May 08 issue
They say there’s no smoke without fire, but that was before the electronic cigarette. The SuperSmoker uses a microchip and a harmless liquid made up of food products that, when the user inhales, turns into a virtually odourless vapour that looks just like smoke and provides the hit of nicotine.
May 08 issue
James Murray Wells started online spectacles retailer Glassesdirect.co.uk with the last £1,000 of his student loan. With the help of VCs he is now aiming to turn it into a £1 billion company.
May 08 issue
Roughly half of small and medium-sized enterprises are feeling the effects of the economic downturn, according to a survey from
Business XL’s sister title
GrowthBusiness.co.uk.
May 08 issue
The Balancing Act: Work-life solutions for busy people by Fiona Parashar - reviewed by Kerry Glazer, chief executive, AAR Group
May 08 issue
Companies that ignore new corporate manslaughter laws could be ‘courting disaster’, according to security specialist red24.
May 08 issue
Google and Information Builders have released the first so-called business intelligence “mash-up”, a mix and match software giving users a visual representation of sales figures and stock movements in different geographies via an interactive Google Map.
May 08 issue
As the storm of protest against chancellor Alistair Darling’s changes to capital gains tax dies down, Mike Truman, editor of
Taxation Magazine, looks at the implications for growing companies.
Apr 08 issue
Daniel Lee is the MD of Pharmacy 2U, the first mail-order and online pharmacy retailer in the UK. With £12 million turnover, the company is seeking greater heights in the year ahead.
Apr 08 issue
Private Label Strategy: How to Meet the Store Brand Challenge, by Nirmalya Kumar and Jan-Benedict EM Steenkamp - reviewed by Andrea Davis, president of Fellowes Europe
Apr 08 issue
Hank Calenti, director of European credit research at RBC Capital Markets, reveals why he thinks we’re at a pivotal moment in the current financial downturn.
Apr 08 issue
Ian Gotts, CEO of business process management specialist Nimbus, reveals how appointing a COO helped him refocus his attention from running the company to driving it forward.
Apr 08 issue
Dissatisfaction with traditional outsourcing relationships is changing the way enterprises and their service providers do business. It’s become more common to treat functions such as IT as a portfolio of activities, some of which can be outsourced to a variety of providers while others are brought in-house.
Apr 08 issue
If you are looking to reduce downtime when travelling between meetings, but haven’t got your fingers around using a Blackberry keyboard yet, this could be the answer.
Apr 08 issue
Companies from the Middle East and North Africa raised a total of £1.37 billion in AIM initial public offerings (IPOs), according to a report from
Business XL’s sister title,
Growth Company Investor.
Apr 08 issue
Nearly 4,800 UK companies went bust in the first quarter of 2008, an increase of 8.5 per cent on the same period last year, according to data from information services group Experian.
Mar 08 issue
Subway Art, by Henry Chalfant and Martha Cooper, reviewed by Marc Ecko, CEO and chairman of
Marc Ecko Enterprises
Mar 08 issue
Ethical Superstore, an online retailer of fair trade, organic and eco-friendly goods, is forecasting turnover of £2.2 million this year (up from £800,000 last year). We talk to co-founder Andy Redfern
Mar 08 issue
While the new Blackberry Pearl 8110 Smartphone doesn’t boast WiFi like the similar 8120 Pearl, it does have built-in GPS with Blackberry Maps software, so you can happily wander the city and not get lost in the process.
Mar 08 issue
US technology company Emotiv Systems has developed a headset that allows a user to manipulate elements on a computer screen with only the power of thoughts, expressions and emotions.
Mar 08 issue
Transparency is key to a successful public listing, as Rob Cotton, CEO of NCC Group, attests
Mar 08 issue
Marc Sidwell, author of the Unfair Trade report from the Adam Smith Institute, speculates on how sustainable ethical buying patterns are in the long term
Mar 08 issue
Over half of the businesses listed on AIM are valued under £20 million, making them perfect targets for acquisitive companies.
Feb 08 issue
For all you failed musicians turned entrepreneurs out there, the Les Paul Robot Guitar can finally help you rock out like you dreamed you could in your salad days.
Feb 08 issue
Polly Gowers is CEO and co-founder of search engine Everyclick.com, a “social business” that gives 50 per cent of its revenue to charity. She founded the company in mid-2005 and it now generates turnover of over £1 million.
