Business News Articles

Flexible working tops staff wish list
Small business owners should consider implementing flexible working hours to boost their employees' morale, according to a survey conducted by Kellogg's. The research revealed that 41% of staff listed more flexible working hours as the one change they would like in their job while 33% cited greater financial incentives to encourage harder work and 19% want the ability to work remotely. 90% o... more

Small firms fear rising rates bills
Small business owners fear that they will be forced to pay inflated rates bills for five years, according to a survey conducted by the Forum of Private Business (FPB). Just fewer than 80% of respondents said that they think their business rates will increase when changes take place in April 2010. Business properties are revalued every five years to ensure that rateable values reflect the cha... more

A million small firms hit by late payments
Over a million small and medium-sized business have been affected by late payments totalling over £30bn, according to data released by to Bacs Payment Schemes Limited. This figure means that small firms have seen an increase in money owed of more than £11bn from two years ago, and the number of SMEs reporting that they are experiencing payment delays rose by over 65% from 2008 to 2009. The... more

Online advertising overtakes TV spend
Online advertising spending in the UK has overtaken television advertising for the first time ever, according to data released by Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Online advertising - defined as E-mail campaigns, classified adverts, display ads and search marketing - grew 4.6% to £1.7bn between January and July. The recession has accelerated the migration of advertisi... more

Retail sector stabilising
The retail sector is beginning to stabilise, with sales remaining steady in September, according to the Confederation of British Industry's (CBI) monthly Distributive Trades Survey. The survey found that 39% of retailers reported that year-on-year sales volumes rose in September, while 36% said they fell. The resulting balance of +3% was better than expected, and follows four consecutive months... more

Workers ‘scared to call in sick’
Half of workers are scared to call in sick for fear of losing their job, according to research by healthcare firm Simplyhealth. The survey found that 50% of employees are so worried about losing their jobs in the current economic climate they are working through illness and that 43% of employees have not taken a sick day in the past 12 months - a 20% increase on 2008 figures. The research al... more

Small firms plan to retain staff
Despite rising unemployment 68% of small and medium-sized companies expect to retain staff over the next year, according to research from Close Invoice Finance. The research revealed that despite the challenging economic climate the vast majority of small firms plan to retain their workforce and only 7% of firms plan to cut staff in 2009. "It is very pleasing to see that small businesses, th... more

Contraction of UK economy revised
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revised the figure for the rate of contraction in the UK economy in the second quarter of the year downwards. The ONS originally reported that Gross domestic product (GDP) declined 0.8% in the second quarter of the year, but this has been reduced to 0.6%. "There is some good news in the mass of UK data released today, but generally the figures hig... more

Car scrappage scheme ‘to be extended’
The government has announced the extension of the car scrappage scheme by injecting an extra £100m into the initiative. The scheme gives consumers £2,000 off a new car if they trade in a car that is at least ten years old. The money is equally provided by the government and the car manufacturer of the vehicle that is bought. The scheme has been a success and over 225,000 new cars have been... more

Vodafone and Orange to sell iPhone
Vodafone has won rights to sell the Apple iPhone in the UK – but Vodafone will not have the product until the start of next year. Mobile phone company Orange announced yesterday that they had reached a deal with Apple to sell the iPhone in the UK. The deal marked the end of O2's exclusive arrangement to sell the popular phone in the UK, although Orange have not specified a date when custom... more