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accountancy with Morris Lane
Protecting your business against fraud Scams targeting businesses are common and it is important to be alert to these. We look at a few here. Have you received a request to change a supplier’s bank details? A fraudster may have gained access to a compromised email account belonging to the employee of a supplier’s finance team. This may be used to communicate with you to change bank details. Always check directly with the supplier on a known telephone number (not one on the communication) before making any payment. Have you received a large (or unusual) order out of the blue? Be wary if the payment is made by cheque or Bank Draft as often fraudsters get in contact to amend or cancel the order and request a refund asking for an electronic payment. It often turns out the original cheque or Draft is returned unpaid and you incur the resulting loss. Ask questions when taking an unusual order, make sure the payment has cleared and irreversible before making any refund especially if this is requested to be paid to a different account or by a different method. Have you received communication from your bank regarding suspicious transactions, malicious software or there’s an internal investigation and you must avoid contacting bank staff? Contact is often notified as urgent to get you to act as quickly as possible, giving you minimal time to think about whether the call is fraudulent. In the moment, panic or a lack of concentration can happen so it is important to take a step back, think twice and double check first by calling back the Bank on a known number, not one that someone has given to you. Conclusion Regular staff training and vigilance is key, alongside keeping up to date on possible scams via your bank’s security section on their website and that of the National Cyber Security Centre. For help or advice please contact Malcolm Baker on 01202 715950 www.morrislane.co.uk
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July 2021 | Dorset Business Focus
Building Resilience for Business Leaders
– top leaders ask ‘how is the boss’? Inspired by Dorset Chamber’s ‘Got your 6’ initiative, British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) included a session on the impact of mental health challenges amongst our business leaders in their recent two-day conference. The BCC has 53 accredited UK chambers and over 70 global affiliate members and the online event attracted attendees from all over the world. The debate was facilitated by Past President and GU6 lead, Liz Willingham who was accompanied by Paul Farmer, CEO of Mind and Lord Mark Price from WorkL. A live audience Q&A completed the session. The pandemic has highlighted more than ever the ‘human’ behind the worker, including the boss, and talking about our pressures and struggles has hopefully become more acceptable. Having an insight to people’s personal lives whilst working from home, with the toddler or pet Zoom intrusion, has perhaps created a new opportunity for two-way dialogue about how we, as people, are feeling, whatever our role or responsibility in our organisations. The debate pursued an avenue as to how can we develop a balanced approach to build resilience, from peer support – just as the GU6 programme offers – to self-awareness and how we have to start looking at ourselves and our lifestyles to make sure we are fit for the future. As individuals we will have a different toolkit – it’s not a one size fits all. If our leaders are in good shape, it bodes better for our wider economy. As we head
into the next chapter of pandemic easing, we are likely to see the full repercussions of our challenging past year or so and making sure we have resilience and energy to see us out the other side is something we all need to take responsibility for. Liz was pleased the GU6 initiative, supported by Lester Aldridge, has made an impact on discussion surrounding the strength of our leaders on a global stage. She said; “It was great to discuss the subject with such high level individuals who both had fascinating perspectives on how our business leaders should position themselves post pandemic.” “I can see the range of opportunities we have for GU6 here in our home county growing and growing. Individuals within our business community are becoming increasingly engaged with the initiative; the future looks exciting. If we catch one leader who is struggling, we have done the right thing.” www.dorsetchamber.co.uk/gu6-dorset
Trio of awards for Volkswagen commercial vehicles Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles has won three titles at the 2021 Trade Van Driver Awards. The Transporter 6.1 being praised for its reliability, technology and unbeatable residual value taking Van of the Year title. The Volkswagen Crafter was honoured at the awards as the Best Large Van in 2021, coming out on top for comfort, outstanding value and overall performance. The award-winning brand were also praised with Best Technical Innovation for its groundbreaking City Emergency Braking system, becoming the first to fit autonomous emergency braking systems back in 2017. Still today they remain the only OEM to do so, making it the standout manufacturer in this category. The annual Trade Van Driver Awards highlight the leading commercial vehicles and innovations in the trade industry. The expert judging panel is made up of Trade Van Driver's writers /company/dorset-chamber/
and editors, all of whom apply years of invaluable industry knowledge to decide the winners in each category. "We are thrilled to have collected three sought-after accolades at this year's Trade Van Driver awards. It is a testament to the performance, technology and reputation of our vehicle line-up as one of the best in the industry." said Kate Thompson, Head of Marketing for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. See www.breeze-volkswagen.co.uk or call the Poole Van Centre on 01202 713100
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