While exploring the impact on work relations and working lives, researchers – a new generation of policy-focused social scientists – will examine the implications for gender, ethnicity and different age groups at work.

The pioneering research project will be launched on Friday 24 May at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, with presentations from Professor Birger Simonson, University of Gothenburg and Professor Steve Jeffreys, Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University.

Speaking ahead of the event, Professor Paul Stewart, Project Coordinator from the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Human Resource Management, said: “This is an outstanding research agenda bringing together a range of critical social scientists and new researchers concerned with the transformation of employment relations and conditions of work across Europe.

“The research will identify the nature of the restructuring of European labour markets and economies as a result of current economic and social change, and the impact that this has on work relations and working lives.”

ChangingEmployment  will support supporting 15 researchers (12 PhD and three post-doctoral) with partners from eight European universities and social and industry partners, including the European Trade Union Institute, Consultingeuropa, EDF, Edrington, the International Labour Organisation, Neuroedukacja, UNISON, Volvo and CAIRDE.

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The industry as a whole has accepted a need to proactively promote itself to new job-hunters. The recent FTA Logistics Report revealed that CEOs in transport and logistics are more likely than their counterparts in other sectors to be using workforce development programmes that encouraged diversity as part of their succession planning*. The winners unveiled today will help to raise awareness to job-seekers that the industry is fast-paced, diverse, challenging and satisfying.

The winners in the FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards for 2013 are:

Woman of the Year – sponsored by FTA
Jacqui Gavaghan, Performance Director, Reading Transport Limited from Reading

Rising Star of the Year Award – sponsored by Motor Transport
Charlotte Laval, Supplier Performance Service Manager, Wincanton plc from Chippenham

Driver of the Year Award – sponsored by TNT
Shauni O’Neill, Train Operator, London Underground Ltd from London

Director of the Year Award – sponsored by Asda Stores Ltd
Lindsay Haselhurst, Development & Marketing Director, Wincanton plc from Chippenham

The Warehousing Award – sponsored by UKWA
Adele Waite, General Manager-Consumer Life Science Division, DHL Supply Chain from Banbury

Industry Champion Award – sponsored by DHL Supply Chain
Ruth Waring FCILT, Managing Director, Labyrinth Logistics Consulting Ltd from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire

Innovation & Sustainability Award – sponsored by DHL Supply Chain
Danielle Kozlowska, Process Improvement Manager, Stanley Black & Decker from Northampton

Team Leader of the Year Award – sponsored by MAN Truck & Bus
Marion Roberts, Station Manager, Network Rail from London

In addition, in recognition of her commitment to championing the role of women in the industry, Nikki King OBE, Managing Director of Izuzu Truck (UK) was presented with the inaugural Spirit of everywoman Award.

Commenting on the awards, Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman, said: “The transport and logistics industry in the UK is vast and there are so many opportunities for women with the determination, enthusiasm and passion to succeed. With transport and logistics becoming an ever-evolving, fast moving, technology – driven industry offering long term, sustainable careers, it is critical that the women playing an influencing role in shaping and leading this sector should be celebrated. Today’s winners, boasting a varied skills-set, are examples of this – resourceful, pioneering and innovative women who represent the very essence of what makes the industry great. We are proud to be able to celebrate their achievements and are confident their success will inspire women of all ages, experience and skills-levels to bring their talents to the industry.”

Theo de Pencier, Chief Executive of the Freight Transport Association (FTA) adds: “FTA is exceptionally proud to be the Title Partner of the 2013 everywoman in Transport and Logistics Awards. Women are an essential part of every aspect of supply chains, from drivers and warehouse staff, to transport managers and managing directors. Industry cannot be passive in attracting women, and the FTA everywoman in Transport & Logistics Awards are the perfect opportunity to showcase how women can make a career in transport a successful and fulfilling one which is why FTA is delighted to support this event. FTA is leading by example through the high proportion of female specialists and managers it employs and women also hold key positions on its Operating Board.

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What’s more, it can last for 10,000 charge-recharge cycles, compared with 1,000 cycles for conventional rechargeable batteries, according to Khare

“My cellphone battery always dies,” she told NBC News when asked what inspired her to work on the energy-storage technology. Supercapacitors also allowed her to focus on her interest in nanochemistry — “really working at the nanoscale to make significant advances in many different fields.”

To date, she has used the supercapacitor to power a light-emitting diode, or LED. The invention’s future is even brighter. She sees it fitting inside mobile phones and the other portable electronic devices like tablets and laptops, freeing people and their gadgets for a longer time from reliance on electrical outlets.

“It is also flexible, so it can be used in rollup displays and clothing and fabric,” Khare added. “It has a lot of different applications and advantages over batteries in that sense.”

Khare’s invention won her the Intel Foundation Young Scientist Award and $50,000 prize at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

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The results of the survey into start-up costs comes just a few days after Lord Young, the prime minister’s enterprise adviser, published his ‘Growing your Business’ report, and stated that this is a ‘very good time’ to start a business.

However, initial costs such as renting an office and taking on staff can put tremendous strain on small businesses at the outset and in the critical first year of operation. But the modern, mobile business owner can utilise flexible working practices, using remote freelance staff on a project-by-project basis, rather than committing to full-time staff.

And according to those micro-business owners polled by the freelance website PeoplePerHour, 86 per cent said they were ‘spare room’ start-ups, running their businesses from a home office, rather than from a serviced office or shared workspace. Also, rather then giving up their jobs and putting a strain on their finances, more than a third of micro-business owners said they started their businesses while they were still working.

How did people fund their businesses? From a variety of sources it seems, with just over three quarters using personal savings, 20 per cent asking for help from friends and family, while 13 per cent used their redundancy money. Only 2.5 per cent of those business owners polled secured a bank loan. Similarly only 2.5 per cent received a grant of some description and less than one per cent said that they had help from a private investor.

