BUSINESS PLUS MAGAZINE
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The Supeme Court has clipped the wings of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement in a landmark judgment relating to the restriction of directors
Draconian S.150
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Cooking your own gourmet meal is a novel form of team-building now being offered by Sheraton Fota Island Resort in Cork
Lobster à la Amateur
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Are all online banking services for business the same? Mostly yes, but there are some differences in functionality
Banking Online
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According to motivation guru Keith Cunningham, success will always be a distant goal without commitment to yourself
Being The Best
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The decision to terminate the employment of any number of employees is a complex one and has financial implications for the employer
Counting The Cost Of Fewer Employees
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In his latest book, Gary Hamel argues that management must innovate or become irrelevant
Management Innovation
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Alistair Is The Darling Of North's Entrepreneurs; No Escaping PRSI For Self-Employed; Fáilte Ireland Fund Targets Tourism SMEs; Transform Vacant Wall Space The Digital Way; Saving Money With Fluorescent Lights
BP Smarts April 2008
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Why should you value your business and how do you go about doing it? Here are some some tips and advice
Business Valuation: How To Value Your Business
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The tax consequences of transactions are often overlooked until it is too late to do anything about them
Family Business: Start With The Will
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Sick Leave Problem Worst In Munster, Says ISME; Keep Tabs On Stolen Vehicles With GPS; Backup Your Contacts And Data On The Web
BP Smarts March 2008
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Robert Greene's books seriously undermine the notion that being Mr Nice Guy is going to help you make a name for yourself in the battlefield of business
Constant Battle
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That Office Party Flirt Can Cost You Dearly; Use Bluetooth To Promote Your Sales; Take The First Step To Fund Your Business; and more
BP Smarts January 2008
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In his role as chief learning officer of bookbuzz, YANKY FACHLER had to plough through well over 200 business books in 2007 in order to decide which books to slot into bookbuzz executive learning programmes. Here are ten of the books he liked best
Business Books Worth Reading
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Salaries were reasonably stable in 2007 although there has been upward pressure where candidate
supply is particularly tight
Salaries Survey
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Sometimes managers need to step back and think about working smarter not harder
Advice: Go Outside The Box
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Help With Powerpoint Stage Fright; Advice For Writing in Plain English; Knowing When Accounts Package Is Past Sell By; Convert File Formats Easily With Online Tool; Bord Bia's Vantage Centre of Excellence for Small Business
BP Smarts December 2007
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There are ten factors purchasers should consider before making an acquisition
Buying A Company
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Ireland's bankruptcy laws are in the dark ages
compared with the situation in the UK
Going Bankrupt Not An Option
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Advertisers and publishers can reap rewards by collaborating together online
Affiliate Marketing - Affiliations Can Pay
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Self-invested retirement structures are the tax-efficient way of transforming surplus business cash into personal and family wealth
Pensions - Control Your Wealth
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Trademark & Design Rights Protection; Tech Check - Free IT Audit; Sage Micropay Tackles CSO Red Tape; Fighting Spam - Spam Doctor; Breezing Through Customs With AEOs
BP Smarts November 2007
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Older adults will be one of the most important sources of talent for the workforce of the future
What Older Workers Want
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Women are rapidly increasing their share of high-skill occupations
Trends Good For Women
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Finance professionals in Ireland work longer hours that most of their peers around the globe
Work Hard, Play Hard
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The pharmaceutical sector is still a good career bet for steady employment
Pharma Hiring Stays Strong
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Working as a contractor can be a viable alternative to a full-time job and the best advice is to set up a limited company
Options For Contractors
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New Alarm System From HKC Makes Good Use Of Mobiles; VAT Refund Card Gives Edge To Blarney; Sligo Centre Beats The Drum For Design; Meteor's Mobile E-Mail Has Windows Look;
BP Smarts September 2007
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A recent Labour Court ruling that alcoholism is a disability should make for sober deliberations for employers
Dealing With Alcoholics
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Advanced Diploma Can Help Sales Reach Higher Levels; New VAT Payment Rules To Help Small Traders' Cashflow; Age Matters When Hiring; Corporate Calendars Get The Personal Touch
