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Articles by Shereen Ali
A New Breast Cancer Discovery Strategy: A Combined Outlier Rejection Technique and an Ensemble Classification Method
1. Introduction Breast cancer is a lethal disease that resulted in 10 million fatalities and 19.3 million cases globally in 2020 []. With one in every eight women battling breast cancer at some point in their lives, the severity of its effects becomes even more obvious []. There are two types of cancerous tumors: malignant and benign. Benign tumors do not cause much harm. However, malignant tumors are aggressive and have the potential to spread to other bodily areas.
Self‐reported oral manifestations during COVID‐19 pandemic: Egyptian cohort
Corresponding Author Shereen Ali Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Correspondence Shereen Ali, Department of Oral Medicine and Periodontology, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University, Egypt, 11 El-Saraya Street – Manial – Cairo – 11553, Egypt. Email: shereen.ali@dentistry.cu.edu.eg Search for more papers by this author
Effect of Behcet's disease‐associated oral ulcers on oral health related quality of life
ARTICLE Abstract Aim The current study assessed the clinical characteristics of patients suffering from Behcet's disease (BD)-associated oral ulcers and investigated the effect of these oral ulcers on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). Methods This study included BD patients suffering from active oral ulcers, defined by the revised International Criteria for BD (ICBD) criteria. We collected BD and oral ulcers characteristics.
CFOs look to embed agile processes
‘Agility – the ability to move quickly and easily’. An important pre-requisite for business survival in response to the radical changes that have been thrust upon us over the past few months. A KPMG poll of 1,300 CEOs last year found that 67 percent agreed that ‘acting with agility is the new currency of business; if we’re too slow, we will be bankrupt’. It seems a safe bet that this percentage would be even higher today.
Video: Corporates look to bulk up scenarios, forecasts
Video: Corporates look to bulk up scenarios, forecasts Finance departments look to lean on forecasts by Jeremy Chan - September 10, 2020
CFOs driving digital conversation in legal
Legal C-suite executives and boards have already centred entire corporate strategies around digital transformation. With one of the most advanced legal environments in the world in terms of the relationship between law and business, digital has naturally remained a top priority for UK businesses. Given the economic value these initiatives can bring to a company, it often falls to the CFO to lead the conversation internally.
Fear of corporate collapses spooks banks
Banks across the world have gone “ultra-safe” as they fear exposure to large corporate collapses caused by the coronavirus crisis, according to a senior banker, who asked not to be named. This cautious approach has seen JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo announce they had increased loan-loss provisions to a combined $10bn. “The main issue here is going to be what happens in the corporate world, and who’s got exposure to the big corporates,” says the banker.
Upskilling key to effective corporate leadership
In the digital age, financial leaders have a responsibility to lead their employees while seeking out new opportunities for the department. A study from MIT, Deloitte and the Harvard Business Review found that an overwhelming 70 percent did not think they had the right skills, business structure or leadership to adapt to a digital-first model.
Corporate trade: Paying for services with goods
The multinational pharmaceutical company Perrigo had 120 lines of excess product that they were unable to sell. The product sat in a warehouse and with the product depreciating in value, Perrigo engaged in a corporate trade. They ‘traded’ their product for media time and space. For their product they bought media time on Portuguese television on networks such as SIC and TVI, while in the UK their product allowed them to advertise with media companies such as JC Decaux, Hearst Magazines and Sky.
Award-winning CFO Agenda returns this May
Senior delegates from the world’s biggest businesses will meet in London this May for the CFO Agenda, setting out plans to turn challenges to productivity and profitability into opportunities for growth. The event, to be held at 133 Houndsditch in London on May 5th, has scheduled speakers from global brands like Coca Cola European Partners, Allianz, Sage and Fujitsu.
It's time for financial directors to become restructuring leaders
While it can be a daunting concept, restructuring is a part of corporate life. The goals of a business change over time, and its only logical that finance departments should change with it. However, restructuring can be a confusing and worrying time for employees. In these instances, financial directors and CFOs need to hone their soft skills and demonstrate their leadership capabilities to reassure and bolster the team.
FRC criticises listed companies for minimalist approach to governance changes
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), the UK’s boardroom regulator, has said that listed companies are only “paying lip service” to changes that were made to corporate guidelines last year. In its annual review of the UK corporate governance code, which is set by the FRC, the regulator found that many large companies are failing to improve their corporate culture, diversity or take the views of shareholders and the public into consideration, favouring “strict compliance” instead.
