2010 - February
iTunes remains highly popular among music lovers. However, this doesn’t keep others from launching new services as well. Two examples are from computer manufacturer HP and video website YouTube. Are their new services useful?
Free and legal multimedia for your website
You know that you can make your website or presentation much more attractive by adding multimedia content. But where do you find images, films or music which you’re allowed to use legally and free of charge?
Reading e-books on your computer
Perhaps you fancy the idea of an e-book reader such as Amazon Kindle, the Sony Reader, or even the new Apple iPad, but you think it’s too soon to buy such a device. Are there other ways of “e-reading”?
Hard disks are becoming increasingly large. That’s great, but it also means that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to locate the files you’re looking for. Here are some simple tricks for reorganising your hard disk.
Five useful tips for Windows 7
Are you using Windows 7 already or are you planning to make the switch shortly? Here are five - somewhat technical - tips which may come in handy at one time or another.
Since version 4 of Google Chrome, you can extend this excellent browser by means of (free) add-ons or “extensions”, just like Firefox. Which Chrome extensions are really useful?
Free anti-virus: new and innovative
There’s no shortage of free anti-virus programs these days. The well-known Avast! Antivirus recently released an improved version 5, whilst there’s also a promising newcomer: Panda Cloud Antivirus.
It’s child’s play to give your children a separate e-mail address! However, it can be annoying to see all their messages enter your mailbox as well. How do you tackle this problem?
Most people use Google or Bing for their daily Internet searches. But did you know that the search field of these search engines can also be used for all kinds of other things? Here are some of them.
When you’re planning to book a flight, whether it be for business or pleasure, it’s best to prepare yourself well. Which websites can help you? Here’s our checklist…
The National Rail Enquiries website has had a facelift but there’s lots of competition, whether you’re a regular passenger or an occasional user.
Categorising risk in your business
Risk is a normal feature of being in business. How do you categorise the risks your company faces so as to ensure that they are understood and managed effectively by key personnel?
Financial controllers have a key role to play in managing overheads; this is an especially important task during a recession. How can you use ratios to make this task easier?
Your company’s suppliers frequently offer a percentage discount for immediate payment. How can you work out whether it’s worth paying the invoices early or keeping the money in your company’s bank account?
Minimum order, maximum savings
You’re considering selling a new product next year in a bid to boost business. To make it a success, you need to keep the ordering costs under control - but how?
Most businesses will have busy and quiet times. The quiet times mean you’re paying staff to do very little, while busier times have seen you paying an arm and a leg to get extra staff in. So, is there a way to balance the hours?
Your board of directors may be looking to you to close the books at the month and year-end even faster than you do now. How can you do it when your department is already under stress?
It’s not unusual for there to be discrepancies between the PAYE code in use by you and the one HMRC thinks is being used. However, there is a new way to check you’re using the right one. Read on...
Share incentive plans are a useful way of encouraging staff to stay with the company for longer. But they can also save you some cash. Sounds too good to be true? Read on to see what’s involved.
The postal service has been in disarray these past few weeks. Millions of items have been “lost” as a result, costing you money. Think of all that wasted paper too - is there another, greener, less costly way to send some of your post?
The Taxman’s guidance on how to tax car allowances, paid to employees for using their own cars on business, is very unclear. This has led to many employers deducting too much tax from their employees. What’s the story?
What can you do to help ensure your company’s 2010 funding requirements are identified and properly considered as early as possible?
Calculating the operating leverage
In times when sales are volatile, profitability depends on the level of your company’s operating leverage. How do you work out what your company’s operating leverage is and how can this be managed?
In virtually all companies, there is a direct correlation between stock levels and overall business performance. What can you do to ensure that the company maintains efficient stock levels?
How to avoid rogue advertisers
The sales and marketing director has come to you with a purchase order for an account with a new advertising company. You’ve heard some rumours about rogue publishers lately. How can you help vet this new agency?
When you provide staff with perks, the rules that surround the reclaiming of VAT can seem complicated, so many of you will be opting for safety first and won’t claim it back. But you could be missing out on quite a bit of VAT. How?
It’s never going to be the easiest of policies to pull off, but more and more companies are instigating pay freezes to save money. What’s the situation and how much could you save?
February 1 was officially ‘flu Monday, the most popular day in the calendar for UK workers to pull a sickie. That day alone is estimated to have cost £30 million. Could an idea from the US cut the number of sickies in your office?
The tax return deadline has long since passed but you’ve just found an unlikely cost: your directors should pay tax for using the company’s computer software at home. How could you have avoided it?
