SME
Thinking outside the box
Nicolas Bouvé, head of the renowned chocolatiers Godiva, tells Virginia Matthews why he feels bullish despite the gloom
Inside SME
Roger Trapp: A recession can be a good time to start your own business
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
As in previous recessions, new businesses are being seen as a way out of the downturn. People being made redundant or not able to find jobs are urged to, in effect, create their own work by starting their own businesses.
Jargon buster
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Marketing objectivesBefore spending time and money on any marketing campaign, it is important to be clear about exactly what you want to achieve. For example, is it to increase sales by 10 per cent with a targeted direct mail campaign or is it to raise brand awareness, perhaps by a strategic advertising campaign in the national press? Once you've defined your marketing objectives you can decide on the best form of marketing to achieve them, and then measure the effectiveness of your campaign.
Business profile: The Thornbridge Brewery
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
‘We hired brewers of the highest calibre’
Me and My Partner: How naivety may have helped one couple set up their business
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Henry Braham and Glynis Murray work in the film industry – but launched Good Oil in 2004 after stumbling across hemp seed oil's nutty taste and nutritional benefits. Today, the company has a turnover of £1m
Book review: Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing the World, by Don Tapscott
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
How Generation Y can transform companies
Adventures in Micro-Business: Am I too old for the bank to finance my business?
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Professor Russell Smith answers your queries
Business monthly: news in brief
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Season of the switchThe price comparison and switching site uSwitch.com has launched a service to help Britain's estimated 4.7 million small businesses obtain a better deal on energy. The move is in response to growing numbers of calls from SMEs keen to cut costs because of the recession. It is claimed the service – www.uswitchforbusiness.com – could help SMEs save up to 50 per cent on energy bills.
Can a luxury travel company survive another recession?
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Andrew Dunn's luxury travel company, Scott Dunn, survived one recession by tempting would-be shareholders with free holidays. How is he preparing this time round?
Roger Trapp: An effective use of technology is vital for small businesses
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
For a quarter of a century, the oil company Shell has been helping young would-be entrepreneurs get started in business. Shell LiveWIRE began in the Strathclyde region of Scotland in 1982 in an effort to combat the high youth unemployment of the area caused by the recession of the early 1980s. It was rolled out across the UK later that decade, and has since been introduced to countries around the world, to the extent that five million people around the globe have had contact with the scheme's programmes.
No (learning) distance too great
Tuesday, 3 February 2009
Distance-learning MBAs offer fantastic flexibility
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A half-baked statement of the intention vaguely to reform the constitution
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The other day, in a house in Prague, I met an extraordinary woman