Goodbye BI, hello proper financial reporting
Financial Reporting If you need to share and visualise data in specific ways, Business Intelligence (BI) tools are a box-ticker. However, while BI tools work very well for other departments, they do not hit the mark for finance. If a finance team needs a real-time view of ERP data to ensure they are reporting on the right things, BI won’t cut it. Finance teams are really up against it when trying to fix the reporting gaps caused by BI implementations.
Directors' duties and climate change: sustainable practices
Climate change Greta Thunberg’s appearance in front of the United Nations in New York. Extinction Rebellion on the streets. Storm devastation across The Bahamas and cancelled Rugby World Cup matches in Japan. Environmental impact often tops the media agenda and, in recent years, we have observed deeper convergence between corporate responsibility and environmental issues.
Severn Trent secures Fair Tax Mark
Tax Water services company Severn Trent has announced that it has secured its first Fair Tax Mark certification, making it the third FTSE 100 business to do so. The company joins a growing movement of businesses that demonstrate they are paying the right amount of corporation tax. The Fair Tax Mark is an independent certification scheme which recognises businesses that do so, and has certified more than 50 businesses, notably including Timpson, Lush, SSE, Richer Sounds and Co-op.
Recourse options available for corporate victims of payment frauds
Cyber Security Fraud The case of Japanese publisher Nikkei, recently reported to have lost $29m in an alleged fraud involving a third party who purported to be a management executive, is an all too familiar example of the kind of payment fraud which is affecting companies worldwide. Fraudsters have become increasingly sophisticated in passing themselves off as company insiders.
What are the main activities in corporate finance?
If you assume that corporate finance is a function unconnected to the real operations of a company, you’d better think twice. Every single decision made in a business has financial implications, and any decision that involves the use of money is a corporate financial decision. Corporate finance is how to best raise money and use it. Corporate finance involves managing the required finances and its sources.
UK services businesses plan international push amid UK uncertainty
Brexit Technology A new report led by Lloyds Bank has revealed that half of Britain’s largest services firms are planning to take their services to new international markets in the next 12 months, as caution about the UK economy rises. Bosses of UK services businesses believe the EU continues to offer the most potential despite present uncertainty, followed by the Far East and China.
Putting employee and customer insight at the heart of business strategy
Leadership & Management Modern businesses have a lot to contend with. Commercial cycles are shorter than ever, disruption is continual and change is now the norm for many organisations. Agility, speed and flexibility are prerequisites for success. It may seem odd then that we’d see investment in long-term, continuous Employee Experience (EE) and Customer Experience (CX) programmes as a critical component of an agile corporate strategy. But that’s exactly the approach we advise.
The alternative Rugby World Cup: Tackling tax regulation
Tax When the 2019 Rugby World Cup kicks off in Tokyo on Friday 20th September, all eyes will undoubtedly be on the strong formations and slick passes of the usual suspects: England, South Africa, Australia, and reigning champions New Zealand. But in a competition being billed to promote the sport in a new region, those with a keen eye will know that nations such as Argentina and Japan could cause a few surprises given their increased investment in the sport.
Gartner says stakeholder management strategy is critical to CFO transition success
New-to-role CFOs who develop a strategic approach to relationship building and stakeholder management are up to 50% more likely to experience a successful transition, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner research has found a correlation between strong market performance and a higher number of CFO exit events, primarily through retirements. Additional Gartner research has found that 50% of new leaders underperform in their roles.
Finance Transformation with Integrated Business Planning - Financial Director
It feels like the perfect storm. Business leaders are facing uncertainty from Brexit, US–China trade and fear of the next recession. In response, organizations are innovating beyond the traditional sales and operations planning (S&OP) process to align financial and operational goals with executing business strategy across the organization’s key functions – including finance, sales, operations, HR and marketing.
Finance Transformation with Integrated Business Planning - Financial Director
It feels like the perfect storm. Business leaders are facing uncertainty from Brexit, US–China trade and fear of the next recession. In response, organizations are innovating beyond the traditional sales and operations planning (S&OP) process to align financial and operational goals with executing business strategy across the organization’s key functions – including finance, sales, operations, HR and marketing.
Kelly Sinnapah Mary: Riddles of survival | Portfolio
Braided cloth, flowered bedsheets, stuffed cushions — these are the unlikely materials from which Kelly Sinnapah Mary makes art. She combines such soft, “feminine” crafting materials and surreal, subversive techniques to raise hard issues: the reality of violence against women, for instance, or institutionalised violence against colonised cultures. What do such invasive experiences of domination do to the people who must endure them? How have people changed themselves in order to survive?
