February 27, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 6:50 am
Small firms will likely have a new agency speaking on their behalf to the Welsh Assembly Government. This consideration is a result of the latest criticism launched by the Federation of Small Businesses.
The complaint by the FSB is an insufficient amount of consultations with small firms. This precedes WAG’s final decision about the important sectors to receive business support.
Six sectors will receive focus by the design of the policy Economic Renewal: A New Direction. These areas include ICT, creative industries, advanced manufacturing and materials, environment and energy, professional and financial services, and life sciences.
There are six parallel panels to the sectors, providing advice. Civilian, established business people with a solid track record will comprise the panels. This new group at the SME will facilitate interaction between the advising panel and SME’s.
Ieuan Wyn Jones, deputy first minister, said, “Out of all of the employment in Wales, SME’s make up 50%. So you can understand why we are interested in building economic growth on the shoulders of SME’s. They differ from big businesses in that they are deficient in financial power and are not able to influence the decisions made in government.”
Jones continued, “This idea of an advisory panel is to give a voice to the SME’s and engage them in the centre of decisions.”
Chair of FSB Wales, Janet Jones, said, “We are eager to cooperate with the government on establishing a panel for SME’s, making certain they are key in the economic renewal process.”
February 25, 2011
Filed under: Business Finance,General — admin @ 1:05 pm
In recent years Dubai’s favourable tax system, rapid expansion and world class facilities has attracted wave upon wave of foreign investors. Establishing a business or buying a home or a plot of land in Dubai is a popular choice. Despite the global economic downturn, Dubai still offers a lot of potentially lucrative opportunities for the canny investor.
What makes Dubai so attractive?
Investment is encouraged in Dubai and most of its development is focussed on attracting visitors and encouraging trade. There is no Corporation tax and no Income tax, and there are plenty of other incentives for businesses to trade here. Plus, Dubai is an amazing place to live and work. From the state of the art infrastructure to the international sports facilities, it aims to be the biggest and the best at everything.
The tourist industry in Dubai is massive and flights to Dubai are always busy. Every year millions of visitors enjoy the first class accommodation and entertainments, the safe environment, and the hot weather. The list of visitor attractions is endless: from the world’s tallest tower to enormous aquariums and water parks, to luxury shopping malls and 4×4 driving in the desert. Dubai’s prestigious international sporting events include the Desert Classic golf tournament, the Rugby Sevens, Dubai Open Tennis tournament and the Dubai World Cup horse race meeting.
Foreign investment and ownership laws
Foreigners have only been allowed to buy property in Dubai since 2002 and can only obtain the freehold of property in certain designated areas. Now is a good time to think about investing in Dubai because the government of the UAE is drafting a new law to protect foreign investors and thereby make it even more attractive. Dubai is already encouraging foreign businesses by having established Free Zones such as the Dubai Sports City or Jebel Ali Free Zone. Here foreign investors can buy freehold land for development or to sell on at a profit.
Property developments in Dubai
The most popular investment opportunity in Dubai is in property and many people have already made a good return by doing this. There are many different types of property available, from luxury flats in high rise towers by the seafront to sprawling villas within beautifully landscaped estates. Dubai constantly has exciting new housing developments in the pipeline and investors often buy off-plan in the hope of selling on for a profit at a later date.
Dubai Investment trends
Renting accommodation to visitors is a growing trend as hotels are expensive and self catering apartments are more affordable for both business visitors and holidaymakers. With the range of scheduled and charter flights to Dubai on offer, it’s easy to reach too. Many property owners are making a good income on their investment in this way, and the most profitable areas at the moment are in the Jumeirah Beach Residence area and at Palm Shoreline on the Jumeirah Palm Island. New developments around Dubai Marina are likely to be just as popular.
