28th September 2008, 02:08 PM
Interesting point re assets. Given that at the moment there is one 'charitable organisation' that is trying to get rid of its (very major) archaeological contracting unit, I wonder how that affects things with them if they were to be able to cut free?
The surplus rather than profit thing appears to still be true, in an ideal world this means all surplus gets ploughed back in to equipment, premises and wages (probably in that order), but in reality it doesn't always work like that, especially when there is a parent organisation that takes the surplus, or losses are made in lean years.
I am aware of the historical reasons (although thanks for stating them as many probably aren't aware), but I'd still be interested in what people think of how these charities operate. I suppose one of my biggest concerns is if they gain advantage over other units, and how come they are allowed to work outside of their remit area, and the fact that at least two of them don't seem to do any significant educational work above and beyond site tours. Just why are two of the most expansionist units in the UK still charities?
The surplus rather than profit thing appears to still be true, in an ideal world this means all surplus gets ploughed back in to equipment, premises and wages (probably in that order), but in reality it doesn't always work like that, especially when there is a parent organisation that takes the surplus, or losses are made in lean years.
I am aware of the historical reasons (although thanks for stating them as many probably aren't aware), but I'd still be interested in what people think of how these charities operate. I suppose one of my biggest concerns is if they gain advantage over other units, and how come they are allowed to work outside of their remit area, and the fact that at least two of them don't seem to do any significant educational work above and beyond site tours. Just why are two of the most expansionist units in the UK still charities?