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dr barrie pennington is a lecturer in business studies at Liverpool University.
NeedTOKnow
His company provides small businesses with information on new markets, grants and
legislation. You can contact him at:
btpennington@ukonline.co.uk
COMPILED AND EDITED BY DR BARRIE PENNINGTON
Training advice from skills czar
Technology boost
■ A FORMER DIRECTOR General of the British Chambers of Commerce
has warned the government not to hide unemployment gures behind
entrepreneur activity
training initiatives. Commenting on both Labour and Conservative responses ■ A SURVEY from YouGov has found that
in the 1970s and 1990s, Chris Humphries, CEO of the UK Commission for entrepreneurs are using new technologies to improve
Employment and Skills, advises that training has to be far more objective productivity. SMEs are increasingly adapting smart IT
than it has been in the past. By ensuring that skills training is geared towards tools to increase exibility and reduce wasted time.
long-term improvements rather than short-term statistics, companies will be 25% of owner-managers are now using new equipment
better placed to deal with the recession and emerge stronger, he suggests. such as smart phones to access company systems like
accounting databases while on the move. Mobile facilities
such as conference calls and instant messaging were also
cited as essential
aspects of the job
now. Some 6%
of entrepreneurs
aged between 18
and 34 claimed to
save two hours per
day by using new
technologies.
Understand the government
support package
■ THE INSTITUTE of Chartered Accountants in
England and Wales is urging SMEs to ensure that they
fully understand the differences between a guaranteed
loan and an overdraft. New research show that among
Firms say they will take on
Institute members overdrafts are the most important
form of nance for small rms with 54% having this
more support staff
facility and 37% usings a business loan. Around a
quarter of SMEs have been contacted in the last six
months by their banks to have the facility renegotiated
■ EMPLOYERS ARE set to increase their numbers of secretarial and or withdrawn. This compares with only 9% of very
support staff in 2009, according to the annual Market Report and Salary large companies. The government’s Enterprise Finance
Review from Crone Corkhill. Its review found that 39% of rms will take Guarantee is a huge expansion of the Small Firms
on more staff and 20% actually reported a shortage of receptionists and Loan Guarantee scheme and is welcomed by the
top level personal assistants, while 15% said they would have to recruit Institute. But loans are less exible than overdrafts and
overseas to ll vacancies. The report also believes that the Institute believes that banks will have to ‘move up
there will be a continuing demand for temporary staff several gears’ to make the new scheme effective.
as parents take advantage of new maternity and
paternity rights. Notwithstanding the credit crunch,
legislation such as the Agency Workforce Directive,
Working Time Regulations and exible working
rights might all contribute to a buoyant staff hiring
market, it claims.
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April 2009
www.businessfranchise.com
BF136-138_Need2Know_Apr09.X.indd 2 25/2/09 18:16:07
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