Australian SME Business News and Accounting Articles

It is not anymore uncommon for business owners to adopt the use of accounting software to make the business’s transactions easier, more free-flowing, and hassle-free. Its benefits are insurmountable. However, they are also being warned to not commit common accounting software mistakes.

Of the many accounting mistakes that owners commit, there is one that stands out among others. According to the Executive Vice-President of K2e.com, Randolph Johnston, this mistake is the decision of business owners to skip training their staff fully on the use of the software for accounting.

"This is an item that should be budgeted and not cut. Even though technology vendors will portray software as being easy to use, set up and integrate - it rarely is," said Mr. Johnston.

Cloud computing is off on a good start and it does not end there. And in the coming years, it will increase and get larger even more as it penetrates the mobile world.

Mobile cloud computing, is expected to generate an income of $45 billion by 2016. This is according to the prediction of Visiongain, an independent information provider. This will be made possible with the enormous popularity of smartphones.

A “rapid growth stage” is being predicted for mobile cloud computing as invoicing software.

The development of cloud-based mobile applications will be encouraged by BONDI, OneAPI, and HTML5, which are all technology enhancements. This is seen to happen in 2014.

Now, more than ever, there is a need to adopt accounting software by every business. This is after reports revealed that banks are actually making use of loopholes in accounting regulations to their advantage where they could alter results like profit levels and staff bonuses.

The Adam Smith Institute says banks utilize complex financial products that may conclude a profit value that is different from the actual one.

The blame can be put on the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) according to Gordon Kerr, a former banker who authored the report. The IFRS allows banks to include in their current profits certain expected future income.

As poor data out of Asia and the bad news of the growing outlook of a recession in Europe are sending investors running for cover, the Australian stocks dropped to a two-week low.

Stocks have been closing lower for the fifth day out of six after more dismal news comes from Europe overnight which saw an increase of Italian bond to a euro-era record, which then has triggered a sharp selloff in commodities as investors were rushing to the perceived safe haven of the dollar.

Data revealed that China's manufacturing sector has continued to contract in December as exports slowed compounded fears that the euro zone debt crisis is already slowing growth in Asia.

Cloud computing is increasingly becoming popular among business owners when it comes to their accounting software for business. In fact, Phil Wainewright, the vice president of Eurocloud, is saying that the norm now for businesses is cloud computing.

Therefore, it is necessary to adopt accounting software for small businesses in order to get the best and maximize every company’s earnings.

Bill Claybrook who is the principal analyst of New River Marketing Research in Massachusetts says that cloud computing must be a technology that companies must explore. So why is this so?

It has been seen that cloud computing will continue taking the limelight even in the next 5 years. The conclusion was drawn after this said accounting software made it to the top 10 predictions for the IT industry. This was performed by the research body, Gartner.

By the end of 2016, more than 50 percent of Global 1000 companies will be storing their data and information in the cloud. This is a huge increase from the more than twenty percent who are already using the technology today.

However, there have been mixed reactions on this subject. According to Jignesh Shah, Vice President for Business Infrastructure Solutions of Software AG:

Only 48 percent of businesses are expecting an improved performance in the coming 6 months, according to Westpac Local Business Sentiment Survey. Furthermore, it said that this figure is 11 points down from the May survey. Among those that cause the biggest worries are increased costs and declining revenue.

From just 33 percent, there are already 40 percent of respondents who now believe that it is becoming more difficult to run a business.

The £600 million audit market is now under scrutiny as it faces a major shake-up.

As authorities attempt to make improvements on standards across the board, some of the audit industry's largest users of software for accounting may soon be asked to reorganize their operations.

With city firms, large companies and smaller accountants who have been using accounting software for small businesses have been expressing their concerns for several years of the "Big Four" - PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, Ernst & Young – and their stranglehold on one of the most important cogs of corporate British life. Michael Barnier, internal market commissioner at the European Union has told the “Big Four’ that splitting their European bodies could be the key to an upturn in quality and opening up of the market.

With the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook statement revealing a drop in the revenue for the next four financial years amounting to a whopping $20 billion, Wayne Swan, Federal Treasurer, has been prompted to put a halt to spending in order to save the 2012-2013 budget surplus promised to the Labor.

"We are experiencing the worst bout of global instability since the global financial crisis,” said Mr. Swan.

Though the economy of Australia is seen by the Treasury to grow by 3.25 percent in the financial year 2011-12, Mr. Swan is still trying to illustrate the global economy and its impacts on Australian economy using the MYEFO report.

