Business news - There's no place like home, half million Poles leaving the UK
Since 2004 an estimated one million Poles have settled in Britain, taking advantage
of the higher wages British employers were prepared to pay. They became so much
a part of the country's life that Tesco, Asda started stocking Polish food and
drink, and libraries began to stock books and newspapers in Polish. The young
immigrants, most of whom were aged between 18 and 25 , quickly infiltrated the
building and plumbing industries, drawing praise for their work ethic and low
prices.
But according to the Times for the first time since they began arriving en
masse more UK-based Poles are returning to their homeland than are entering
Britain. Studies showed a slump of 18% with only 38,680 Poles signing up to
the Government's register of migrant workers in the third quarter of 2007. Polish
officials, British employment agencies and the Polish media all believe that
the tide of immigration has turned, with the Warsaw-based think-tank the Centre
for International Relations expecting half of the estimated one million British-based
Poles to return home.
It seems that the Poles working in construction aren't prepared to wait for
the construction boom that's expected for the London Olympics in 2012, also
Poland is experiencing an upturn, the zloty is at a high and although the country
is experiencing inflation it's not as noticeable in Poland because their currency
is strong. Poland is itself enjoying - a construction boom as the country prepares
to host the 2012 European football championships. An expected 500,000 visitors
have led to a massive renovation of the country's sports complexes, road, airport
and rail infrastructures, and tourist facilities making the Polish builders
in high demand.
In the UK the construction industry needs to find 182,000 more workers in the
rush to complete buildings for the 2012 London Olympics, an industry body says.
As well as Olympic facilities and transport, the extra workers are also needed
for other UK building projects. The Construction Skills Network, which says
the demand will peak in 2011, is predicting that there will be a need for 2.8m
people to be working in the construction industry across the UK in the run up
to the Olympics. This projected workforce will include 122,000 bricklayers,
161,000 painters, 211,000 electricians and 189,000 plumbers.
China is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, with a history older
than 5,000 years, a population of over 1.3 billion, with females making up 48%
of the population there is great potential for women to pioneer new social norms
in China. The entrepreneurial spirit has been found to have a dominant stake
in the working lives of many Chinese women, women in China's cities now bring
in some 40% of family income.
Chinese Endeavors to Promote Equality...
When China began to reform its economy 20 years ago, many women saw an opportunity
for even greater freedom. The Communists might not have been able to guarantee
complete equality - top government positions still went predominantly to men
- but ordinary Chinese women were given a new voice, almost overnight.
China has made active endeavours in promoting equality between men and women
and safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of women, women enjoy equal
rights with men in state political life. By the end of 1996, the number of women
cadres (similar to civil servant) in government departments, enterprises and
institutions had climbed to 13.28 million, making up 33.8 percent of the total
number of cadres in China. The number was over 200 times that of women cadres
in the early period after the founding of New China.
There are 626 women delegates to the Eighth National People's Congress, accounting
for 21.03 percent of the total. The number of women holding leading posts at
the various government departments has also increased. The number of female
vice provincial governors increased from 18 in 1994 to 21 in 1996, that of women
mayors and vice mayors grew from 174 to 225, and female county magistrates and
vice magistrates from 1,329 to 1,540.
The economic, social and cultural rights of women have also been guaranteed.
In 1995, female employees made up about 44 % of the total employed people in
China. The number of women workers in cities and towns increased from 54.65
million in 1994 to 57.55 million in 1995, accounting for 38.6% of the total
workforce in the country's cities and towns.
The number of women scientists and technicians jumped from 8.097 million in
1993 to 9.881 million in 1995, making up 36.91% of the total. China implements
the principle of men and women enjoying equal pay for equal work. Women's work
is under special protection: women enjoy special care during the menstrual period,
pregnancy, maternity leave and breast-feeding, and women workers who give birth
can take a three-month leave of absence with pay.
Women Entrepreneurs in China...
Studies reveal that the majority of women entrepreneurs in China begin in business
in an age range between thirty and fifty with 28% of them in their thirties,
53% in their forties with 16% over the age of fifty. Only 3% of the total surveyed
under thirty years old.
Research show that after the reforms in business and public life in the 80's
women entrepreneurs began to prepare themselves for a life in business through
participation in work, study and social practice. The motivational factor for
entrepreneurial start-up for Chinese women was shown to favour self-realisation
at 80%, with nearly 10% of respondents attributing other factors such as preparation
for the next generation, development of family wealth and desire for cooperation
with family members. With only small number just 0.4% of women claiming that
they wished simply to change the fortunes of themselves and their families through
having a successful business.
