Business News Articles

Railway workers in London to vote on strike action
Small business owners in London have been warned that their commute to work could be disrupted, as rail workers on some of the capital's busiest routes prepare to vote on strike action. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) are holding a strike ballot of more than 3,500 workers at South West Trains, First Capital Connect and National Express East Anglia over plans to axe over 1,000 jobs.... more

Small firms turning to family and friends as bank credit dries up
Over 500,000 small and medium-sized companies are being forced to turn to family and friends for finance as bank loans dry up, according to research from Close Invoice Finance. The survey of over 500 SMEs discovered that less than 6% of respondents are confident that their bank would provide them credit this year - compared to 73% in last years poll. 540,000 SMEs are being forced to use pers... more

Google offer free internet marketing advice
Small businesses wanting to enter the Google News index through news items posted on their site have been offered free internet marketing tips by the search engine. In a post on the Google News Blog, Abe Epton of Google's news online operations team advised that all news stories should have an article body free of ads, tags and sidebars. All URL's should be unique and images are best displayed ... more

Over 30% of staff admit to 'stretching the truth' on CV
More than a third of people have lied or embellished their CV's to increase their chances of getting a job, according a survey from the Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors. With the latest unemployment figures showing that the amount of people out of work in the UK is almost 2m, it is likely that the temptation to exaggerate on a CV will be even greater. Small business owners have b... more

Business owners urged to innovate to keep sackings to a minimum
Small business owners have been urged to explore different options rather than cutting staff by the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development and the arbitration and conciliation service (Acas). With cash flow tight for many small firms cutting costs by loosing staff can seem like the best option, but businesses that cut too many staff have been warned that they will damage staff morale a... more

UK train fares 50% more expensive than European average
Rail fares in the UK are on average 50% higher than in the rest of Europe, according to a study by consumer watchdog Passenger Focus. The study, the first ever to compare commuting and long-distance travel in Europe, found that UK annual season tickets for middle-distance commuters are almost double the price of France, the second most expensive country in Europe. The majority of rail compan... more

James Caan gives support to volunteering charity
Serial entrepreneur and Dragons' Den panellist James Caan has given his backing and support to volunteering charity ‘v'. The charity encourages young people aged between 16-25 to volunteer, and Mr Caan highlighted that the skills gained through volunteering can be applied in business situations. "There is a real need for employers to understand the full extent of skills young people gain t... more

Fraud is costing small businesses ‘£800m a year’
Small companies are loosing up to £800m a year to fraud and online crime, according to a survey by the Federation of Small Business (FSB). Over 50% of small businesses reported that they had been victims of crime in the last 12 months. Of those surveyed, 37% had problems with phishing emails, and 15% were victims of card fraud and IT problems caused by viruses and hackers. "E-crime is becom... more

Recession causing 80% of SME owners to postpone retirement
The recession is forcing small business owners to postpone retirement, according to a new survey conducted by Clifton Asset Management (CAM). The survey reveals that 80% of SME owners feel that retirement is currently more unlikely than it was a year ago - up from 65% who responded this way in a survey last year. "Clearly the immediate outlook for the SME sector is not all bad. Nonetheless, ... more

Small firms in London ‘hardest hit by economic crisis’
Small businesses in London have been cutting jobs at the fastest rate in the country, according to a survey by the Open University Business School. The survey of 1,300 small and medium-sized companies in November and December last year found that small firms in the London area have been the hardest hit by the recession. Over 70% of SME companies in the capital suffered falling or stagnant sa... more