Outsourcing
ASCENDANT has been supporting foreign multinational companies in Japan since 1995. ASCENDANT's outsourcing services provide six areas of expertise referred to as our Business Process Outsourcing ("BPO") services.
Financial Management
In serving our foreign multinational clients, ASCENDANT is prepared to deliver deep experience and highly technical expertise across a range of global accounting standards. Our financial management BPO services include:
- Bookkeeping
- Monthly reporting
- Generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") conversions
- Annual reporting under U.S. GAAP, International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"), Japan GAAP, reporting consolidated accounts and tax preparation support*
- Calculating depreciation expense and preparing fixed asset registers
- Inventory management / physical inventory
- Preparation of group reporting packages for the Home Office
- Reviewing daily bookkeeping and client reporting
- Assistance with implementing management accounting systems
- Assistance with implementing internal control procedures and infrastructure
- Assistance with implementing accounting software applications
* Note: Certified tax accountants provide tax return preparation, filing and tax advisory services under ASCENDANT Tax Office.
- ASCENDANT consultants have extensive knowledge and experience in multiple systems, including SAP, PeopleSoft, Hyperion, Dynamics AX, Sun Systems and many more. We have the flexibility to either use the client’s existing systems or use one of our systems.
- Our reports can be prepared in English and Japanese. We work exclusively with foreign multinational companies, so it is natural that our professionals be multilingual and comfortable in the language of international business.
- We have the experience and capabilities to prepare financial reporting based on U.S. GAAP, Japan GAAP, IFRS or any other accounting standards.
Human Capital Management
ASCENDANT's Human Capital Management consultants provide a comprehensive menu of services covering the day-to-day legal, financial and administrative tasks of managing a workforce. These include:
Payroll
- Monthly payroll calculations, bonus calculations and advisory.
- Preparation of proposed journal entries for payroll related transactions and related advisory services.
- Retirement benefit payroll calculations.
- Tax gross-up calculation services for net of tax benefits and allowances paid to expatriate executives.
- Payment services for net salaries, bonuses and taxes.
Certified tax accountants from ASCENDANT Tax Office provide the following services:
- Assistance for year-end adjustments for withholding income tax.
- Preparation of annual reports for submission to the tax authorities.
Social and Labor Insurance Administration
- Initial registration for admission to social and labor insurance programs and withdrawal procedures in the event a client closes their office.
- Assistance with employee recruitment and resignation procedures.
Outside social insurance and labor consultants provide the following services:
- Assistance in preparation of annual reports for social insurance premiums and occasional monthly adjustments.
- Assistance in preparation of annual labor insurance reports.
- Assistance of insurance benefit claims and making other necessary notifications to authorities.
Human Resource Management
- Working, holiday management and related advisory services.
- Assistance in coordinating and supporting the local payroll functions with the Head Office.
Outside Human Resource Management provide the following services:
- Assistance in developing and modifying employment regulations and employment contracts.
- We come to you. Personal interaction is a critical component of Human Resource ("HR") services and regular on-site visits ensures that your HR functions are coordinated properly and timely, while enabling us to make constant improvements to the way we serve you.
- The report we provide you can be prepared in English and Japanese. With a multinational client base, we consider this ability to be a minimum requirement of our business.
- As for services requiring special licenses such as legal services and specific social insurance and labor services, ASCENANT relies on lawyers and consultants holding such licenses. We provide a single point of contact, coordination services, translation services and other peripheral services through our in-house scrivener and social insurance and labor consultants.
- Our Human Capital Management consultants have a wide-range of experience and can assist you with union negotiation support, HR systems integration, pay structure revisions, employee transfers and many other people-related issues that require a broad perspective and understanding of the Japanese psychology.
Administration
Many administrative roles, while not part of profit centers, are critical to the smooth functioning of a business. ASCENDANT has the breadth of expertise to ensure these essential back-office functions effectively support your enterprise. Services include:
Banking and payment processing
- Management of bank accounts and bank seals.
- Payment processing to client’s venders and cross-border money transfers.
- Monitor and obtain custody of client bank accounts.
- Assistance in operating net banking systems.
- Assistance with selecting and applying for corporate credit cards.
General Administrative Services
- Management and filing of contracts and other general documents.
- Alternate processing when issuing invoices to client’s customers.
- Assistance with other general administrative processing.
- Through our international experience, we have a deep understanding of the need for controls over sensitive functions. ASCENDANT puts emphasis on proper segregation of duties and provides the support needed to ensure such separation exists.
- We have a highly secure physical infrastructure such as setting up individual access limitations by using independent servers for banking information.
Corporate Secretarial Services
ASCENDANT's Corporate Secretarial Services support a wide range of internal and external procedures to establish and maintain the legal status of the client's operating firm in Japan. We work closely with legal and tax professionals to ensure compliance with Japanese laws.
- Translation of official documents to be filed with government agencies or to obtain approval by the overseas head office (corporate registration, documents to report to authorities regarding changes in registered corporate information, board meeting minutes, etc.)
- Perform the role of a single point of contact and coordination with legal professionals and overseas headquarters on behalf of local clients.
- Arrangement of corporate announcements to be published in official bulletins on legally required matters.
- Secretarial services to the local top management covering general affairs.
- All of our documents are produced and translated in English and Japanese. You will never be asked to sign something you have not been able to read and understand.
- A significant component of corporate secretarial services requires liaison with finance (to sign off on financial statements), human resources (to approve director’s remuneration, etc.) and tax specialists. At ASCENDANT, all of these functions are under one roof enabling us to deliver efficient and coordinated services.
Note: Registration filing and other legal procedures that specifically require either a legal scrivener or lawyer will be performed by an outside professional office.
Tax Services Performed by ASCENDANT Tax Office
Tax issues are complex in any country requiring broad and up-to-date knowledge of the tax laws. ASCENDANT Tax Office provides tax planning and compliance advice as well as performing tax reviews and tax return filings. ASCENDANT supports our clients by coordinating the requests and requirements with our tax affiliate and performs bookkeeping and other peripheral financial analytical tasks such as:
- Assistance with consulting with tax professionals
- Assistance with supporting tax due diligence
- Preparing financial documents required for tax return preparation
- Assistance with tax administration by performing a role of tax representative on behalf of a client
Sourcing and Procurement
Accelerando provides clients with spend management services and e-procurement solutions. E-procurement is a combination of procurement best practices and web-based technology that achieves on average an 18% savings, which flows directly to the bottom line. Aspects of e-procurement include:
- Reverse auctions
- Request for proposal ("RFP") creation and management
- Supplier management
- Product specification management
- Spend analysis
- Procurement outsourcing
Please visit www.accelerando.co.jp or contact us at info@accelerando.co.jp for additional information on e-procurement.