According to the survey, although these highly successful business women account
for 41% of the sector, business ownership was not seen as their main activity.
These women were senior executives, with chairwoman or general managerial status,
in SOEs and had gained stake and share options. They were women who had built
up their companies using their own skills and capital outlay and had successfully
converted them into large successful companies. These were women who also had
completed their studies abroad or had just graduated from domestic Chinese universities.
A number were women who had started to develop their business without any great
business intentions. Finally, there were women who had maneuvered themselves,
as either technologists or executives in foreign funded or domestic enterprises,
into the position of establishing a business. This they did using considerable
expertise in management and other areas in order to go into business.
Female entrepreneur tops China's rich list
“Make way for the Big Momma of the Billionaires’ Club,” says
the Daily Express. In 1985 Yan Cheung had a business idea importing waste paper
into China. She set up a company in Hong Kong, using $4,000 in savings. "At
that time people in China didn't have name cards, and I carried around an introduction
letter," she recalls.
She has become the richest self-made woman in the world, and China's wealthiest
person, according to the rich list. The 49-year-old head of Nine Dragons Paper,
is said to be now worth $3.4bn (£1.8bn) after a nine-fold rise in her
fortune in just a year. In comparison, JK Rowling was worth nearly $1bn while
Oprah Winfrey earned a staggering $200m .....
* Freedom - make your own decisions
* Fulfilment - do something you love and get rewarded for it
* Flexibility - choose your hours and make work fit within your other commitments
Working for yourself has some big advantages. But, whether you have just started
or you are just starting to think about whether it could be the right move for
you, it can also be daunting. Especially in difficult economic times.
Arming yourself with good advice, tailored to your needs and the current economic
climate, and talking to other women in similar circumstance is a great way to
equip yourself with the knowledge and confidence to take your ideas forward
and for your business to survive and thrive.
What's Stopping You? is designed for any woman interested in the idea of working
for herself, even if it is just a few hours a week, or who has been running
some form of business for less than a year.
The event will include:
* expert advisers ready to answer your questions big and small
* helpful seminars
* do's and don'ts
* discussions
* networking opportunities
* motivation and inspiration
What’s Stopping You? When and Where?
2008
19th November Oxford, Oxfordshire
26th November Fareham, Hampshire
27th November Reading, Berkshire
2009
4th February Milton Keynes, Bucks
5th February Slough, Berkshire
12th February Cowes, Isle of Wight
25th February Basingstoke, Hampshire
26th February Farnham, Surrey
Seminars designed for women in South East England interested in working for
themselves or who have started some form of business in the 12-months. The aim
is to help women successfully start up, sustain and survive in the current economic
climate. The events are run by Business Link and funded by SEEDA (South East
England Development Agency) with the objective of releasing the untapped potential
that more women in business could offer the economy and local communities. More
details about the events are on the website www.whatsstoppingyouevents.co.uk
or call Tel: 01732 878 00.
Must Read - Get Entrepreneurial to Survive an Economic Downturn
A business is usually run in a cyclic manner, and an economic downturn is a
part of the cycle. It actually predicts the decline of the economy of a nation
and marks that the growth period of the business cycle has come to an end. When
an economic downturn hits a business the levels of production and consumer purchase
reduces considerably, that's the major characteristic of a downturn.
The effect of a downturn hits every business, small or big; but the smaller
ones are usually the worst hit. The small business segments actually use lesser
resources, with minimum diversification and constricted focus on business; when
an economic downturn hits them, they actually are left with very limited options
to save the business. A wide spectrum allows more space for expansion and during
crisis; they have the opportunity of closing down the loss-making segments.
But the small ones do not have the option and they try to cut down every possible
cost, to continue the business.
In Britain, most of the small sized and medium sized businesses do not have
written plans and papers and is a great hindrance for their prospect in the
near future. With no valid documents of business, these companies are likely
to face huge losses during an economic downturn. With the recent turmoil in
the financial markets of the UK the economic downturn businesses should plan
their survival strategies and follow it hard.
Identify your goals:
The prime goal of a business owner should be his survival strategy when the
business meets a downturn. Plan and develop a subtle, efficient and effective
mode of operation; that's the first step. Secondly, allow the business to grow
even during the downturn.
