A record of Michael Veale's Continuing Professional Development. Further details before Oct 2010 are on a CIMA CPD tool.
29 December 2012
Clearbooks update for accountants
23 December 2012
Prophix ad hoc reporting
01 December 2012
Evernote for Android with offline notebooks
28 November 2012
SAP PO authorisation training
18 November 2012
Prophix Forecasting update
13 October 2012
SAP training
10 October 2012
09 October 2012
19 September 2012
Update about new versions of Office
While we still don't know exactly when Microsoft will unleash Office 2013 and Office 365 upon the world, we do know how much they'll cost. While standalone versions, licensed for use on a single computer, will still be available, the new strategy ... http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/qDrx1iJB0T0/ Shared via my6sense
08 September 2012
HMRC General Anti-Abuse Rule (GAAR)
04 September 2012
What is really good is that when you want to make changes, you can create extra lines that feed into each GL code, to create a clear audit trail. Yes you can do this with a spreadsheet but there are greater risks that if it in turn feeds other sheets that the complexity causes reconciliation issues. Downside at present is updating from one module to the other takes many steps and about 10 mins - a pain for last minute tweaking when you know what answer you need to get to and need to be absolutely sure each step takes you there.
04 August 2012
Holiday tracking
This souds like a good tool for tracking holidays.
Timetastic Simplifies Taking Vacation Days
I wonder if they have thought about locking holidays after the event and an easy way of sending them with people's diaries.
25 July 2012
Tablet market share. I do want to see Android succeed but ipads have strengthened their lead.
The Apple iPad may as well be called the Teflon Tablet for now, since challengers can't quite stick. Thanks to those 17 million iPads shipped in the second quarter, Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple held on to the 68 percent of tablet marke ... http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/oBGXhwy1QNM/ Shared via my6sense
LinkedIn Microsoft Office Integration - Business Insider
'via Blog this'
24 July 2012
Excel Waterfall Chart - Tutorial and Template - Learn how to make waterfall charts using MS Excel | Chandoo.org - Learn Microsoft Excel Online
Excel Waterfall Chart - Tutorial and Template - Learn how to make waterfall charts using MS Excel | Chandoo.org - Learn Microsoft Excel Online:
'via Blog this'
21 July 2012
Tablet update
Time flies, doesn't it? It seems like only yesterday that we were just putting the final touches on our spring tablet buyer's guide, and here we are, updating it for a new season. This time, the sun is out and the trousers are getting shorter, wh ... http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/BHGU2J_iLaY/ Shared via my6sense
18 July 2012
07 July 2012
The Best Google Features You're Probably Not Using
The Best Google Features You're Probably Not Using:
'via Blog this'
Timing is everything | The Economist
Schumpeter: No rush | The Economist:
'via Blog this'
02 July 2012
22 June 2012
17 June 2012
16 June 2012
New web bite suffix implications
The article below talks about why applications for .com and .org replacements have been lower than expected and discusses how the changes will affect us all.
Tech - Companies
14 June 2012
Electronic board reports
Key points:
- Looks at providing board reports on a web site rather that in a printed or emailed report
- Improved security is seen as advantage
- Allows sharing of parts of report 'as ready' rather than 'after last submission arrives'
- Directors are expected to read in full, before the meeting
- Cost for specialised board portal is about US$22,000 a year but I suspect for many smaller organisations pdf files on Yammer could make a workable alternative for free, by creating a group with access restricted to just the Board.
13 June 2012
Cash and trade cycles
The big question is: when will that be? The answer, especially with changes to the fundamentals like Euro problems, is not clear. Economics works better with hindsight.
08 June 2012
Are you an accountant or a problem-solver?
Are you an accountant or a problem-solver?:
'via Blog this'
31 May 2012
Lessons from Terminal 5 project
Key points about Terminal 5 project:
- Massive project (biggest in Europe at the time)
- Set up in multidisciplinary groups to encourage innovation rather than blaming other areas
- Delivered on time and budget - a major achievement for such a project
- First week was then a disaster
- Key lessons: you cannot test for everything so build in some slack (at T5, they were so confident that they started off at almost full capacity. Some staff and passengers could not find car parks so were late, some staff could not then log on to systems as some test data left in - as little spare capacity, minor problems then caused major problems).
23 May 2012
Board meetings
http://www.accountingweb.co.uk/topic/practice/board-meetings-get-details-right/516914
22 May 2012
20 May 2012
15 May 2012
10 May 2012
Business Process Outsourcing
How to better manage your 'back office' needs and capitalize on talent:
'via Blog this'
09 May 2012
Facebook to Marketers, It’s Time for a Click to Action | TechCrunch
Facebook to Marketers, It’s Time for a Click to Action | TechCrunch:
'via Blog this'
05 May 2012
Spreadsheet skills: Excel in PowerPoint
Spreadsheet skills: Excel in PowerPoint:
'via Blog this'
03 May 2012
Employment Market Insight
29 April 2012
Targetting reading
I already use Goo Reader and My6sense to a heave this but it's good to read about alternatives for finding interesting articles quickly.
How Tablets Are Transforming Business Intelligence - TechCrunch
Budgeting and forecasting
Budgeting and Forecasting – Best Practices | Striking an Enterprise Performance Management Balance
Must look into options other than Excel and Winforecast.
