Business News Articles

Pensions reform minister to speak at industry event
From the 19-20th of November the Professional Pensions show is being held at ExCel, London. The industry's largest two day conference and exhibition will open with a speech from pensions reform minister Mike O'Brien, who will place special emphasis on the progress of the Pensions Bill, due to be enacted this autumn. There will follow a live debate between Mr O'Brien and his two direct politi... more

Owner-managers concerned over pensions
The majority of business owner-managers feel that they will be forced to postpone retirement and work longer due to concerns over the state of their pensions and growing business fears. A survey by Clifton Asset Management (CAM) of more than 1,000 owner-managers found that those postponing retirement had increased from 56% three months ago to 65%. "Clearly the economic downturn is already ha... more

Small firms lack first-aid skills
Half of all small businesses remain unaware of changes to health and safety regulations that will come into force in October 2009, according to research by the British Red Cross. Under the new structure, guidelines on the number and category of trained first-aiders will change and businesses will be expected to be aware of their new responsibilities. ... more

Big demand for green stationery
Companies are turning to items that either have or can be recycled when choosing office stationery, according to an independent survey commissioned by Duraweld. The survey found that 81% of buyers said having a green range to choose from was either quite or very important, while 71% said demand for green stationery products within the business had grown in the past two years. ... more

SMEs ignoring online marketing
Small business still fail to understand the potential of online marketing despite Ofcom research revealing that online advertising overtook spend on mainstream TV in the UK last year. The research showed that online advertising rose by an average 70% in each of the last five years to create an industry worth £2.8bn, more than the total advertising revenue received by ITV1, Channel 4, S4C and ... more

Karren Brady to speak at marketing conference in Birmingham
The Charted Institute of Marketing is holding its annual conference on November 11th at the Crowne Plaza in Birmingham. Karen Brady, CEO of Birmingham City football Club will provide the opening address. Other keynote speakers at the event include Pierre-Yves Gerbeau the executive director of Captial & Regional and former chief exec of the Dome and Evan Davis, the BBC's business reporter and ho... more

Small firms resist buzzwords
Staff in small businesses are far less likely to use business jargon than larger rivals, a survey by MWB Business Exchange suggests. The poll found that 25% of staff in small firms admitted to using phrases such as "singing from the same hymn sheet", "in the loop" or "blue-sky thinking" compared to 98% in large organisations. ... more

Firms warned over homeworking
Companies offering staff the ability to work from home need to be aware of the legal issues involved in doing so, a law firm has warned. Glovers Solicitors is warning businesses that they remain liable for the health and safety of their employees even when they are working from their own home. ... more

Court backs UK retirement law
A European Court adviser has ruled that the UK’s stance on allowing employers to force people to retire at the age of 65 is legal. The decision, by a senior legal adviser to the European Court of Justice, is not legally binding but gives an indication as to the overall view of the European Court, which is expected to make a final decision before Christmas. ... more

New business laws now in force
Businesses that have failed to prepare for a range of new legislation that came into force on 1 October could now be breaching the law. The date was the second such day this year – known as the common commencement date – when the government introduces new regulations and makes amendments to existing ones. ... more