Objectives:
An entrepreneur's basic objective should be - conserving enough cash, protection
of assets, reduction of costs, improvement of efficiency and growing customer
base. These are the major rules one should follow when starting off a business.
An economic downturn, though predictable, needs a ready back up. That helps.
Don't Panic:
An economic downturn is a common issue now, and historians believe that it doesn't
last too long. This situation is to be handled very calmly and with enough patience.
Behave rationally and focus on your future plans of expansion.
The director of Scottish Family Business Association Martin Stepek says, "Don't
precipitate anything, because what appears to be a downturn or what is a recession
is an average of different industries and different businesses". Also a
member of the Stepek chain of electrical retailers and travel and agency family,
he says, "Your particular business or situation may not be as affected
as others. The first thing to do is try and assess where you are in relation
to the average. Then just play everything cautiously. Don't stop training or
marketing - as some people are prone to do - but be a bit more watchful about
making any major decisions."
Take hold of every opportunity:
An economic downturn is usually accompanied by several opportunities for growth.
The Head of the corporate at Dundas & Wilson law firm, Michael Polson says,
"Don't lose your appetite for growth."
Look for areas that you can probably control:
The opportunities can include many pertinent business activities; you need to
focus on these aspects than being restless and hyper. These situations need
to be handled with ease.
Maintain records of payment:
See that you are being paid in time; delay in payments can hit small and medium
sized businesses very hard. It is one of the earlier symptoms of a downturn.
Look ahead, think positive:
Try to analyse why the situations are so difficult? What is making it so difficult?
Identify the root cause and plan your back up. Don't just pay heed to the media;
they sell useless material to generate revenues. Seek an expert's opinion, there's
many online giving free good advice.
Communicate: Don't just be over confident about yourself, if you want to save your business,
you'll need everyone to help you out, your employees categorically. Also not
to forget, your suppliers, customers, lenders and your advisors. Keep the communication
process on and be honest and consistent.
Negotiate:
Sharpen your negotiation skills that help you expand your business. Be careful
when you are dealing with the sellers, don't expect a win-win situation all
the time, and look for better opportunities.
Evaluate your capital:
You need to manage your cash flow, keep track of monthly inflows and outflows.
It will be a great aid in planning your monthly expenditure. Maintain the statements
of cash flow and include it in your financial report at the end of the month.
Try to have a healthy financial system that will help you prioritise your course
of action in case of an emergency.
Customer satisfaction:
Customers act as lifeblood in any economic condition. When your business is
going through a downturn, your customers will keep you going, serve them well.
Pay heed to their needs, ask for a feedback and improve your business accordingly.
We exist because of our customers and their loyalty is like oxygen for our survival.
Review the business plan:
If everything tumbles down, quickly revise your business plan. Focus on the
minute details and look for loopholes, if any. Modify those points and make
necessary alternations. Update your business techniques with new and advanced
opportunities. Have thorough knowledge about recent investments, ones that you've
made and the ones that you've earned.
Bank and lawyer:
Seek the help of your bank, they can provide you best information on finance
and other related issues. You should also have a lawyer at hand to sort out
legal matters.
An economic downturn is a critical situation for every business, but that doesn't
mean you stop investing. It happens with every economy and we are no exception.
Take it up as a challenge and face it, there's no other way, practically. But
then it also facilitates the expansion of your business and indicates a rise
in the market share. While there are too many negative sides of a downturn,
we cannot also ignore the few positive aspects. Concentrate on the positive
points and go ahead.
Women & Money - Bartering your way out of the credit crunch
As the economy slows, a growing number of consumers are trying to find a wider
market for their goods and services by offering to barter them. Local newspapers
and Internet sites are seeing a sharp rise in postings by people willing to
swap their used cameras or baby-sitting services for other people's electric
drills or guitar lessons, rather than taking cash.
Small business owners are showing more interest in barter because they can attract
new customers and get goods and services they need for themselves. Bigger businesses
already have such capability, often exchanging goods and services through established
barter exchanges.
Bartering has been done successfully for thousands of years and can also be
done on a smaller scale - you can trade advertising for products or services.
There are hundreds of ways to do it without large cash outlays. On the Oprah
show a young woman told how she had paid for a $40,000 wedding by trading her
company's moving services to many of the vendors through a barter exchange program.
