Commenting on the deal struck by eurozone leaders in Brussels overnight, Caroline Williams CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, said:
“Norfolk businesses, and exporters in particular, say the eurozone crisis is one of the greatest source of uncertainty they currently face.
“As the political summits drag on, the sense of frustration, concern and exasperation continues to mount across the real economy. Companies across Britain and Europe are tired of false dawns. Though there is still more work to be done over the coming weeks, the deal done last night in Brussels needs to stick. Confidence is the lifeblood of the European economy, and decisive action is needed to stabilise it, and quickly.
“Meanwhile, the UK government must ensure that British companies get improved access to finance from the European Investment Bank in return for the contribution our Exchequer is making to the new all-EU growth package. Tough conditions are required to ensure that the UK, as a major shareholder in the Bank, sees a far greater share of its resulting investment. Otherwise we will have added needlessly to our national debt without any real benefit to our own recovery.”
Commenting on the announcement by the Financial Services Authority that it has found ‘serious failings’ in the sale of financial products to SMEs, John Longworth, Director General at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), said.
“The ‘serious failings’ found by the FSA in the sale of interest rate swap products will only damage business’ perception of banks further. Those that feel they are victims of mis-selling must have access to an independent assessment as soon as possible, as business survival may depend on it. Clear guidance and transparent timetables on reaching a judgment should be the bare minimum of any system of redress. “Many businesses look at practices undertaken by some in the financial services industry in disbelief and horror. Relationships between institutions that provide finance and those that receive it must be based on trust. Unfortunately, the revelations of the last week will only erode confidence in the banking system, and it will be a long road back to restore it.
“Lenders will need to do everything possible to rebuild their connections with the business community, so the economy can function in an orderly way again. But trust is hard to earn and easily lost, and a fundamental change in how banks and their business customers interact will not happen overnight. For this reason, the government must do two things to get the economy moving. The first is to breed confidence that wrong-doers will be held to proper account. The second is to create a state-backed business bank that will serve as a trusted source of finance provision. Only then will we see a stable base from which businesses can drive a sustained economic recovery in the UK.”
We’re delighted to announce the launch of the new Britannia Training website which will allow you to search for and book the courses you need online.
Because customer service is important to us, we will be following up each booking in exactly the same way as before – making sure that you have found the perfect course to suit your needs, and ensuring that you know what to expect on the day. We hope you will have a browse of our new website and let us know what you think! We would appreciate your feedback!
Britannia Safety & Training has a Twitter page, you can find us at Britannia_train, just type this is the search engine and tweet us! Keep updated with the latest news, legislation and updates on Health & Safety.
Britannia also has a page on IPatter, you can find us at Britannia Safety & Training, Wymondham.
COMING SOON! WATCH THIS SPACE! Britannia will have a Facebook page “Britannia Bad Boys”, you can read the lastest health & safety information and play videos!
We have just launched our new ecommerce website design and build service to help companies take advantage of the massive growth in online shopping. The new platform allows bespoke design and has a very long shopping list of ecommerce features to allow our clients to have highly effective and usable shopping sites.
Bigfork can also provide digital marketing services to help increase profitable traffic to your online shop through SEO, email marketing, social media and PPC campaigns.
To see the new platform in action take a look round at our snappy demo site at www.krocodile-photo.co.uk
You can also download our ecommerce pack below which has full details. To see more examples check out our ecommerce portfolio.
Bigfork are a digital marketing agency that gets results.
This qualification is accredited with HABC and is suitable for Supervisors, team leaders and QA staff who are involved in the verification of Food Safety through Auditing and Inspection. It would also be relevant to enforcement agency staff to whom consistency is vital
Learning Outcomes
Understanding Auditing & Inspection – what is & appreciating the benefits & limitations
Consider collecting & verifying information
Appreciate the stages of Auditing & Inspection
Improve the ability to get the right information
People skills; improve the ability to get the right information
Appreciate the competencies and characteristics of auditors
Consider the implementation of onsite audits & inspections
Consider the preparation of written reports
The course is delivered in a one day classroom style session- it is based on a series of syndicate exercises, activities & case studies- we will not lecture you!
