Business News Articles

Over 65% of small firms unaware of changes to holiday entitlement
More than 65% of small businesses are unaware that from 1st of April all full time employees are legally entitled to an extra four days holiday a year, taking the total minimum holiday entitlement to 28 days a year. According to a survey by online storage firm Humyo.com, two-thirds of the small firms surveyed want no change in the holiday set-up because of the economic crisis and almost 50% sai... more

Employers are ‘not utilising their staff’s skills’
Employers are not making the best us of their staff's skills, according to research of more than 2,000 companies by consultancy The Work Foundation. The study found that businesses in the UK are failing to properly utilise the skills of their workers, with 40% of staff over-skilled for their current role. 65% of those surveyed also reported that they feel that their organisation is ‘rule and ... more

Latest RPI figures in line with expectations at 0%
The Retail Prices Index (RPI) - a key measure of UK inflation - has fallen to zero for the first time in 49 years, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. The RPI fell to 0% in February, down from 0.1% in January. This has led to concerns that the UK could be on the brink of a prolonged period of deflation as customers hold back on spending as they wait for prices to decre... more

Peter Jones to head entrepreneurial support review
Entrepreneur and Dragon's Den star Peter Jones has been asked by skills secretary John Denham to head a review into the support that universities and colleges give to aspiring entrepreneurs. "I believe that small businesses can help us not only to come through our current economic problems, but also to emerge from them stronger," said Mr Denham. "That's why I want to ensure that my Departmen... more

Over 6,000 small businesses signing up to Twitter daily
An estimated 700,000 small businesses are using the social networking site Twitter, with 6,000 more joining every day, according to a recent O2 survey. Small and medium-sized businesses are looking to Twitter as a way to cut marketing costs and directly communicate with clients and potential clients. The poll of 500 small firms found that 17% are already using Twitter, with 25% of these SMEs... more

Auditel nominated for two franchise marketing awards
Venture Marketing Group, the leading franchise exhibition and media organisation, have just announced that Auditel have been nominated as a finalist for two of their Franchise Marketing Awards for 2009. These Awards are given in recognition of the industry's most innovative and effective marketing campaigns for products, services and franchisee recruitment and are now in their third successful ... more

New opportunity to study for a degree in franchising
The Institute for Work-Based Learning (IWBL), based at Middlesex University, has re-formed its alliance with The Franchise Training Centre to offer an MA in Franchising to selected delegates. Students are currently being sought for a "pilot cohort" who will begin their programme in April 2009 with a view to the award of their degree in Autumn 2010. "The qualification gained through work-base... more

Ofgem propose new protections for small firms from utility suppliers
Energy watchdog Ofgem has unveiled a new code of practice for suppliers that will crack down on unfair price differences in a bid to give small businesses and retail customers more power. The regulator will ban unjustified price differences and include a set of remedies to give new rights to small and medium-sized businesses. Ofgem is proposing that suppliers provide new protections for smal... more

Small firm owners must be aware of new health and safety laws
Small business owners must be aware of the new Health and Safety (Offences) Act which has imposed tougher fines and prison sentences for business owners who are in breach of the regulations, warns the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). Businesses found breaking the new regulations could face fines of up to £20,000, or in the higher courts, up to two years in prison. Under p... more

Business Continuity Institute launch new survival guide
The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has announced the launch of its first ‘Survival Guide', which is designed to help organisations of all sizes evaluate existing business continuity strategies. In the economic downturn business continuity is more important than ever, and the survival guide has been launched in conjunction with the BCI's Business Continuity Awareness Week, which starts on... more