News

On the back of the successful BBC television series The Apprentice, training group learndirect business is launching a new training programme aimed at growing firms.

Venture Capital Funding

There was a time, as the new millennium hove into view, when anyone with a dotcom suffix attached trailer-like to the back of their business imagined their fabulous future was assured. Raising money was easy even without a business plan, as business angels, venture capitalists and investment banks fell over themselves to stump up bundles of cash with the hope of backing the next worldwide web sensation.

Human Resources

Structuring the right remuneration package for senior personnel is one of the trickiest tasks a business chief must tackle. Give too much up front and you won’t incentivise performance, but pay out big bonuses and you risk reducing the company’s liquidity, which could even threaten its existence. Then there are all the variables of share schemes to consider.

Growth Planning

While the start-up phase of a company’s life can be make or break, the next step in the evolution of a growing business can be even tougher.

Technology

Even in the fad-friendly world of the internet, podcasting has become something of a phenomenon of late. In fact, new research from the UK Association of Online Publishers found that more than half of the publishing firms interviewed said that they intended to launch their own podcasts over the next 12 months.

PR and Marketing Strategy

For most companies, customer service is an integral part of business strategy. Indeed, many firms have established guidelines on greeting customers and how staff should generally represent the company in a positive manner. But how do you find out whether these principles are being carried out in practice?