Tag Archives: Business

Improve the Workflow of any Business by Improving Organisation by Matt Rawlings

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When you’re looking to take a business of any genre to the next level, the main stumbling block is quite often the level of organisation. It can be absolute chaos in some industries with paperwork here, there and everywhere, products being shipped all over the world, employees at various different company locations, the list could go on and on.

As a result, keeping your staff not only in order but in a positive mood to ensure that productivity is at its highest can be difficult; but nowhere near as difficult as keeping productivity and efficiency to the standards desired by those paying for your goods and services. This is where technology can come in handy.

Let’s look at an example that might not immediately spring to mind when you think of computerized organisation – the construction industry. You could have a head office on one side of the UK, in Newcastle for instance, and you could have a project in progress in Taunton, the complete opposite end of the country.

Communication between the two locations is simple – you can just ring from the site to the office – but paperwork needs to be signed off at the end of each stage of the process, and when it has to be mailed from one location to the other this can take days, even longer, slowing the whole construction process down, decreasing productivity.

If the company were to install some form of documentation controlling software, they could store all of the papers in one central location on a computer and provide access for all relevant parties, whether it’s those in the head office, those at the site, or the company they’re building for – allowing them to monitor progress and make sure that the deadline will be met.

As with any business, the more organised a company can be, the more efficient the essential processes can become, helping you to take your business to the next level in terms of productivity, customer service and also reducing the stress levels of those involved!

Matt Rawlings

Top 3 Advantages of Metal Finishing for Your Business

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Now, before you start reading this in the interest that you’ll find out how metal finishing can add value to your marketing, HR or IT business, I want to quickly confess that I’m only reaching out to those fellows predominantly involved with the construction and engineering trade.

For those of you who work in these industries, you’ll know that the heavy-duty tools, machinery and appliances you use to carry out vital day-to-day jobs need to be able to stand the test of time. Repairs can be a costly band-aid, and if structure failure as a result of cheaper material choices occurs, this poses a public safety risk, not to mention a risk to the safety of your workers. With online OSHA 10 and key occupational training, and the adoption of solid metal finishing for your project, you ensure your project uses the safest industry-standard materials on the market.

Metal finishing relates to the process of deposition, application or treatment of a metallic coating onto a product in order to enhance its appearance, function or performance. Due to its ability to be applied to a wide range of surfaces including steel, aluminium, copper and crass, metal finishing holds the ability to add value to any construction business.

How, exactly? Well, here a 3 top reasons why metal finishing could help to benefit your business:

1. Improve Appearances

Metal finishing can be accomplished through a variety of techniques; powder coating, silk screening, anodizing, e-coating and plating are just to name a few. However, whichever way your finish is achieved, you can be assured that the most notable advantage it’ll provide to your product is the improvement to its overall aesthetics.

It can help to remove sharp edges, smooth surfaces and clean the surface to produce a textured, matte or glossy finish. Aside from also contributing to removing burrs and other surface flaws that may be present on the surface of your product, it can modify decorative options such as the application of colour, metal polishing, glass beading and custom metal plating.

By doing so, you can ensure you’re providing your customers and clients with the highest quality products, should they demand those with greater decorative appearance.

2. Greater Resistance

By overlaying your products in a protected metal finish, the most notable advantage of the process is its ability to make them last a lot longer. If left untreated, metals can wear and disintegrate much quicker than those that are treated.

The metal finishing coating system offers a low coefficient of friction with great abrasion resistance and durability towards corrosion, chemical and tarnish wear. So whether your business uses hardwearing operative machinery, or whether you manufacture building materials for consumers, you can ensure your product will last whatever it’s purpose, as well as however and wherever it’s used.

3. Ease of Cleaning

Part of preserving a well-utilised product/machine/tool lies in the maintenance and cleaning of it.

Metal finishing significantly reduces product contamination and adhesion due to the microscopic smoothness when applied to the surface. This finish also ensures the surface is well maintained and protected.

On the other hand, metal finishing a product can also significantly reduce the time spent cleaning it. On previously non-coated materials, considerable time and care has to be spent to ensure chemicals and procedures don’t contribute to the wearing and rusting of the product. However, with metal finishing, items can be power-washed or hydro-blasted with ease. Companies that have already adopted the use of metal finishing have reported a reduction in cleaning time of more than 50%; meaning that your workforce can spend that previously used time on more vital and beneficial tasks for your business…

This article was written by Ella Mason, an experienced freelance writer. Ella specialises in providing informative and engaging advice to businesses.

Applying to university or college next year? Read these top dos and don’ts

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Applying to university or college next year? Read these top dos and don’ts from UCAS.