BP Smarts August 2007
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Paul Taylor, general manager of David Lloyd Riverview, explains why his facility is ranked number one club in the fitness chain
Risk Taking Culture
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Home Computing Initiative; Goodbody Cuts Carbon Footprint With CHP; Food And Drinks Export Advice; PR For Fundraising Startups; Text Marketing; Free IT Check Up
BP Smarts June-July 2007
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Employers should beware of the legal maze surrounding job interviews and the selection process
Hiring Process Is Riddled With Traps
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Factoring debts got a bad reputation in Ireland but Liverpool company Bibby is aiming to change perceptions
Factor Finance For SMEs
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An Post alternative can cut costs; Design Shannon Skillnet helps with R&D and brand design; Ulster Bank's new startup pack; Easy e-commerce with online trading portal; Saving credit for marketing
BP Smarts May 2007
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Solar panels and rapeseed oil now provide a chunk of Newbridge Silverware's energy requirements
Energy Plan Aims To Turn Silver To Green
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The government has introduced a new employment permits regime for non-EU nationals. Here's how it works
Green Card Scheme For Jobs In Ireland
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Do you work to live or live to work? Most employers are implementing a work-life balance policy but there are downsides for the employer
Time Management Helps Balancing Act
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Knowledge to help your business:
Computer security cameras that slash CCTV costs; Fexco's online training solution with FAS eCollege; Increase retail turnover with Rent-A-DVD; Frankfurt's Collectione exhibition
BP Smarts April 2007
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Sponsorship is the essence of real marketing integration. But before you get involved, here's how you need to prepare
Making Sponsorship Work
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts March 2007
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Small firms got a cashflow boost in Budget 2007 when finance minister Brian Cowen increased the threshold for paying VAT on a cash receipts basis from €635,000 to €1m. Here's how the new rules work
How New VAT Rules Can Boost Cashflow
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Marketing professionals are in strong demand, so what type of marketing expertise are the corporates seeking?
Marketing’s Hot Jobs
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E-mail is a relatively cheap way to blast hundreds of your customers with a message. But getting them to read it is the challenge
Emo Oil Tries E-Mail
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People born after 1980 expect to have a job, and a choice of job too. So how can employers make the most of this so-called Generation Y?
Understanding Generation Y
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Big conferences or conventions are now possible in Kilkenny with the opening of the new Lyrath Estate Hotel
Luxury In Kilkenny
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts February 2007
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New rules for Small Claims will make it easier for a business to chase a debt from a customer in Dusseldorf than in Dundalk
EU’s Help For Creditors
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts January 2007
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Genuine search practices identify, benchmark and recruit the best talent available for a role, not the best talent looking for a job
Inside Executive Search
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts November 2006
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What constitutes a good business idea? How do you go about looking for one? And when you find one, how do you know if it will be good enough to turn into a successful business?
Winning Ideas
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The government keeps urging SMEs to move up the value chain. If getting involved in R&D is too daunting, why not try technology transfer
How To Access Innovation
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Business owners often push important tasks to the back of the queue because they are too busy dealing with the urgent ones - and that includes their own financial goals. Here is advice on the best ways to make your goals compelling
Minding Your Own Business
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts October 2006
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A new report paints a damning picture of the competence of SME managers. With autumn here, we look at some of the courses the dunce bosses should be considering
Professional Development
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts September 2006
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts August 2006
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts July 2006
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts June 2006
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts May 2006
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If you want a UK base to target the British market, Wales has plenty of incentives to attract growing firms
Wales Tempts Irish Firms
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Knowledge to help your business
BP Smarts April 2006
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Substantial grant aid is available to SMEs from the Productivity Improvement Fund. But the process is competitive.