An MYOB report reveals that about half of Australian SMEs are now dissatisfied with the federal government. The rage of these small and medium businesses has reached a three-year high. From just 31 percent during the last three months, the number of dissatisfied SME’s has soared to 56 percent recently.

Only 14 percent of the 1000 surveyed business owners in October say they are happy. This shows a decrease from the 27 percent last August.

According to Tom Reed, MYOB Chief Executive, business owners are a pragmatic group and they may be appeased if the government takes some straightforward measures.

The release of a new cloud computing solution has been confirmed by VMware, a leading virtualization company.

The new vCloud Connector 1.5 is aimed to make public and hybrid clouds a reality for businesses. This was stated through the company’s official blog. Among its top features is being able to transfer between cloud-based portals certain company data with such ease, efficiency, and speed.

More specifically, the vCloud Connector 1.5 features include:

The amazement that cloud computing brings is not only felt by small and medium-sized business owners but even by celebrities and big business people alike. This time, no less than James Caan was pleasantly surprised when he was offered to invest in the online accounting software.

The businessman and entrepreneur who stars the hit BBC show, Dragon’s Den, spoke to the Ahead in the Clouds event in London where he was quoted for saying that he was won over by the cloud’s technology earlier this year.

”It (cloud computing) has changed the landscape quite significantly. Companies no longer need to have large bulky archives with all their databases written on papers. Cloud computing enables all this information to be stored online in a digital format, with little limitations on size,” he said.

At present, half of firms are already adapting cloud computing in their business processes after being convinced of the technology’s benefits. According to a new research by Spiceworks, a social business network company, a good 46% of the total 1,200 small and medium-sized businesses is already using this online accounting.

In CloudPro’s report, this figure reflects an increase from what only used to be 28% who were using the Australian accounting software earlier in 2011.

"Despite market fluctuations, 2011 proved to be a great year for disruptive technologies as SMBs increasingly adopted tablet computers, cloud services and virtualisation technology," says Jay Hallberg who is the co-founder and vice-president of marketing at the research study.

Cloud computing has been considered helpful and efficient by many small businesses. This is because IT functions such as database servers, file servers, document storage, and application development are given an alternative.

There are many advantages that can be achieved by any business that engages in cloud computing. The following is a rundown of these.

As the government red tape is increasing more than 30 per cent over the past five years, a total of $7 billion a year in taxes, fees, and other charges are slugging small businesses in Queensland.

Family businesses in Queensland are struggling through 90,000 pages of regulation that govern the sector.

Burgeoning paperwork and some extra cost of taxes are being blamed by a huge chunk of operators as the reasons behind slumped growth and progress. These paper works include mandatory permits and licenses, calculation methods, audits by payroll tax officials, and the fear of what might be brought about by the carbon tax next year.

It has been seen that more and more Financial Services providers will be using cloud computing in the years to come. This is according to the new research by Gartner, an independent analyst body, that says a rapid shift is occurring in the banking industry.

It is during the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo 2011 where the said research will be discussed. It will happen on November 7 to 10 in Barcelona.

According to Peter Redshaw, managing vice president at Gartner, cloud computing “should be innovative, dedicated to this industry, and transformative”.

An October 21, 2011 report by the industry researcher International Data Corporation (IDC) positively confirms what IT developers and IT development followers’ previous prediction of an immense increase in the use of cloud-computing systems.

The new forecast entitled, “Worldwide Enterprise Storage for Public and Private Cloud 2011-2015–Forecast: Enabling Public Cloud Service Providers and Private Clouds” reveals that overall spending by public cloud service providers on storage hardware, software, and professional services will increase at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.6 % from 2010-2015, while enterprise spending on storage for the private cloud will experience a CAGR of 28.9 %. By 2015, combined spending for public and private cloud storage will be $22.6 billion worldwide.

Cloud computing is amazingly making waves today with many small businesses availing it as their software for accounting. This Australian accounting software has allowed companies to enjoy higher efficiency at a lower cost. Cloud computing also allows companies to recover data, manage data and information, as well as ensure security.

BBC declared last year that the software for accounting has “gone mainstream” as many businesses have transferred their businesses to the cloud.

According to the recent ANZ small business sales trends report, small business sales lifted for the fifth consecutive month in September. The report shows small business turnover increased by 5.2% year on year.

Based on ANZ data on the value of credit, debit and Eftpos transactions through its merchant terminals and ANZ card transactions processed through other systems for businesses, at least two-years-old with annual turnover less than $5 million.

ANZ Head of Australian Economics and Property Research, Ivan Colhoun, said year-to-date growth is "fairly flat" at 1.7%. "And with headline inflation running at around 3.5% y/y in 2011, this implies real (inflation-adjusted) small business sales growth is still relatively weak in September," says Colhoun.

