Business Update August 2007

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Choosing a name for your business Inspiration for business names can come from almost anywhere. Some names are playful, such as The Cod Father fish-and-chip shop. Others, such as The Village Bakery, are more functional.But all ...Selling to big retailers Securing your first big order to supply a major retail chain can be a turning point for your business. As well as the obvious financial benefits, getting your product on the shelves can boost your ...Online business networking Making the right contacts can be crucial to developing your business. But traditional networking can be very hit or miss, and spending valuable time calling potential contacts only to be rebuffed, ...Developing a green travel strategy According to the Energy Savings Trust (EST), just one in five firms has considered the impact of work-related travel on the environment. Yet transport is one of the biggest contributors to the ...Q&A: Managing staff on long-term sick leave Acas policy adviser Margaret McMahon outlines your responsibilities and the steps you can take to help employees back into work with minimum disruption to your business.What constitutes long-term ...10 ways to... get the most from your suppliers Making your business matter to your supplier can reduce your costs and improve the quality of goods and services you buy. Tom Whitney helps you manage your suppliers Underpin your supplier ...Annual holiday entitlement to increase Employers need to plan now for their employees' increased holiday entitlement which applies from this October. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR - formerly ...New corporate homicide law for businesses passed All businesses need to take action now to avoid liability for a new offence of corporate homicide, due to come into force in April 2008. The new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act ...Employer's guide: checking the status of migrant workers A new website on employing migrant workers, launched by the Home Office, offers a step-by-guide to help businesses ensure that their prospective employees are legally allowed to work in the ...Case law: whether grievance is appeal against dismissal In the light of a recent decision, employers are advised to adopt a flexible approach to any grievance raised by an employee after they have been dismissed. An employee was made redundant ...Case law: no implied term permitting employer to make payment in lieu of notice Employers can dispense with contractual notice periods, and make a payment in lieu of notice (PILON) on termination of employment only if the employee's contract specifically includes words to that ...Case law: good news for employers on enforceability of non-competition clauses Employers will be encouraged by two recent decisions that uphold non-competition clauses in employees' contracts of employment. In one case, an ex-managing director argued that a 12-month ...Case law: reduced compensation on termination of agency relationship Following a recent House of Lords ruling, businesses that are principals in commercial agency contracts will pay a smaller amount of compensation than they would previously have expected when those ...Have your say: registration of Scottish floating charges The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR - formerly the DTI) is asking businesses for their views on a proposal to treat floating charges - charges on assets that ...My landlord has set an unreasonable rent... Renting can make good sense financially; it ties up less capital than buying a property, leaving you with more cash to use elsewhere in your firm. It also provides you with financial security, as ...Case study: How I chose my business name THE ISSUE: How to choose an effective business name THE SOLUTION: "I was trying to come up with a business name for two years before I decided on Spa Fabulous, and we finally opened the salon in ...