State Grants For Productivity
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Enterprise Ireland is prodding third level institutes, such as Athlone Institute of Technology, to do more to foster startups. Aspiring entrepreneurs should take note
Hand-Holding In Athlone
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Northern Ireland is desparate for private sector investment. Business Plus reports on the incentives for southern SMEs to look across the border
Getting Paid To Go North
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PowerPoint has been hugely successful in giving confidence to executives making presentations. But too many people fall into the trap of confusing medium and message
PowerPoint Perils
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The Revenue Audit can be a harrowing time for small firms. Your level of disclosure and co-operation has a major bearing on the penalties that will be imposed
Audit Penalties
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The new One Step Up programme from FAS offers generous subsidies for employers to upskill their staff
Skills Subsidies - One Step Up
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Interim management can solve short-term problems in a company's overall strategy
Interim Management: Filling The Gap
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There are substantial tax benefits for vendors of small businesses, and benefits too for the son or daughter if they buy the business
Retirement Relief
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Coaching can be very useful for personal and professional development. For coaching to be effective, you have to be clear about your goals
Coaching - Grow Yourself
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Experts advise that company documents should be stored for six years. But tagging the records properly can cost you
Paper Chase - Records Management
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Mazars recently introduced an innovative free consulting service for SME executives. Participants have been relaying a lot of common challenges
Expert Advice: An Hour On The Couch
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New legislation aimed at choking off the funding of terrorist groups means that assistance in laundering 'clean money' can now be a criminal offence
Money Laundering
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Business owners in their twilight years agonise about how best to dispose of the business. Putting a decision on the long finger is a bad idea
Business Succession
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Key Relationship Builders are distinctive practices that impress cutomers. The result of putting them into practice can be an unpaid sales force at large
Customer Loyalty
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Ask the wrong question at a job interview and you could find yourself being sued for discrimination
Equality Pitfalls
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Employees have entitlements to leave from their employment for a variety of reasons. These legal rights should be clearly set out in their contract of employment or staff handbook
Employee Leave
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There's a healthy demand for financial and accounting staff in Dublin but how do salaries compare with pay in London and Sydney?
Better In London?
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When you drive a company car, you need
to drive a lot of miles to avoid being walloped for
PAYE and PRSI. The rules explained
Company Car Tax
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Having good non-executive directors can make a company more attractive to investors. But
new legislation may scare away board candidates unless companies get their compliance
house in order
Non Executive Directors
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Nobody knows more about giving the right answer at a job interview than Martin John Yate. His book on the subject has sold millions of copies. Here's a sample
Great Answers To Tough Interview Questions
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The results of networking are proportionate to how hard you work at it
How To Network
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Company loans to directors are coming under increased scrutiny by the authorities. Here's what directors need to know
Loans To Company Directors
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Newspaper ads announcing public tenders will soon be a thing of the past. Suppliers who don't sign up to the State's eTenders website will lose out
Public Procurement
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Effective project management can improve an
organisation's chance of prospering. But choosing
the right project manager is vital
Project Management
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It is essential to plan carefully when transferring a family business in order to avail of the available reliefs and avoid unnecessary tax liabilities
Transferring The Family Business
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Middle managers rely on the support and co-operation of many people.The key to success is confidence in their own abilities
Middle Managers
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Ten steps that every company director should take to ensure their compliance with Company Law
Company Law Compliance
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The Revenue Commissioners have turned to computer analysis of tax returns to decide who should be audited
Revenue Audits
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More company owners should be taking advantage of Approved Retirement Funds
Approved Retirement Funds
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Delays and daunting costs are obstacles to commercial litigation. The new Commercial Court will help, though only for €1m plus claims
Commercial Court: How It Works
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New laws make it tougher to junk mail or cold call members of the public. The rules regarding pitching to business aren't as strict
Cold Calling & Junk Mail
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From March 2005 big firms will have to open a regular dialogue with their employees, like it or not
Information And Consultation Directive
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Athletes and actors use coaches to help achieve success. Now business people are getting results from coaches too
Business Coaching
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Directors of public companies and large SMEs need to get their heads around the new compliance burden
Annual Compliance Statements
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The government has launched a new 20% tax credit for incremental R&D spend. Here's how the scheme works
R&D Tax Credits
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Flexitime has gained most traction in the public sector but it's catching on in the private sector too. Chris Sparks outlines the advantages and the hazards
Flexitime Explained
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What personal data does an employee have
a legal right to access? Quite a lot actually
Employee Data
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How the new personal injuries claims regime affects employers
Personal Injuries Assessment Board
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Sibling rivalry is a powerful phenomenon that has destroyed many families and their businesses. Paul Hennessy of PwC writes that managing the process requires careful and timely planning
Managing Sibling Rivalry
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The owner of the family firm has to retire sometime – or die. It's best to plan the succession early
















