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New housing procurement guide launched
A new guide to help housing associations employ small, local or ethnic minority-led businesses in their development procurement has been launched.
The publication, by the London Housing Federations, provides a detailed guide for housing associations to promote equality in their development procurement practices, including a checklist of key action points. A recent report‘ Promoting Supplier Diversity in Development Procurement’ shows that small and medium enterprises( SMEs) and ethnic minority businesses( EMBs) have great business potential for housing associations. The benefits of a diverse supplier base are outlined in the report, and it shows that housing associations can take simple steps to track and promote equality and diversity at all stages of the procurement process. The London Housing Federation is the London branch of the National Housing Federation, the trade body for housing associations.
Firms express concerns over supplementary business tax
Small and medium-sized businesses have expressed their opposition towards the planned use of supplementary business rates( SBR) to fund local projects. Such tax would be used to fund projects such as the Crossrail project.
The announcement was made in the recent pre-budget report in which Chancellor Alistair Darling announced his intention to give shire counties and the Greater London Authority the power to raise money through a direct tax on businesses.
The Forum for Private Businesses accused Darling of failing to address the issues of smaller businesses in his first Pre-Budget Report. Darling delivered his speech to the Commons on 9 October 2007, but omitted any reduction in the tax burden for small businesses.
Businesses offered free 10-minute review
Small businesses can get a 10-minute reality check with Business Link London’ s Online Business Review tool.
The Online Business Review tool uses a short questionnaire to identify what stage the business is at and how it is performing in key areas such as finance and marketing. It then provides an analysis of the business and identifies relevant opportunities and resources, which are specific to the users’
Many small businesses are still failing to capitalise on the possibilities of the £ 30bn e-commerce market, according to new research.
Nearly half of the almost 4,000 businesses surveyed by web hosting company Amenworld. com want an online shop but don’ t yet have one. Additionally, these companies are missing out on advertising products on mass consumption shopping sites, such as eBay, Kelkoo and Shopping. com. business challenges. These include both on and off-line resources and tools, and details of organisations that can support business growth. Business owners can save their business action plan and use it to track their objectives in the long-term and as part of their overall business plan.
The Online Business Review Tool can be accessed by visiting www. businesstoolbox. co. uk / bllondon
Small firms missing out on £ 30bn market
The survey found that the number one impediment to taking a business online was a lack of technical knowledge.
This was closely followed by concerns about finding the right products, worries about the amount of time the whole process would take and the associated costs. Only 11 % of businesses felt that there were no obstacles
E-shops allow companies to access the international market, making overseas trading a viable option for small businesses. uk | engage ISSUE FIVE 2007