Business Facilitation Service
The Business Facilitation Service is a modular and bespoke service tailored to the needs of the modern corporate. Schrodinger Consulting's objective is to help companies close deals quickly, efficiently and professionally, whilst managing business risk in a mature and balanced manner. A number of the modules also address areas of regulatory compliance, as the importance of portraying a professional and responsible, as well as customer oriented, image cannot be over emphasised. In addition to focusing on deal facilitation some modules also address the key area of contract enforcement and dispute resolution. For those organisations with a legal and/or commercial department, the Business Facilitation Service is tailored to work in accordance with the aims of those functions, helping them to further develop their internal services, with the objective of raising their profiles within the organisation as a whole. For companies which utilise only external legal support, the Business Facilitation Service provides an opportunity to internally assess and develop risk management and compliance within the sales process or to address possible issues within those related areas identified below.
Business HealthCheck
This is the starting point for any Business Facilitation Module or service. At the outset, Schrodinger Consulting will review a client’s requirements and existing arrangements in so far as they apply to the particular service offering that the client is requesting. A full Business HealthCheck can also be provided upon request for which there may be an additional charge.
As a result of the Business HealthCheck, our representative will provide a report on those issues that Schrodinger Consulting considers should be addressed, whether they be in the area of client contractual documentation, internal commercial processes and information management or regulatory compliance.
Business Startup Module
This element of the Business Facilitation Service addresses the challenges faced by many new businesses when they start out; be they UK businesses or branches and subsidiaries of foreign multinationals. The module includes:
- Preparation of company terms and conditions including standard terms of sale, tailored to the specifics of your company’s individual product and service offerings and related business tools.
- Advice and guidance on document management and the sales closure, delivery and enforcement processes.
- Domain name registration and web hosting guidance.
- Advice on the use of virtual offices, e-mail and basic non-localised telephony.
- Development of compliant corporate stationary.
- Guidance on the use of company trademarks.
- Introduction to the commercial regulatory regime.
Sales Facilitation Module
This module focuses on the commercial management of the sales process and seeks to provide your sales team with the more common commercial resources and support services necessary to close deals quickly and efficiently whilst maintaining a professional approach to the management of business risk. The module provides the following commercial resources and associated commercial training:
- Provision of sales support agreements for use with the sales process.
- Updating of existing terms of sale.
- Commercial training covering commercial risk and key principles of contract law.
Improved Commercial Services Module
The law, as it applies to modern corporations, is more complex and challenging than at any time in our history. Sound commercial tools that facilitate the sales process whilst protecting the company’s interests and addressing the regulatory requirements of the day are therefore essential. Schrodinger Consulting’s Improved Commercial Services Module seeks to provide commercially focused guidance through the legal maze. Its objective is to facilitate the delivery of high value business and sales focused solutions. The following are just some of the business tools offered within this module:
- Evaluation and further development of your company’s standard terms of business to ensure that your sales teams are properly resourced with the right updated documentation to close deals, swiftly and efficiently and in a form that can be delivered.
- Analysis of your company’s commercial methodologies with the aim of optimising sales and delivery processes, enhancing the company’s professional image to its clients whilst protecting its commercial interests.
- Assistance in identifying business risks including advice and guidance on commercial risk control, document management, and dispute reduction.
- Commercial regulatory compliance.
- Protection of corporate intellectual property rights.
- Professional development of commercial and sales teams covering advice and guidance on the commercial sales process and appreciation of legal rights and responsibilities in client relationships.
- Advice on dispute resolution techniques.
Business Risk Management Module
Is your business properly managing its business risk? As failure to address this important area can result in personal liability for a company’s directors as well as bad publicity and damages for the company, many UK boards now consider business risk to be an area requiring regular and wide review.
One of the main principles of the Combined Code on Corporate Governance (July 2003) requires that:
“The board should maintain a sound system of internal control to safeguard shareholders’ investment and the company’s assets” (Section C.2 of the Code)
and that:
“The board should, at least annually, conduct a review of the effectiveness of the group’s system of internal controls and should report to shareholders that they have done so. The review should cover all material controls, including financial, operational and compliance controls and risk management systems.” (Code Provision C.2.1)
The Smith Guidance (July 2003) extends this principle stating that:
“The company’s management is responsible for the identification, assessment, management and monitoring of risk, for developing, operating and monitoring the system of internal control and for providing assurance to the board that it has done so.” (Section 4.6 of the guidance)
Under the Turnbull Guidance (Guidance on Internal Control), October 2005:
“Establishing an effective system of internal control is not a one-off exercise. No such system remains effective unless it develops to take account of new and emerging risks, control failures, market expectations or changes in the company's circumstances or business objectives.” (Preface to the revised guidance)
(The above quotes are reproduced by kind permission of the Financial Reporting Council.)
Schrodinger Consulting’s Business Risk Management Module has been created to help company boards meet these challenges.
Services include:
- Business HealthCheck.
- Development of a Commercial Department Enhancement Plan.
- Advice on the development of your Commercial and / or Legal Function to meet the needs of Sales whilst remaining aware of the need to meet the challenges of the quality agenda and good governance.
IP Management Module
Increasingly, in today’s high tech business environment a company’s future can be heavily dependent upon its ability to protect its greatest asset, its intellectual property or IP. Schrodinger Consulting can assist businesses to protect these valuable assets whilst increase staff awareness of their importance. Services available include:
- Advice on:
- The use of Legal & Business Names.
- Domain Name Registration.
- The use of Trademarks.
- Intellectual Property Rights including use of IPR Audits.
- Overview of Departmental Information Management and Customer Management Processes.
- Confidentiality issues including the development and use of long and short form Confidentiality Agreements.
- Contractual IPR provisions in Commercial Agreements.
Individually Tailored Services
Services addressing the areas covered by the Business Facilitation Modules are also available individually as follows:
- Standard Terms of Trading, including:
- Standard Terms and Conditions of Sale.
- Procurement Terms and Conditions.
- Non-Disclosure (Confidentiality) Agreements.
- Authorities to Proceed and Memoranda of Understanding.
- Consulting Agreements and Temp Agency Terms.
- Agency, Distributorship and Franchise Agreements.
- Data Transfer Agreements.
- Novation Agreements.
- Facilities Management Agreements.
- Outsourcing Agreements (see Outsourcing Services).
- Management of Business Risks, including:
- Corporate Governance as regards Formation of Business Contracts.
- Development and Review of Commercial Policy.
- Formation of Document Retention Policies.
- Document Management and Retention.
- Use of Trademarks.
- Registration with the CLA and NLA.
- Advice and Guidance on CTPS Compliance and Direct Telephone Marketing.
- Health and Safety Risk management.
- Dispute Resolution Policies (seeking to maintain commercial relationships whilst protecting company interests).
- Development of Staff Engagement and Team Building Policies.
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