In Lord Young’s report, he recommended extending the government-backed Start-up loans scheme to those micro-business owners over the age of 30.

According to the reports figures, 60 per cent micro-business owners were over 30 when they started their business, which means they wouldn’t have been able to apply for the Start-up loans scheme. More than a quarter polled were actually over 40 when they launched their start-ups, and 11 per cent were over 50.

What micro-businesses have Britain’s budding entrepreneurs launched? Almost a quarter of start-up micro-businesses launched in the past year have been internet-based, while technology, design, marketing and PR in addition to professional service businesses also featured strongly.

Xenios Thrasyvoulou, founder and CEO of PeoplePerHour, comments: “Starting a business is now most definitely open to anyone. You don’t have to be from a wealthy family, have a background in finance or have started on your entrepreneurial journey while in your teens. The online revolution means that it’s never been easier or cheaper to launch a business at any time in life. You can market yourself and find new business leads online, recruit skilled freelance staff online and then manage them remotely, and even seek expert advice when you need it through online platforms.

“The outdated belief that it takes thousands of pounds of start-up capital to launch a business is simply not the case any more. A large number of micro-businesses are launched from home offices with very limited funds.

“For most businesses the first year is generally the make or break year, and many companies fail because they have cash flow issues. But now big expenditures such as office and staff costs can be controlled. Businesses can adopt more flexible working practices, tapping into a global pool of skilled talent through online freelancer platforms and only hiring staff when they need them for specific projects, rather than recruiting full time employees, and facing having to still pay salaries during quiet periods.

“Similarly with office costs, the modern business owner can run operations from a home office, or even on the move, managing a remote workforce without having to pay for additional desk space. Businesses are being launched and grown from kitchen tables across the country, as the online revolution has knocked down any barriers to entry.

“Starting a business from scratch is no longer the daunting prospect it once was. The internet has given everyone access to a global marketplace of opportunities and expertise – and that should encourage a lot more people to give it a go.”

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Their historic analysis detected increases in views of financially related Wikipedia pages before stock market falls.

Dr Moat said: “These results provide evidence that online data may allow us to gain a new understanding of the early stages of decision making, giving us an insight into how people gather information before they decide to take action in the real world.”

Wikipedia is a popular online encyclopaedia that all internet users can view and edit. Crucially, Wikipedia does not only make its contents freely available, but also data on how often people view and edit its pages.

Suzy Moat and Tobias Preis, of Warwick Business School, UK, along with Chester Curme, Adam Avakian, Dror Y. Kenett and H. Eugene Stanley, of Boston University, USA, looked at how often the 30 pages describing the companies listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, such as Procter & Gamble, Bank of America, and The Walt Disney Company, were viewed between December 2007 and April 2012.

They found that a simple trading strategy based on changes in the frequency of views would have led to significant profits of up to 141 per cent.

Similarly, a strategy based on views of 285 pages relating to general financial topics, such as macroeconomics, capital and wealth, would have also generated profits of up to 297 per cent. A buy and hold strategy during this period would have led to only a 3 per cent profit.

The researchers also measured how often these pages were edited during this period. No evidence was found that information on editing activity could have been used to anticipate stock market movements. Trading strategies based on how often people viewed 233 pages relating to actors and filmmakers, a topic with less obvious financial relevance, were also not profitable.

Dr Moat said: “We know that humans are more concerned about losing £5 than they are about missing an opportunity to gain £5. If investors spend more time and effort gathering information before making what they consider to be a bigger decision, then we might expect to see people looking for more financial information before stocks are sold at lower prices, in line with our results.”

Preis, Moat and Stanley have previously found links between Google searches and stock market movements.

Dr Preis, Associate Professor of Behavioural Science at Warwick Business School, said: “Our latest results provide further evidence that data on online information gathering may contain precursors of collective decisions taken in the real world.”

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The CBI said that UK banks are the source of nearly 80 per cent of all credit to growing businesses, however, the financial crisis has put the UK on an irreversible path to a ‘new normal’ in financing.

Regulatory reform, balance sheet restructuring and a more realistic pricing of risk, mean that traditional bank debt will no longer be the right finance for all businesses, all of the time.

Katja Hall, CBI Chief Policy Director, said: “The UK’s small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of our economy so ensuring they can access the capital they need to grow and create jobs is critical.

“Banks will continue to be a vital source of finance but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, and we’re encouraging growing firms to open their eyes to the broad range of funding options on the market.
“Growing businesses could look to corporate venturing, for example, or to issue retail bonds, like Hotel Chocolat did with its innovative chocolate bonds.”

Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, said: “Britain’s businesses cannot grow, export and innovate without proper access to bank credit. But they also need alternatives when looking for finance, as a traditional bank loan might not always be the answer.

“The CBI’s guide will help raise awareness of the different types of finance available, and how alternative credit channels can introduce more competition to give SMEs choice. The Government wants to see a shift in the market structure towards non-bank lending, and through the business bank is deploying £300 million of the £1 billion allocated to the initiative to invest alongside the private sector in new entrants and the growth of smaller.”

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The problems arise when firms raise more than £100,000 through the company as when the loan is accepted a charge is registered by Funding Circle at Companies House.

In most cases, firms will already have a charge, typically from a major bank, which means that the business has to get permission from the existing charge-holder to enter a new loan agreement.

As the first charge lender, banks will often ask for a deed of priority, a legal document that ranks creditors if there is a default, thereby safeguarding their own investment, however Funding Circle says that in many cases the banks are delaying the process by getting lawyers involved unnecessarily, or demanding bespoke negotiations for each case rather than using standard procedures.

