Opinion

Michael Reid, managing partner at Aberdeen-based chartered accountancy practice Meston Reid & Co, discusses the utilisation of bounce-back-loans for unintended purposes. Much has been reported in the media over the past few months about a company obtaining a bounce-back loan and the directors no

Stuart Clark, managing director at Russell & Russell Business Advisers, discusses consolidation in the accountancy industry and where smaller firms fit and can grow. The pitiless logic of business dictates that big is better, that scalability is the ultimate goal and that survival depends on rel

Hamish Lean, part­ner at law firm Shep­herd and Wed­der­burn, discusses how farmers in Scotland have been outbid by the forestry industry, as the value of hill land rises. Is productive agricultural land being lost to forestry in the race to meet net-zero? There has been concern with

Angelique Bret, partner and specialist in consumer law at Pinsent Masons, discusses the implications for businesses who break UK consumer protection law. Businesses that breach UK consumer protection laws will be subject to fines of up to 10 per cent of their annual global turnover under proposed ch

Angela Paterson, insolvency practitioner, at Dunedin Advisory, discusses the role of an Insolvency Practitioner. An IP is an individual who is licenced by a regulatory body to accept formal insolvency appointments and offer debt and restructuring advice. IPs work with both businesses and individuals

Ryan Macready, senior solicitor at Macdonald Henderson, discusses the intricacies of buying and selling accountancy practices. The majority of Scottish accountancy firms are owner-managed independent general practices, with a local client base. When approaching retirement age, these owner-managers w

Brian Machray, Reward Finance Group’s business development director for Scotland, explains why Scottish SMEs are being refused finance by traditional funders. SMEs accounted for 99.3% of Scotland’s private sector in December 2021, according to a recent Scottish Government white paper. Th

Andrew Hill, lease advisory partner at Knight Frank Edinburgh, discusses rents within Scotland's commercial property market. The pandemic has been with us for two full financial years – it, therefore, feels like an apt time to look back on how that has affected the rents occupiers can expect t

Richard Hepburn, managing director of Millar & Bryce, discusses the property trends of 2022. 2021 was a challenging year for the Scottish property industry, so most of us were cautious in our hopes for 2022. After all, we started the year with Covid-19 regulations still firmly in place in Scotla

Lisa Charlwood-Green, director and founder of the WOW network, discusses the action required to eradicate religious and cultural hate from Scottish workplaces. Close to 100 business leaders are expected to attend the Strive to Thrive diversity conference in Glasgow later this month, which aims to cr

Stuart Clark, managing director at Russell & Russell Business Advisers, offers advice for business owners who are seeking to achieve a satisfactory exit from their companies. Every so often a flurry of activity ripples through the Scottish business community, of a nature that makes the more astu

Michael Reid, managing partner of Meston Reid & Co, discusses the issues surrounding fraud. It is often said that desperate times lead to desperate measures and in times of financial hardship, there always seem to be plenty people who will take advantage of a situation to the detriment of others

Stuart Gray, senior director of investments at Willis Towers Watson and manager of Dundee-based Alliance Trust, discusses the risks of diworsification. Most investors are familiar with the term diversification – avoiding risk in an investment portfolio by ensuring a spread of assets. Diworsifi

Several recent well-documented cases of ransomware – malicious software used by criminals to encrypt information until a ransom is paid – highlight a growing danger to both private and public sector organisations, writes James McGachie, legal director at DLA Piper. Research by

William Cullen, senior manager of specialist firm Dunedin Advisory, discusses the options available for Scottish residents who are struggling financially. With the increasing cost of living - many facing hiked up utility bills running into hundreds of pounds per month and increases in many other ess