A recent Level 3 certificate would be desirable but not mandatory
I have attached a booking- the cost of the course including examination fees is £135 plus VAT
Are you worried about Health and Safety Compliance? We have designed a course to refresh your Health and Safety knowledge- to ensure that you & your business’ Health & Safety Risk Management systems are up to date
In summary the course will enable delegates to
Take a fresh look at what systems & procedures you have in place
Review & revise Health and Safety Management
Hear what the current Enforcers are focussing on- remember this is our background
Dispel some of the myths surrounding Health & Safety- do not believe all you read in the papers!
The subjects covered are
Mapping the maze of Health and Safety legislation- we can include topics such as Manual Handling, COSHH, Slips & Trips and work at height
How to ensure that your Safety Policy is effective & that you are communicating it to staff
Are your Risk Assessments Suitable & Sufficient?
Hot Topics- what the Enforcing Authorities are looking for
A booking form is attached- the Course is being delivered by me! I am a Chartered Practioner with 25 years experience & a registered consultant at www.OSHCR.org
For further details of all our course see www.redcat.gb.com we have won CIEH Health and Safety Training centre of the year (based on our results) in both 2010 & 2011
Commenting on the speech made by the Deputy Prime Minister on youth unemployment today, Caroline Williams, CEO Norfolk Chamber of Commerce said:
“Despite a recent fall in youth unemployment, Norfolk employers remain deeply concerned about the number of young people unable to find work. Businesses want to hire young people, but economic uncertainty, combined with poor skills and a lack of experience, often makes it too risky.
“The Youth Contract is a good short-term solution to reduce these risks, but we have in the past argued for a wider reach and a bigger budget. The Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement is a good first step that will help more employers create opportunities for young people in areas worst affected by unemployment.
“The government could go further though, and remove the restrictions that prevent small firms with experience of hiring apprentices to benefit from grants that could encourage them to take on additional apprentices. There must also be a focus on creating a simpler offer for employers. Businesses are confused by the large number of employment initiatives with similar names and differing criteria, which are regularly launched by different departments, agencies and local authorities.
“Furthermore, the Department for Business and Department for Education must work together to reduce long-term structural youth unemployment. Future generations should leave formal education with the skills and experience to break into the workforce and remain in employment, making them less vulnerable in a challenging economic environment.”
The May 2012 survey was emailed to the over 500 contacts. The response rate for the survey was five percent.
Summary of results There was a broad cross-section of industry sectors who responded to the survey including engineering, retail and marine services.
In the past six months, half of the respondents have experienced an increase in orders, compared to 23 percent that had seen a reduction in the number of orders received. Forty-six percent of respondents saw an increase in their costs, compared to nine percent who saw a reduction. Nine percent of respondents experienced an increase in that staff numbers compared to 18 percent who saw a reduction in staff levels.
Over the next year, 43 percent of respondents are planning investments with just under a thirty percent are expecting to increase staff levels. However, 43 percent are delaying their investment plans, which is due to insufficient demand (63 percent) and a lack of available finance (31 percent).
Forty seven percent of respondents would like general business advice events, whilst 21 percent of respondents said that they would like general business training, skills development and customer retention advice.
Three members of the firm’s Franchising Team (Jonathan Chadd, Ed Savory and Vicki Mitman) recently attended the British Franchise Association’s (BFA) Annual Conference in Telford.