Getting the most out of Outlook
Microsoft Outlook may be a major tool within your business to help you organise e-mails, manage your calendar and store your contacts, but are you making the most of its time-saving features?
Do you need to get your P11Ds done externally by the company’s accountants? They’ve been doing them for years and understandably charging for this service. So is now the time to bring this in-house?
Allocating overheads to hourly rates
It will soon be the end of the tax year and with pay rises taking effect from April 2010, you’re in the process of recalculating the hourly billing rates for your staff. But how should you allocate the overhead costs?
As you don’t get a bill from the bank manager for bank charges, they are often overlooked as a cost. What can you do to make sure you pay less?
Your boss has picked up that employers’ NI is going up to 13.8% and wants to know how much this is going to add to the company’s wage bill. What can you tell him about this?
You’ve made it your goal to improve the efficiency of your finance department and ensure that all your staff are working towards the same key aims. How can critical success factors help you to meet your goal?
You’ve done the maths and it seems that providing refreshments to staff is costing your business unnecessary cash, so the tea and coffee will have to go. Can you do that, and if so, is it worth risking annoying staff for what you’d save?
The cheapest dishwashing option
A new staff kitchen is being installed as the old one is in disrepair - and the big issue amongst staff is whether to have a dishwasher or not. Is it really bad for the environment, and will it cost you more than washing by hand?
Get the Taxman to buy you a new suit
At the start of the new year you managed to miss most of the January sales thanks to the snow. So is there another way to save money on that new suit you wanted? Could the Taxman help?
Your energy bills have been soaring, particularly during the cold weather. Although you don’t like looking at them, doing so might actually save you some money and make reading the final cost a little easier on the eye. What’s involved?
How much economic value has your business added?
Congratulations, your business has made a profit this year! But does this mean that the company has added value for your shareholders? How could you calculate this?
The Managing Director has asked the Sales Director to increase the amount of profit generated from sales - and he’s turned to you to help him do it! But where do you start?
It’s time to review the turnover projections for the next twelve months. With sales being such a crucial figure, what can you do to make sure it’s a believable and achievable number?
Measuring the advertising effect
A major objective for any business is to choose a method of advertising that will reach most of its potential customers for least cost. How can you bring your financial skills to help resolve this problem?
With the company year-end fast approaching, you are considering bonus provisions to reduce the year-end tax. Does it matter when you actually pay these?
Electric dryer versus paper towels is often a debate that’s centred on environmental issues. But you’re more concerned about the cost than saving the planet! So which option is the cheapest?
You’re considering moving from Excel spreadsheets to produce your annual budgets to using off-the-shelf software. But with so many products out there, which one do you choose?
Responding to formal tenders is now a commonplace element of winning new business. As financial controller, how can you ensure your business is best equipped to supply the required documentation?
The benefits of statutory guarantee pay
Did you know that if you lay off employees, they may be entitled to receive guarantee pay? How do you work out if they are entitled, and if so, calculate the amount they should receive?
How to speed up international collections
You’re reviewing your company’s debtor days and have noticed that your overseas customers are taking longer to pay. Is there anything you can do to get the cash in faster?
More staff holiday at less cost?
The economic downturn has resulted in less business for many companies, which means less work for staff. Is offering some employees the chance to buy extra annual leave one way to balance the workload and save money?
Solicitors don’t come cheap. In fact, they are about as far from cheap as professional advice gets. But could the current economic climate give you some scope to barter?
It’s getting cold and there’s likely to be ice around in the car park. Accidents in and around the workplace can cost money - even for a little fall on some ice. So how much could tightening up on health and safety procedures really save you?
Do you have a BACS contingency plan?
In an ideal world, nothing ever goes wrong. However, there may be times when your usual BACS route is not available to you. Is this the only way to transfer funds? What are your other options?
Activity Based Costing - easy as A, B, C?
If your company wants to rationalise its range of products and services, you need to work out which ones to keep and which to bin. How can Activity Based Costing help you to do this?
What do “zero hours” contracts really mean?
You want to bring in another member of staff, but this time only on a casual basis. It’s been suggested that you could do this by using a “zero hours” contract. So what is this and could it cause you any problems?
Can you tell them to “blog off”?
Personal blogs allow people to tell their friends what they are doing 24/7. But there’s a fine line between a bit of online gossiping and serious breaches of an employer’s confidentiality. So can you tell your employees it’s time to blog off?
I’m just nipping out for five minutes
An employee has sometimes asked if they can “pop out quickly” to run a personal errand. At quiet times you don’t mind. But now they’re just leaving the premises without permission. Why must you stop them doing this?
Is she (really) up to the job?
