A practical guidebook to help small and medium sized companies prepare for the introduction of the euro has been launched by the Irish Business and Employers Confederation and the Small Firms association. Written by the Association for the Monetary Union of Europe (AMUE), the manual sets out how Irish companies should assess the impact on their operations of the changeover to a single European currency and how they should deal with it. The 42-page book is called Euro Preparation Guide for Companies. Key steps a company should follow to manage the changeover are set out. Separate chapters deal with the impact of the change on the different functional areas of a business from marketing to human resources and accounting to information systems. Each chapter of the guidebook includes detailed checklists to help companies identify the issues that are relevant to them.

IBEC chief economist Mr David Croughan stressed the need for companies "to get a move on" in their preparations for EMU. The book will be sent to all IBEC members, he said, and it would be available at all the IBEC workshops and seminars on EMU.

SFA director Mr Brendan Butler said that the book is the first guide focusing specifically on small firms. "It provides, in an easy to understand way, practical advice and information on the implications of the changeover for small firms," he said.