Business News Articles

Businesses warned about new type of cyber criminals
Businesses have been warned that a new generation of internet hackers are causing havoc on the web. Many hackers are now young teenagers who have an in-depth knowledge of the way sites work and are growing increasingly sophisticated. The government has conceded that online crime is a growing problem and next year a specialist £7m police unit will come into force to try and combat the probl... more

Petrol prices drop to under £1 a litre
The average price of a litre of unleaded petrol has dropped to below £1 for the first time in under a year, according to figures released by the AA. The average cost for petrol is now 98.6p - the same as in October 2007. The AA believe that the drop in price is due to the falling price of oil, which has dropped from a summer high of $147 to $60 a barrel, and a supermarket price war which ha... more

Women stay in employment longer than men
Figures released by the Office for National Statistics has revealed that older women outnumber their male counterparts in the workplace. The employment rate for men in the last five years before they reach the pensionable age of 65 stands at 58%. Almost 64% of women, who officially retire at 60, are still employed in the last five years of their working lives. ... more

Social sites ‘could benefit business’
Companies could use social networking technology to share documents and photos across the organisation, according to a think tank. Demos argues that rather than banning sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, companies should allow staff to use them within set boundaries, for example to develop relationships with others in the company or exchange work-related information. ... more

Deadline for 16-17 year olds to enter Enterprise Academy approaching
Applicants for the pilot scheme of the Peter Jones run National Enterprise Academy have until November the 10th to complete and send in their applications. The Dragon and serial entrepreneur is looking for teenagers aged 16-17 who are interested in setting up their own businesses and are prepared to take risks and try something new. The scheme will accept 35 applicants and will be run in Buc... more

Sharp fall in pension funds
The value of defined pension contributions has fallen by nearly a third in the past 12 months due to the financial chaos on the stock markets. According to research by pensions consultancy Aon, the value of funds has dropped from £552bn to £395bn over the last year. ... more

New Blackberry phone aimed at small business
A new touchscreen BlackBerry has recently been launched that is challenge other smart phones due to its high-speed internet access and intuitive touchscreen that can be used like a keyboard. Research in Motion's BlackBerry phones have often been viewed as a reliable companion of office workers and travelling salesman who mainly use it check to the internet and reply to e-mails on the go. The... more

Call to scrap empty office tax
Some of the UK’s leading companies are backing calls by the British Property Federation (BPF) to abolish the tax on empty business premises. The BPF argues the tax encourages companies to destroy premises rather than keep them empty and has warned it could force both small and larger firms out of business. ... more

SMEs against extension to flexible working
A poll by YouGov on behalf of Alliance & Leicester has revealed that SME owners and managers are in favour of the Governments decision to halt extensions to flexible working hours. The poll sampled over 800 hundred SME owners and found that 38% of small business owners believed they would find it difficult to offer the extended flexible working right if the legislation was passed. Over three... more

New online showcase for innovative business products
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