There is growing evidence that corporate sustainability is creating a significant competitive advantage and higher profits for organizations willing to modify their mindset and corporate culture to the realization that doing the right thing for the environment and society makes good business sense. Climate change, the global economic crisis, geopolitical instability, national security, and socially unfair trade and labor practices are all prominent issues that continue to fuel the global drive toward sustainability. Stakeholders, including customers, investors, financial institutions, and employees, communities, NGOs, regulators and the media all have growing expectations for companies to examine and address the broader impacts their businesses have on the environment and community. Whether your stance is based on ideological beliefs and values or on improving bottom-line numbers it can be difficult to get internal and external buy-in for the benefits of developing and implementing a corporate sustainability strategy. Many still believe that there must be a trade-off between business profitability and environmental and social responsibility - this is false. Below are just five of the many reasons by our experts at CL King and Associates why an effective corporate sustainability strategy should be part of every organization's drive to deliver higher value to all stakeholders: 1) Retain Top Talent and Increase Employee Satisfaction Well-developed and visible corporate sustainability initiatives are extremely appealing criteria for attracting and retaining the best employees. Today's workers increasingly expect more than just a safe workplace, competitive salaries and job security; the overwhelming majority of candidates prefer to be part of a company that has a positive impact on the environment and society. Human capital is critical to business success and it is relatively easy to quantify the value of attracting and retaining top talent, along with achieving high employee motivation, productivity and satisfaction. 2) Better Management of Business Risks In an attempt to remain competitive in an ever-changing global marketplace, many companies are realizing the value of proactively anticipating, managing and responding to business risks. With a corporate sustainability strategy as the guide, a company can be ready for changing expectations, trends, drivers and regulations in their industry. This helps to ensure that potential risks and liabilities are accounted for along the company's entire value chain, decreasing the severity of those risks and even achieving preferred status for financing and insurance in the process. This can mean the difference between maintaining and increasing profitability or going out of business. 3) Product/Service Differentiation Companies that offer environmentally and socially responsible products or services can gain an entire new class of loyal customers, thereby increasing market share and tapping new markets. People want to feel good about what they are buying, so it is no longer enough to simply deliver high-quality products and services at fair and competitive prices. To adapt to this change in customer expectations, companies must innovate to create new products and re-engineer old ones to reposition themselves as leading the way in sustainable practices. Although complete redesign will require an initial investment, the resultant savings and profits can far outweigh the costs of incremental improvements to old products and processes. The environmentally and socially responsible nature of these new products and services can differentiate companies from their competition, command higher selling prices, increase customer loyalty and market share, to produce a high return on investment. 4) Reduce Operating and Manufacturing Costs Reducing energy, water and materials consumption, and decreasing emissions and waste generation contributes to lower operating and manufacturing costs, directly improving a company's bottom line. Energy and water-efficient appliances and equipment, waste reduction and recycling programs and other simple cost-reduction techniques are immediately quantifiable and can motivate the company to pursue further cost-saving practices. Furthermore, forward-thinking companies not only optimize efficiencies in their operating and manufacturing facilities but they redesign products and processes to be eco-efficient, which will lessen future costs and have a positive impact on customer and shareholder value. 5) Enhance Image, Reputation and Brand Recognition A successfully implemented corporate sustainability strategy positively impacts a company's reputation and brand image by demonstrating that the company is taking responsibility for its actions and embracing change for the greater good. In fact, an essential part of a company's success is the engagement and development of strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders based on trust, respect, and cooperation. Nike's experience is a perfect example of this. Do you remember how badly tarnished the reputation of Nike became in the 1990's with accusations of the poor working conditions of their suppliers? Since then, Nike has made efforts to ensure that their own and their suppliers' operations have a positive impact on the community and environment, and have demonstrated greater accountability to their stakeholders. Their hard work has helped them regain the trust and respect of millions of customers around the world, while achieving even greater profits than before through the development, implementation and enforcement of their corporate sustainability strategy. Step one of the journeys toward corporate sustainability is comprehending and communicating the immense benefits of implementing an effective corporate sustainability strategy built on a foundation of enhancing business growth and profitability. Demonstrating a business case tailored to your organization's needs, issues and challenges that clearly shows the financial benefits of addressing environmental and societal impacts is essential. It is critical to understand the elements of an effective, integrated corporate sustainability strategy and the structured processes involved in order to derive the greatest value for all stakeholders. To learn more, visit here: https://clkingassociates.wordpress.com/
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Investment banks like CL King & Associates carry in their briefcase everything to ensure success. In fact they have the clout, the know-how and the muscle to raise large sums of expansion capital.