Feb 08 issue
The Global Business Leader, INSEAD Business Press, by J Frank Brown, reviewed by Robert Gogel, CEO, Liberata
Feb 08 issue
The desktop and laptop computers that we currently use carry with them a certain amount of local processing power. However, through “cloud computing” we could see this change as we move towards a different way of working.
Feb 08 issue
Diana Choyleva, an economist at Lombard Street Research, says that developing economic trends bode ill for the beleaguered UK economy.
Feb 08 issue
For Simon Rigby, CEO of Spice, the secret to sustainable expansion lies in sticking to what you know.
Feb 08 issue
The UK has a reputation for excessive drinking and it’s easy to see why. While we stoically cut down on clothes and electrical appliances over Christmas, reducing our intake of booze was generally deemed a step too far.
Feb 08 issue
It’s been a rough few months for banks, with dodgy debts laid bare and share prices tumbling. For France’s second-largest bank, Société Générale, fraud was added to these woes as arbitrage trader Jerome Kerviel was implicated in events that have led to €4.9 billion (£3.7 billion) of losses, not to mention further falls in the bank’s share price and an incalculable loss of reputation.
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
Are the economic good times well and truly over? Trevor Williams, chief economist for Lloyds TSB, argues that next year won’t be as bad as some fear
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
Led by chief executive Nick Bolton, Oxford Metrics consists of three technology ventures developing motion and image capture products for the entertainment, defence, life science and engineering industries.
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
The resignation of CEO Adam Applegarth and confirmation of the company’s demotion from the FTSE 100 have set the seal on a punishing year for Northern Rock.
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
With Christmas upon us, it’s the stated mission of many parents to find their young offspring a gift that is fun and educational, and will hold their interest beyond Boxing Day.
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
Adam Price is the MD of Wales-based outfit SEOsitebuilder.com, which he established in 2004. He recently won Newport Business School’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
Before contactless credit cards have even entered our wallets, it looks as though they may have been superseded. O2 has linked up with Transport for London, Barclaycard, Visa Europe and Nokia for a trial of its new initiative, the O2 Wallet.
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose, by Eckhart Tolle - reviewed by Clive Wilson, managing director, Primeast
Dec 07/Jan 08 issue
Nick Craven, chief executive of Weatherbys Ventures, says his best business decision was to widen the company's offerings from its traditional remit of horseracing while using skills it already had in-house.
Nov 07 issue
In 2006, the average email user received 126 messages per day, an increase of 55 per cent since 2003, according to research by The Radicati Group. So how do we sort the vital information from the dross?
Nov 07 issue
With oil nudging $100 a barrel, Tony Shephard, investment analyst at Charles Stanley, considers the consequences of rising energy prices for British business
Nov 07 issue
Kevin Scullion, MD of homecare provider Independent Living Services, says that taking on private equity has transformed his business.
Nov 07 issue
It’s environmentally friendly and beats Jeremy Clarkson. That’s right, it’s a bike
Nov 07 issue
Healthcare specialist Ultrasis saw a glimmer of hope this month despite posting losses of £769,000 in October, up 70 per cent on the year before.
Nov 07 issue
Heating and air-conditioning installer Worthington Nicholls has announced that it will hold an EGM in early December with the intention of removing certain key members from its board.
Nov 07 issue
Apatech, a manufacturer of artificial bone-graft material, has grown sales to £3.1 million from £270,000 in 2005. We talk to CEO Simon Cartmell
Nov 07 issue
How to Turn Your Business into the Next Global Brand: Creating and Managing a Franchised Network, by Brian Duckett and Paul Monaghan - reviewed by Derek Lowe, Chief Executive Officer, Storm Communications
Oct 07 issue
Simon Longfield, restructuring partner at accountancy firm Grant Thornton, believes the correction in the credit markets will have less impact on growing businesses than many have assumed.
Oct 07 issue
Everyone who owns a mobile phone, a PDA or an iPod has had its battery die on them at one time or another and, inevitably, it tends to be when there’s no charger in sight. If there is one, you can bet that it’s not the right fit anyway.
Oct 07 issue
Natalie Perillo and her husband, Andy, set up their third business, ‘virtual PA’ service MyRuby last spring. They are expecting sales of £800,000 for their first year.