Not many countries have grasped the advantages and benefits that cloud computing offers like Australia.

In the new survey conducted by Forrester on behalf of VMware, Australia’s fondness for cloud computing, the accounting software for business, has once again been emphasized. This was according to the report of itWire.

Cloud computing has been perceived as a strategic business investment by some 47 per cent of businesses in Australia. This is in comparison to other markets as its number one benefit is cost reduction.

Compared to over a year ago, there has been an increase of seven percent in small businesses in Australia that already using accounting software for business. This is shown with 67 per cent of them using cloud computing.

With many companies now using cloud computing solutions, companies using these latest cloud computing solutions have been urged to make sure that they have a good relationship with the manufacturer that is providing them.

According to Seth Robinson, one of the authors of the CompTIA second annual Trends in Cloud Computing report, the so-called Service Level Agreements, or SLA, is a key factor in any deal to purchase and secure a cloud computing contract.

Robinson further said that a SLA is "very important" and an agreement must be reached prior to any investment in technology taking place. This is so because there are so many companies that go directly to the internet and just pick up services and sign off on things and begin using them.

According to the opposition, it could mean disaster for businesses as there is a move to sharpen the teeth of the auditor-general.

The private member’s bill of independent MP Rob Oakeshott that targets to give the auditor-general greater powers to follow money trails and to ensure the government gets its money is being debated by the Senate.

The audits will be extended to government business enterprises such as NBN Co. should the bill be passed.

Furthermore, the bill will also allow the investigation on how federal money has been used by states and territories and assess the performance of contractors such as home insulators.

Despite the Australian government's edict of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) issues as taboo subjects in the recently held tax summit, business groups are still set to ignore the edict by advocating for the lifting of the GST and changing the mining tax.

Moreover, accountants, Australian accounting software providers and the common Australian citizens stated that the lifting of the GST rate could help make the Australian tax system fairer.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a broad sales value added tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia.

What initially started as a simple tool is now becoming a very popular accounting software for businesses as it offers businesses a way to save money. Companies are already doing their working practices in ways that suit the cloud computing technology.

Eighty percent of the 900 organizations surveyed by KPMG are saying that they have plans of adopting the cloud computing technology. Ten percent of them are already using the accounting software at present.

Basically, cloud computing is “the process of sharing IT resources to achieve more power and productivity with fewer costs and roadblocks”.

Cloud computing is a new accounting software that deploys information in the “clouds”. This helps a business save space as they no longer need many computers to store data and information. The data are stored in a data center and web servers provide the information.

However, much as it is considered advantageous, there are users still who fail even after they have used an online accounting software. In order for a successful cloud accounting operation to happen, then the following factors have to be considered.

While majority are convinced of the advantages of cloud computing to companies, Chief Information Officers (CIOs) are giving their thumbs-up to the new accounting software for business.

According to the research conducted by Xantus, an independent management consultancy, 23 percent of CIOs are presently using the technology as reported by ComputerWeekly.com.

In addition to that number, the accounting solution will be adopted by another 53 percent in the next 12 months.

However, there are still a number of companies that are unsure of the benefits of cloud computing which makes them hesitant to use it.

While so many companies today have adopted the use of cloud computing, they are forgetting an essential thing to do—creating back-ups. Data that are sent to the clouds have to be adequately backed up.

This is according to Andrea Simmons, a writer for the BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT.

Just recently, Amazon Web Services had a huge outage after its European cloud services were knocked out by a lightning strike in Dublin, Ireland last August. As a result, Springpad, one of its products, was out of use for two days.

There has been a recent advice for those companies that intend to adopt the cloud computing technology, an online accounting software. By doing so, businesses will be doing their share for the environment.

It has been found that using this new technology is a guaranteed way to slash carbon emissions. This is according to the new research of the Carbon Disclosure Projects as reported by the IBTimes.

The report, entitled Cloud Computing: The IT Solution for the 21st Century, has stated that there can be a cutback of 85.7 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide output in the US alone.

After receiving criticisms against her government, Prime Minister Julia Gillard vows to bring new flexibility into the tax system.

Just last night, Julia Gillard made more changes to business tax rules in response to calls for the reduction in company tax from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

Although Gillard did not give specific details as to the changes, she wants delegates during next month’s two-day forum in Canberra to discuss options for a tax system that would better support businesses.

According to Gillard during the Australia Industry Group dinner in Canberra, the aims of the changes include "removing distortions, lifting barriers, delivering flexibility ... (and) encouraging enterprise."