It also says that some banks are charging firms £1,000 to £2,500 to draw up deeds of priority, and in the worst cases, Funding Circle said that banks have refused outright to draw up such deeds, effectively blocking firms from borrowing through the website, which unites crowds of investors with companies seeking the funds they need to grow.

Funding Circle says that it can pay out money within ‘two to three weeks’, but bank delays mean that the process can take months.

Andrew Mullinger, co-founder of Funding Circle, said: ‘Businesses want speed and certainty when they apply for finance and that’s what we do, but these delays are damaging that. We want to see a standard process in place and a standard turnaround time for dealing with documentation.’

One Funding Circle applicant,  who did not want to be named, said he had been waiting five months for his bank to give the go-ahead to Funding Circle on his £120,000 loan after he made a successful application last December.

He said: ‘We have worked really hard to grow, but the bank stalling on this has caused real problems. We need the cash upfront to buy properties in a project we are involved in, but despite the loan being approved in December through Funding Circle, we are still waiting.’

A spokesman for the British Bankers’ Association said: ‘The banks are looking into these issues and we are happy to talk with Funding Circle to resolve this.

‘There is a standard process for handling deeds of priority that is normally completed promptly. But sometimes the request may be very specific, requiring a tailored approach, which takes longer.’

The post Banks lambasted for sabotaging SMEs crowdfunding finance deals appeared first on Business Matters.

As part of the campaign, Chambers of Commerce across the UK have held business workshops where they have been discussing the importance of equality in the workplace. The events each featured a government speaker, including Ministers Jo Swinson and Helen Grant, and Mary Macleod MP. This is the first time that the government has reached out in this way to engage with the business community on equality issues.

Key messages from the report include how businesses can void issues with discrimination and by treating staff fairly ensures access to the best talent, which allows businesses to maximise profits and create wealth.

The booklet also explains how Diverse workplaces are usually stronger, because different individuals each bring their own strengths, which complement each other when working as a team

Commenting on the report, BCC Director General John Longworth said: “This report showcases the fantastic work that Accredited Chambers of Commerce members and the GEO do to focus on equality in the workplace. Employers throughout the Chamber Network value their staff and are working hard to create flexible and happy workplaces.

“Companies always want to hire and retain the best staff to fulfil their business functions. The conversations that have formed this report have shown us that Chamber members want to drive the economic recovery, and equality in the workplace is crucial to that success.”

Jo Swinson MP, Minister for Business and Minister for Women and Equalities, said: “Despite the challenges facing businesses today, it’s simply good business to be treating people fairly and ensuring we are drawing on the talents of everyone if we are to bring sustained benefit to the British economy.

“We wanted this programme of business engagement to raise awareness and to promote a greater understanding of equality laws. This new booklet is a fantastic example of the excellent work the BCC and employers all over the country are already doing to highlight how diversity is good for business.

“What I’ve learnt from meeting local businesses, across the country, is that employers don’t need convincing of the positive business case for equality in the 21st century workplace. However many smaller firms have told us they don’t always feel they know enough and they want to be confident that they are complying properly with the law. This new booklet will be a helpful new resource which should give them that confidence.”

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Launching the competition, Prime Minister David Cameron, said: “The Conservative Party believes that small businesses and entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of the UK economy. To show our continued commitment to British enterprise and entrepreneurs I am pleased that the Conservatives are once again running the Start-Up Hub at our Conference. I support this initiative and encourage start-ups and entrepreneurs to apply.”

Competition chair, Damian Collins MP, said: “This is a unique opportunity for budding entrepreneurs and I would encourage anyone with a brilliant new idea to enter the competition for a chance to show off their work to thousands of delegates, the nation’s media and business leaders from across the country.”

Former 2012 winner, Mark Thompson from ACEON, said: “Showing our vision and ambition at the Start Up Hub for our Solar Off Grid projects has started a project with the UN. Fantastic networking opportunity to launch our brand and product!”

In order to win a chance to appear at the Start-Up Hub, ideas must be submitted to the Conservative Party before June 28h.

Application is through the website at www.conservatives.com/startuphub . The winners will be chosen by a panel of experts, chaired by Damian Collins MP, and including leading business representatives from Fujitsu and the BVCA.

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The company says that the programme membership will offer personal service and immediate payment at the Ikea Business Point in store, as well as the opportunity to attend free business start-up workshops and networking events in the London stores.

The retailer already operates a number of loyalty schemes like the Family card, along with the Home Card as well as of sale loan finance products for Ikea’s 18 UK stores and has also been running a series of business start-up workshops run by StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones.

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Chairman James Caan said “I welcome Lord Young’s recommendation to remove the age cap for Start-Up Loans. Seeing the huge success of the programme to date exceeding our initial targets by 50 per cent leaves me with no doubt that there is significant demand from more mature individuals who want a chance at being their own boss.”

The company will now work with Government to set out a plan of action as to how to tackle the older market, with a view to being ready to offer the loans to the over-30s by the end of the summer.

CEO Tim Sawyer said “we welcome Lord Young’s recommendation and we will be putting the wheels in motion to start offering start-up loans to everyone as quickly and efficiently as possible, without compromising on the quality of the support that all of our entrepreneurs get.”

Start-Up Loans doesn’t just offer money to their entrepreneurs, they also provide mentoring and exclusive products and services from partners such as Regus, Google, WorldPay, Printing.com, eBay and Intuit.

Since Autumn of last year, more than 3,500 people have got a loan from the Company and received mentoring. More than 45 per cent of those who have started their business under the scheme were unemployed before being granted the loan demonstrating the schemes potential impact on employment across the country.

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PopUp Britain is the retail arm of national enterprise campaign StartUp Britain and is aimed at helping to support the high street entrepreneurs of the future.

