Business and Financial News

That’s why BT is launching its fourth UK Information Security Journalism Awards.

Chaired by Ray Stanton, global head of BT’s business continuity, security and governance capability, the 2010 awards will recognise the vital role that security journalism plays in raising awareness amongst businesses.

Awards will be presented in the following categories:

Information Security Journalist of the Year – £2,000 prize
   
Best information security news story of the year – £500 prize
   
Best overall information security feature article of the year – £500 prize
   
Individual feature article awards for:
- Best Privacy feature of the year – £500 prize
- Best ID management feature of the year – £500 prize
- Best business continuity feature of the year – £500 prize
- Best generic security feature of the year – £500 prize (this includes online features and any articles on the topic of security that do not fit into the above categories)

BT Enigma Award – £1,000 prize.

‘BT is commi

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A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business

~ Henry Ford

A new year, a new beginning. A time for contemplation. What did you accomplish last year? Did you evolve your business, your team, yourself? Where did you miss the mark? How can you improve this year?

Almost always, when I ask clients what they want to accomplish in the new year, the answer is more. More sales, more customers, more product innovation, more profit, more capital – and the list goes on. I understand in the game of business score is kept by dollars and equity value, but I wonder whether “more is better” is really the right goal-post?

My experience is the “wanting” behind “more” can never satisfied. It just creates more wanting. It’s truly insatiable.

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So what are the key points for small firms and what do they spell for real businesses?

The circus surrounding the new government has worn off and now they mean business, but while we wait for the emergency Budget on 22 June, there are signs that small businesses will greatly benefit from the new policies.

Last week we covered the expert response to the new government and how the changes could affect small businesses. Now, with the coalition deal signed, the future of UK business is looking more promising.

From the scrapping of the one percent increase in employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) to an increase in employer National Insurance thresholds, the proposals for small firms are coming thick and fast.

There will be cuts to regulations and a review all small business taxation to make it easier for people to start and maintain healthy businesses.

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With the New Year just a couple of weeks away, have you thought about where your career is going?

For many women, 2012 could be the year they break out and go into business for themselves.

Tired of the daily rigors of the 9 to 5 scene under someone else, they could be just a move away from taking over as their own bosses, setting their sights on accomplishing a long-held dream.

According to a recently released American Express study, the number of women-owned businesses increased 50 percent when comparing it to a similar report more than a decade ago. Numbers show that there are more than 8.1 million women-owned companies nationwide, with annual sales of $1.3 trillion.

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Are you fully taking advantage of all the tax deductions that are available to small businesses? Whether you file your taxes yourself or hire just a bookkeeper, there are many deductions that go overlooked. Here are 10 helpful small business tax deductions that are often overlooked.

1. Tax Preparation Fees

   Did you know that the costs associated with preparing your small business taxes are actually tax deductible? This knowledge can have a big impact not only on your taxes, but whom you choose as your tax preparer.

   Bookkeepers or tax preparers are often extremely busy during tax season and don’t often sit down to offer advice. While tax preparer fees may be cheaper, you could splurge for a CPA or even a Tax Lawyer/CPA who can better qualify your deductions and counsel you about smarter small business tax deductions.

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Do you hate spammers? Many bloggers at least believe they do.  Hate only hurts the person who feels that emotion and does nothing to the object of your hatred.

What I realize that many don’t is that there are different kinds of spammers. While there are some who know they are stealing our time and energy, probably the greater number of people bloggers refer to as spammers do NOT know they are doing this all wrong.

ANYONE that comments regularly IS going to end up being flagged by Akismet as a spammer.

If we just delete them they won’t ever know WHY or how to get better. It makes more sense to EDUCATE new commenters than to slam the door in their face. If I deleted YOUR comments are YOU going to come back?

When shopping we expect the door to be open to the store, right? If a Read more…

It only comes around once every four years, but unlike most other sporting events it’s an event that seems to grip the nation. This year it’s the World Cup and currently you can’t move for all the hype surrounding it.

Great news if you’re a football fan, but possibly bad news if you’re an employer looking at four weeks of coverage and a group of employees desperate to tune in.

While most of the matches in the early stages are shown in the evenings over here, there’s still the problem of absence based on the repercussions from the night before – mainly hangovers.

So what, as a business, can you do to manage any advance requests for time off and any absences taken during this time?

The Federation of Small Businesses recommends that businesses have a policy in place that offers guidance for employees over the month-long tournament.

It su

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