'Govt must have legal framework in place for small businesses.

KARACHI -- he professional body for accountants ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is asking whether businesses and policymakers in Pakistan are compromising the performance of small business in a new report called 'Building the legal framework to help business succeed'. Whether through overfamiliarity or lack of awareness, there's a risk a key ingredient in the formula for success is being overlooked - the legal form through which businesses operate. The report calls on government to put legal structures in place, so that all businesses can thrive and benefit from the support mechanisms available. It explores the following four key elements entrepreneurs and policymakers must consider: Realising the returns: Success can mean different things to different businesses.

The founder's goals can range from financial security to 'giving something back', and increasingly entrepreneurs are looking to be measured on social and environmental goals alongside the monetary returns. Investing into the business: regardless of the owners' final aims, every business needs investment, and most will need more than the founders have saved. How that money is raised, and who from, will have wider implications for the rest of society. As technology changes the ways that can happen, regulators must adapt to new structures. Legal characteristics and regulation: The...