 

Applying to university or college next year? Read these top dos and dont’s by Cathy Gilbert, Director of Customer Strategy at UCAS

Do – research your university and degree course choices carefully before applying. For me, that should include going to open days as well as looking at the online information. You’ll spend three or four years studying in higher education, so you should be really passionate about the course content and your chosen place of study.

Do – remember the UCAS application deadlines. The first date on the horizon this year is the 15 October deadline for applying to Oxford and Cambridge, and for courses anywhere in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and veterinary science. The key deadline for most other courses is 15 January next year. You’ll have to send your application to us by this time to be certain of consideration.

Do – make the most of the help available from UCAS on ucas.com. Working through our Six steps to applying will make the process much easier. You can also watch videos on UCAStv featuring students who have already started and been through big events like Freshers’ Week. If you have a burning question at any stage of the process why not ask our team of experts on Twitter (@ucas_online) and Facebook (/ucasonline)? You’ll get a clear answer back very quickly.

Don’t – forget that some universities and colleges will ask you to sit an admissions test in addition to the standard qualifications. The Admissions tests section of the UCAS website will help you understand some of these and the UCAS bookstore has guides dedicated to many of them.

Don’t – be tempted to submit a copied personal statement or one downloaded from a website. Thankfully, only one percent of applicants did this last year. UCAS is quite clear that personal statements should be an applicant’s own work, although we do advise that parents and teachers check them over. Our computer system has tens of thousands of personal statements on file and similarities will be flagged up to the universities.

Don’t – panic about tuition fees. There is a wealth of information out there to help you understand the costs of higher education – and remember you won’t have to pay anything upfront. You can visit the Student finance section of our website to find out more, or visit Moneysavingexpert’s Students section.

WORLD’S FIRST ‘TWEET’ SHOP OPENS IN LONDON

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– Shoppers told to put money away and pay by social currency –

The world’s first high-street shop where customers pay by Tweet instead of money has opened in central London today.

The Tweet Shop is a standalone retail outlet from Special K and is being used to mark the famous cereal maker’s move into the savoury crisps market.

Customers are encouraged to put away their money and pay for a packet of new Special K Cracker Crisps by simply Tweeting a message about the low calorie snack range and sharing the news with the wider Twittersphere.

As well as the company’s first move into crisps, the shop is also Kellogg’s first venture into the retail arena with its very first dedicated physical space in the UK.

The shop is staffed by a number of iconic Special K girls in red dresses who will check each customer’s Tweet before handing over the crisps.

Kim Murray, 28 from London, was the first person to pay for the product with a Tweet.

Sarah Case from Special K comments: “The value of positive endorsements on social media sites is beyond compare so we’re excited to be the first company to literally use social currency instead of financial currency to launch this new product in our bespoke Special K shop.

“This is big news for Special K and we are hoping the brand’s move into crisps and the high street will create a major buzz on and offline.”

The Tweet Shop on Soho’s Meard Street, London is open from 9am to 5pm on Tuesday 25th September to Friday 28th September. It is lined with hundreds of packs of crisps, a ‘try before you buy’ snacking area and a ‘community noticeboard’ that captures social media reaction to the unique retail space.

Top SEO Apps for Businesses

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Let me take you back to 20 years ago; there was no such thing as the Internet, no one had even thought about search engines, and smartphones were a distant fantasy.

Today, these technologies have become a vital part of society. Aside from transforming our personal day-to-day lives, the invention of digital technology has also had a profound impact on the world of business.

Operating a business was previously about forming relationships through basic human face-to-face contact. Now, you can operate a business without ever meeting any of your clients, and you can even run a business from the palm of your hand.

Digital has become big business. And you can’t mention digital business without the matter of SEO.

So, if you’re looking to boost your business’ digital presence with the help of your smartphone or tablet, here are a selection of top SEO apps that’ll help you to do so.

WordPress

If you have a website or blog page that uses the WordPress theme, this app will be right up your street.

Available on a variety of platforms, including Apple and Android, the app allows you to manage the content side of your SEO right from your fingertips.

You can edit existing articles, change existing links or add new articles with anchor texts and hyperlinks without even having to think about writing in HTML. You can also effortlessly add photos, check your spelling and even change existing keywords in an instant should the competition drop for a particular trending keyword.

If you’re also keen to see how an article has gone down with your readers, with the ability to edit, modify and reply to your comments, staying in touch with your readers couldn’t be simpler.

Google Analytics

The Google Analytics app is the perfect SEO reporting platform; it allows you to measure your sales and conversion, as well as gives you a good overview of how users have found your site, how they’ve utilized it, as well as how you can keep them returning to it.