Here are some highlights of what they generally do... Help you prepare the comprehensive "business plans" many lenders require before authorizing loans. "Business plans" include professional cash flow analyses, balance sheets, income statements, and market survey and management biographies. Many investment bankers go with you as their client to present these plans to a wide variety of money sources including, commercial finance companies, business credit companies, etc. Their flexibility is the key to their effectiveness. They often tap several different sources to arrange a single financing. Here's why. Different investors fit into different risk categories-and they use them all. Where appropriate some investment bankers might use a government loan, a private placement and equity funding all in the same deal. The objective is to get you the needed money." If you're a big-thinking small business owner, investment bankers can prove to be ideal partners in the business building process. They can add the element of financial sophistication most small companies’ lack, but desperately need in the search for major financing. In such an important and vital relationship, where can you reliably find an investment bank to work with? Ask your accountants, attorneys and trade associations. They can recommend established investment banking firms like CL King to you. You can also do a search on the Internet. But, here's the caveat! Look them closely and under the microscope before paying any fees to the executives who operate and manage these investment banks. Investment banking is an area of banking that assists companies to get capital. It is also referred to as corporate finance. Investment banking will also offer advisory services to companies such as those regarding mergers or acquisitions. They charge fees for this service. They advise companies on how to buy assets and securities. They also do consulting. Investment banks like CL King & Associates differ from commercial banks in that they do not take deposits, but aid people who are ready to trade in securities including stocks and bonds. This works hand in hand with companies in the execution of initial public offers (IPO) and other offerings. In case the offering is large number of investment banks may team up to issue them. This also involves brokerage for different bank clients. Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are a way of expanding the profitability of a company by increasing operations. Mergers involve two or more companies combining by mutual consent. Mergers can increase monopoly. Such processes can be against the welfare of the public. Hence mergers require the approval of the government. Acquisition is a complete takeover or purchase of one company by another. Acquisitions can be hostile or mutually agreed. Mergers and acquisitions help to expand the market share and increase the revenues. They also serve to reduce the costs of operations. When the management of a company is ready to sell its whole company, investment banking assists in the acquisition transaction. They will get potential buyers and get the best price for the entire company. They get money in two major ways:
Investment banking assists people who are committed to trade in financial products such as securities and charge a fee for this. They make more money by purchasing securities themselves, later reselling them at high prices. The sale department of investment banking participates in finding market for financial products so as to make good returns. Jobs in investment banking are highly rated as they involve a lovely lifestyle. Investment bankers are also paid fat salaries and other benefits. Before getting such a job you would need a good education and internships. They earn about 2 percent of their sales. They dispose off companies and get paid on commission basis. They earn big money because of huge returns and no expenses. However, time for friends and family is limited. Also read: Starting Your Investment Bank Career In the last couple of years, investment banks have been having quite a tough time, things have not been very easy for them, although now it seems there is something of a recovery taking place. One of the ways they have been able to get through these difficult times is through more intelligent use of technology, to help them save on costs, for example. However, the banks will need to continue looking at how they can make best use of technology if they want to stay compliant with the various regulations that are coming out around risk management procedures and practices. In order to perform the required risk modelling in this new world order, it is estimated the banks will need something like 10x the computing power they were using before the crisis. So the question is, where will they get these resources? Existing data centres are becoming heavily over-utilized and there is little spare capacity. In fact, there is one investment bank reputed to use more data across its data centres than the entire city centre of Manchester! This may be an urban myth but it's probably not too far from the truth. Accordingly, many banks are now looking seriously into making more use of cloud computing and grid computing services. This could be a good option, particularly because of the way banks utilise computing power. Typically, in order to run risk simulations, they need to make very heavy use of computing at certain times of the day, whereas at other times, their computers are virtually idle. So utilization of existing resources probably runs at less than 50% some of the time. Sharing compute