Filed under: Business equipment,Business Tools — admin @ 11:40 am
Sony Ericsson’s Xperia Pro is the partner to the Xperia Neo, sharing the same state-of-the-art suite of features and applications, and powered by the 1GHz SnapDragon processor which hurtles through browsing, messaging or image-viewing tasks with the greatest of ease. Like its perfectly-formed sibling, it’s also an aesthetic delight with its smooth curves and elegant proportions. But where the Experia Pro differs is in having an optimized slide-out keyboard with integrated smart functions, specifically aimed at enabling super-fast messaging. The Xperia Pro introduces Sony Ericsson’s innovative new Type & Send functionality, which frees users from having to keep open a specific app dedicated to each type of message. The Smart Keyboard automatically triggers predictive messaging protocols the moment the user slides it out for use.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro aims to be the perfect business phone for Android users. Built on the latest 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, its suite of professional functions includes secure syncing of email, calendar and contacts, while Office Suite Pro enables seamless viewing and editing of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files while on the go.
But of course the Xperia Pro offers dazzling features and performance for home and leisure too. Its imaging capabilities give it a market-leading edge, thanks to its 8.1MP autofocus camera with Sony’s Exmor R CMOS sensor which facilitates stunning photos even in low light. Add Flash, face detection and image stabilization, and you have optical performance which many dedicated digital cameras would struggle to match. The Pro shoots HD video too, with low light and indoor performance enhanced by a built-in video light. For video calls and self-portraits, there’s a front-facing 2MP camera.
Image and video playback is a joy on the Pro’s 3.7 in BRAVIA TFT touchscreen, a mobile marvel with its dazzling 854x480pixel display, while an HDMI output offers playback on HD TVs. Connectivity is via WiFi, 3G and HSDPA/HSUPA, as well as Bluetooth and microUSB. This has to be a contender for Best Android Phone of 2011. To find your ideal smartphone, you can be sure that Expansys smartphones will help you do just that.
February 24, 2011
Filed under: Small business — Alan @ 3:14 am
The Time to Train program promoted by the government may not be beneficial for workers of the medium or small businesses (SME’s).
If a company has had more than 250 employees as of April 2010 those working for these companies have had the legal right to ask for training. Yet this has not be enacted for the private sector fully yet.
Ministers are dragging their heels even longer trying to predict the full implications of applying the same policies to SME workers. The minister of further education, skills, and lifelong learning, John Hayes, said “This is critical to people and our economy that each person have training available. However, there is a fine line between putting too many restrictions on SME’s and providing for training. We are hesitating only so we can more fully study the ramifications of these new regulations being expanded to SME’s.”
Not everyone is happy with the decision to wait. The Trades Union Congress has criticised the government for thinking twice about opening the door to SME’s for Time to Train. Brendan Barber, general-secretary said, “Our skills focused approach is being undermined with this hesitation.” He indicated that the program was needed because only a third of companies ask their employees to train for new skills and SME’s try not to think about it at all.
The Time to Train program promoted by the government may not be beneficial for workers of the medium or small businesses (SME’s).
If a company has had more than 250 employees as of April 2010 those working for these companies have had the legal right to ask for training. Yet this has not be enacted for the private sector fully yet.
Ministers are dragging their heels even longer trying to predict the full implications of applying the same policies to SME workers. The minister of further education, skills, and lifelong learning, John Hayes, said “This is critical to people and our economy that each person have training available. However, there is a fine line between putting too many restrictions on SME’s and providing for training. We are hesitating only so we can more fully study the ramifications of these new regulations being expanded to SME’s.”
Not everyone is happy with the decision to wait. The Trades Union Congress has criticised the government for thinking twice about opening the door to SME’s for Time to Train. Brendan Barber, general-secretary said, “Our skills focused approach is being undermined with this hesitation.” He indicated that the program was needed because only a third of companies ask their employees to train for new skills and SME’s try not to think about it at all.
February 22, 2011
Filed under: Business Finance — Alan @ 10:51 pm
Its power to the people, as the Government announced the biggest overhaul of state-provided services for half a century. Prime Minister David Cameron announced that voluntary and community organisations will be able to bid to run services that are currently run by the state, including education, health service functions and some Local Authority activities.