Aside from analyzing your reports, Google Analytics also holds the power to analyse your social media programs and your content – so every aspect of your SEO is completely covered.

SEM Calculator

Available from the App Store, the SEM Calculator app helps you to analyse every aspect of your Search Engine Marketing, through the use of the app’s multiple calculators.

A useful tool for businesses that use affiliate marketing, Adsense or online buying of banners, the app assists you in working out your cost per impression for many of your marketing campaigns. By doing so, the app provides an effective overview on which of your campaigns are working well, and those that aren’t – so you can decide where your marketing budget would be best spent, or where it’s most needed.

HootSuite

No one can argue the influence of social media on today’s world; most have it, most use it, and most follow it in one way or another. It’s for these reasons that social media has become such a prominent part of SEO and why so many companies now implement it.

As Vroom SEO in Dublin believe, ‘it’s the varied and distinct nature of groups in social media which allows companies to target a specific demographic in a way they previously could not.’

Whether you’ve decided to implement Twitter, Facebook, or Google+ as backlinks for your website or blog, HootSuite allows you to stay ahead of your social media management by managing all of your social networks on one single dashboard.

By doing so, this allows businesses to improve SEO influence by efficiently tracking conversations and brand mentions, as well effectively building backlinks and social media traffic for your site.

 

This article was written by Ella Mason, an experienced freelance writer. Ella specialises in providing informative and engaging technology advice to businesses.

 

 

StartUp Saturday launches: Start your business in a day

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Enterprise Nation have announced the national expansion of its successful StartUp Saturday one day workshops to help thousands more people turn an idea into a business and become their own boss!

For budding entrepreneurs who haven’t been able to attend the monthly workshops in London, StartUp Saturday classes are now coming to a town near you with Birmingham and Morecambe as the first two launch locations.

The ‘start your own business in a day’ workshops will be hosted and delivered by talented and entrepreneurial StartUp Saturday franchisees. Until now, the one-day workshop that offers everything you need to know about starting a business has been delivered by Enterprise Nation founder, Emma Jones, in London. Jones says: “Based on feedback from small business owners around the country, we are spreading our wings and will be coming to locations nationwide.”

The first StartUp Saturday franchisee is Enterprise Nation community member Rickie Josen.

Rickie Josen will be launching her first session at Hotel La Tour, Birmingham on Saturday 22nd September. Rickie has been self employed since 2004 and has run two different businesses during this time, with her last few years being focused on organising events and training alongside writing.

“My motto is that knowledge is gained to be shared and I love passing on knowledge, especially when it means people can get to the information sooner than I did when starting out in business. I would have loved to have attended a StartUp Saturday when I was starting out back in 2004!” says Rickie

“Enterprise Nation has been a place for me to turn since it launched and over the years I’ve enjoyed contributing by writing about my love of being self-employed. It’s the first place I suggest new businesses turn so it makes perfect sense for me to be a StartUp Saturday franchisee!”

Following a successful launch of workshops in Birmingham, StartUp Saturday will continue to expand to new locations with a vision of having weekly workshops up and down the UK!

Rickie can be contacted on write@rickiejosen.co.uk or on Twitter @RickieWrites

To book your place, please visit:

London: http://startupsaturday2012.eventbrite.com/

Birmingham: http://startupsaturdaybirmingham.eventbrite.com/

Morecambe: http://startupsaturdaymorecambe.eventbrite.com/

If you are interested in becoming a franchisee, please visit www.enterprisenation.com/startupsaturdayfranchise for details

Nominations for 2013 FDM everywoman in Technology awards are open

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CALLING THE UK’S LEADING WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

 

Nominations for 2013 FDM everywoman in Technology awards are open

 

Applications are being welcomed for the UK’s leading Awards scheme recognising the achievements of women working in IT. The 2013 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards were launched by the UK’s largest female business community, everywoman, in association with womenintechnology.co.uk  to recognise the achievements of women working in the sector and to encourage a pipeline of new talent who will become future industry leaders. FDM Group is partnering with everywoman for the first time in 2013, following the international IT service provider’s Chief Operating Officer, Sheila Flavell receiving the accolade of ‘Leader of the Year in a Corporate Organisation’ in last year’s Awards.

 

Currently there is a significant gender imbalance within the technology sector with females making up only 19% of ITC managers and only 14% of IT strategy and planning professionals*. However the GCSE results announced in August showed that more girls than ever are choosing science subjects, and a higher percentage are achieving grades A-C than their male counterparts, demonstrating that the tide may be turning in terms of the gender imbalance amongst future generations**.

