This is the shocking verdict which the authors of a new report, published by the Institute of Economic Affairs, have come to following an in depth study into tax related compliance and administration costs which fall on UK businesses. The report also reveals that the average Finance Act in the 2000s has been three times [...]
Cybercrime is endemic and whilst most people now know not to respond to emails asking for personal information or passwords few are aware of the dangers of “keyloggers”. What is a keylogger? A keylogger is a small piece of software which captures all of the keystrokes you make on your keyboard. Originally these programs were designed [...]
The Combined Code on Corporate Governance * is published by the Financial Reporting Council and applies to all UK incorporated companies (and some foreign companies) listed on the UK Stock Exchange. The most recent (2008) version of the Code combines the Cadbury and Greenbury reports on corporate governance, the Turnbull Report on Internal Control (revised [...]
For some unknown reason, business owners and managers make things more complicated and complex than they need to. Frankly business is not that complicated. A business exists to make a profit. If it doesn’t then give it up. In order to make a profit a business must offer a product or service that has appeal within a market, it [...]
Marketing for small business is different than marketing for national or international brands, which enjoy instant name recognition. By contrast, small business marketing relies heavily on word of mouth and on building and maintaining personal relationships. This article isn’t about finding new customers, it is about hanging on to the ones you have and building [...]
No one likes getting complaints from customers but the fact is that if you handle a complaint well you can make the complainer into an asset – someone who will praise your business. OK, we all know that there are some people you can never please no matter what you do and there are some [...]
In the current economic situation and with more people leaving regular employment and setting up as consultants, it has become much more acceptable to run your business from home. Apart from anything else, running a new business from the spare bedroom removes a whole layer of cost and risk, and makes it a lot more [...]
Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) are convinced that there is widespread tax avoidance in the construction industry and have recently issued a consultation paper outlining their proposals for tackling the problem – proposals which are likely to result in a substantially higher tax burden for many genuinely self-employed workers as well as more red [...]
This Blog is dedicated to offering help and advice to people who run or want to run a business of any kind. In addition to the information contained in the posts we also offer a number of free business guides, usually around 12 pages long, on a wide range of subjects. You can access these via [...]
Wherever you look on the Internet you will find free and trial software that you can download and use. I often try software I’ve come across on forums and blogs either for my own use or to recommend to clients. I was discussing this with a friend a few days ago and he was horrified! [...]
The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 (the “Act”) came into force on 16 January 2009, increasing penalties for health and safety offences. Principally the Act: raises the maximum fine that can be imposed when a case is brought in a lower court from £5,000 to £20,000; broadens the range of cases that can be [...]
Despite the Prime Minister hailing it as a success, it emerged over the weekend that only about £12 Million of the £1 Billion government loan guarantee scheme has actually been lent to companies. Last week Gordon Brown sought to defend the government’s record on helping business by repeatedly citing the £1bn loan guarantee scheme as [...]
A New Publication – Standing together: universities helping business through the downturn, has been put together by Universities UK, as the major representative body for the higher education sector, with the assistance of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). It sets out the kind of support universities and colleges can offer employers, both [...]
On Wednesday of this week European politicians voted to scrap the UK’s long running opt-out from the Working Time Directive which limits the working week to an average of 48 hours. Despite the wishes of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Business Secretary (and former EU Commissioner (Lord) Peter Mandelson) several Labour MEPs voted to [...]
The Law Society has just published a report entitled Reforming Bribery setting out proposals which it intends should clarify and simplify the existing laws. Anyone in business should be aware that there already are established offences of bribery and corruption on the United Kingdom statutes. International pressure is increasingly being applied to stamp out activities [...]
David Cameron has called for Gordon Brown to cut the red tape surrounding government contracts to allow smaller, newer firms to win business. The Conservative leader says less than one in five contracts from the government goes to small firms and this should be changed as it is responsible for buying goods and services [...]
Customers are the lifeblood of any business and without them no company can survive. So how do you go about getting (and keeping) customers? Finding customers is the key to running a successful business and all highly successful businesses are good at marketing. This doesn’t mean that you need to spend thousands on an expensive [...]
In the present financial crisis there will be very few businesses who will not be finding things difficult. The most important area that business owners and managers should be concentrating on is cash flow and the following are a few elements to look at where managing cash flow is concerned: Credit Control – no sales [...]
Must all companies have a secretary? Yes and No. From 6th April 2008 private companies will not need to have a company secretary but public limited companies still will. Furthermore companies registered before 6th April 2008 will have to change their Articles of Association at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the shareholders to remove the [...]
There is a saying in marketing that “image is everything” and there is a lot of truth in that. Your customers, existing and potential, will expect you to present a professional image and your stationery is an important factor in creating your business image. You should take time to consider what you will need and [...]