A leading law firm has been left with egg on its face after a solicitor involved in an interview process asked how a female applicant would balance work with childcare. Seems like a reasonable question, so why was he so wrong?
Are the new fit notes fit for purpose?
On April 6, GP sick notes will be replaced with new “fit notes”. These are supposed to slash the 172 million working days lost to sickness absence each year. But will they live up to the government’s promises?
Now you can’t hire “reliable” employees?
According to one Jobcentre Plus branch, employers can’t use the word “reliable” in job ads, as it discriminates against unreliable people! Are they having a laugh, or is this term one that you really should avoid?
Flexible working - right from day one?
It’s rumoured that the government will soon extend flexible working rights to every employee from the day they start work. Something else to worry about?
Greening your building = improved income stream
According to the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), improving the green credentials of your property will not only increase its future sale value, but enable you to achieve a higher rental income. What’s to know?
More and more businesses are turning to cloud computing to cut costs and reduce energy demands in the office. What is it, how much does it cost, and is it safe and efficient? Is it an option you should consider?
A new pot available for sustainability projects
Some of the UK’s Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are handing out loans and grants in a bid to boost the green credentials of local businesses. What is your RDA doing and how can you get your hands on the cash?
You’ve heard that you should be using a code, which appears in the List of Waste Regulations 2005 (LOW), to identify your waste types. Is this required each time you have waste collected, and if so, how can you identify the appropriate one?
On February 1 2010 many battery suppliers, such as supermarkets and other retailers, started offering a battery take-back scheme to their customers. Why are they doing this and can you take advantage of the facility?
Are “eco” cars a worthwhile investment?
Many of the major car manufacturers have developed “eco” versions of their standard vehicles. Apparently, these variations use less fuel and produce fewer carbon emissions. But do they represent a good buy?
It’s been suggested that climate change scientists have got their facts wrong. Is this really the case, and if so, will it lead to government policy changes?
There are thousands of interesting museums all over the world. However, for a cultural trip you don’t even need to leave your home: a virtual tour can give you an excellent foretaste of a museum visit. We look at some good addresses.
Surfing faster via Google Public DNS?
You’re not obliged to use the DNS services offered by your Internet provider. You can also use a public service such as OpenDNS. Google is now also offering its own DNS service. Is it worth using?
Working with others: why not via e-mail?
There are all kinds of online collaboration tools out there on the Web. Still, you shouldn’t neglect good old e-mail as a communication channel for collaborating on a project with others online.
All modern computers are equipped with several USB ports for connecting peripherals. USB version 3.0 was launched recently. What’s the difference with USB 2.0? Can you start using USB 3.0 straightaway?
USB sticks are convenient devices for transferring files from one computer to another. However, they can also hold programs which can be run on any computer. Which ones are must-haves?
The Google Chrome browser has always enjoyed the reputation of being the fastest browser around. On the downside, it lacked extensions (Firefox’s forte). Let’s see how the new version 4 of Chrome does.
Free tools for all your PDF needs
PDF or “Portable Document Format” files are universal, which makes them very popular. We collected a number of free tools for reading, editing, converting, creating and managing PDF documents.
Working with a regular e-mail program offers several advantages. Yet you don’t want to miss the advantages of webmail either. Gmail offers the best of both worlds, thanks to the IMAP function. Here are some tips for using it efficiently.
Microsoft’s Bing has been around for six months now. Is Bing still regarded as not as good as Google, or has it become a fully-fledged player on the search market?
Services for better online collaboration
The Web is crawling with free or paid for services which enable you to do useful stuff online. However, many of them aren’t well known. We selected a couple of useful services for collaborating with others.
February is National Heart Month and February 26 is National Wear Red Day. We check sites that can help keep your heart, and the rest of your body, healthy.
It’s been suggested that it’s a legal requirement to have a defibrillator on site, so that anyone who’s had a heart attack can receive instant treatment. Is this really the case?
The HSE publishes the survey guide
The HSE has finally published its revised guidance on how asbestos surveys should be completed. Are there any significant differences from the previous documentation, and what, if any, impact could it have for you?
Sometimes, when you arrive on a new site you’ll be faced with hazards that you weren’t expecting. To record how you will deal with them, why not use our brand new document: risk assessment - site-specific risks?
Is your mezzanine floor about to collapse?
A recent case, the result of a mezzanine floor collapse, has highlighted the importance of ensuring that they’re not overloaded. If you have one, how can you check its capacity and avoid putting too much on it?
Risk assessment for pregnant staff - what’s happening?
A recent Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) judgment suggests that you may no longer need to carry out risk assessments for pregnant staff. But should you really follow this decision?