Category: Opinion

IT now permeates every fibre of every business – and increasingly it must extend outside the traditional business boundary.

Great design equates to good business. It is a bottom-line investment, a decisive advantage that can propel you ahead of your competition. Can you afford to deny yourself the benefits?

Often mistakenly associated only with negative publicity, reputation management should be a key part in every company’s communication and marketing strategy.

Julie Pickersgill is operations director of Advanced Digital Dynamics (ADD). Since joining ADD in 2006, Julie has grown the business from three people with a £300k turnover to a 24-strong team with a £3.4m turnover against a challenging backdrop.

With the recent Budget announcement of a higher investment allowance of £ 500,000, Government credit available to support overseas sales doubled to £ 3bn, and interest rates charged on that credit reduced by a third, many would think it is an easy time for businesses, large and small.

There’s a lot of truth in the old phrase, ‘cash is king’.

For smaller businesses, protecting intellectual property (IP) can be a bit of a minefield. Where do you start, how should you go about it and what pitfalls should you avoid?

Mark Tighe is the Managing Director of specialist capital allowances company, Catax Solutions.

David Benford, MD of Blackstage Forensics is a cyber security expert who advises NATO and celebrities as well as businesses of all sizes. David explains why social media and mobile devices, like smartphones, pose more of a risk to business than most executives realise.

The Scottish Government’s economic plan for independence does not add up, even taking into account oil and gas revenues, the CBI said in its analysis of the White Paper.

Big businesses can learn a lesson from agile tech start-ups says Ben Dowd, O2 Business Director.

Click on Profile on your LinkedIn site and you’ll see a list of your experiences, schools, and contacts. Most people focus on developing these lists to make connections at places they’ve worked and where they have gone to school. LinkedIn, after all, is a great networking tool.

With businesses striving to become more customer-focused, new communications pathways are changing the paradigm of customer engagement. Chris Potts, Marketing Director, ANT Telecom, examines the growing need for all companies to adopt a contact centre approach, and dispels an old myth: size doesn’t matter.

In 2014, the use of social media within a business is no longer an option. Many businesses are still failing to understand the importance of social media and failure to get on board properly this year could leave them trailing behind their competitors.

Employees want to know you care. Build a culture of thanks and your people will return the favour many times over.