27 April 2012
Evernote to create business version
This seems like an essential next step. Evernote is so good for personal and small business paperlessness - I look forward to trying a bigger company version.
Evernote to offer idea- and note-capture tool for businesses | Applications - InfoWorld
25 April 2012
An early review of Google Drive
I'm not sure the reaons given in this article fully support the conclusion Why Google Drive Won't Be a Dropbox Killer | Entrepreneur.com
24 April 2012
23 April 2012
Google Alerts and how to filter them
How to Use Google Alerts - 5 Quick Ways to Get News About You & Your Blog - Food Blog Alliance:
'via Blog this'
21 April 2012
Wireless scanner review
Sounds like this scanner needs a bit more development before it's ready for widespread use wirelessly. It has to be the way forward though. Scanning is wireless with Doxie Go
Book review about Google +
Is this you? Do you take Google+ as another network you need to manage? Someplace else to post and watch for business social media? As Guy Kawasaki says himself, in the early pages of the book I’m reviewing here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/7eCjp-2wPrk/a-quick-practical-business-guide-to-google-plus.html Shared via my6sense
20 April 2012
CGMA global economic forecast 2012 Q1
16 April 2012
15 April 2012
12 April 2012
Editing pdfs on an iPad
Back in the day, we all reviewed and edited documents with a red pen, highlighter, and sticky notes. Then came track changes and comments in MS Word or maybe you used the Review tools in Adobe Acrobat to annotate comments and edits on a PDF while ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/LifeHack/~3/KO1xE2M7Cf4/annotate-pdfs-on-your-ipad-with-iannotate-pdf.html Shared via my6sense
10 April 2012
07 April 2012
Timesaving use of social media
Better Leadership Through Social Media
Some good ideas here - many I already do with some good ideas for Twitter.
06 April 2012
Linked In advertising
05 April 2012
03 April 2012
CIMA ethics in 3 minutes
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150787472475757
02 April 2012
31 March 2012
29 March 2012
22 March 2012
15 March 2012
EDF Finance Conference
An afternoon at Church House, Westminster, for an ESCS finance update. Included good explanation by FD Ronan Lory that co has high fixed costs so changes to other costs important to make or miss targets.
Interesting talk through spot energy prices over last year showing effects of political and news events.
08 March 2012
07 March 2012
Small business social media - ideas to improve use
eMarketer commented on some new social data from Street Fight that identified the number one reason small business owners enter the waters of social media. Curious as to what it was? Are you? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/-igTlOlSyGI/the-number-one-reason-smbs-go-social-is%e2%80%a6.html Shared via my6sense
Google webinars
I don’t know a single small business owner not actively looking for ways to get more from their SEO. We want trusted information focused on the areas we’re not always too sure about like… search ads. Or how to decipher Google Analytics. Let’s fac ... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmallBusinessTrends/~3/-uKmgTBBLS8/google-webinars.html Shared via my6sense
01 March 2012
Making social media work in business
supply chain innovation social media casemore GHG
This ties in with some of what I have already been trying - replace email with social media to share better and reduce copies. The challenge still remains to find the needle in th haystack (what worked rather than what did not). Tagging could well help here.
25 February 2012
Arkadin Web Conferencing
Web conferencing allows remote conferencing with multiple users but as well as sharing a telephone conversation, a screen can be shared too. This is especially useful for business partnering discussions, where I as the accountant am talking operational managers through numbers. In the past I have sent large spreadsheets, waited ages for my client to open them and had discussion where I might have to keep referring to row numbers and column names. Now I can share my screen so that the client sees what I see. They see me point my mouse, I can highlight information and they can see it in real time.
This will also be useful for training where I can show a client what to do, or they can show me what they are doing and I can explain the problem.
More info at www.arkadin.com
21 February 2012
Top tips for Twitter
Clear Books - speed
Clear Books - electronic invoicing (good and bad)
The advantage is that the client can see the latest details. The disadvantage of course is that if for any reason you were not up to date, the client can see that too!
Security thought: if the hyperlink remains valid for that client for all time and continues to show live information, a former employee of the client with the hyperlink would still have access to live statements and by drilling down, to the invoices. Need to follow this up.
19 February 2012
Clear Books - banking and scans
I'm starting to get enthusiastic but will need a bit more testing before I drop my old Quick Books desktop version.
18 February 2012
Clear Books - testing
Definitely seems worthy of investing a bit more time to test the banking side.
Future of devices at work
BBC News - BYOD: Bring your own device could spell end for work PC
So what would I chose? Probably a desktop with double or triple monitors for day to day. This would be augmented with a tablet and small laptop for meetings, depending on whether I expected to be using the device for input or output.
17 February 2012
06 February 2012
21 January 2012
Google Is About To Enter The Social Enterprise Space | TechCrunch
'via Blog this'
16 January 2012
Why do people use Facebook?
Study: Why Do People Use Facebook?
An article bringing together conclusions of latest studies.
15 January 2012
An update to copying and pasting
This is a really quick way to allow cutting and pasting text or parts of spreadsheets to Evernote, pdfs or many other places. A useful tool.
14 January 2012
Google+ update
They Did It: Google Personalizes Search & It Is Not Evil
This is a useful article updating on the latest changes to Google+ and Google searches.