Business News Articles

New survey on start-ups
A third of British people want to or have already started their own business, according to a new YouGov survey commissioned by Intuit. The results of the research show that while many of the population would like to run their own business, the recession has had a damaging effect on entrepreneurial confidence. Only 14% believe that now is a better time to start a business than a year ago. Fur... more

Key measure of inflation rises 0.4%
The Consumer Prices Index, a key measure of inflation, has risen for the first time since February, according to the Office for National Statistics. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) climbed to 1.5% in October, up from 1.1% in September. The Retail Prices Index (RPI) inflation measure, which includes mortgage interest payments and housing costs also rose, from -1.4% to -0.8%. Inflation acceler... more

Global enterprise week launches
More than 72,000 students from more than 1,200 schools kick off the fifth annual Enterprise Week by conceiving thousands of money making ideas that are also environmentally friendly. Business volunteers and members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for England and Wales will be on hand at many schools for students to pick their brains. "A thriving, can-do enterprise culture is part o... more

Websites make SMEs 'sustainable'
Eight out of ten small businesses believe that their company is more sustainable by having an online offering as well, according to data released by eBay's Online Business Index. The Index also asked online businesses what improvements they would like to see and found that 42% wanted simplified rules on consumer protection and 18% called for investment to speed up the country's broadband servic... more

50% of staff quit due to bad management
Small business owners have been warned that almost half of workers have quit their jobs due to bad management, according to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). The CMI's survey of 3,000 workers also revealed that 49% would be prepared to take a pay cut if it meant working with a better boss and 50% assert that they could do a better job than their current manager. "The figures reveal t... more

33% of SMEs see access to credit worsen
Access to finance remains a serious problem for small businesses, despite the Bank of England pumping £200bn into the economy to boost money supply and stimulate lending, according to data released by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). The BCC's latest Monthly Business Survey found that 33% of companies reported that accessing finance had been more difficult over the last three months. Th... more

BOE: 'interest rates may rise'
Interest rates may be increased next year and quantitive easing (QE) could be removed, according to Mervyn King, the governor of the Bank of England. The Bank of England's Inflation Report predicted that Britain will recover faster than anticipated from the recession, but the economy is still fragile. The report said that GDP will grow by 4% in 2011 - forecasters had previously predicted just a... more

10m people accessing internet on mobiles
Small business owners have been advised that more than 10m Britons are using their phone to surf the internet, according to figures released by Nielsen. The data means that around 20% of those with a mobile use it to access websites and that all small businesses must have a site that is compatible with mobile technology. There are now 6.2m smartphone users in the UK after 600,000 people boug... more

SMEs invited to live Apple webchat
Small business owners have been invited to take part in a live webchat on the 2nd of December that discusses the benefits that Apple technology can bring to your business. The webchat is with James Stevenson, Managing Director of Virtual Aviation, who switched his company to the Mac platform. James explains how switching to a network of Macs has helped his company improve operational efficiency... more

93% of consumers to shop online at Xmas
Small business owners have been reminded about the importance of having a fully functioning website with a survey revealing that 93% of people plan to shop online for their Christmas gifts. The survey, by market research company eDigitalResearch and e-retail body IMRG, also showed that more than a quarter of consumers intend to do more internet shopping than last year. "Given the online pric... more