Speaking at the opening StartUp Britain co-founder Emma Jones said: “We are delighted that the Deputy Mayor has been able to open our shop this evening.

“We’ve been working so hard to make this happen – and we can hardly believe that finally we’re here! It’s looking amazing and we’re sure out tenants will get the best possible start for their high street journey.”

The outlet will offer short-term opportunities to start-ups and micro businesses, which will travel from all over the country to share the space over the next 12 months.

It is part of a pioneering initiative aimed at matching online retail start-ups with empty high street shops. The scheme, which is backed by private sector funding, was piloted by the not-for-profit campaign last year. 

The not-for-profit campaign has gathered the help of big business to help smaller ones, just starting out.  Campaign sponsor and software accounting firm Intuit has provided its handheld payment to businesses for free, allowing them to accept card payment.

High Street retailer John Lewis has donated its expertise to furnish the entire shop and given free use of its visual merchandisers to give the outlet a dramatic impact – which will give the retail start-ups a great advantage.

Christine Kasoulis, director, brand development at John Lewis, said: “We are working with StartUp Britain on a range of exciting initiatives that support start-ups; by leveraging our expertise and experience, we are delighted to help nurture Britain’s future retailing talent.”

The first businesses in the shop are all run by new entrepreneurs. Each take over a percentage of the cost of the running of the shop, for a two week period, at which point the shop will be handed over to the next crop of businesses waiting to get their chance to test out the market and work on a rotational basis.

The first brands to appear in the shop will be:

• ClicLoc, watchmakers
• Choulachou,
• TheGorgeous Company
• LauraSmith Glass
• TheCocoa Mistress, handmade chocolates
• RainWave, rain-proof chic
• ZoeBoomer, Northern Ireland’s answer to Stella McCartney
• P&CoClothing
• Pinucci,London

 To apply for a place go to popupbritain.com/apply

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Export Week is a major component of the National Challenge and is part of a concerted campaign led by Lord Green to increase the number of British companies who export, from current levels of around 20 per cent to 25 per cent or more. By increasing the number of companies who export by roughly a quarter, about £36 billion could be added to the UK economy.

Trade & Investment Minister Lord Green said: “Companies of all sizes are increasingly winning business abroad proving that exporting is not just for the large firms.

“Research conclusively shows businesses that export become more innovative, more productive and achieve a level of growth that would not otherwise be possible.

“Our future prosperity rests on UK companies doing business abroad. I hope that Export Week will encourage companies not already doing so to think about trading abroad.”

Events throughout the week will include seminars on high value opportunities in these markets, international finance and trade workshops, training on international marketing and utilising websites, targeted market days and much more.

Ambassadors from many of the high growth markets around the world will be available at a number of the events to personally advise on and explain the benefits of doing business in their markets. They will be joined by experienced businesspeople who are already trading abroad.

UKTI trade advisors will be on hand to advise both inexperienced and experienced exporters on how to get started and expand into High Growth Markets. Experienced exporters will also be available to relate how international trade helped their businesses become more profitable.

For more information about Export Week visit:exportweek.ukti.gov.uk

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The preliminary data published at the Global Investment Conference shows that during 2012-13, UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) recorded 1,462 projects which brought with them or safeguarded 163,489 jobs. Of these 58,170 are new jobs – beating both the quantity of investment attracted and employment secured in the previous year.

The Prime Minister, David Cameron joined other high profile delegates from 40 countries at the Global Investment Conference, including the German and Canadian finance Ministers, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde, global chief executive officers, sovereign wealth funds representatives and corporate investors.

Senior Ministers Chancellor George Osborne, Energy Secretary Ed Davey, Trade Minister Lord Green, Treasury Ministers Greg Clark and Lord Deighton and London Mayor Boris Johnson also spoke to delegates about the UK’s compelling offer as both a hub for global growth and an international investment destination.

Trade and Investment Minister Lord Green said: “Foreign investment creates hundreds of thousands of jobs and helps to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the UK economy. It’s a vital strand of the Government’s plan for growth.

“The 2012 Olympics were a once in a generation opportunity for the UK to showcase to the world Britain’s compelling investment offer and these preliminary figures are very encouraging. Despite strong competition from our traditional competitors and emerging economies, Britain has retained its position as the leading destination for foreign direct investment in Europe.

“To retain the UK’s enviable position as one of the most attractive global locations of choice, Britain will need to continue to work hard to attract high value foreign investment in the coming year and beyond.“

The preliminary data published today compares favourably with last year’s 1406 recorded projects and 112,659 jobs. Of the 163,489 jobs, 58,170 are new jobs and 105,319 safeguarded jobs. UKTI and its partners were involved in delivering nearly 84% of the projects. Full results will be published in July.

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The Start-Up Loans initiative, launched last autumn, which provides funding and mentoring to new business owners, has lent 3,786 loans worth around £16m after an initial slow start. The StartUp Loans company, headed up by entrepreneur and ex-tv dragon James Caan, says that the average loan that they have awarded is approximately £4,500 and a total of £117.5m has been made available until 2015.

The loans are just one of several proposals which PM David Cameron said would help “fire up business growth” in the UK. Other recommendations by Lord Young, who in addition to serving as government advisor is also chairman of the small business accounting software providerKashflow, include:

The abolition of pre-qualification questionnaires for public sector contracts under €200,000, and the creation of “single market” principles which suppliers can expect when doing business with the public sector. This, according to Lord Young, would remove complexity and help small businesses access the £230bn per year that is spent on goods and services across the whole public sector.

Another proposal is the creation of a £30m voucher scheme to encourage firms to get expansion advice. Young hopes that  specialist help on: expanding their workforce; marketing a business; financial management and growing online will boost SMEs ‘treading water’.

A new ‘Supporting Small Business Charter’ and award scheme to incentivise business schools to help SMEs grow. Business schools could also become a key part of the referral process and provision of Start-Up Loans and Growth Vouchers.