Founded by Sandra Vassallo, e-Bility Pty Ltd has a section on it's site to SWAP
Shoes, the service is for Australians requiring single shoes or shoes for different
sized feet. The UK Swapcycle site http://www.swapcycle.co.uk
lets you swap something you don't want for something you do! If you are in need
of a holiday and have a limited budget then you could consider 'Home Swapping'
. HomeLink International established in 1953 leads the way in home exchange
holidays. You can exchange homes, cars, lifestyles they have 12,000 members
worldwide. http://www.homelink.org.uk/
Bartercard has over 55,000 businesses in 12 countries around the world with
over 4,000 in the UK member businesses can exchange goods and services with
other Member businesses, saving cash, without having to engage in a direct swap
of goods. Each member is issued an account number, a transaction card, an interest
free line of credit and access to Bartercard's printed and online business directory,
offering members a world of trading opportunities. Members use their Bartercard
transaction card to trade anything from stationery to real estate, Bartercard
operates similar to the common credit and debit card systems, as operated by
VISA and MasterCard. Members earn Bartercard Trade pounds for the goods and
services they sell and this value is recorded electronically in the member's
account database. The service can offer particularly benefits to - small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) - which are often faced with fluctuating cashflow,
slow sales growth and high business financing rates.
Bartering definitely has it advantages and disadvantages, before going into
any negotiations or paying for services do some research, ask questions, check
that it will suit your products or services. If you have stock that you need
immediate cash flow back then having credits from a Barter tool site such as
Bartercard may not be the best option, as you can only spend the credits on
what other members are offering, perhaps selling stock on ebay would be a better
option in this case.
One of our members bartered directly with an architect offering him five times
his fee if he drew plans now and waited for payment, once a brick was laid he
would get paid. Our member could make £1.7 million on selling the land
with planning permission, and millions more if she developed and sold the houses.
Another member offered her services free to large company in the morning, they
accepted her offer, she then used this to secure large contract the same afternoon
using working for the large global company as a recommendation. A very successful
business women started out by signing up for a trial of an industrial cleaning
machine, got bookings before having the equipment on trial to clean carpets
and with the monies she got she put down for the deposit for the equipment.
When needs must women will always find a way……. ……!
Must Visit Site - Learn or teach a language online from the comfort of your home!
»Learn or teach a language online from
the comfort of your home with Myngle!
Since December 2007, Myngle has been bringing together language teachers and
students from all over the world enabling live lessons or conversational practice
over the Internet. Myngle offers a solution that provides the possibility of
teaching or receiving live one-on-one classes from the comfort of your home
for practically any language and level from any type of teacher.
Myngle
since last December has had almost 20,000 users registered for teaching or taking
language lessons.
If you are looking for additional revenue then when not sign up as a teacher!
w: http://www.myngle.com
»I-resign.com
I-resign.com is
a careers-advice website aimed primarily at users who are thinking about quitting
their job. They provide a huge range of content and resources including resignation
letter templates, articles about career-change, how-to guides, tax, lifestyle,
holiday and commission calculators with a popular blog and discussion forum.
Women Mentors Webchats - Get A Bite of the $400 - Billion USA Government Spends
»Listen to the Give Me 5% Teleconference
Give Me 5 derives its name from The Equity in Contracting for Women Act (2000)
in the USA, which stipulates that federal contracting officers award 5% of all
contracts to women-owned businesses. With women presently receiving 3.4% of
federal contract dollars, Give Me 5 aims to increase the representation of women-owned
businesses that win government contracts by providing resources and information
to make it easier for women to register their businesses with the Central Contractor
Registry (CCR), a requirement to gain eligibility to apply for federal contracts.
WIPP and American Express OPEN are making strides to increase the number of
women that are registered to do business with the federal government. Find out
the details on how you can register your business to get a bite of the $400-Billion
that the government spends each year. To watch the Video click
here
At the Office - Use Video Conferencing To Beat Costs...
With video Conferencing, the world has shrunk; the entire world is in front of
you. Technology has been evolving at a rate faster than the speed at which you
read this article and amongst numerous things it brings forth a technology, so
innovative, that it makes your presence felt in the other parts of the world whilst
you sit sipping coffee in your own office.
Can save time and money!