Oct 07 issue
If you’re successful and want to look the part without appearing to be on the brink of a mid-life crisis, this could be the set of wheels for you.
Oct 07 issue
Matthew Crook, CEO of software developer SalesCentric explains how partnership, especially with powerful players in your sector, can pay dividends when it comes to sales.
Oct 07 issue
Go Put Your Strengths To Work by Marcus Buckingham (published by Free Press) - reviewed by Bernadette Wightman, director of small and medium businesses, Cisco UK & Ireland
Oct 07 issue
Carpetright chairman and CEO Lord Harris has certainly done something right and, according to Ernst & Young, it’s business.
Oct 07 issue
Fashion retailer Zara caused a stir this month when a UK customer pointed out to staff that a handbag on sale in the store featured a swastika.
Sep 07 issue
Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business by Jon Steel (published by Adweek Books)
Sep 07 issue
George Whitehead, business development director at the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), says that there is still a shortage of funding for worthy growing concerns
Sep 07 issue
Resource prospector Falkland Oil & Gas (FOGL) is in ‘advanced discussions’ about bringing a ‘major resources company’ into its projects
Sep 07 issue
Billions of pounds were wiped off British equities as the US subprime lending crisis hit investor confidence
Sep 07 issue
For coins and notes, it could be the beginning of the end. This autumn, high street banks will issue credit and debit cards with a new contactless payment facility, allowing cardholders to pay for items under £10 by simply swiping the cards over a reader.
Sep 07 issue
Losing your keys and other important items will be a thing of the past with this personal homing device
Jul/Aug 07 issue
Darren Harper, head of analysis and editorial at Library House, argues that fears of a second dotcom bubble are unfounded.
Jul/Aug 07 issue
Matt Riley was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the North Region in this year’s Ernst & Young awards. He has started four companies, most recently B2B telecoms provider Daisy Communications.
Jul/Aug 07 issue
Marine fluid-handling specialist Hamworthy has won an order worth more than £17 million.
Jul/Aug 07 issue
Conrad Black, the Canadian-born media tycoon, has been convicted of fraud and obstructing justice after a three-month trial in Chicago.
Jul/Aug 07 issue
Now you can escape from your desk without having to leave your mouse behind
Jul/Aug 07 issue
The Rules of Entrepreneurship, by Rob Yeung (published by Cyan Communications) - reviewed by
David Thompson, VP of people and organisational development, ABN Amro
Jun 07 issue
Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British physicist who created the World Wide Web, has been awarded the Order of Merit, one of the UK’s most prestigious honours.
Jun 07 issue
Take-Two Interactive Software, developer of the controversial
Grand Theft Auto series, has announced that it will be undertaking significant job cuts in an effort to return to profit.
Jun 07 issue
Ian Merricks began his career as a record promoter in 1996. In 2007, he raised private equity for the MBO of Itchy Media, and since then has overseen five acquisitions.
Jun 07 issue
Ewan MacLeod, CEO of datacentre services provider DCMI, says his best business decision was to target the biggest clients first.
Jun 07 issue
The quest for effective pesticides free of chemical nasties has been going for years. Now TyraTech, an American research company which floated on AIM this month, believes it has the answer.
Jun 07 issue
If you appreciate the beautiful things in life and go weak at the knees over sleek design, this should get your heart racing.
Jun 07 issue
Great Brand Stories: Innocent: Building a brand from nothing but fruit, by John Simmons (published by Cyan Books) - reviewed by
Richard Warmsley, head of internet on the move, T-Mobile UK
Jun 07 issue
The executive chairman of NVM Private Equity,
Michael Denny, sets out his solution to the vexed question of how to tax private equity
May 07 issue
Breakfast sets you up for the day. However, when you’re running a business, you may struggle to find time for such a luxury.
May 07 issue
Gauging the effectiveness of an advertising campaign is a serious business. What seemed like a neat device for science fiction films a few years ago is becoming a reality through eye tracking.
May 07 issue
'Believing that people are basically good was my best decision,' says Frank Hannigan, co-founder and managing director of Yougetitback.com.
May 07 issue
Jon Lindsay, managing director at credit management firm Coface, considers the likely impact of recent interest rate rises.
