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Statutory Audit
We conduct an integrated audit, which combines the financial statement audit,independent and objective assurance on financial information, transactionsand processes.
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Limited Review
We offer services relating to reviews of historical financial informationby expressing negative assurance on such historical financial information.
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Agreed Upon Procedures
We engage with organisationsto perform specific procedures and report findings to conform to their needs.
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Financial Reporting Advisory Services (FRAS)
Our team provides timely advice on the impact of accounting changes to assist businesses in the development of an appropriate implementation roadmap.
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Business Consulting
Grant Thornton UAE provides organisations with implementable plans that drive sustainable growth strategies to grow and optimise their business performance.
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Business Risk Services
Organisations need to understand risks thoroughly to be able to manage them better. Grant Thornton UAE helps businesses achieve the best balance between minimising risk exposure, optimising profitability and developing compliance review checklists.
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Regulatory Advisory Services
Grant Thornton UAE's extensive understanding of the overarching supervisory framework within the region equips our professionals to support financial institutions comply and abide by the set of regulatory mandates throughout the rapidly evolving ecosystem.
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Financial Advisory
Grant Thornton UAE works with organisations on transactions from start to finish, assisting with strategy, identifying risks, executing deals, and helping to unlock their potential for growth and value creation.
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Restructuring Advisory
Grant Thornton UAE is committed to realising value for shareholders, in a way that recognises and supports the interests of all stakeholders. Our solutions maximise value, provide clarity and direction, and accelerate recovery and transformation for businesses.
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Technology Advisory & Cybersecurity
IT and technology are fundamental to drive the performance of businesses. Through leveraging the power of technology, Grant Thornton UAE helps organisations define and identify growth opportunities to achieve value-driven transformation and innovation.
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Forensics
Fraud and corruption pose a growing challenge worldwide. As the commercial landscape changes, an increasingly regulated environment requires stringent governance and compliance processes. Grant Thornton UAE helps organisations navigate challenges and crisis with a hands-on approach coupled with the use of technology.
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ESG Services
The Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda has gained significant traction over the years, to become one of the key strategic aspects of any business. It is imperative that all organisations, irrespective of industry sector, engage with their stakeholders and prioritise ESG practices to unlock sustainable growth opportunities.
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Business Process Solutions
Our team at Grant Thornton offers comprehensive and cost effective outsourced solutions, enabling stakeholders and business owners to focus on their core business goals.
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Corporate Tax
Our diversified team of corporate tax subject matter experts combines a perfect blend of international experience across several industry sectors, technical expertise, and commercial nuances with a commitment to deliver exceptional value to your business.
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VAT
The VAT team at Grant Thornton is well versed with the VAT Laws applicable across the region and holds valuable experience and professional accreditation in assisting clients across diverse industries to comply with the VAT obligations.
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Transfer Pricing
Grant Thornton UAE assists its clients in providing transfer pricing solutions that are implementable and operational, considering the facts and concerns of its clients.
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International Tax and Tax Due Diligence
Grant Thornton UAE supports multinational groups to optimise their tax structures. We can also assist businesses in analysing existing group transactions and inter-group supplies, as well as advising on potential implications of various taxes to facilitate an efficient Group tax structure.
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Economic Substance Requirements
Economic Substance rules were introduced in the UAE in 2019, requiring UAE businesses that undertake certain ‘Relevant Activities’ to maintain and demonstrate adequate substance.
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Customs and International Trade
The team at Grant Thornton is positioned centrally to assist the businesses with global cross-border tax structuring, planning and compliance needs.
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Excise Tax
We provide Excise Tax related advisory and compliance services to the producer, importer, and the storekeeper of excisable goods
Culture, diversity and strategic planning
In light of growing international interest and scrutiny of corporate practices we set out to explore how three major aspects of governance – the role of culture, board composition and strategic planning – are affecting businesses around the world.
Corporate governance: The tone from the top draws on 1,865 telephone interviews with business leaders in 36 countries through our International Business Report (IBR), and 86 in-depth interviews with board directors in eight countries to answer five critical questions in corporate governance today.
1. Whose responsibility is culture?
The definition of business culture varies between countries but nine in ten business leaders believe culture is important to a robust governance framework and board members generally agree that it is the board which needs to build and foster this culture. Regulators are also becoming more vocal on the role of culture and expectations for boards. One in five business leaders said that their boards do not spend enough time focusing on culture.
- Boards should work proactively with business management teams to foster a corporate culture of effective governance. While regulators can encourage the importance of culture as the cornerstone of good governance, it can be too intangible to mandate action.
2. How can boards foster a culture of good governance?
A good governance culture directs how a company behaves, shaping the signature behaviours which bring corporate codes of conduct to life. There is no standard empirical method of measuring culture, but two-thirds of business leaders around the world believe the amount of time their boards spend looking at the broader issue is 'about right' although some board members indicated that boards focus on culture only in response to compliance issues. Board members also cited integrity and transparency as the principles that should underpin every action a business takes, which might be harder when the company is facing tough challenges.
- Boards should encourage the company to pause and reflect on what its real (or original) purpose is to understand whether some of this has been lost sight of in the pursuit of (short-term) profitability. A good governance culture is critical to a company’s longevity but we found worrying evidence that ‘culture’ does not receive the blanket support that might be expected.
3. What does ‘diversity’ really mean and how can it be encouraged?
There are many different forms of diversity but two thirds of business leaders surveyed believe their boards are effective in encouraging it (with those in listed businesses more satisfied than their privately held counterparts) but just a sixth of directors globally are women. Board members agree that there is a lack of diversity on boards which makes 'groupthink' a bigger danger. They want to look beyond gender to also seek diversity of culture, background, knowledge and thought.
- Board members should encourage bringing new perspectives onto boards so their businesses can tackle problems from different angles. This creates an open, inclusive mind-set which should cascade down the organisation. Businesses not encouraging diversity risk being left behind in a slow economic recovery.
4. What skills do boards need now and in the future?
Succession planning on boards - to ensure consistency but also to better adapt to new developments in the business environment - has risen up the corporate agenda. Business leaders want their board members to have current industry knowledge, whereas board members themselves indicated more interest in their peers bringing new ideas to the table and having the time available to contribute effectively. A particular concern is technology and whether boards have sufficient current knowledge of the digital space to appropriately advise their management teams.
- Conducting periodic assessments of board skills should form part of a board effectiveness review, along with considering the criteria used for selecting new board members. Relevant experience is an important asset and boards without sufficient knowledge of modern business practices cannot provide sufficient direction to their management teams.
5. Is there a conflict of interest between short-term profits and long-term growth?
Different industries operate to different planning horizons - for example, mining and utilities need to take a much longer-term view than technology companies - and electoral cycles can also play a significant role. Almost three-quarters of the businesses globally operate under a planning cycle of three years or less. Most board directors believe this is an appropriate planning horizon although some would like to see CEO compensation linked to longer-term performance to avoid operational decisions being driven solely by quarterly reporting.
- Companies need to consider whether their strategic planning process encourages decision's to be made with an appropriate balance of short and long-term objectives, and whether executive management compensation is aligned with the company’s strategic goals.