resources and using cloud computing would seem like the sensible answer, but there are problems associated with that approach. First of all, the high performance computing (HPC) applications typically run by investment banks don't sit too well on the cloud. This isn't the biggest issue however. The key problem is that banks generally don't like to share, particularly not with their competitors. Security is also a big issue, although cloud services are generally seen as pretty secure these days, security issues around cloud are still causing reluctance on the part of the banks. Then of course there is the whole issue of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), for example the need to complete risk calculations by a specific time of the morning, which is another problematic area with shared resources. The answer could be a new paradigm known as Grid as a Service (GaaS), whereby high performance compute is offered on-demand, across the grid, on a pay-as-you-go basis. Banks could encapsulate specific calculations and send them off to allocated compute resources in a shared environment. This would allow banks to exploit all the various cloud infrastructure, services, middleware and compute power. GaaS is certainly set to grow and could change the face of computing in the investment banking world. CL King & Associates is a full-service investment bank and provides investment banking, equity research, sales and trading, and investor services to corporations and institutions. The focus is on debt and equity capital markets remain the core of our robust platform supported by a well-respected research, sales, trading and clearing operation. Read also: Corporate Trade Finance Services and its Profits The human society is fast consuming the fossil fuels that took trillions of years to develop. It has been projected by scientists that these energy sources will not last long and were therefore called non-renewable energy sources. But humans have always depended on energy to meet the technological advances that they developed and have gotten used to. With the depletion of these non-renewable resources, the threat that the world will go back to its prehistoric roots of zero technology is a serious one. This threat has led scientists and engineers to look for ways to divert usage of non-renewable energy sources to ones that can be renewed over and over. Science developed ways and means to convert the energy sources from raw material to potent energy. Thus, renewable energy technologies were created. Bio-energy from gaseous products of decomposition, geothermal and solar, wind and ocean sources, and hydropower has been diverted to create renewable energy. But because the development of ways to conserve energy can be very costly, a lot of ventures on this field have been abandoned. It seems that the apparatuses and machines involved are too expensive and produce too little energy to supply the needs of a large energy demand. For example, the wind is one of the most powerful sources of energy. But in order to harness the wind's power, vast areas of land must be acquired, and huge windmills must be put up. Moreover, even if this can be bought at a certain price, extensive research needs to be undertaken to correctly put up the structures necessary. If this is not achieved, the windmills may be present in the correct location, but the energy that will be produced will not be worth the expenses. To address this serious issue on energy, energy investment banking evolved to help clients in financing their ventures involving renewable energies. The banks assist the clients in acquiring the correct technologies while offering them services to address the financial and legal aspects of their activities. Usually, banks involved in energy investment banking would incorporate a lot of add-ons to the investment to benefit the client and hasten the project's commencement. For example, a qualified research project that would aim to harness the sun's energy would need new technologies to concentrate the diffused solar energy. These gadgets are usually expensive and require expertise. Allowing the clients to acquire these machines, therefore, would propel the study and hasten the possible energy production. Clients of these banks with energy investment banking services usually include a wide range of entities that may be simple scientists who need funds to support their project or large institutions and governments trying to find ways to solve their own energy requirements. It is therefore necessary for these types of banks to create services that would be accessible to different clients. A good bank of this genre can easily combine the principles of banking with the concepts of science to provide economic, as well as ecological, solutions to various scientific or government energy problems. CL King & Associates is a full-service investment bank and provides investment banking, equity research, sales and trading, and investor services to corporations and institutions. The focus is on debt and equity capital markets remain the core of our robust platform supported by a well-respected research, sales, trading and clearing operation. If you're still doubtful about how to proceed with your investment goals then contact us at 518.447.8050. Also read: Corporate Advisory Services from CL King & Associates Working Capital Financing is forever a major challenge for small and medium sized businesses. And that is certainly not to say that larger corporations don't have that challenge, it's simply a case of having more assets and resources to deal with the same challenge.