 

This Awards programme, backed by industry leaders, aims to encourage women to see technology as a fast-moving, innovative sector where they can excel, as demonstrated by the role models unearthed since the programme’s launch in 2011.

 

The FDM everywoman in Technology Awards are free to enter and the 2013 categories include:

 

  • Rising Star of the Year – awarded to a woman under 26 who is excelling in her technology career and is the one to watch.

 

  • Team Leader of the Year in an SME (with under 500 employees) – awarded to a woman whose team leadership has greatly contributed to the organisation’s success.
  • Leader of the Year in a corporate organisation (with over 500 employees) – sponsored by Cisco – awarded to a women operating in a senior technology position making a contribution to the strategic direction of the business.
  • Innovator of the Year – sponsored by IET – The Institution of Engineering and Technology – awarded to a woman designing, developing, researching or implementing technology in an unconventional and innovative way.
  • Entrepreneur of the Year – awarded to an owner/operator of a technology business whose vision and talent will inspire others.
  • Inspiration of the Year – awarded to an individual (male or female) for their active commitment to encouraging, advancing or championing the progress of women working in technology.
  • Woman of the Year – sponsored by FDM Group – awarded to an exceptional woman whose vision, innovation and success makes her an outstanding role model for future generations.

 

Entries are open from 7 September 2012 until 19 November 2012 and full details are online at www.everywoman.com/techawards. 

 

Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman comments: “Technology has provided businesses of all sizes with the tools to thrive and succeed and is vital for the future growth of our economy. These awards celebrate the extraordinary talent in the sector and uncover the women who are excelling. We want to get the message out that IT offers diverse and creative opportunities, particularly to a new group of tech-savvy women that have grown up with consumer technology as part of their every-day lives. What’s more, those companies that nurture and develop their female talent are most likely to achieve success”.

 

Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer and Founder Director of FDM Group states, “The FDM everywoman in Technology Awards are a fantastic platform to showcase and celebrate the efforts and successes of so many high-calibre women in such a male-dominated industry. We are delighted to be sponsoring the 2013 Awards and support everywoman in their determination to raise the profile of women in technology. Like everywoman, FDM is fully committed to helping more women further their careers and break through the ‘glass ceiling’.  At FDM, we are dedicated to supporting our female workforce and encouraging other women to pursue IT, and as a result we have seen the percentage of female staff increase to 23%, well above the 14.4% industry average.”

 

Maggie Berry, Managing Director of womenintechnology.co.uk adds: “Women currently only make up less than 20 per cent of the UK’s IT workforce so we are delighted to be working with everywoman again to uncover and celebrate some of the hidden female talent in the UK’s technology profession through the 2013 awards programme. We want to actively champion the women who are already doing great work in this sector and who, through these awards, will become inspirational role models for a future generation of female technologists.”

 

The awards programme will culminate in a glittering awards ceremony to be held on 19 March 2013 at The Savoy.

 

Twitter @everywomanUK – Hashtag – #ewtech

Roman Abramovich Wins Court Battle

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The clash of the titans has finished and Roman Abramovich has come out on top, winning his legal battle against exiled Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky.

The Chelsea FC owner was said “to be a truthful, and on the whole reliable, witness” by Mrs Justice Gloster.

Mr Berezovsky had said that Abramovich had intimidated him into selling his shares in Russian oil giant Sibneft and was claiming £3bn in damages. Mrs Justice Gloster said the 65-year-old had not been an “inherently unreliable” witness.

The judge said in her ruling “On my analysis of the entirety of the evidence, I found Mr Berezovsky an unimpressive, and inherently unreliable, witness, who regarded truth as a transitory, flexible concept, which could be moulded to suit his current purposes.”

She dismissed Berezovsky’s claims that 45-year-old Abramovich had broken a promise on a deal which involved the Russian aluminium company RusAl “in their entirety”.

Mr Berezovsky said he was “shocked” at the decision and that Mrs Justice Gloster had rewritten Russian history.

There was a certain amount of mud-slinging during the three-month trail with Berezovsky calling Abramovich a “gangster” and Abramovich saying Berezovsky was “something of a megalomaniac”.

Abramovich was not in court but in a statement issued on his behalf said: “There were many serious allegations made against Mr Abramovich by Mr Berezovsky, including attacks on Mr Abramovich’s honesty and integrity.

“We are pleased that the judge has firmly rejected all such allegations and has described Mr Abramovich as a truthful and frank witness who showed a responsible and honest approach when giving evidence in this case.”

At one point the Queen watched the trial and talked to Mrs Justice Gloster