21.   The firm has an excellent customer service department.

22.   The firm has offices in several large cities, but does most of its business by mail.

23.   Many firms have had little choice but to slim down.

24.   With other regional firms joining in the battle for city work, even the biggest London firms have had to cut their fees and shake up their ideas.

25.   The two firms could have different accounting years.

26.   If a firm has earnings from overseas, it will generally have to pay overseas taxation on them.

27.   If the firm has its long-term liabilities traded on a stock exchange, the market value of the liabilities is relatively easy to determine.

28.   A slightly more realistic approach recognizes that firms have life-cycles and that during different stages in their life-cycles they grow at different rates.

29.   The European firms have disparate origins.

30.   Therefore a firm would have to wait three months before they could determine this charge which is not timely for management purposes.