and report on their business performance. The regulation creates new, higher standards for transparency in business operations by requiring more detailed presentation of balance sheets and cash flow.

Reviewing the financial review section of an annual financial report helps to assess various aspects of the business performance and risk from a quantitative perspective. This blog outlines the main questions investors or readers should ask when reading a company’s financial statements.

In 2002 Amazon reported revenue of US$3.93bn, an impressive figure in itself but a drop in the ocean in the US$2.3trn US market; this year Amazon’s revenue should pass the US$50bn mark. Total virtual marketplace accounts for around 10% of the US market and 13.2% in UK market in 2012. Although emerging markets have further to go, the rate of growth is even more rapid.

In the previous 2 entries, we have outlined 4 steps of strategy mapping, which include: specify an overriding objective, choose the value proposition (part 1), choose the financial strategies (part 2), choose the customer strategies.

With the continuing global economic downturns, the Eurozone crisis, the shift of the power towards the East, the day-by-day technology innovation, increasingly complex demands are being placed on finance functions. Finance professionals are expected to provide a larger mandate, from their traditional role of transactional and cost efficiency to analytical and decision support stage for the business. The question is “Will they survive or even better, sail through the storm smoothly?”