Problem on accounting and budget processes hits Newcastle Knights’ Ausgrid Stadium.

According to a Newcastle local tabloid newspaper, the Newcastle Herald, Ausgrid Stadium, formally known as Newcastle International Sports Centre --- a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia and the home ground of the Newcastle Knights (National Rugby League) and the Newcastle United Jets (A-League) teams and owned by the New South Wales government and administered by the Hunter International Sports Centre Trust --- has been having significant problems during a scheme.

The said problems is said to relate primarily to a series of errors that has been made in the accounting and budget processes --- which is said to have been resolved with an engagement of a specialist technology, particularly a software for accounting.

A new Sand Hill Group survey reveals that over the next 12 months, it would be cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) that will be driving the largest amount of spending in the software industry.

There were more than 100 software company CEO’s and CFO’s who were interviewed for the Software CEO/CFO Outlook 2011study. They are expecting that their companies will grow by at least 20 per cent in 2011. Accordingly, hiring is also expected to increase.

After the economic recession in 2008 and 2009, the accounting software for businesses industry still continues to pull itself out of the meltdown. But there is a vibrating positivity as the survey respondents are seeing that more than three quarters of them are already back to pre-recession growth levels in 2011.

Cloud computing has become a trend for many large scale businesses. It is a accounting software that allows predefined users to access their data anytime, anywhere. The best part about it is that since it is online, there is no need for the business owner to be physically where the data source is. However, it has been advised that small and medium scale business should also engage in cloud computing.

"If you look at the market research that's being published now, I think in particular, the ready-made cloud applications that we call SaaS (software as a service) are certainly becoming a big element of choice for small businesses to quickly and cost effectively fulfill computing needs that they find emerging," said Phil Wainwright, Vice Chairman of Eurocloud.

Accounting is very important to every business. And in today’s economic instability that is brought about by the global economic crisis, adopting the use of accounting software for businesses is deemed very advantageous.

According to Terry Forsey, a software sales and marketing coach, the software for accounting will make other services redundant. For one, the services of an external accountant will no longer be needed as often as before. Besides that, a professional bookkeeper will also be less needed when the software is used.

"If you're dealing with a company who pays your invoices on 30 days from date of receipt, you can email them, which means you can get your invoices out an awful lot quicker,” added Forsey. However, it is advised that the employees to operate the software should have to undergo rigid training.

Businesses should have accounting software. There are so many reasons out there for businesses to have accounting software in order to improve their performance. Terry Forsey, Software Sales and Marketing Coach and owner of Forsey Consulting, elaborates about the benefits of such solution.

There has been a mention of 6 top reasons. The first of which is that it gives the ability to complete bookkeeping tasks much quicker and more accurately.

This will help improve customer service as questions from clients are being responded to much more quickly, according to Forsey.

Due to an accounting error that has misrepresented the value of the village’s business district, village property taxes could increase in 2012 by 5.8 per cent.

According to Shorewood Village (Wisconsin, United States) officials, the Tax Incremental Financing District No. 1 that blankets much of the business district was recorded and published as $76.7 million too high by the Department of Revenue. This was where the error occurred.

Since the value of the village was erroneous, and that its value must be based on the total equalized value of property in Sherwood published by the Department of Revenue, its property taxes could be artificially high too next year.

According to the results of a survey of accountants, the Australian small business owners’ financial performance will be negatively impacted by the introduction of a carbon tax.

Data from a survey conducted by the Institute of Public Accountants (IPA) shows that 70 percent of the respondents are worried about the financial performance of their small business clients as they believe that their small business would be negatively affected while 66 percent believe that enough consideration about how the tax will impact SMBs have been provided.

IPA chief executive, Andrew Conway, commented on the survey that IPA members were trusted advisers to the Australian small business community. Furthermore, he believed that the perceived bleak outlook for the small and medium business sector over the next 12 months is very alarming for them.

It is clear that investing in high quality accounting software packages is an efficient way to keep a business on the right track and to keep off threats brought about by insolvency.

This came after AAP’s report that there was a 21.1 per cent increase in terms of the number of Australian firms that hit financial meltdown in June.

It is expected that the number will rise further in the coming months according to Taylor Woodings, the accounting firm that did the research.

“Most of them are where there's been a problem for a number of years. It's not indicative of the current economic climate,” said Michael Ryan, managing partner of the firm. It is seen that such problems can build up over time. 

Budgeting lies at the foundation of every SME business’ financial plan. It is the key to a successful and efficient financial management (if done properly). However, it is often overlooked.

