Opinion

A decade of hotel expansion across Scotland is set to be reversed as many hotel businesses struggling with unsustainable debts, losses and staffing problems decide to close permanently, Derek Forsyth, head of restructuring with Azets has warned. Industry reports indicating the scale of the financial

Louise Laing, senior associate at Brodies, details the intricacies of a pre-pack administration. Pre-pack is the term used to describe an arrangement whereby the sale of all or part of a company’s business and/or assets is negotiated and agreed before an insolvency practitioner (IP) is appoint

Paul Reilly, director in the Glasgow office of DM Hall Chartered Surveyors, says the residential property market in the West End of Glasgow is losing none of its allure, with quick sales and rising prices. The west end of Glasgow is, in normal times, variously described as busy, buzzing, vibrant and

Shirley McIntosh, RSM's head of tax in Scotland, discusses whether Scotland can afford the financials of independence. The Scottish people have elected their new Parliament and pro-independence parties have increased their majority. The independence debate often runs on emotion, but cool heads will

Jim Burberry, RSM's head of VAT and indirect tax in Scotland, discusses the impact of the devolution of VAT in Scotland. The SNP’s election manifesto makes a commitment to ‘Strengthening of Scotland’s tax powers with the devolution of VAT’ (page 47).

Campbell Ure, a facilitator with The Alternative Board (TAB), offers his take on what constitutes first-class business coaching and mentoring. Through my work with TAB, a peer-to-peer support and networking organisation for business leaders, I’ve witnessed first-hand how companies have wrestle

William Anderson, audit, accounts and charity partner, Meston Reid & Co, highlights the need for responsible governance, transparency, accountability and a professional approach when it comes to charity finances. Few charities will emerge from the pandemic unscathed. Like all organisations, they

Fiona McKerrell, partner in Shepherd and Wedderburn’s restructuring and business advisory team and a mental health first aider, discusses the importance of mental health. As we enter Mental Health Awareness Week, Shepherd and Wedderburn is launching a collaboration with leading wellbeing servi

John Bett, partner and head of dispute resolution and litigation at Lindsays, details why ignoring furlough mistakes could be costly for businesses. Mistakes happen in life and business. The important thing is that we act upon them - and try to make the error good - as soon as we realise.

Graham Cunning, head of corporate finance with Azets in Scotland, discusses the marked increase in the popularity of Employee Ownership Trusts (EoTs).  A growing number of business owners have expressed concerns about trade sales, in particular the lack of privacy, the time required f

Shirley McIntosh, RSM’s head of tax in Scotland, details the importance of tax during an election campaign. Five years ago tax was a hot topic in the Scottish Parliamentary election. How the newly devolved tax powers would be used to deliver policy was part of every party’s manifesto. Bu

Gillian MacLellan, an employment law specialist and partner at CMS, discusses how companies can report their ethnicity pay gap. Unlike gender pay gap reporting, it is not currently mandatory for any business or organisation to report on ethnic-based disparities in pay levels. Despite a government co

Lyn Calder, managing partner, Edinburgh and head of family business at Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB), discusses the importance of succession planning for family businesses.  Family businesses come in all sorts of guises, with varying internal challenges and external market forces.

Iain Penman, senior associate at Brodies LLP, discusses fiduciary duties and why they may still apply after a director resigns. Did you know that a director's fiduciary duties can still apply, even after they have resigned? This was the situation in the recent case BVI case of Byres v Chen ) where a

Tim Cooper, chair of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 in Scotland, has said that the low levels of corporate and personal insolvencies in Scotland over the last year cannot last forever.  The number of corporate insolvencies (liquidations and receiverships) in Scotland fell by 31