Small businesses are leading the field as the first generation digital-native businesses, research finds. European small businesses are leading the first generation of digitally-native businesses, with mobile social networking and innovative technology tools becoming the backbone of how they do business day to day. According to research commissioned by BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM), leaders [...]
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A government tax incentive that rewards UK-patented intellectual property will be welcomed by all small businesses that invest in innovation, says a law firm. From April 2013, the Patent Box will allow any profits from inventions that are protected by a UK (or other qualifying) patent to be taxable at a 10 per cent rate [...]
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FSB launches inquiry ahead of employment statistics next week, which are set to show another rise in unemployment. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and All Party Parliamentary Small Business Group (APPSBG) are launching an inquiry into entrepreneurship today, as new figures show that almost a third of small businesses at start-up stage have difficulty [...]
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A third of small businesses overspend on their office printing, wasting almost £1,000 a year, new research reveals. Furthermore, only a 10th admitted to “actively researching” printing costs to ensure they are receiving the best deals available. Of the 89% of respondents who stated they didn’t research printing costs, the majority admitted unnecessarily printing 500 [...]
Read more →The introduction of a new legal framework for e-commerce in the UK has been postponed until the summer. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has put back the implementation of the EU’s E-commerce Directive to allow further consultation on the new legislation. The directive was agreed in May 2000, and originally meant to be [...]
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The Forum of Private Business is calling for small businesses’ patent rights to be better protected amid concerns that many cannot afford to sue companies which steal their ideas. In its submission to the Hargreaves Review of Intellectual Property (IP) the Forum is urging the government to provide greater protection for small business innovations after [...]
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Senior management switched on to digital but organisational and recruitment challenges remain. While businesses see digital marketing as fundamentally important, many are struggling to develop effective processes and manage resourcing. Research amongst in-house digital professionals finds 62% feel their board or senior management have a good grasp of the potential of digital channels. But when [...]
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The government’s decision to delay introducing auto-enrolment pensions for small and medium sized businesses is likely to be a mixed blessing for the sector, according to a law firm. Pensions experts at Ward Hadaway say that while delaying the introduction of auto-enrolment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with fewer than 50 employees means these [...]
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