Small businesses warned on HMRC asset grab
Tax No-one goes into business expecting it to become insolvent. But businesses do fail – the latest business insolvency figures show there were 4,321 total underlying company insolvencies in the second quarter of 2019; this is 2.6% higher than in the first quarter of 2019. Compared to the same quarter last year, this was an increase of 11.9%. This is the highest underlying level of insolvencies in any quarter since Q1 2014.
The FTSE 350 w/c 29 July- by Hargreaves Lansdown
Next week is one of the busiest on the stock market with everything from banks to retailers in the spot light. Reckitt Benckiser needs to show Chinese growth is stronger in the Infant Nutrition business Next hopes to prove online sales are still growing strongly as physical stores continue to struggle Lloyds looks to weather the economic turmoil while delivering growth for the long term Here’s our list of FTSE 350 and selected other stocks reporting next week.
Financial reporting in smaller listed and AIM-quoted companies: nurturing a culture of improvement
Financial Reporting In this article, Dr Nigel Sleigh-Johnson explains the background to the ICAEW Financial Reporting Faculty’s latest publication on smaller listed and AIM quoted companies. Written in association with the Financial Reporting Council, the publication, Smaller Listed and AIM Quoted Companies: A Practical Guide for Audit Committees on Improving Financial Reporting, does exactly what it says on the tin.
Tackling the UK’s productivity puzzle
If more people in work does not equal increased productivity, this means that there are other long-term factors underpinning the UK’s productivity problem. Friday’s figures released by the ONS once again show that the UK still struggles to find the missing pieces to solve its productivity puzzle. If we continue on this path, the UK economic slowdown in the next few years risks being worse than in any other comparable large advanced economy.
Exploration of shared service models
Financial Reporting For multinational corporations, today’s business environment demands accurate statutory reporting right across the globe. Keeping up with ever-changing legislation in every country means finance teams have their hands full – constantly.
Who knew Minshall invented - Inflatable men?
Shereen Ali At this year's Divali Nagar in Chaguanas, they were there–inflated air puppets, propelled by jets of air, dancing in front of the fireworks shops. You can see them everywhere these days, popping up in gas stations and parties, at malls, festivals, and public events, the tall boys of advertising. In America, they've become ubiquitous since the 2000s.
Filling the as-a-service funding gap
Procurement Systems & Software There was a time when all IT came in a box and investing in technology meant large up-front capital payments for hardware and software. So, financing was a fairly straightforward process. But the business environment is increasingly moving towards an ‘as-a-service’ economy, with the subscription model becoming the preferred means of funding IT investment.
Consultation, consultation, consultation
On 30 January, on the same day that the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) published its ‘Proposed Revision to the UK Stewardship Code’, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a consultation on proposals to improve shareholder engagement and both regulators published a joint discussion paper entitled ‘Building a regulatory framework for effective stewardship’.
Why agility starts with procurement
Procurement The word on everyone’s lips right now is agility. From startups to unicorns, we are conditioned to admire agile traits to reduce costs, or accelerate and fuel growth strategies. Some great businesses were built on agile principles, while others are victims of their inability to react where change was needed or to accelerate where opportunity arose. Agility is now, and it is here to stay.
One bad experience is all it takes
Would you switch to a competitor after just one bad experience with a brand you previously loved? Research shows that over three-quarters of consumers admit they would. However, consumers also revealed their brand loyalty doesn’t falter, with 52% stating that once they’re loyal to a brand, they’re loyal for life. So – which one is it? How ‘bad’ does the experience have to be for the consumer to make the switch, and what does loyalty really mean to today’s modern consumer?
Brexit was a cry for inclusive growth- we need more deliberation to get it
One of the underlying motivations behind the vote to leave the EU in 2016 is the idea that significant segments of society have been ‘left behind’. While government appears to have done little as part of its Brexit strategy to address this, since the referendum inclusive growth has become a mainstay in policymaking, featuring in Philip Hammond’s Budgets and as part of national and regional industrial strategies.
Can Big Tech survive a backlash?
Regulation The tech giants that in recent years have become some of the most powerful businesses of all time are increasingly coming under the microscope. But whilst a debate rages in the US where three quarters of the top 20 tech firms are located, about whether they act in the public interest, the action is taking place in Europe. Last week Google was fined €1.5bn by the European Union for strangling competition in the advertising market.
IFRS16 leases, payments and incentives
IFRS 16 has drastically altered the way companies must calculate and report their lease liabilities. Financial Director explores the new reporting standard and what finance directors must do in order to meet the new compliance obligations. Leasing is absolutely critical to the success of businesses across a variety of sectors.