The Conference comprised as follows:
•keynote speech from the UK Trade & Industry on the services which are available to UK businesses looking to expand into foreign jurisdictions
•update from the BFA on it’s the progress of “One Vision” with the introduction of franchisee membership so that the BFA will become truly representative of the entire franchising industry in the UK
•retirement of Sir Bernard Ingham as President of the BFA
•keynote speech from Sarah Walker (freelance writer journalist) on engaging with the media
There were also three sets of concurrent seminars lead by BFA franchisors and professional adviser members (known as Affiliates) on the following topics:
•Session 1: Advanced Franchising – Exit planning for franchisors; Franchising Essentials – Building the right support structure; Legal & Ethics – Making sure your agreements are up to date; and Sales & Marketing – The dangers & pitfalls of social media
•Session 2: Advanced Franchising – How to use successful profiling in franchise recruitment; Franchising Essentials – Avoiding franchisee first year failures; Legal & Ethics – Managing franchisee disputes; and Sales & Marketing – Local franchisee marketing
•Session 3: Advanced Franchising – Managing franchisees out of the comfort zone; Franchising Essentials – Ongoing training and levels of support; Legal & Ethics – Advising on the Ethics of Franchising; and Sales & Marketing – Online marketing
The highlight was undoubtedly on the evening of Thursday 21 June which saw a glittering awards ceremony for the 2012 bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Awards, supported by Express Newspapers. The winners were as follows:
bfa HSBC Franchisor of the Year Award
•Gold – Autosmart
•Silver – Home Instead Senior Care
•Bronze – Driver Hire
•Other finalists – McDonalds and Tax Assist Accountants
HSBC Franchisee Support Award
•Winner – Auditel
•Other finalists – Countrywide Signs; Jaspers; Maid2Clean and O2
Express Newspapers Brand Builder Award
•Winner – Cafe2U •Other finalists – Mac Tools; Envirovent and Wiltshire Farm Foods
Leathes Prior was proud to support clients nominated for awards and sends its warmest congratulations to all of this year’s finalists. To find out more about the 2012 awards winners click on: www.thebfa.org/news/bfa-news/uks-top-franchisors-revealed
With increasing pressure on fuel costs and the need to be efficient in every aspect of business more important than ever, many fleet owners are considering installing a tracking system to their vehicles.
Such a device will record information including the location of the vehicles and mileage, aiding coordination of work by ensuring the correct routes are taken and therefore increasing productivity. Answers to questions such as What hours did my drivers work? and Are they driving safely? are often within easy reach thanks to sophisticated management software. With the pinpoint location of each vehicle readily to hand, the need to call drivers several times a day may also be reduced. Vehicle tracking systems can also be a useful tool for driver identification in incidences of speeding.
There are also the potential negatives to consider. A fleet tracking system can be expensive to install and there is the risk that drivers may feel they are not trusted and are subject to undue pressure. It is also all too easy to become reliant on technology which can go wrong. The question however that customersask us is how will installing a vehicle tracking system affect my insurance premiums? The full answer is that although it will help you be a better insurance risk, despite common perception, it may not always directly lower your premium.
Ashley Minors, Director for Hugh J Boswell said, “The commonly held belief that having a tracking system on your fleet will automatically reduce your insurance premium is actually a misconception. There are a few UK insurers who provide direct discounts for trackers, but not many. This does not mean however that it is not a good idea insurance-wise to install a tracking system. The insurance underwriters are likely to consider you a lower risk as your vehicles will be doing less miles and perhaps driven more slowly. This may make you more attractive as a customer. The level of monitoring and information the tracking systems provide means you also have far greater chance of disproving any fraudulent motor insurance claim against the business.”
Ashley concludes “The key thing we tell our customers is vehicle tracker systems have a similar affect on your insurance premium as do a number of other risk management tools. Direct discounts may not apply, however, if the result of its use is fewer insured losses, your claims experience will improve, which invariably has a positive effect on the amount you pay in premium.”
25 June 2012 – Intellectual Property consultancy Novagraaf UK has further expanded its growing patent team with the hire of IP specialist Dr Oliver Harris. Dr Harris will be providing patent services to businesses in South East England, from Novagraaf’s Norwich office.