Enabling the private sector to provide small business advice on the government’sGOV.UK website and releasing the advice that the government holds after the closure of the Business Link website to third party providers for them to rebuild and improve

Better marketing of government schemes to support new and developing businesses by ensuring they are properly resourced and targeted at the small firms that need them most.

Lord Young’s report focuses on micro businesses – those which have less than 10 employees, and which make up 96 per cent of all businesses in the UK.

“We have one of the best environments in the world for the creation of new firms. What this report endeavours to do is to help and encourage all those new firms to now take on their first employees and grow.”

“Growing our smallest businesses would transform our economy – they are the vital 96 per cent. If just half of the UK’s micro businesses took on an additional member of staff, unemployment would be reduced to almost zero. We need to raise the aspirations and confidence of these businesses and give them the tools to grow.”

David Cameron added: “It is very much true that Lord Young brings solutions to the table – his excellent report highlights the steps we can take to fire up business growth, helping to boost our competitiveness and ensuring the UK can get ahead in the fierce global race we are in. I thank him very much for his report.”

Commenting on the report, Dr Adam Marshall, Director of Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said: “Lord Young is right to place emphasis on the growth of smaller firms, who unlike some of the UK’s larger companies, need support and encouragement to help them become the wealth creators of tomorrow. Small and micro businesses will only be able to fulfil their full potential once measures are put in place to help them access the finance, skills and services they need to grow.

“Lord Young has identified a number of these measures in his report and we are pleased to see him address the problem of access to finance which is still hurting the growth potential of many firms. But the focus must now be on getting these proposals off the ground so they can actually make a real difference to the business community, and in turn, drive the economic recovery. Chambers of Commerce across the UK stand ready to ensure businesses are given all the support they need as they embark on their growth journeys over the crucial months ahead.”

Lord Young talking about his report:

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Prior to starting Ella’s Kitchen Lindley had initially worked at KPMG for five years and trained as a chartered accountant. A role which he says that he didn’t enjoy it at the time, but it’s helped me with the new business.

Then in the 1990s I worked in the media division and left to work for Nickelodeon in 1994. I was initially hired as the financial controller and worked my way through to being the general manager.

Lindley then said that he actually rejected two ideas before settling on Ella’s Kitchen; the first was a platform that would give kids access to digital money to spend online, the second was a TV show – which he actually made the pilot for – which dealt with issues around promoting healthy food, family time and food and so on, but the interest in Ella’s Kitchen soon took over.

To fund the development of the ‘fun, healthy, organic food for babies and toddlers’ Lindley remortgaged his house to the tune of £200,000 and started two years of research with two products and one customer, Sainsbury’s, the supermarkets group.

Today the company has a turnover of £50m and has helped grow the baby food sector during a recession. However Lindley is clear that “The goal was never to sell the company,” he says. “Nor was the goal ever to make ‘X’ amount of profits or ‘X’ amount of sales. The goal was to use our products to improve children’s health.”

The sale two weeks ago to the Hain Group came when he decided after looking at options such as private equity and bank funding that it was the best way to realise the company’s ambition of increasing what it calls “tiny tummy touchpoints” – servings of its organic fruit and vegetables.

“When I launched the company the baby food market was very functional at the time,” says Lindley. “It hadn’t changed. There had been no innovation in that market for a generation.

“There were a few big brands. The food was in glass jars. The branding and reasons to buy hadn’t changed, even though people’s lifestyles had fundamentally changed.”

He decided the company would be different by making it’s USP that it put children first. The business innovated with recipes and flexible pouches as Lindlay sought to inject into the product the fun of having his now six-year-old daughter, Ella.

“I wanted to use emotion in the brand,” he says. “Consumers are at the most emotional point of their lives when they have a baby.

“I wanted to work with that emotion and the benefit of being a small entrepreneurial company and use my own family as an experience people could relate to, in contrast to the less personal big brands we were competing against.”

Today Ella’s Kitchen employs 60 people near Henley-on-Thames. It has 80 products and nearly 20 per cent of the UK market, putting it behind Danone’s Cow & Gate and Heinz. The firm has supplier deals with all the supermarket groups and exports to 12 countries, including Norway, where it has a 30 per cent market share. This suggests that a baby is eating an Ella product every second of every day somewhere around the world.

Hain, which is quoted on the Nasdaq, will combine Ella’s Kitchen with its Earth’s Best brand, which pioneered organic infant foods in the US and has a 15 per cent share of the US baby food market. It comes in behind Nestle’s Gerber, which has about 60pc. Mr Lindley will become chief executive of Hain’s global infant, toddler and kids division and says he believes it can increase the combined number of sales to 4bn or 5bn a year globally.

“One of the most important things in business is timing,” he says. “Timing around an exit and around your next move is a skill and something people should think about as a core part of business.

“I think we have timed this perfectly. It’s right internally. And when you look at the marketplace in America, there are a lot of small players [so] there will be consolidation. You don’t want to be the bridesmaid at the end when everybody else has consolidated. You want to pick the best partner for you.”

Lindley is selling all his shares to Hain and is not locked in for a set period or incentivised by an “earn-out” arrangement. He says he is motivated by developing the business for the long term. He says: “I’m staying on because I believe that the opportunity for me and my team in the UK to run a business with a turnover that’s not £50m to £60m but more than £200m, can seriously make inroads into improving children’s health around the world. I believe we can continue to innovate and produce better products for babies, toddlers and children.

“It’s a humbling thing – the world’s first organic baby food [business] and a significant part of a major public company in America is being put in the hands of a British entrepreneurial team that has grown its business from nothing in seven years.