IFRS 16: Putting your house in order
For accounting periods from 1st January 2019 compliance with IFRS 16 is mandatory yet a significant number of companies still haven’t deployed adequate solutions and controls that will enable a seamless and timely transition to the new standard. Whether due to existing financial commitments, prevailing economic conditions, other compliance projects taking precedence or Brexit contingency planning getting in the way.
Private equity- enabling growth
As a business grows, it often reaches certain inflection points – critical moments when in order to move onto the next stage there is a requirement to invest, often in people, systems or physical capacity – examples include expanding the office or facility, bolstering the sales team, acquiring another business or expanding geographically. Financial directors are frequently asked to assess whether these investments can be funded from cashflow or require external funding, such as bank finance.
Investigation at controversial council over investment
The controlling group at a council that has undertaken a huge investment programme in recent years launched an internal investigation related to the treatment of the chair of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee. The investigation within the Conservative group of councillors was launched following a complaint brought by the chair of the overview and scrutiny committee Councillor Sinead Mooney.
The high street’s changing face - Financial Director
Structural economic change can be painful. The demise of Britain’s industrial base in the 1980s saw the domestic coal industry unable to compete with cheaper international rivals because it was uneconomic. The National Coal Board closure programme started with a hit list of 100 pits. The end result was that all the mines eventually closed leading to hundreds of thousands of workers losing their jobs.
Time is China’s economic best friend
The recent economic statistics from China are not terribly flattering. Prior to writing this piece I read more than 20 articles from multiple sources and industries, and also reflected on my over 25 years of travel, meeting with and consulting for businesses about their strategies. The gloomy headlines fail to mention that the People’s Republic has intellectual horsepower, history, and immense resources on its side to figure things out.
Fear of a Corbyn government
There is a mood in the meeting rooms…A certain rustle amongst the FT’s as the CO’s sip their cappuccinos. An eerie silence that hasn’t been heard in quite some years… We all talk about Brexit, because it distracts from the real fear. The real fear amongst people who run businesses, small and large, here and from around their world. Here employing people and spending money escaping their own ludicrous business environment for one that makes a bit more sense.
Clearing out the garage – Benefits of corporate structure simplification - Financial Director
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” Whilst I’m sure Albert Einstein was referring to complex physics when he made this assertion, his words are true for business generally and more specifically, legal entity structures. Many corporates (not just large multinationals) seem to excel in making things unnecessarily complex by setting up more legal entities than they know what to do with.
Route to the top- Premier Oil CFO
It’s interesting that I’ve ended up in oil and gas, as I did a physics degree with geophysics at Imperial College London, and intended to go into this industry, but when I came out of university in 1994 when there was a bit of a dip in the sector. So instead I became an accountant at Ernst & Young, where I ended up gravitating to the oil and gas group accidently.
What’s in store for middle market M&A activity in 2019
The majority of dealmakers made the cautious prediction that 2018 would see merger and acquisition (M&A) processes stalling in the latter half of the year as the Brexit deadline came into sharper focus. Roll on to the present day and whilst this prediction wasn’t too far off the mark, actual deal volumes have remained steady (6% drop in Q3 2018 versus the prior year) and valuations for attractive assets are at a high since pre-recession.
Adam Patterson: barbed beauty | Closeup
What would you do if you saw a strange creature approach you on the street, humanoid in form but with a huge sea urchin for a head, with terrifyingly sharp spikes sticking out in all directions? Would you run for the hills or stand transfixed, wondering if Carnival came early? Would you talk to it, to see if it were alien? Artist Adam Patterson performed this strange character in his home island of Barbados in 2016, playing a one-man walkabout called Echidna.
Digital tax could affect all businesses
There is public consensus that multinational businesses should pay tax on their profits. There is also a feeling that certain multinational businesses are not paying enough tax in the UK, because too small a proportion of their global profits is being allocated to the UK for tax purposes. In the Budget, The Chancellor announced the introduction of a “narrowly targeted” Digital Services Tax.
How investment scheme can support SMEs in the Brexit era
Brexit has dominated the political, economic and news landscapes ever since the 23 June two years ago. There has been constant coverage and speculation on the impact that it could have on almost all aspects of our daily lives, our political leaders and our future. One particular focus has, understandably, been surrounding what will happen to big corporations not headquartered in the UK that may look elsewhere for expansion or current operations, leading to a loss of jobs and economic output.
Why Europe’s fastest growing companies turn to minority stakes and JVs
Fast growing companies in Europe are increasingly turning to taking minority stakes and setting up joint venture vehicles in order to turbo-charge their expansion. Our recent research shows that 82% of Europe’s 400 fastest growing companies have acquired a minority stake in another company over the last three years. 40% also say alliances and joint ventures are key to their success.
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