Business News Articles

Cameron calls for red tape to be cut to help small firms
David Cameron has called on the government to cut red tape so that small businesses have more chance of securing government contracts. "Government has got to do a lot more to help small businesses, they are the lifeblood of the economy," the leader of the Conservative Party said. "The Government hands out contracts every year for £125bn, but fewer than one in five actually goes to small bus... more

Credit card borrowing rises for third month in a row
Credit card borrowing has risen for the third month in a row, according to the Bank of England. The amount owned on credit cards has risen by more than £1bn, bringing the total figure now owed to £55.7bn. During the current enonomic downturn an increasing amount of SME owners are having cash-flow problems and are using credit cards to finance their businesses. "We call it the credit wat... more

Commercial property continues to lose value
The value of commercial property in the UK has fallen 7.2% in the last two months, according to figures released by real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. The banking crisis has pushed up prime yields - which measure the value of property in terms of its rental income - by 47 basis points since the start of September to 6.49%, the highest for 15 years. The report added that the market remaine... more

Firms warned on customer service
Companies must avoid measures that would impact on customer relationships during the recession, the Institute of Customer Service (ICS) has warned. The group’s chief executive David Parsons said the current climate made it all the more important to listen to customers and meet their expectations. ... more

Bosses ‘making unlawful checks’
Company bosses in England and Wales are making unlawful checks on individuals’ backgrounds, according to the BBC’s Radio 4 programme. The programme claims companies are running Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks – designed for people applying to work with children or vulnerable adults – for jobs such as a train driver, gardener and bricklayer. ... more

FSB urges training recognition
The Federation of Small Businesses has responded to the government’s call for employees to be given the right to request training by calling for greater recognition for on-the-job training offered by many small firms. The organisation claimed that in its survey of just under 20,000 small businesses, 76% said they already offered formal training. ... more

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