Video Conferencing as a technology, in today's extremely fast paced corporate
world accomplishes the most important factor of saving money and time which
in turn translates into money. Video Conferencing enables a real time communication
and is possible between two participants and as large as 8 participants each
initiating the call from an entirely different geographical location. It can
be either Circuit Switch based or IP based, though the latter is a much preferred
option as it utilises the transport mechanism in the most effective manner,
thereby saving cost. The technological evolution also presents various collaboration
tools, like White Board, Application Sharing etc thereby transforming a Video
Conference into a full fledged meeting.
By virtue of Video Conferencing, businesses get the advantage of removing geographical
boundaries and restrictions. Meetings which may have taken thousands of pounds
in costs to organise the logistics, travel accommodation etc and so many days
of planning with regards to the availability of the conference room can now
be concluded at the drop of the hat with the minimal cost involved. The benefit
that a video conferencing has over an audio conferencing is that it facilitates
a face to face meeting; as humans that makes a lot of difference as we like
to see people and their expressions whilst hearing them - it makes the communication
complete. By virtue of the technology it is possible to use visual aids during
the meeting or presentation and thus it obviously expedites the process of explaining
and sharing information.
There is no doubt that with Video Conferencing adopted as an inherent part
of the ways of working of an organisation has a certain positive impact on the
organisations operational efficiency. It makes it simpler for managers to conduct
regular meetings and be in touch with their teams which may be geographically
spread. Online collaboration becomes very effective as decisions can be made
there and then with the inputs gathered from all the participants.
It finds its use in education wherein the professor can be sitting in one location
and the students can be geographically spread out; at the same time the class
room feel prevails as the technology is fully interactive. It also finds great
use in telemedicine, security and surveillance, defense and recreational activities.
With the advent of such technology the rate of dissemination of knowledge and
information has increased exponentially.
There are organisations which provide Hosted Video Telephony as a part of their
Hosted PABX/Telephony option. These services are chargeable and make sense for
a corporate organisation as their needs are driven by quality and availability
Free Video Conferencing
Video Conferencing is available free of cost on the internet. Off course it
is limited in terms of the features and to a certain aspect in the quality aspect.
On a personal front it still makes a lot of sense. In today's dynamic world
when family members are staying far away from each other, attributable to study,
job and various other reasons, video conferencing is a boon and it very effectively
manages to bridge the distance. Its utility is limited to your imagination.
Easy to install software
Easy to install software, which works on most of the Platforms and equally simple
to install hardware ensure that it is available as an option to your organisation
the day you want it. The initial investment for such a system is not high either.
Web Cam for as little as £15 or less, Use Msn, Skype or AOL...
For personal or prefessional use all that is needed is a mere web cam which
can be bought for £15 or less. As webcam capabilities have been added
to instant messaging text chat services such as Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant
Messenger (AIM), Windows Live Messenger, Skype, iChat, Paltalk (now PaltalkScene),
Ekiga , Stickam, and Camfrog. Indeed most of the instant messengers support
video conferencing. AOL Instant Messenger, one-to-one live video communication
over the internet has now reached millions of mainstream PC users worldwide.
Increased video quality has helped webcams encroach on traditional video conferencing
systems. New features such as lighting, real-time enhancements (retouching,
wrinkle smoothing and vertical stretch) can make users more comfortable, further
increasing popularity. Features and performance vary between programs.
Low CAPEX and even Lower OPEX are factors that are reason enough to drive an
organisation towards using Video Conferencing on a more regular basis. The ease
of use and flexibility in teams organising meetings makes this technology a
favourite with all the users. It helps build up an environment of a virtual
office or maybe a virtual classroom and facilitates brainstorming and information
sharing. With 3G and HSPA technologies available on the Mobile networks it is
even easy to initiate a video conference on your phone while you are on the
go.
Video Conferencing is the last frontier in shrinking the world and bringing
it is a mouse click away!
Women and Travel - Whose bagging all the money from sky high petrol prices?
Who bags all the money from sky high petrol prices?
An extraordinary amount of profits were racked up by oil giants, according to Sky Money two of the world's largest oil firms, Royal Dutch Shell and BP racked up a whacking £7bn in profits during the first three months of this year alone. Shell's profits were reported at £3.9bn in the first three months of the year, up from £3.45bn a year ago, while BP saw its own profits rise 48% to £3.31bn. But Britains 30 million drivers are not quite as delighted at the news of the oil giants mega profits as petrol and diesel prices have reach record levels, with some service stations charging upwards of £1.20 for a litre of diesel. Oil companies bagged more profits when oil prices reached $120 a barrel doubling the price of two years ago and they've also seen profits jump from 'upstream' extraction and exploration.
