Opinion

I’ve never been much of a feminist. In fact, I’ve often shunned women’s events with the attitude of “Want to be a success? Then stop moaning and do something about it!” However with the recent re-emergence of women’s issues in the media and the flurry of discussions that have ensued, I too have found myself thinking about it.

So, why is it important to have engaged and satisfied staff? Surely, we should simply be happy to allow our staff to come to work and be grateful that they bother to do any? We’re the ones who need the staff, so should we care if they care?

So this week’s challenge was an example of when is a box not a box? When the girls try and think outside it apparently; and when is a chair not a chair? When the boys fold it into a table? Oh dear me.

Transforming your business into a tough, numbers-driven environment takes guts and determination and taking a company from a family-run culture to one where commerciality is a tough journey, demands mental toughness, discipline and perseverance.

Small businesses had an estimated combined turnover of £1,500 billion last year. They truly are the driving force behind the UK economy. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that Lord Young champions them in his ‘Growing Your Business’ Report.

Corporation tax liabilities, and the setting of rates at which they are levied, is a sensitive issue. The public derides firms that are seen not to pay their share of tax, while business advocates and economists regularly decry the inefficiency of increasing the cost burden on SMEs – acting as a drag on both profitability and national economic growth.

It may be counter-intuitive, but here’s why you need to slow down before your next big decision.

So as the container challenge boxed off Jaz Ampaw-Farr in the first episode it was time to see who would drown in the beer challenge.

BBC1′s the Apprentice returned to our screens last night with series 9, fifteen industrious gladiators lined up against each other for a chance of a cold hard lump of Lord Sugar’s investment cash! With lots of shouting into mobile phones, let the back stabbing commence!

As the new series of the apprentice begins aren’t we all happy to see the usual ‘business’ suspects back on our screen!?

You have to ask how much longer people are going to keep on tuning into this tripe! I refer, of course, to my Lord Alan Sir Sugar and his seemingly endless quest for an apprentice.

Property maintenance entrepreneur and long term apprenticeship campaigner Will Davies blasted the business secretary Vince Cable today for his attack on trainee’s pay.

How often have we heard sayings like “you never get a second chance to make a first impression” and how often do we put that into place in our own businesses? There’s no faster killer of sales and repeat business than a poor first impression.

Government backed schemes that provide much needed finance for SME’s should favour proven or potential exporters according to William Chase – the founder of the multinational Tyrrells crisp empire and owner of the single estate Chase Distillery in Herefordshire.

So Manchester United have done it again. Or, rather, Sir Alex Ferguson has done it again. His team’s victory over Aston Villa, inspired by a first-half hat trick from an energised Robin van Persie, earned United its 20th league title and Fergie his 13th. It’s a record that elevates the club, and its esteemed, indefatigable 71-year-old manager yet higher in the echelons of the sport.

Proposals which will see the introduction of a ‘share for rights’ scheme is a worrying decision which sets a “ dangerous precedent”, a leading employment law expert has warned.

The announcement to extend the Bank of England’s Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) for another year is unlikely to boost business lending or business growth so says two alternative funding sources for SMEs

The biggest key, in fact the skeleton key that unlocks all other potential for business success, is customer service. It’s one thing to win the first order, but if you fall down on delivery and support, then you’ll never see them again.

Traditional media has been completely transformed over the past decade as a shift towards digitalisation has created an era of smartphones, tablets & e-readers.

When I was a ‘soon-to-be-graduate’ I went for an interview through the university ‘milk round’ with a large reputable, then nationalised, company. I had applied for all the large nationalised industries, and large manufacturing companies, to gain what I believed to be unparalleled experience with trade unions and be supported through a comprehensive graduate training program.

“It was reported today that 500 leading businesses including well known leaders such as former M&S chief Sir Stuart Rose have backed a campaign to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU and that senior allies of the Prime Minister are concerned that this might be the start of a movement to leave the union.

As a mediator, and one of the UK’s first arbitrators who advocates solutions which avoid traumatic court battles in favour of more non-confrontational approaches, I don’t believe that aggressive stances are appropriate – or productive.

The Chancellor George Osborne will be beefing up the £80 billion ‘Funding for Lending’ scheme ( FLS) this month. Speaking to Business Matters William Chase – the founder both Tyrrells Crisps and the Chase Distillery – said banks must support proven or potential exporters.

As the UK tech sector is growing at a pace with investment, sales and government support at record levels some are sounding fears of concern that startups could be wasting thousands of pounds of early-stage funds as high priced events and support businesses spot the potentially lucrative market.

David Gauke MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury joins us to tell how the Government is striving to create a simpler, fairer and more efficient tax system; wanting to minimise the time people have to spend interacting with government so they can get on with the more important job of running their businesses.