The plans will be published in a Government White Paper in February. Mr Cameron cited the experience of his own disabled son Ivan, who died in 2009, saying that one of the things he could not understand why the Local Authority had control of the purse-strings for his care and that people would be given more power over those purse-strings. He was keen to stress that Government at both central and local level would continue to play a key role in ensuring value for money for public services.
One small but important piece of legislation will make this important change. Currently, a separate piece of legislation has to be passed every time a particular service is contracted out to private sector, voluntary and community organisations.
The plans are all part of ‘The Big Society’, a flagship of Conservative policy of the foreseeable future. The new service providers will be paid by results, which should help to ensure that the general public can clearly see where the money is being spent, by whom, and how they directly benefit.
The services are expected to be provided by organisations and individuals that know their area best, the ‘localism’ that the Conservatives have been so keen to support. There will, of course, be exceptions, like security services and the courts, however, the general presumption now will be that the state will need to justify itself rather than the bidders have to do so.
February 20, 2011
Filed under: Small business — Alan @ 3:54 am
Business Continuity Planning should be the focus for SME’s in 2011, according to one of the biggest insurance groups in the world, Aviva. The research was an outflow of the Bi-annual SME Pulse of Aviva and conducted Online. The survey involved 500 business owners and focused on methods used by SME’s to operate their businesses.
One of the main areas of questioning involved Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning. The research in this area was shocking. 50% admitted to having no plan whatsoever. 28% said they had indeed developed one, and 16% claimed it was unnecessary for their kind of business.
The results are especially telling for data loss disasters. There have been many studies revealing that businesses quickly close up shop following data loss disasters. This means that business owners are taking the risks far too lightly.
The estimates of how long SME’s can recover and return to normal trading were troubling as well, though it is business type dependent. A third of SME owners believed they would be back to normal daily business inside of a week. 31% thought it might take them a full month. Less than a fifth claimed they were completely covered by insurance and had a full plan in place. The survey uncovers the grim fact that most SME’s lie open to disaster and grave losses.
If an SME will plan, backup data, and meet continuity requirements, losses from downtime will be low. Many businesses would be devastated being out of action for a week, or a month. Losing long-term clients would ruin their reputation and destroy their business.
February 19, 2011
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 6:10 am
SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) and in particular those with less than 50 employees (small) and less than 10 (micro) often suffer when it comes to competing for large public works contracts. SMEs win only 24% of these contracts in the UK, compared to 44% in France, and this figure is even worse for small and micro businesses at 11%. This despite the SME sector making up nearly 50% of the UK’s total turnover.
The Government has finally woken up to the issue and has taken a number of steps, including online help, changes to the Pre Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) processes and giving them a voice. Small businesses often do not bid for these contracts and tenders either because they are unaware of them; they consider that there is too much red tape surrounding them, or both.
Business groups, including the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), have welcomed the move. Commenting on the changes, John Walker of the FSB said that, in order for the changes to be successful, there needs to be a complete culture change within Government to the needs of small businesses. He added that removing the need for a PQQ will only work if the Government does not replace it with something even more bureaucratic.
The Government will now publish the number of contracts that are awarded to SMEs, which should help towards ensuring that the process is more transparent. In some areas, supplier frameworks that have already been procured, have been put in place by Local Authorities and other public sector organisations and have been in existence for some time, which has helped smaller businesses to access opportunities.
Filed under: Small Business News — Alan @ 3:55 am
Small businesses would be better able to increase their businesses if the government would do something positive about the complicated taxes and reduce the cost of utilities and fuel. Get Britain Trading is the Forum of Private Business’ way of giving the issues that face SME’s a higher public profile.
With reductions striking out at public funding, the coalition government is depending on the private sector to pump up the growth. However, inflation’s jump to 4% and the assistance of unemployment at 2.5 million, provides a ripe time for the FPB to make the request on the government’s assistance to SME’s.
CEO of the FPB, Phil Orford, explained that the FPB is set on helping business in their success, but he claims that they have little chance without the government taking some form of action to assist.
He explained, “This project will change the small business scene in Britain, but more importantly it may succeed in liberating SME’s from the bonds of red tape, an unfathomably complicated tax system, not to mention the plethora of additional obstacles to operating a small business in the UK.”