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Barclaycard has been connecting consumers and merchants since 1966 and now processes almost half of all debit and credit card spending in the UK, giving it unrivalled insight into UK shopping trends. With the market flooded with ‘offer’ services and websites, today’s consumers are suffering from ‘offer fatigue’ and want a new kind of shopping experience that gives them what they want, where they want it.

Merchants also want to offer more value and great shopping incentives to new and existing customers, with the ability to flex their offering to maximise success.

Barclaycard is unique in the UK in servicing both consumers and retailers, and bespoke offers reflects this detailed understanding of both shopping and sales trends. The launch of bespoke offers addresses the fundamental shift that has occurred in the way people shop and the savings they expect to make.

There are around 5,000 offers already available from hundreds of retailers, from big name brands such as Tesco, House of Fraser, Shell, Odeon, British Airways and Starbucks to local favourites. Accessible online and on mobile devices, bespoke offers allows people to search for their nearest savings suggestions when out on the high street, or browse and buy online in the comfort of their home or office.

Valerie Soranno-Keating, CEO of Barclaycard said: “Barclaycard has been in the business of helping consumers to make payments and retailers take payments since 1966. We see how much UK consumers are trying to squeeze more out of every pound they spend and how UK retailers are struggling to provide incentives to the right customers to encourage more sales.

“We created bespoke offers for every consumer and retailer in the UK. We estimate that if the typical UK consumer made maximum use of bespoke offers across their household spend they could potentially save as much as £2,100 per year. For UK retailers this could amount to tens of millions of pounds in additional sales.

“bespoke offers is the savvy shoppers ‘savings SatNav’, always at your fingertips offering whatever you want, whenever you want it. And it also delivers insights to merchants that will help them grow their business. It’s a win/win for the UK market!”

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The move was first announced by George Osborne in the Budget earlier this year, as part of his plans to build a “aspiration nation” that supports small business and entrepreneurs.

Around 450,000 small businesses will not pay any National Insurance contributions. The tax is paid by both employers and staff, and they go towards paying for benefits such as the state pension.

The Government is hoping the “employment allowance” will encourage small businesses to take on extra workers, especially those that are starting up.

The changes will take effect in April next year and apply to charities and sports clubs as well as businesses.

As part of the Coalition’s wider crackdown on avoidance, the Bill will also contain measures to stop people using “abusive tax schemes” to get around paying their fair share to the Treasury.

It will extend the “general anti-abuse rule” to the employment tax and prevent the use of offshore payroll companies, which can be used to help companies avoid paying National Insurance.

Commenting on the Queen’s Speech, John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: “On balance, businesses will welcome the limited package of legislation announced in the Queen’s Speech. Ministers are right to focus on measures that can help boost growth, and seem to have gotten the message that when it comes to new legislation, less is more.

“The key for business is delivering on the government’s existing commitments, whether on infrastructure, energy, or education and training. Businesses are impatient to see real progress and real benefit emerging on the ground, not just the completion of Westminster and Whitehall processes.”

He added: “The new Employment Allowance will help our smallest companies take on staff, and will give many businesses an important boost of confidence. In particular, this measure will create a strong incentive for a new or start-up business to hire its first employee.”

Also commenting on the speech John Cridland, CBI Director-General, said: “Business does not need a raft of new bills at this stage of a Parliament. You cannot legislate your way to economic growth – laws are only ever one piece of the jigsaw.

“With only two years to go until the next election, business needs delivery on the ground not time-consuming new bills that will have little or no impact before 2015.

“Ministers must focus on driving up exports; getting finance to firms; cutting costs and red tape; and boosting the construction industry, through housing.”

The post Queen’s Speech: third of employers given National Insurance waiver appeared first on Business Matters.

The organiser endeavoured to create a greater ‘sense of live’ coverage across its digital channels in order to attract a broad global audience and engage visitors with inspiring stories. In its role as ‘Supplier of Games Time Website and Results App to the London 2012 Games,’ deltatre, was appointed to design, build and support the official Games time website and mobile website as well as the official Results app of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With broadcast restrictions limiting the use of video content, LOCOG and deltatre sought to maximise user interaction on both the web and mobile sites using real-time results data, unbiased editorial content and social media integration. By the conclusion of the Games, the website had been visited 431 million times by 109 million unique users.

Alex Balfour, former Head of New Media for LOCOG, said, ‘This award is testament to the dedication of so many colleagues at LOCOG Results, New Media and Technology teams as well as our partner, deltatre, to deliver a web and mobile solution meeting the expectations of a diverse global audience.  Fans from over 200 countries used the website over the course of the Games.’

Hugo Sharman, Director at deltatre commented, ‘We are very proud to have supported LOCOG in delivering a world-class digital offering across so many devices and platforms.  Reaching and engaging with a global audience was a challenge, especially considering the wealth of content from broadcasters, sponsors and other media all vying for fan attention in local markets.  But the audience feedback and the numbers speak for themselves.’

The Webby Award announcement follows deltatre’s acceptance of a BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Award for Digital Creativity earlier this week. The company was honoured at a ceremony Sunday evening for its work in conjunction with Channel 4 delivering C4’s multi-platform coverage of the 2012 Paralympic Games.

The post London 2012 Web & Mobile Site Wins 2013 Webby Award in the Sports Category appeared first on Business Matters.

“We are lending as much as we can,” Hester said. “We are not constrained by either capital or funding, Mr Hester told The Sunday Times. “The only way I could see for us to lend more would be for someone to say we did not have to operate by any commercial standard – that we could undercut everyone because we did not have to make a profit.” Hester added he could not “force companies to borrow”.

Mr Hester, in an apparent criticism of the Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King, who has emphasised the need for banks including RBS to hold increased amounts of capital, said that RBS has “deposits coming out our ears”.