Over 50 pence fuel tax on every litre of petrol
But let's not forget that a large slice of the money we pay for our petrol is eaten up in taxes indeed the UK Treasury are the main beneficiaries of the oil price crisis as the huge profits made by the oil companies yield tax bonanzas for the government.
UK is one of the World's largest producers
The UK remains for now one of the world's largest producers, currently in 13th
place although North Sea oil stocks are declining.
According to one of the industry's trade bodies, Oil & Gas UK, an additional
petroleum revenue tax delivered another £1.5bn to the government's coffers. There
is a further 'supplementary corporation tax' charge of 20% on profits from North
Sea oil and gas. This delivered another £2bn to the Exchequer, although a breakdown
between oil and gas is not known.
The Association of British Car Drivers report that the government takes around
50.35p fuel tax on every litre of petrol, and that Britain are taxed nearly seven
times more than drivers in the USA, and that's without VAT! VAT is applied to
every element of the sale, in effect, VAT is a tax on tax and the combined total
amounts to about 70% of the total cost of petrol you buy.
How do we work it out whose making the money?
So how do we work it out according to Sky Money if you pay £1.10 for a litre of unleaded
- Of that price, about 32p is the actual cost of the petrol itself, as it is pumped into your car.
- Another 8p-9p is how much the service station operator might earn from the transaction. Out of that come staff costs, the upkeep of the forecourt and other buildings, heating, lighting, and tax.
- The government takes another 50p per litre or thereabouts. This is its fuel tax and it remains fixed, no matter how much the cost of petrol goes up.
- The government also takes another 17.5% in VAT
Figures compiled by the AA show that the average British motorist now pays more than £1,800 annually in car tax, fuel duty, VAT on petrol and other levies - an increase of more than 50% in just over
a decade.
Notes
The standard
oil barrel of 42 US gallons (159 L) is used in the United States as a measure
of crude oil and other petroleum products. Elsewhere, oil is commonly measured
in cubic metres (m3) or in tonnes (t), with tonnes more often being used by European
oil companies. International companies listed on American stock exchanges tend
to convert their oil production volumes to barrels for global reporting purposes,
and those listed on European exchanges tend to convert their production to tonnes.
Business Mentor - How do you compete with the Big Boys?
We only have to look at how Vodafone - then a small part of Racal Telecom competed
with telecom giants BT in the early 80's and made the UK's first mobile call
at a few minutes past midnight on 1 January 1985. For the first nine days of
1985 Vodafone was the only firm with a mobile network in the UK. Within fifteen
years, the network was the largest company in Europe and the largest of its
kind anywhere in the world. By the turn of the century, almost every second
UK citizen had a mobile - and a third of them were connected to Vodafone.
The Vodafone story is one of how small can compete with the big by having 'can
do attitude' - driven by wanting to be first - being innovative - having the
desire to give great customer service. The Vodaphone team beat off competition
in spite of their size. It was the focus on customer service by the small team
of Vodaphone that they developed a computer programme to research the best areas
around the UK to locate the mobile network aerials. BT on the other hand having
properties throughout the UK at their disposal just put up masks on their existing
buildings. The Vodaphone team which seemed at the time disadvantaged by not
having BT's resources positioned aerials on where they should go to give them
the best network. So BT may have been the goliath in the early 80's it had thousands
of employees, over 10,000 properties at its disposal it still lost the race,
it wasn't until January 10th 1985 that BT launched its network, Cellnet (now
O2) .
When phones were launched they were the size of a briefcase and cost about
£2,000 and had a battery life of little more than 20 minutes, despite
that they were hugely popular in the mid-80s they became the yuppies must-have
status symbol. It took Vodafone almost nine years to rack up its first million
customers then only 18 months to get their second million. Up and until 1993
Cellnet and Vodafone were the only mobile phone operators in the UK, then came
One2One (now T-Mobile) launched with Orange having its UK launch in 1994. Both
newcomers operated digital mobile networks and now all operators use this technology.
The analogue spectrum for the old phones has been retired. Called Global System
for Mobiles (GSM) this is now the most widely used phone technology on the planet
and is used to help more than 1.2 billion people make calls. The advent of digital
technology has helped to introduce all those things, such as text messaging
and roaming that have made mobiles so popular.
