Profitability as a business goal: the multicriteria approach to the ranking of the five largest Croatian banks

Background: The ranking of commercial banks is usually based on using a single criterion, the size of assets or income. A multicriteria approach allows a more complex analysis of their business efficiency. Objectives: This paper proposes the ranking of banks based on six financial criteria using a multicriteria approach implementing a goal programming model. The criteria are classified into three basic groups: profitability, credit risk and solvency. Methods/Approach: Business performance is evaluated using a score for each bank, calculated as the weighted sum of relative values of individual indicators. Results: In the process of solving the corresponding goal programming problem, the weights are calculated. It is assumed that the goal of each bank is the highest profitability. Because of the market competition among banks, the weights of indicators depend on the performance of each bank. This method is applied to the five biggest Croatian banks (ZABA, PBZ, ERSTE, RBA and HYPO). Conclusion: For the observed period (2010), the highest priority is given to profitability and then to credit risk. The ranking is achieved by using a multicriteria model

On the Ethics of Trade Credit: Understanding Good Payment Practice in the Supply Chain

In spite of its commercial importance and signs of clear concern in public policy arenas, trade credit has not been subjected to systematic, extended analysis in the business ethics literature, even where suppliers as a stakeholder group have been considered. This paper makes the case for serious consideration of the ethics of trade credit and explores the issues surrounding slow payment of debts. It discusses trade debt as a kind of promise, but— noting that not all promises are good ones—goes on to develop an analysis of the ethics of trade credit grounded in an understanding of its fundamental purpose. Making a distinction between ‘‘operating’’ trade credit and ‘‘financial’’ trade credit, the paper provides an account of the maximum period for which it is appropriate for one company to delay payment to another from which it has purchased goods or services. The concern of commentators and policy makers that companies should not take too long to pay their debts is affirmed, but the understanding of what timely payment means is significantly finessed, with one conclusion being that, if debts have not already been settled according to acceptable standard terms of trade, cash should pass quickly back along the supply chain once the customer in the final product market has paid. The analysis has implications not only for companies that take credit but also for external parties that seek to rate companies or set regulations according to speed of payment—an approach that is shown to be misleadingly simplistic, albeit well intentioned. A corresponding important responsibility for suppliers, not to extend excessive credit (and thus act as a quasi-bank), also follows from the analysis developed. Having provided a novel analysis of an important business problem, the paper then discusses some of the related practical issues and makes suggestions for further research

HIV-related discrimination reported by people living with HIV in London, UK

The objective was to examine the extent to which people living with HIV in London reported being discriminated against because of their infection. In 2004–2005, people living with HIV attending NHS outpatient HIV clinics in north east London were asked: “Have you ever been treated unfairly or differently because of your HIV status—in other words discriminated against?”. Of the 1,687 people who returned a questionnaire (73% response rate), data from 1,385 respondents were included in this analysis; 448 heterosexual women and 210 heterosexual men of black African origin, 727 gay/bisexual men (621 white, 106 ethnic minority). Overall, nearly one-third of respondents (29.9%, 414/1,385) said they had been discriminated against because of their HIV infection. Of those who reported experiencing HIV-related discrimination, almost a half (49.6%, 200/403) said this had involved a health care worker including their dentist (n = 102, 25.3%) or primary care physician (n = 70, 17.4%)

Stockbroker forecasts and the investment decision

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Accounting ICAEW professional stage

Item is ring-bound in large plastic folder. Originally published 2000. Questions and answers section prepared by AFP LtdAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:fm01/1289 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLE2. ed.GBUnited Kingdo

Трансформація балансу (звіту про фінансовий стан) у світлі нових цифрових технологій: досвід України

The paper contains suggestions on balance sheet (statement of financial position) transformation based on the Ukrainian reporting Form 1 in the context of approaching IFRS and European integration with the use of digital computer technologies to make it more analytical. Historical aspects of the balance sheet as an information base on the financial position of an enterprise are considered and clarified. Suggestions are put forward on transforming the assets of this reporting form in the light of digital computer technology, which is expected to improve the quality of its information content. In scientific literature, there are various ways of analyzing the financial position on the basis of the financial position statement data. Unfortunately, until recently, this issue was not sufficiently described in scientific literature with regard to the essence of the concept of financial position and a clear articulation of the organizational stages of its analysis, systematization of methods and obtained results at each stage, which necessitates the research.У роботі містяться пропозиції щодо трансформації балансу (звіту про фінансовий стан) на основі української звітності за формою 1 у контексті наближення до МСФЗ та євроінтеграції з використанням цифрових комп’ютерних технологій для надання йому більшої аналітичності. Розглянуто та з'ясовано історичні аспекти балансу як інформаційної бази про фінансовий стан підприємства. Висуваються пропозиції щодо трансформації активів цієї форми звітності з урахуванням цифрових комп'ютерних технологій, що передбачає підвищення якості її інформаційного наповнення. У науковій літературі зустрічаються різні способи аналізу фінансового стану на основі даних звіту про фінансовий стан. На жаль, до останнього часу це питання не було достатньо висвітлено в науковій літературі щодо сутності поняття фінансового становища та чіткого формулювання організаційних етапів його аналізу, систематизації методів та отриманих результатів на кожному етапі, що зумовлює необхідність дослідження