May 07 issue
Car share company Streetcar has 10,000 members, a number it anticipates will rise to 150,000 by 2012. We catch up with co-founder Andrew Valentine.
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
Howard Archer, UK and Eurozone chief economist for Global Insight, shares his thoughts on the current wage climate, interest rates and inflation
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
More than two thirds of businesses have no idea how much they spend on printers and printing...
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
If you can’t stand being out of contact when you’re on a plane, rejoice that from early 2007 you’ll be able to make in-flight calls from your mobile...
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
John Kearon, Chief Juicer/CEO of online research company Brainjuicer, says his best business decision was ‘getting off the corporate ladder’...
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
The book: Scoring Points – How Tesco is Winning Customer Loyalty, by Clive Humby, Terry Hunt and Tim Phillips
Review by: Olly Raeburn, managing partner at Liquid Communications
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
If you’re fed up carting around handfuls of chargers for your gadgets, this gizmo could be the best Christmas present you’ll ever receive...
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
Two British companies are awarded for humanitarian work alongside Bill Gates and other global technology innovators...
Dec 06/Jan 07 issue
Restaurant operator Fishworks rocks the boat by admitting profits will be lower than it publicly predicted just one month ago...
Nov 06 issue
We ask Geoff Foster, market reporter at the Daily Mail, what currently concerns him about the UK economy...
Nov 06 issue
Computers used by businesses are attacked every 15 minutes by some form of malicious internet software...
Nov 06 issue
It’s finally here, the integration of man and machine... OK, not quite, but there are a number of products about to hit the market that should revolutionise the way we use computers and personal devices...
Nov 06 issue
Roger Wilson, chairman of AdEPT Telecom, says his best business decision was 'buying a business after the boom'...
Nov 06 issue
The book: The Dalai Lama’s Book of Wisdom, by His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Reviewed by: Dr Anthony Lovat, founder and managing director, O-Pro Mouthguards...
Nov 06 issue
An entrepreneur who started his language venture from his bedroom has silenced the competition by scooping a cash prize..
Nov 06 issue
Fancy a cordless keyboard that protects you from germs? Get your grubby mitts on this little black number...
Nov 06 issue
Beleaguered coatings specialist Micap has been forced into an emergency fundraising to stop it becoming insolvent...
Oct 06 issue
John Kay, economist and columnist for the FT, predicts that the next big influence on the UK economy will be an overhaul of intellectual property rights...
Oct 06 issue
In common with other manufacturers, Research In Motion (RIM), the maker of the new Blackberry Pearl 8100, intends it to negate the need for business folk to carry both a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant...
Oct 06 issue
The book: My Big Idea, by Rachel Bridge
Review by: Glyn Heald, CEO, Shirlaws Business Coaching
Sep 06 issue
We ask Tim Moss, director of corporate strategy at Companies House, to predict the impact of an imminent overhaul of company law...
Sep 06 issue
This month, we raise a pint to Cobra Beer founder and chief executive Karan Bilimoria, who’s raised £27.5 million cash funding...
Sep 06 issue
Weighing less than a couple of chocolate bars and rolling up to fit neatly into a briefcase, portable keyboards certainly live up to their name...
Jul/Aug 06 issue
We ask Robert Cole, acting business editor at
The Times, to predict the next big economic influence on UK business...
Jul/Aug 06 issue
Paul Mockapetris, the inventor of the Domain Name System (DNS), says he expects it to be superseded as new technology emerges that is designed to unite telephone numbers and email addresses to find you wherever you are.
Jul/Aug 06 issue
Computer chip technology usually only excites electrical engineers and geeks, but this is one development that could soon be speeding up some of the everyday products you rely on most for business...
Jul/Aug 06 issue
Simon Seward, MD of Touchdown Brand Affinity Marketing, explains the sacrifices that had to be made to invest in vital new IT equipment...
Jul/Aug 06 issue
It sounds like a gadget you’d find on Captain Kirk’s Christmas list, but due to go on sale soon is a wristwatch that can also be used to make calls and send texts – it won’t beam you up, though...
Jun 06 issue
Mobile phones and laptops enable us to work anywhere, but when the battery dies we’re left with no choice but to trudge back to the office. Fortunately, however, there is now a solution – and it’ll cut your energy bills as well...