Brits make a reported 132 million mobile phone calls a day, the UK's communications
industry has indeed come along way since Vodafone made the first call from St
Katherine's dock to its head office in Newbury, which at the time was over a
curry house!
»Pension top-up offered to stay-at-home women Thousands of women who took time off to look after children will be able to boost
their state pensions under a top-up scheme announced by the Government today.
Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell is proposing an amendment to the Pension
Bill enabling people to buy up to an extra six years of National Insurance contributions. ..read
this article in full .... »Margareta Pagano: You really think tokenism works?
I feel as though I've stepped back into the dark ages. First came the news that
David Cameron had hired spin-mistresses to help capture more women voters. Then
a group of really tip-top British all-male industrialists wrote to a national
newspaper this week calling for more women to join the boards of our big companies
in such a desperate tone that it reminded me of those war-time conscription adverts:
"Your Country Needs You."... read
this article in full »Redressing the balance: Business schools need
to do more to attract women
Listen up employers and MBA directors: women are your workforce, and it's time
you started tailoring your courses and jobs to their needs.Six out of 10 university
graduates across the developed world, and in some developing countries, are women.
Given that three major studies have concluded that having a better gender balance
at the top levels of a company bring in greater profitability, it is time women
stopped having to develop their career in their male superior's image.... read
this article in full....»UN says sexual discrimination is rife in Britain
British women are under-represented in Parliament, paid less than men at work
and increasingly being sent to prison for committing minor offences, a report
on sex discrimination has found. The report, which was published by an influential
committee of the United Nations, paints a damning picture of daily life for women
living in the UK who continue to fight for a fairer deal in society. Calling on
Britain to do more to improve the standing of women, the committee argues.....read
this article in full »Malaysia limits women's travel
Malaysian women's groups reacted with outrage to a government proposal to impose restrictions on woman planning to travel overseas on their own.
The mainly Muslim country is considering requiring women to obtain the written
consent of their families or employers before being allowed to travel alone outside
the country, state news agency Bernama said on Saturday, quoting the foreign minister.... read
this article in full
»Leading article: Put women in the picture
We are used to complaints about the lack of women in British boardrooms, despite
evidence that companies generally perform better if the board is more representative
of the real world. Now the Culture minister, Margaret Hodge, has highlighted
the absence of women in the upper echelons of the arts establishment. She is
entirely right to do so... read
this article in full
»Mum's the word for SMEs
An increase in mothers returning to work due to the recession could represent
a cost-saving opportunity for small businesses, says an employment site. Mandy
Garner, spokesperson for WorkingMums.co.uk, tells Smallbusiness.co.uk: ' The
benefits to small businesses are particularly obvious as the shift in more mothers
returning to work represents an opportunity to employ skilled workers and save
money through flexible working patterns.'...read
this article in full
A £10 million fund has been established which will finance loans, training
and mentoring for aspiring female entrepreneurs.
Networking community Enterprising Women is offering its members the chance
to apply loans of up to £30,000 from the fund, which has been set up in
partnership with Lloyds TSB with the aim of helping women make the most of their
business ideas.
Bev Hurley, chief executive officer of the company behind Enterprising Women,
remarks that women often take a more cautious approach towards risk and debt
than men. Another challenge faced by both male and female entrepreneurs is formulating
a realistic business plan, she adds.
Hurley says: 'Many entrepreneurs ... still don't robustly test and validate
their business plan against ... commercial reality. Lack of knowledge about
the challenges, costs and timescales of getting customer revenues can lead to
struggling and unsustainable businesses.’
The UK government-backed Women's Business Development Agency says that encouraging
women to found their own firms is 'vitally important' for the economy.
Dubai resort The Atlantis stages most expensive launch party ever, ignoring
the depressing economic downturn, Dubai lit up its skies at the lavish launch
of one of the world's most luxurious hotels. Australian pop star Kylie Minogue
made her Middle East debut over night as the headline act at the lavish opening
of an exclusive Dubai hotel.
Making her red-carpet entrance to reportedly the most expensive private party
ever staged - Minogue confessed to a few pre-performance nerves.
ARE YOU GEARING UP TO START A B&B BUSINESS FROM HOME? IF SO, WE WANT TO
HEAR FROM YOU NOW!
The BBC is looking for homeowners who have plans to start a new B&B and
are willing to have their business plans scrutinized by our expert. If you've
decided you have the right location, a head for business, can rustle up a full
English, and are about to take the plunge - why not get in touch with us about
taking part.
