With recent statistics highlighting that unemployment is set to rise in 2012 to 8.8% from the recently reported current 8.3% – will this put further strain on small businesses? It has been reported that a third of small start up businesses find it difficult to hire suitable employees who are skilled enough for specific jobs. [...]

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Retail guru, Mary Portas has put together a report for the government which highlights the dangers of the diminishing high street. She has put forward 28 recommendations which will improve retail and business management on the high street so that small businesses will have a level playing field with large scale malls, like the new [...]

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According to new research small businesses are putting their security into jeopardy because of a lack of awareness of threats to their IT Internet services company Eclipse Internet carried out the survey, contacting over 1,300 small businesses. It found that over half of those surveyed were not aware of a computer virus called Koobface that [...]

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A recent survey of SMEs has revealed that 46% do not provide a pension scheme for employees leaving little time to prepare for new legislation, aimed at dealing with Britain’s ageing population In 2012 the Pensions Act 2008 will come into effect making it a legal duty for employers to automatically enroll all eligible employees [...]

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Government figures have recently revealed that nearly 2,000 small businesses are facing high energy bills for gas & electricity because inaccurate estimates issued last year have left them with revised invoices. In 2010 the helpline Consumer Direct was called by 1,848 small businesses to complain that they had received backdated bills. Audrey Gallacher – head [...]

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Small businesses are not doing enough to protect their ideas & creativity according to recent research. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) – an executive agency of the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) – is the official government body responsible for Intellectual Property rights in the UK. This covers designs, trademarks, copyright & patents. [...]

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Credit requests from small businesses fall. As part of its remit to “contribute to protecting and enhancing the stability of the financial systems of the United Kingdom”, the Bank of England needs to be aware of current & changing credit conditions. In order to do so it regularly carries out a survey for lenders the [...]

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