As a business owner or financial manager the level of funding that you need, and the method in which you achieve that financing is really what drives the solution to your challenge. It is important, in understanding your cash flow needs and solutions, to determine if you’re working capital financing is required due to the capital intensive nature of your business - or if you in fact simply need to ' monetize', or 'cash flow ' your assets in an effort to generate more working capital and faster turnover of those funds. Your focus on cash and business financing becomes even greater if your sales and profits are increasing. However, at the same time the ability to obtain business credit remains a challenge. Bank financing has become more difficult to acquire, and many firms are looking at non traditional or alternative sources of financing to secure the funds they need for working capital. Another hard reality of working capital financing is that most small and mediums sized business are searching for more cash flow on an unsecured basis. This type of financing is very difficult to achieve in the Canadian marketplace, certainly in the Chartered bank environment. So what are the sources of financial capital that Canadian business owners and financial managers can investigate and potentially utilize? Let's cover off some of the basic options - These include:
When you are looking for working capital financing one of the key areas you can start with is your own key financial metrics. You don't need to be a seasoned financial analyst to determine at what rate your receivables are turning over. The bottom line if you haven't realized it yet (we are sure you have) is that receivables and inventory 'eat' cash. One key point needs to be made here, if your sales are growing at 15% and your receivables are growing at 15% that's not a bad thing. (To calculate simply measure the ratio of these two data points) However, if your sales are growing at 15% and receivables are growing at 30% your cash flow and working capital is being consumed by the investment you have made in A/R and inventory that is not turning over. Collections and inventory turnover are a key aspect of working capital financing. Commercial financing from a bank is the optimal solution for small and medium sized business - as have noted that is difficult to achieve. Funding a business can be complex and we urge clients to seek the advice and guidance of a respected, trusted and experienced commercial financing firm like CL King and Associates to ensure they pick the right tools to solve working capital challenges. Also read: The Meaning of A Credit Score How can a Business Credit Card help in managing Small Businesses? Remember, as a business owner, you should ensure that you maintain two separate finances i.e., separate financing for your business as well for your personal budget is absolutely essential. Hence, do not club these two finances lest you will be utterly confused in maintaining the accounts separately. The expenses incurred on your business are reflected, automatically, in your account when you use a business debt card. To build up a corporate credit, such credit cards are ineluctable. By registering your firm with the business credit bureau, your company's reputation can be enhanced to a good extent. Are business rewards cards worth the choice? With wide range of business rewards cards available in the market, you can choose the one that suits your company's needs. To those businessmen who purchase huge stocks in bulk, it is advisable to have a credit card with cash-back facility. Here are the top 3 benefits that you may avail by using the business credit cards - 1) Those maintaining fleet of vehicles for deliveries and frequent flier programs, and for those who globetrot on business purposes like meeting the clients very frequently, can avail benefits like gas discounts with these cards. 2) Business debt cards also offer various other advantages, which include but are not limited to flexibility to spend more than earnings in a particular month, if you badly need to invest in an important project. 3) Many a times, it just so happens that small business owners don't have enough funds, but get a golden opportunity that they miss out on, just because they don't have the necessary monetary support. The business Debt cards come to your rescue during such times. But, you must be beware of the fact that you should not accumulate too much of debt by unnecessarily increasing your expenses, just because you've high credit limits. If you want to learn more consult with the experts at CL King and Associates. CL King provides investment banking, equity research, sales and trading, and investor services to corporations and institutions. The firm also co-manages bond offerings, IPOs, follow-ons, secondaries, convertibles, and preferred. If you want to learn more, please visit here: http://www.clking.com/ Many people who start a business know very little about business and corporate credit. This is really to their detriment as business credit is so very instrumental in the establishment and operation of a successful business. Nonetheless, despite being a key component to getting a new enterprise up and running, many people move forward without any real information about corporate credit. One of the best ways for individuals to learn about credit is by participation in a business credit builder program. By doing so, people can learn all of the intricacies of business credit and avoid many of the mistakes that are all too often made. Our experts at CL King & Associates believe that by participating in a business or corporate credit builder program, individuals have an opportunity to learn their lessons the easy way. That isn't to say that they will not have to learn from their mistakes; rather, they will have an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others. Seven of the most common pitfalls which credit builder programs help individuals avoid are as follows: 1) Many people fail to form a separate business entity for their new enterprise. Business credit builder programs will help individuals form an LLC, a corporation, or whatever other business entity makes the most sense for their operation. Because it is necessary to have a separate business entity in order to establish credit, this is a vital step. Operating as a sole proprietorship and self financing your business is the surest way to get rejected by the bank for a business credit card! Why? 2) Many people go directly to Dunn & Bradstreet to build a profile and have not completed a through compliance check. If your corporation or LLC is not in compliance before you build the business credit profile with D & B you can "red flag" your company! You must make sure your business phone line has a 411 listing that the entity has the appropriate business license and many other steps comprise a proper compliance review. 3) Many people apply for credit with companies or organizations which are difficult to obtain credit from. Business vendor and cash credit programs will guide individuals towards credit-friendly outfits which are conducive to establishing good company credit. 4) Many individuals co-mingle their funds. This means that they use one bank account for both their personal and business finances. This is detrimental on several levels, not the least of which is that it allows creditors easy access to personal funds in the event of non-payment. Credit builder programs will help individuals learn how to keep their funds separate to avoid such problems. 5) Many individuals fail to know how to get vendors to report good payment history to build your corporate credit profile with D & B or Corporate Experian®. With out vendors reporting your corporate credit profile simply will not be built! 6) Many individuals fail to use vendor account properly to help put your business in the best position to maximize cash lines of credit with the banks! 7) Many people seek credit at the wrong time. In other words, it is common for people to apply for credit when they are desperate and they are out of money, credit is bad. The time to build corporate credit is ideally at the start of your company and also when your business does not need it! In short, it is not always easy to establish business credit. This is especially true in today's economy. With something as important as business credit, individuals should really seek professional help or mentor-ship through business or corporate credit building agencies. One of the most common misconceptions relating to corporate credit is that it works just like personal credit. In many was it does but there are also some significant differences that you need to be aware of. Understanding them will help you to get the most benefit from the corporate credit that you secure.