Please email hth@bbc.co.uk or call 0161 244 4353 (standard rates apply) AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE but no later than Monday 17TH November 2008.
Trying to get new business? What about government contracts?
Figures show that public sector spending is expected to exceed a staggering
£175 Billion within the UK alone. This market represents a fantastic opportunity
for SME'S(*) to ensure continued growth through uncertain economic times. Unfortunately
women owned businesses in the UK do not enjoy legislation such as The Equity
in Contracting for Women Act (2000) which is in force in the USA.
Small businesses in the UK face many barriers when bidding for contracts irrespective
of how innovative they are or if they are leaders in their field. There are
many hoops to jump through with a wrath of conditions to adhere to, not to mention
that private sector firms bidding for government contracts will have to publish
details of their diversity policies. Many firms do not welcome more bureaucracy
to wade through in the process of tendering for public contracts where it is
already very difficult, particularly for smaller businesses, to break through
and get government work. They see addressing high unemployment in some ethnic
communities is not by race quotas but by equipping workers with the skills businesses
need.
The Federation of Small Businesses(FSB) who has over 200,000 members say that
the government should rapidly develop proposals to ensure a greater proportion
of public sector contracts are awarded to SMEs offering best value for money.
This will benefit the wider business community, the economy and local communities,
three of the UK’s major business organisations say.
* Over three quarters of SMEs believe it’s still difficult to find out
about government opportunities;
* Over half of SMEs feel that the tendering process and timescales require too
much resources to respond effectively;
* Nearly three quarters of SMEs feel that there is a lack of responsiveness
and too much formality in the procurement process.
Enterprise statistics
* At the start of 2007 there were 4.7 million businesses, over 950 thousand
(25%) more than in 2000.
* 99.9% of UK businesses are SMEs (at the start of 2007).
* SMEs employ 13.5 million people- 59.2 per cent of the total private sector
workforce.
* SMEs contribute as much as large business to UK output (50 per cent of Gross
Value Added) and turnover (51.5 per cent).
* The World Bank ranks the UK second in Europe, and in the top ten economies
(out of 181) on measures of the ease of doing business.
» Tendering Resources:
Download 54 Page PDF document - Tendering
for Government Contracts A Guide for Small Businesses . The Small Business
Service (SBS) and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) produced this guide
jointly. The guide covers where to find opportunities within the public sector.
Secondly, it will explain how you can bid for work. Thirdly, it will advise
you on the further contacts you may need to make.
» CompeteFor CompeteFor is the chosen site of London 2012 for the publication of Games-related
contract opportunities. It acts as a brokerage service between buyers throughout
the London 2012 supply chain, and potential suppliers. CompeteFor also provides
access to business support services; building skills and capacity to ensure
that businesses across the UK can access opportunities linked to the hosting
of the London 2012 Games.
» Supply London Supply London is a business support programme funded by the London Development
Agency and delivered by a team of experienced business procurement professionals.
Supply London work with the Capital’s small businesses providing practical
assistance to enable them to become successful suppliers, whilst also acting
as a source of new suppliers in London for major public and private sector organisations.
If you are a business in London that employs less than 250 people and has a
turnover of less than £34 million, then use this website to find out more
about the free support that is provided.
Diversity Works for London. w: www.supplylondon.com/
Diversity Works for London (DWfL) is the Mayor’s flagship campaign whose
vision is for a London where businesses harness the benefits of a diverse workforce
and supplier base and provide excluded Londoners with a chance to share in the
city’s opportunities and prosperity. Its three objectives are to:
* Champion the business case for diversity by seeking out, promoting and sharing
good practice
* Engage and work in partnership with the private, public and voluntary sectors
in promoting equality
* Campaign for and enable London’s businesses to reflect diversity in capital's
diversity in all levels of their workforce and supply chains
(*)What is an SME?
Small medium-sized enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses are often
referred to as SMEs. These are companies whose number of employees or turnover
falls below certain limits. The EU defines companies with fewer than 50 employees
as small, and those with less than 250 as medium-sized.
Our newsletter shares helpful news and information with women entrepreneurs around
the world designed to keep the business women in touch with key events, relevant
research and, most importantly, each other!
We provide news, events, and online resources that will involve, inspire and inform
you and others like you.
Myngle
since last December has had almost 20,000 users registered for teaching or taking
language lessons. 