Banks have been accused to stifling the recovery in the UK by failing to lend to businesses. However, Mr Hester’s statement imply it is lack of progress in improving business confidence that is stopping companies from investing for growth, rather than banks constraining lending criteria.

Last week, RBS reported its best quarterly result in more than a year with a pre-tax profit of £826m and said it expects the government to be able to start selling its stake it the lender by the middle of next year or even earlier.

The profit for the first three months of the year compared with a £1.5bn loss in the same period in 2012 and a £2.2bn loss in the final quarter of last year, largely as a result of a fall in impairments in losses from RBS’s “bad bank”.

Its results prompted Chairman, Sir Philip Hampton to say that he expects the government to be able to sell some of the shares owned by the taxpayer by the middle of 2014.

However, according to Hester the first tranche of the sale could come at a loss but that overall the taxpayer should get their money back.

The post RBS CEO Hester: We are desperate to lend £20bn – but no-one wants our money appeared first on Business Matters.

The 82-year-old’s decision to join the micro-blogging site is something of a surprise, though, given he does not have a computer at home and reportedly rarely switches on a mobile phone.

The world’s fourth-richest man has also steered away from investing in technology companies, arguing that he will not put his money into something he does not fully understand.

However, that aversion has weakened over the past 12 months, and last year Mr Buffett became one of the biggest investors in IBM.

Although it remains to be seen how often Buffett will tweet, his pithy wisecracks and homespun investment advice could prove well suited to the platforms 140 character messages.

Fellow billionaire Bill Gates was one of the first to welcome Buffett to Twitter, tweeting: “Welcome to Twitter @WarrenBuffett. First ever Twitter bridge tourney starts now. I bid 3 Hearts.”

Buffett is now the second wealthiest person on Twitter, behind Mr Gates and his decision to join comes a month after the Securities and Exchange Commission said that companies could begin to use Twitter, Facebook and other social media to release their results.

Berkshire Hathaway, Mr Buffett’s company, holds its annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on Saturday. The meeting draws investors from around the world eager to come away with investment advice and insight.

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Peter Fitzgerald, Director at Google, said: “We have seen a significant increase in the volume of searches for British retailers and brands coming from overseas. The majority of non-UK searches are currently coming from Europe, followed by North America and Asia, driven by the increased popularity of British brands abroad. Retailers can use search data to identify pockets of demand and move quickly to meet the needs of customers.”

The research reveals that many smaller UK-based retailers – such as Farfetch, Isabella Oliver, Surfdome and Corsets UK – are embracing international opportunities more rapidly than their larger counterparts. Small and mid-sized companies currently receive nearly half of their online searches from overseas, tend to ship to more countries and offer multi-lingual sites. Conversely, only 13 per cent of online searches for retailers with turnovers of more than £250 million come from outside the UK.

Anita Balchandani, Partner at OC&C, said: “E-commerce has transformed what was once a game anchored in local markets – with retailers choosing to expand internationally when they reached saturation nationally – into one where they can pursue internationalisation at the same time as domestic expansion. It is perhaps no surprise that companies like Amazon and eBay now generate about half of their revenues from international markets in a fraction of the time that it has taken the likes of Walmart and Tesco.

“There are a number of reasons why growth in e-commerce is changing the rules of internationalisation. Firstly, geographical proximity no longer determines which market is best suited for expansion – the internet allows customers seek out the best offers from around the world. Secondly, the nature of risk has changed. International expansion is much less capital intensive and this is creating growth opportunities which have a more controlled exposure to risk. Thirdly, the speed with which companies expand has also accelerated – over 40 of Britain’s top-100 etailers serve customers in more than 40 countries.”

British brands performed strongly across all sectors, with luxury goods, fashion and footwear the star performers. UK retailers performed strongly against domestic competition overseas for a number of reasons:
Better choice: e.g. UK beauty specialists, on average offer twice as big a range as their Scandinavian competitors.
Advantaged pricing: The pricing regime in the UK is relatively competitive, and further supported by the pound’s depreciation compared to local currencies, especially in Australia and Scandinavia.
Compelling site and service experience: Free, fast and trustworthy delivery is the norm for British retailers shipping internationally, e.g. ASOS offers a fast and effective returns policy overseas and Wiggle can ship its unrivalled range of cycling equipment to Australia in two to four days – as fast as or faster than many local competitors.

Anita Balchandani continued: “There is a huge opportunity for companies who want to capitalise on international expansion online – and this applies to a range of categories from clothing and couches, to cycles. There are, however, a number of strategic and operational considerations to avoid falling at the first hurdle.

“Firstly, retailers need to carefully assess which markets are more favourable for expansion based on their individual circumstances. Countries like Russia and China have a huge potential customer base but are also extremely challenging. In Russia, for example, difficulties in getting goods through customs can be burdensome, often adding to the time it takes to deliver goods. In China, local partnerships are required to navigate the market successfully and retailers are often required to tailor their shipping to offer ‘cash on delivery’.

“Retailers also need to bear in mind that international ecommerce requires new capabilities. Whether it’s the ability to respond quickly and tailor to local consumer demand or navigate international regulation and pricing, international e-commerce requires a healthy dose of all of these skills.

“Notwithstanding these challenges, there are a number of countries which present UK businesses with growth that is relatively easy to access – such as the English proficient world, like Australia and Scandinavia, and the rapidly emerging markets of Eastern Europe. And finally, even markets such as Germany, France and the US that tend to be classified as ‘mature’ are still emerging in ecommerce terms and offering plenty of growth potential.”

The post Overseas online sales to generate £28 billion for British retailers by 2020 appeared first on Business Matters.

Although the Committee recognises the work that the Government is already doing in introducing a better regulation agenda with the EU Commission, it is vital that, in order for British SMEs to expand and grow, progress must continue to be made.