Dr Harris is a qualified UK and European Patent Attorney with extensive experience of patent drafting and prosecuting patent applications on a worldwide basis. He handles a range of subject matter, but specialises in the Life Sciences, particularly pharmaceuticals and biotechnology (including molecular biology, genomics, microbiology, plant science, agrochemicals and immunology). Dr Harris obtained a Masters Degree in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Cell Biology at UCL/Cancer Research UK under the supervision of Nobel Laureate, Sir Paul Nurse. Following a year in the medical research analysis and brand monitoring sectors, he trained as a patent attorney at a London-based IP firm, working in its biotech team before relocating to his hometown of Norwich. In his career to date, Dr Harris has worked for clients ranging from individual inventors through to multinational pharmaceutical companies, including universities and public sector research and healthcare institutions. At Novagraaf, Dr Harris will be advising clients in the Life Sciences industry with a particular focus on start-ups, technology transfer offices and spin-out ventures.
Dr Harris said: “Eastern England and the Home Counties have a vibrant Life Sciences sector with many new start-up companies joining established businesses at the growing number of science parks in the region. Patents play a crucial role in this sector, but with budgets often tight, many small- and medium-sized companies need expert assistance if they are to capture their valuable IP rights. I’m looking forward to working with Novagraaf’s established Life Sciences patent team to help these businesses recognise, protect and exploit their assets.” Dr Tracey Cooke, Managing Director, Patents at Novagraaf UK, added: “Dr Harris’s appointment will further strengthen the Life Sciences expertise of Novagraaf’s patent team, enabling us to meet the needs of the growing pharmaceutical and biotech sector in Eastern England.
“The region’s science parks are an incredibly vibrant concentration of world leading scientific and research organisations,” added Dr Cooke, “These organisations need an equally vibrant, pro-active and expert IP partner, if they are to obtain the maximum protection and value for their important scientific advancements. By continuing to strengthen and grow our patent team, we are able to ensure the right expertise to meet their needs.”
About Novagraaf Novagraaf is an international patent and trademark consultancy that advises clients on Intellectual Property (IP) strategy and management. Our expertise and day-to-day work includes advising on new ideas or new discoveries and inventions, and on strong brands, new brands or innovative new products. Whether trademarks, patents, domain names or designs, Novagraaf specialises in the protection and global management of IP rights, including identifying abuse and acting decisively if and when infringements take place.
With over 400 IP professionals across 13 offices, Novagraaf provides all kinds of core IP services and consults on strategic issues every day. From our offices in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK, among others, we work for innovative start-ups, for organisations operating at a regional or national level, and for multinationals with a global portfolio of strong brands and innovative inventions. For more information, visit our website www.novagraaf.co.uk.
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For further information To arrange an interview, or to request images or any other information, please contact: Emma Wilson Novagraaf UK T: +44 (0)20 7469 0957 E: emma.wilson@novagraaf.com
In the beautiful setting of Norwich Cathedral Ruud Haket, MD Greater Anglia updated delegates on his vision for the company at the most recent Chamber Breakfast. He talked about the improvements that Greater Anglia are putting into place with regards to customer service. These included simplifying ticket bookings and improving customer facing through continuous staff training.
He talked specifically on improving the rail service in Norfolk, a key part of this being working to reduce number of weekends affected by disruptive engineering works. He also mentioned actively promoting the region, including partnerships with tourism bodies.
Rail travel being a key issue for many people in the region meant that there were a lot of questions for Ruud and delegates generally left feeling positive about the improvements that are being put in place.
As well as hearing from Ruud, five other delegates were given the chance to talk about a topic of their choice for sixty seconds which ranged from wine tasting with HarperWells to consulting with Gostling Consultancy.
The event closed with safari networking time which proved as popular as always giving local businesses the opportunity to make the right connections and do business. The next Norwich Business Breakfast will take place on 5 October and will incorporate the AGM. We also have Chill Time on 28th June which is our next networking event. To book you placeclick here.