BDO Simpson Xavier

Financial year end date:

28-02-2008

FEE INCOME

1.1 Please indicate your fee income for your practice in the Republic of Ireland for your most recent financial year:

€ [millions]

1.2 Please indicate your fee income for your practice for all-Ireland (including Northern Ireland) for your most recent financial year:

€ [millions]

1.3 Please give an indication (by p.c.) of the breakdown of this income:

1.4 Please give an indication (by %) of the breakdown of this income by sector:

1.5 Is your firm part of an international network?

Yes

What is the network's name?

BDO International

1.6 How many locations do you have in Ireland?

Please give the locations?

Dublin, Limerick, Belfast & Galway.

2.1 In respect of the Republic of Ireland, please indicate the following partner and staff numbers as of now in each area:

2.4 How many partners are there in your firm?

2.5 How many male partners are there in your firm?

2.6 Please indicate the number of partners in the following age categories:

2.7 What is the average age that you would expect a partner to retire?

2.8 How many foreign workers do you currently employ as a percentage of your total workforce?

2.9 And which country(ies) do the majority of these foreign workers come from?

Asia, China

2.10 On average how many hours do your partners work in an average week?

2.11 As a rough percentage, how many of these hours are chargeable?

61-80%

2.12 Approximately how many people have you recruited in the current year so far, and how many do you expect to recruit next year? (June to June)

SALARIES
3.1 At your last general salary review, by how much have you increased non-partner basic pay rates? (estimate)	6	%
3.2 Over the next 12 months how much do you expect salary levels in the industry will change?	5	%
3.3 What percentage of non-partner remuneration do you expect to pay over the next 12 months in the form of bonuses?	15	%
3.4 What non-financial perks and benefits do you offer your employees? eg additional holidays/health insurance/gym memberships/games room etc	5 Days additional holidays, death in service benefit, educational assistance, institute fees, car parking, pension contributions, EAP Employee Assistance Programme.

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
4.1 What do you perceive as being the biggest threat for your industry going forward?
Lack of positive investment and banking sentiment which is giving rise to a reduced level of investment activity.
4.2 What do you perceive as being the biggest opportunity for your industry going forward?
Clients are seeking alternatives to the established big 4 , big four audit concentration is now recognised by regulators as a situation which is unhealthy and we see trends where the market will open up. In addition, providing innovative corporate recovery solutions to debt providers and equity investors will come more in to demand.
4.3 Are staff shortages still a major problem in the industry?	No
4.4 Do you feel that the partnership model is outdated?	No
4.5 Do you feel that your company has to move towards a more corporate model in managing business?	Yes
Explain your decision:	We have embraced certain aspects of the corporate model decision making and would see that some of the best practice of good corporate governance can be adopted into a professional practice without losing the key advantage of strong mutual support which is derived from a partnership model.
4.6 Do you feel the credit crisis will effect your business going forward?	Yes
Explain your decision:	We foresee opportunities in providing innovative corporate recovery solutions to debt providers and equity investors coming much more in to demand