The Committee is also encouraging the Government to continue its review of support structures for UK businesses who want to participate in EU-funded projects but have difficulty in doing so, due to their modest size and the complexity of the application process.

Chairman of the Committee, Baroness O’Cathain, said: “Businesses all over the world are struggling to stay afloat in our current economic times and so it is more important than ever that we do what we can to support British companies in their efforts to evolve, expand and flourish.

“Having conducted our inquiry against the backdrop of the Europe 2020 strategy, which is designed to support growth and jobs, we remain convinced that that the Government has a vital role to play in continuing to help SMEs access research and innovation funding and to collaborate in EU-wide projects.

“The EU must also look at how they can make the process easier for the SMEs to get involved in these projects, given the challenges they may face in terms of size and resource.

“Throughout the ongoing negotiations on the Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020, the Committee has consistently advocated a greater share of a limited EU budget for investment in research and innovation and the evidence we have heard during this short inquiry has served to reinforce our belief that this is the right way forward.

“If research and innovation is to drive future economic growth across Europe, the Commission must ensure that everyone can get involved; that time and the application process are no barrier to participation and that the system builds in flexibility to take into account the wide spectrum of interested stakeholders. Only by making participation in research and innovation projects as accessible as possible can we make any headway in ensuring that Europe’s best ideas and developments are discovered, funded and eventually benefit all Member States.”

Other recommendations from the Committee include that the European Commission should work to reduce the time gap between grant application and receipt of funding, by simplifying the negotiation stage, the funding instruments and improving IT systems and that decision-makers should be empowered to use flexible funding decisions, to ensure that successful repeat players can access funding and commercialise their research.

The post The EU must do more to help UK SMEs with research & innovation bureaucracy say Lords appeared first on Business Matters.

However, whilst the registration threshold increased marginally from £77,000 to £79,000, the standard VAT rate remained at 20 per cent.

CEO of Close Brothers Asset Finance, Mike Randall said: “Business owners are looking for measures that will stimulate growth and drive the economy forward.

“Trading conditions remain very tough for small firms, but they are resilient. In fact, our barometer shows that a fifth of SMEs in the UK have plans for expansion in the next 12 months.

“However, to achieve their full potential, firms must ensure they have a carefully considered financial strategy in place to facilitate these plans for growth. It is more important than ever that credit flows to businesses and that they understand that there are a number of smart funding options they can utilise.

“We are trying to raise awareness of how asset finance can help to facilitate investment for growth.

“We offer a wide range of solutions including hire purchase, leasing and asset refinancing and tailor these products to suit each individual business. It’s an extremely viable option for firms who seek to finance expansion in the current climate,” he added.

The survey also revealed that 26 per cent of business owners are in favour of cutting income tax to help boost disposable income and increase capital spending power.

The post UK businesses call for tax cuts appeared first on Business Matters.

From an all-time high number of entries, a shortlist of 29 organisations and initiatives has been selected. The public and businesses can show their support for the shortlisted projects and organisations on the website or by Tweeting the hashtag #nia2013 alongside the name of the project they hope to win in each category

A panel of judges will then select the winners, which will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 4^th July at The British Library, hosted by technology journalist Kate Russell.

Lesley Cowley, CEO of Nominet, says:  “Once again the Nominet Internet Awards nominees represent the diversity of online innovation found in the UK. From online safety and awareness through to innovative new public services, the last twelve months has seen a number of strides across a wide range of sectors focussed on making the internet an even greater source of economic and social good for all.  In an environment where the internet doesn’t always get good press, the awards have uncovered some shining examples of the positive impact the internet is having around the UK.”

A full list of shortlisted entries in each category can be found below.

Innovative Internet Business  
4Networking -  http://www.4networking.biz
My Mummy made it Ltd www.mymummymadeit.co.uk
Signable - http://www.signable.co.uk
Rubix Media Ltd – www.simpleshop.co
Trademark Direct - www.trademarkdirect.co.uk

Online Skills and training

Enterprise Education Trust www.achieversinternational.org
The Dementia Centre Virtual Care Home - - http://dementia.stir.ac.uk/virtualhome
Listening Books - http://www.listening-books.org.uk/
Brightside Online Mentoring - www.thebrightsidetrust.org
BrainPOP UK - www.brainpop.co.uk
Connect <> Lockleaze - http://www.connectlockleaze.blogspot.co.uk/

Making the Internet Safer
BBC - Share Take Care - http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/0/21533557
Business Crime Reduction Centre  - www.bcrc-uk.org
Internet Watch Foundation – I - www.iwf.org.uk
Oii My Size - www.oiimysize.com
Online Compass - www.onlinecompass.org.uk
Safer Internet Day 2013 - http://www.saferinternet.org.uk/

Doing good online
Age UK - www.ageuk.org.uk/spreadthewarmth
Global Giving UK- - www.globalgiving.co.uk
Guess 2 Give- - www.Guess2Give.com
Pennies - - www.pennies.org.uk
Selfless - - http://selfless.org.uk/
V-inspired- Http://vinspired.com/igniter

Digital innovation in Public services
G-Cloud with Skyscape- http://gcloud.civilservice.gov.uk/
Lambeth Library Challenge- http://lambeth.librarychallenge.org
Online Watch Link (OWL) - www.owl.co.uk
Run a Club - www.runaclub.com
School Guide - http://schoolguide.co.uk
UK Online Centres-www.ukonlinecentres.com

The annual awards are open to any organisation or individual who is doing great work online, whether it benefits their business, the wider economy, local communities or the UK’s internet users in general.

Last year’s winners included; The Raspberry Pi Foundation, a charity aiming to promote the study of computer science and electronics in schools, and Hao2.eu Ltd, which provides employment and training for autistic people via the medium of 3D virtual world technology.

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