Eight 80s trends due for a comeback

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:14:06 +0000

Rick Astley, shoulder pads, legwarmers – they all made a comeback in the noughties, and now business trends are following suit. Jamie-Natalie Cross looks at the retro revival happening in an office near you.

Following a period of excessive spending and consumer greed, a devastating recession washed up on the shores of Britain, bringing with it an alarming array of 80s flotsam including legwarmers, shoulder pads and lycra leggings, not seen since the last economic crash.

Friday fun: Murder and intrigue go online

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 09:12:27 +0000

Accountants are great at piecing together clues in peoples' books, but could you solve a real mystery? Rebecca Benneyworth is starring in a new online murder mystery series. We've got an exclusive sneaky peek for you below - look out for Rebecca dishing out a lethal right hook to an unsuspecting victim!

Radio 4 traces history of bookkeeping

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 14:20:43 +0000

Starting from Monday afternoon BBC Radio 4’s Jolyon Jenkins will present a 10-part history of double entry bookkeeping each weekday afternoon at 3.45pm.

The first episode traces the origins of accounting back 5,000 to the religious practices of ancient Mesopotamia (now Iraq), where written methods were developed to make sure that people their taxes to the temples.

“In trying to keep track of who owed what, they had to issue receipts and IOUs, and accidentally invented writing,” Jenkins claims.

What does your desk say about you?

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:54:20 +0000

You might think of it as a place to work, but what message is your desk space sending to those around you? Jamie-Natalie Cross reveals the secrets lurking in your office.

Pro bono accountant for Soccer Club

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:13:45 +0000

I help run a community football club in London - close to Paddington. Despite these kids coming from one of the most deprived areas in the UK we've experienced amazing success over the last year with two players getting places with the England squad and the head coach winning the regional Pride of Britain. The club is on the up, but we now need somebody with both good accounting and people skills to help run the money side of things, they would need to give advice and check over the finances once a month at the regular meeting.

Accounting love song launched on Second Life

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:30:36 +0000

The world's first ever music video about accounting was performed in the online virtual world of Second Life this week.

If I Were an Auditor, a parody of If I Were a Carpenter, is the first ever music video about accounting performed and filmed in the virtual world of Second Life. Conceived by Edith Orenstein, author of the

Financial Executives International (FEI) blog

Auditor’s Valentine plans uncovered

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:00:56 +0000

Download Contextures Excel movie database

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:09:59 +0000

In honour of Oscar season, Debra Dalgleish posted an updated version of her Excel movie database on her Contextures blog page.

The spreadsheet file includes a selection of films from IMDB’s Top 250 Movies list, with added selection boxes so you can search for films in particular categories that feature your favourite actors (see below). Once you've opened the file, you can also add your own favourites to the database, adds Dalgleish.

VAT on mobile phone applications

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 17:38:15 +0000

I have a client that has developed a mobile phone application and is selling it through Android (owned by google) so every 2-3 days he will get a receipt from google checkout for say £180 being the sales less their commission.

Are you a born entrepreneur? Take the Alan Sugar Test!

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:49:02 +0000

Ever thought of starting your own business? Take the test to find out if you'd make a good entrepreneur.

Beating the office bully

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:57:06 +0000

Workplace bullying is on the rise thanks to the effects of the recession, but there are some key self defence tactics employees can use to beat the office bullies, reports Jamie-Natalie Cross.

Reports of workplace bullying have doubled over the past ten years and more than one in three employees have fallen victim to intimidation in the workplace in the past six months, according to figures from public sector union Unison.

Worst excuses for avoiding work

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:09:56 +0000

Are you in work today? If so, you’re in the minority since the first Monday in February is widely known as ‘National Sickie Day’.

Some 350,000 British employees are estimated to have called in sick to work today, costing businesses around £30 million in lost revenue.

According to research by the Employment Law Advisory Service (ELAS), 25% of employers now accept emails or text messages from staff to say they are ill, instead of the traditional phone call, making it easier for employees to fake it.

Top tips for managing stress

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 08:49:31 +0000

Self Assessment season getting the better of you? Jamie-Natalie Cross offers advice on how to free yourself of those the stress demons.

Stress is an increasingly common issue in today’s work environment, affecting more than 40 million employees across Europe. If left untreated, it also has the potential to lead to longer-term physical or psychological ill health.

Oxford students offer free accountancy services to charities

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 06:00:04 +0000

Charities in Oxford will receive free access to basic accounting services thanks to a new scheme at Oxford Brookes University Business School.

A number of accounting students from the business school will commence placements at seven different charities across Oxfordshire, which will run for a year. Students will donate up to half a day per week of their time to a local charity to undertake work such as budgeting, record keeping and bank reconciliations.

Worst client complaints of the year

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:00:38 +0000

We’ve all experienced difficult clients in the past, but can your experiences match any of the top ten worst complaints of 2009?

Clients are hard to win and even harder to keep, but there are a select few who can make life particularly difficult. Spare a thought then for online retailers Prezzybox.com, who last year had to deal with a client who wanted to return a used toilet brush – this being just one of the many zany gripes they received from clients last year.

What accountants can learn from Belle du Jour

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 07:59:10 +0000

Can letting those skeletons out of your proverbial closet be good for your career? Gemma Middleton offers her opinion.

After XMAS

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 09:05:32 +0000

After making an appearance in Xmas where are you now ?

SWISS TONI WHERE ARE YOU ?

Best of 2009: Winners announced

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 08:00:48 +0000

The votes are in and the community has decided. Here are the results of our Best of 2009 poll.

Back in December, members were invited to vote for their favourite features, comments, threads and blogs from the past year. Congratulations to all our nominees and of course our winners.

Best Tax feature goes to: Employee benefits: Phones, BlackBerries and tax, by Rebecca Benneyworth

Songs for Self Assessment Season

Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:29:03 +0000

Members of AccountingWEB.co.uk have brought fellow professionals a bit of musical relief during the busy tax season with a Spotify playlist tailored to their tastes and professional concerns.

Why am I the only person to post on Christmas day? Am I a sad git?

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 23:12:04 +0000

Happy Christmas everyone! God bless you all.