February 18, 2011
Filed under: Business Advice — admin @ 9:23 am
One concept that people on the whole can understand is the need to feel safe and secure in our working environments. Our natural instinct to protect develops as we grow and mature. The responsibility of keeping people, things and places secure makes security jobs held by both public and private employees very important to society.
Whether you live in Titel or London, security is among the top concerns for employers. The person in charge of security should always maintain an alert and wary disposition and should have extensive measures in place to counter any attacks against business property or employees. Maintaining the safety of individuals, information and the environment are the building blocks for a safe working environment.
Some security jobs require special training. Teachers ensure that students are safe while they are in school and so their jobs are doubly stressful with the great responsibility of looking after a class. This safety involves not only the teachers but the entire school faculty.
On the other hand, the government is responsible for ensuring that the entire country is protected and secure. Whether its protection from terrorism or global warming the government has a responsibility to keep the citizens of its country safe. Whether the town has a population of 5831 as Titel has or 7,556,900 like London everyone deserves to be safe and to be able to rely on those in positions of looking after their security.
February 12, 2011
Filed under: Business Books — Alan @ 5:18 am
‘Stephen Key is the Yoda of ‘renting’ ideas for serious passive income. From how-to to war stories, this is a great book’
-Tim Ferriss, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The 4-Hour Work Week
There are a lot of costs and complexities when bringing a product to market and and many people get intimidated by that, even though they have great ideas. At a time like this borrowing money the government or banks is not easy and even more difficult from family and friends especially in these times. One Simple Idea a Mcgraw-Hill publication, by Tim Ferriss show how Stephen Key accomplished dream by becoming the entrepreneur he always want to be and doing so by opening a business without a lot of risk, debt and overhead and explains how all can do the same.
What is needed is one idea and finding a company willing to market it for you and the ability of convince the consumer of the need for the product. This can be done by anyone explains Key, and he says that is the best part. The book has a ten step program on how to bring to market your product.
‘I don’t have a background in sales or marketing or engineering’, he says, ‘all I have are ideas. It doesn’t matter whether your idea is big or small. It doesn’t have to change the world. It doesn’t have to be the next best thing since sliced bread. And you don’t have to quit your day job to start creating and licensing ideas’.
The secret to making your ideas profitable, Key says, is to put your talent and your time where the market is: ‘Don’t be one of those nutty professor types who spends years and years and thousands upon thousands of dollars “inventing” something that can’t be manufactured or sold’, he says. ‘Don’t cling to an idea that isn’t working and that no company wants to license. Good ideas are those that sell- plain and simple’.
Key has successfully licensed more than 20 of his simple ideas which have generated billions of pounds in revenue. ‘My product ideas range from the simple to the silly to the life-saving’, he says. ‘I re-envisioned the plain grey guitar pick as a blank slate for new colours and designs—paisley patterns and skull shapes, to name but a few—as well as for marketing tie-ins, such as names of bands and artists. This simple insight upped a 25p purchase to a £1 purchase, and has sold 20 million picks. One of my most successful inventions is the Spinformation rotating label, which adds 75 percent more information to bottle labels and has sold more than 400 million units worldwide’.
The book covers how to:
- Find winning ideas
- Protect your idea without expensive patents
- Create sales tools to bring your product to life
- Find potential licensees and the right contacts there
- Pitch your idea
- Negotiate a win-win licensing agreement
Key says: ‘All you need to create the life of your dreams are the 10 simple steps for bringing ideas to market—and one simple idea. Then another simple idea. And another simple idea . . . You get the idea.’
Stephen Key has been inventing and licensing products for 30 years and has successfully licensed over 20 products in fields as diverse as the toy, beverage, athletic, music and drug industries. Collectively, his creations have sold more than half a billion units. His InventRight course www.inventright.com has taught ten thousand students around the world to do the same.
One Simple Idea by Stephen Key is published by McGraw-Hill, April 2011 and is availble to pre-order or buy using the banner link below.
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