UK Small businesses are wary about the economic climate, it has been revealed, with less than a third expecting things to improve this year.
The annual Voice of Small Business survey, conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses and ICM Research, found just under half (48 per cent) of respondents experienced a drop in sales last [...] CONTINUE
The future of the country’s economic development and job creation is in the hands of small businesses, it has been claimed.
The Small Firms Association (SFA) says businesses must have access to finance, despite a growth in confidence among its members,
Dr Aidan O’Boyle, Chairman of the association, called on the Government to develop an enterprise and [...] CONTINUE
While the economic downturn will see consumers cutting back in many areas, broadband services are viewed as being too essential to cancel, one IT expert has claimed.
According to IT giant Microsoft, the popularity of broadband is linked with an increase in the number of people staying in during the evening rather than going out.
The firm [...] CONTINUE
UK consumers will get more for their money than ever before from the nation’s small businesses, even in spite of the downturn, new research reveals this week.
The Cisco Customer Kings report surveyed 1,000 small business owners from across the UK, and found that the severity of the downturn in the UK is forcing firms to [...] CONTINUE
Despite the economic decline in the UK, mobile web browsing is continuing to grow at exceptional rates.
A new report from Opera, creators of mobile web browser Opera Mini, shows that the number of pages viewed over the browser has incresed 94% over the course of 2008.
In November alone, Opera Mini generated a staggering 83 million [...] CONTINUE
Communities currently missing out on broadband should be the first to benefit from next generation access, says the Ofcom Consumer Panel.
In an attempt to tackle the digital divide between rural and urban areas, the regulatory group are calling for policy give a head start to communities unable to access first generation broadband.
Anna Bradley, [...] CONTINUE
A survey by the Forum of Private Businesses (FPB) revealed that 88% of small businesses are not receiving payments from some of their larger customers within the contractually agreed time, which 72% say is having a serious impact on business.
The effect of the credit crunch has been significant, with 56% of businesses reporting that it [...] CONTINUE
According to a study by Barclays Commercial Bank, one in six businesses are taking out long-term bank loans in order to fund growth.
The study found that since the beginning of the year, 16% of businesses with a turnover of more than £1m had taken out loans of £500,000 or more, an increase of 3% on [...] CONTINUE
Contrary to recent reports from ISPs, broadband analysis group Point Topic believes the UK broadband market is “holding up well in the face of the slowdown, for now at least.”
UK broadband analysts Point Topic were able to make a reliable estimate of the total number of broadband line is the UK at the end of [...] CONTINUE
Small and medium-sized manufacturers are facing record growth in costs, according to an industry survey.
The survey conducted by the Confederation on British Industry (CBI), found that cost pressures are the worst in 13 years, forcing manufacturers to raise the price of goods, and to limit the squeeze on profit margins.
According to the survey, in the [...] CONTINUE
