Measuring reseach outputs across borders-a comment

This papers starts from an article published by Chan et al. in Accounting and Business Research in 2006 on accounting research in Europe. It develops the idea that accounting research in Europe is much more diversified than it appears, is not limited to British academics output, and relies upon very diversified vectors (journals or books) across countries. The case of France and Germany are particularly highlighted. More generally, the addresses the question of research evaluation and its consequences on academic communities.Accounting; Control; Research; Europe

Heterogenous catalysis of substitution reactions

Imperial Users onl

Assignments of Book Debts – outright transfers of rights or unregistered securities?

Businesses are increasingly being financed by receivables financiers who take assignments of a company’s book debts. The receivables finance industry is estimated to be worth over €1.6 trillion across Europe with the U.K. market leading the way. In the event that the company goes bust, the assigned book debts are swept away by the financier, as legal owner, and consequently what is often the only significant asset of a company is not available to the general body of creditors. The financier will either give notice to the debtor at the time of taking the assignment (“debt factoring”) or delay such notice until sometime later (“invoice discounting”). The accepted wisdom is that such agreements are absolute assignments and not security interests and therefore do not require registration under the Companies Act 2006. This article considers the history of assignments of book debts and suggests that an equitable assignment of a debt is not an out-and-out transfer of the debt but operates by way of charge. Such an agreement is therefore a security interest which is void against other creditors without registration. Although the invoice discounter may convert the equitable assignment into a legal assignment by giving notice to the debtor, if that notice is subsequent to the commencement of a formal insolvency process, that notice will be of no effect

Directors’ duty to act in the interests of creditors under section 172 of the Companies Act 2006 – Aussie Rules Gone Walkabout

Sections 171 to 177 of the Companies Act 2006 (“the Act”) codified the duties owed by directors to their companies in equity and at common law. Section 170(4) of the Act states that the codified duties: “shall be interpreted and applied in the same way as common law rules or equitable principles, and regard shall be had to the corresponding common law rules and equitable principles in interpreting and applying the general duties.

Pre-packs- patronus or dementor?

As fans of Harry Potter will be aware, a Dementor is a dark creature which glories in decay, draining happiness and hope from people and creating an atmosphere of misery and disturbance. A Patronus, on the other hand, is a positive force of hope and happiness providing the desire to survive. The purpose of this note is to consider whether the magic of a pre-packaged administration is more Patronus than Dementor. It is widely, but not universally, accepted that pre-packs often produce the best result for a company in financial distress. They often permit an ailing business to be sold, at a higher price than in liquidation, which safeguards the future of that business as a trading entity with minimal disruption and jobs saved

Accounting and Politics in Europe: Influencing the Standard

The paper considers the case of lobbying to influence the content or other aspects of a standard within Europe. It reviews the institutional framework to identify opportunities for lobbying and then considers the mechanics and constraints that affect lobbying in this context

Gated metabolic myocardial imaging, a surrogate for dual perfusion-metabolism imaging by positron emission tomography

Acknowledgments The authors are grateful for the help from Dr H Ali and Dr A Dawson. Funding: This study was performed using a research grant from the Aberdeen Royal Hospitals Trust's Endowment Fund, with further support from the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Aberdeen, for which the authors express their gratitude.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Plate waste in hospitals and strategies for change

Plate waste in hospitals refers to the served food that remains uneaten by patients. High levels of plate waste contribute to malnutrition-related complications in hospital, and there are also financial and environmental costs. Plate waste is typically measured by weighing food or by visual estimation of the amount of food remaining on the plate, with results presented as the percentage by weight of the served food, or by calculating the protein, energy or monetary value of the waste. Results from 32 studies in hospitals show a median plate waste of 30% by weight (range: 6-65%), much higher than in other foodservice settings. Levels are lower in hospitals using a bulk food delivery system compared to plated meal delivery. Reasons for these high levels can relate to the clinical condition of patients, food and menu issues (such as poor food quality, inappropriate portion sizes, and limited menu choice), service issues (including difficulty accessing food and complex ordering systems), and environmental factors (such as inappropriate meal times, interruptions, and unpleasant ward surroundings). Strategies to minimize waste include reduced portion sizes with food fortification, bulk meal delivery system, feeding assistance, provision of dining rooms, and protected meal times