On the surface it seems that budgeting is a tedious financial exercise for your small business, especially if you feel your finances are already in good order. However, good budget can really help your small business keep its spending on track and even unearth some hidden cash flow problems that might free up even more money to put toward your other financial goals.

So if you do not want to learn the value of budgeting the hard way, try to learn some tips on budgeting basics for SME business.

A review of the latest developments in the world of financial accounting standards for REIT was recently done. NAREIT Senior Vice- President for financial standards, George Yungmann, sat with REIT.com to review such standards.

Yungmann has pointed out that process has been slowed by changes at the top of both the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). By saying process, he pertains to the project being carried out by the IASB and FASB regarding the global convergence of financial accounting reporting standards.

The Carbon Tax has just been recently introduced by the Australian government. This means that in order to transform Australia into a “clean energy” economy, there will now be the pricing of carbon dioxide and other “greenhouse gas emissions”.

Though it is yet to be introduced and approved by both Houses of the Parliament, it is expected to be implemented by July 1, 2012.

The fraternity of accountants is blooming. This is despite the lingering uncertainties over the domestic economy and the worries over the status of the global economy.

Sentiment among finance, accounting, and banking professionals is high according to the research done by recruitment firm, Robert Half. According to the said research, 88% of employers are confident about their company’s growth prospects for the next year.

Due to investment in new projects, the employees of companies are already feeling the buzz as two-thirds of their workload had gone up as compared to the same time last year.

The workloads of around 43% of staff from the 1678 respondents had risen according to Robert Half’s research. This is due to the growth experienced by the companies; however, staffing levels have remained.

Cash flow is what keeps any business alive. Be it a small, medium, or large business, it is what keeps the company operating and moving. When the expenses are growing, the cash flow should have to be made stronger. The expenses should never be made greater than the cash that comes in; or else the cash flow may not be able to cope with the situation. Expenses and cash coming in should be balanced to say the least. If the problem with cash flow is not addressed sooner, a company might go out of business.

The June 2011 Sensis Business Index aimed to measure the confidence and behaviors of Australian SMEs by handling quarterly surveys. In this survey, it was revealed that cash flow problems are among the top or main problems that impact businesses over the last quarter. This cash flow problem was ranked equally with those problems that are being caused by the current economic climate.

After the carbon tax was imposed on companies that belong to the Top 500 most polluting by having them pay $23 per tonne beginning July of next year, the Australian Workers’ Union has finally given its thumbs up. It has vowed to name and shame any company that uses the carbon tax as an excuse to sack workers.

The Union previously warned the government that it will withdraw its support the moment a single job is lost. However, it was stated by Paul Howes, national secretary of the union, that it is quite satisfied at present of the government’s package.

The government’s decision to increase the instant asset tax write-off from $5000 to $6500 has been welcomed by accountants. The question now lies on how SME’s will be able to cope with the increase.

This increase has been seen by Gavan Ord, business policy adviser for CPA Australia, as a step in the right direction.

“It’s moving towards the Henry recommendation of $10,000,” said Ord.

According to a global survey, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Brisbane have gained the newest reputation of being among the most expensive cities in the world because of its strong Aussie dollar.

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living survey found that it is now cheaper living in London, Hong Kong, Vienna, Rome, Berlin, and Beijing compared to most Australian cities.

The technology sessions at the recent AICPA Practitioners Symposium and Tech+ Conference in Las Vegas has raised one important lesson. That is the manner by which the accountant handles the business could mean the difference between staying in business and retaining clients or being lagged behind the competition and eventually closing the business for good.

However, no one can also put the blame on accountants for the slow response to change. The question here is not really with when they will accept the next wave of change, or if they ever will accept this change. It is how far lagged we will be when this happens.

Do cloud and mobile technologies really provide the answers for most firms?

The answer of AICPA is YES. Though, it has made no statements as to where the profession needs to go. If doubts of this notion arise, then the answer is nowhere else but in the statements and actions of the marketing arm, CPA2Biz, and its president.

A whopping 70% of Australian organizations have recorded cost-savings after utilizing cloud computing. This was found out by Tecala, an ICT infrastructure and solutions provider.

95% of 113 IT decision makers that were surveyed for the study felt that the advantages of using cloud computing surpassed any potential risks. 26% of businesses are looking at migrating to the cloud by the middle of next year.

“It’s clear that organizations are increasingly highlighting cloud computing as a major lever for IT change and investigating its ability to maximize core infrastructure, improve service levels, lower ongoing IT costs, increase agility and enhance user experience and employee profitability,” said Gleuto Serafim, CEO of Tecala.