You may not realize just how hard it can be to establish corporate credit. Once you do though you will have a rating and a score out there. You definitely need to work hard to ensure all of your accounts remain in good standing. You don't want to jeopardize your ability to get corporate credit in the future. You also need to pay attention to what information is listed on your business credit report. Of course that is just the beginning of things so don't give yourself too big of a pat on the back just yet. Do you know what is on your business credit report? At least once a year you should be examining it very thoroughly. You don't want to become the victim of identity theft, in house theft, or even data entry errors that can occur with credit bureaus. All of these scenarios can be very time consuming and problematic for you to resolve. Your credit score and the length of time that you have been in business aren't the only things that lenders look at though. You many not realize how much weight your impression makes with them. If you can talk to them openly about what you need and why they will listen. If you have done your research and they can see you are going to make the prospect work then they will be more willing to assist you. Make sure all of your ducks are in a row when it comes to what they lender will need. They don't want to have to walk you by the hand through everything. They won't take you serious if you aren't prepared or you don't have any confidence in your abilities. Be assertive and take the time to ask questions. Don't get yourself involved in something due to not paying attention. Be smart about the types of corporate credit you apply for. Look for lenders that are a good match for your needs. This will increase your chances of getting approved. It is much easier to get a corporate credit card than a huge loan. Yet view this first business credit card as a chance to prove what your business is all about. One of the hardest things to recover from as a business is poor credit. You will see more doors closing in your face than you may have expected. Your credit reports may be flagged and no one is going to be able to help you financially regardless of what ideas you have for them to consider. You definitely don't want to depend on having your corporate credit tied to your personal credit or having to find a co-signer for your business funding. Establishing corporate credit can be the push in the right direction for you. It is a very long race but you can come out a winner. Don't let these types of corporate credit issues be a stumbling block for you though. It can be almost impossible to recover from such an awkward start. The injuries may be too severe for you to even be able to finish the race. If you want to learn more, consult with the experts at CL King and Associates. CL King provides investment banking, equity research, sales and trading, and investor services to corporations and institutions. The firm also co-manages bond offerings, IPOs, follow-ons, secondaries, convertibles, and preferred. Also read: Corporate Credit Ratings to Determine the Financial Standing of the Company Finance is the most important factor of the security and growth of a business. If a company is wanting to grow, mature, and generate more revenue, they will need loans. Earlier in the history of business, entrepreneurs would take out loans against their private properties. As you can imagine, the amount of risk in this situation was monstrous, as the success of a business is never a guarantee. As a direct result, the term "corporate credit" has become a popular notion.
Understanding the Concept Corporate credit refers to an unsecured loan, funded by commercial entities. This loan is granted on the credit history of the borrower. With this in mind, the risk of losing personal assets is gone. Even people with poor credit score can secure corporate loans by ensuring the development and growth of his business in the near future. How you can obtain a business loan successfully? Provide the LLC Status to the Business It is in your best interest to register your business with the LLC. You help the company's reputation in the market and community. A company's financial capabilities are judged by the owner's creditability. This can be a problem, which is where LLC status can lend a helping hand to smooth the out the bumps. Make It Possible to Find Your Business A physical address, commercial telephone line, and e-mail address make your company accessible. Take Care of Important Details It is essential to obtain legal essentials, such as: DUNS number, a good number of trade references, an excellent rating from your bank, operations license, and so forth. Purchase through trade credit Purchase material on trade credit, though it is not very beneficial for businesses that require distinct amounts of cash. Improve the credit score LLC status does benefit an organization greatly, but the bad credit history of the proprietor greatly effects the possibility of securing a loan. Only owners with a credit score of 640 or above are considered by financial institutes. It is no longer difficult to secure a business loan if you have a bad credit score. Corporate loans are designed to make your business dreams become reality. For more details you can consult with us at CL King and Associates. CL King is Uncovering Hidden Investment Opportunities Since 1972. We provide investment banking, equity research, sales and trading, and investor services to corporations and institutions. Call us 518.447.8050 today and let us explore some best investment deals for you! Or visit us here: http://www.clking.com |
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