Online Business Blog

Cornwall is one of the busiest and highly sought after location for family holidays and is now hosting a quite unique battle between one of its villages and a local school.

Residents of the small village of Trevalga are coming to terms with the news that their homes could be sold due to a loophole in the law that was recently discovered.

The small hamlet of Trevalga was left to the local public school Marlborough College back in 1959 by Gerald Curgenven, a trust was set up to ensure that the estate and its buildings would be maintained for future generations.  The ex-pupil and lord of the manor’s original agreement has been marked as legally flawed by the local public schools solicitors and as a result the school has decided to sell the entire 3,000 acre estate. The £28,000 per Year College has cited that the original agreement contained no end date and no ultimate beneficiary which is enough to cancel the arrangement.

Many of the local inhabitants are facing an unclear future and have formed a campaign called ‘The Battle of Trevalga’. The village is nestled between Tintagel and Boscastle both tourism hotspots for Family Holidays with no holiday parks situated in the vicinity.

The estate is expected to go on the market at the end of the summer for an estimated ten million pounds. Property developers and holiday parks are expected to be very interested in the estate due to the sheer size and location.

One great concern from the residents newly formed group is that villages in the past have been ‘trashed’ by large scale buying. It is suggested that if the estate was sold off as second homes or turned into holiday parks it would go against Gerald Curgenven’s original plan for safeguarding the hamlet.

At present, the entire village is occupied by locals and does not have any holiday lets or holiday parks within the area making it a very viable business opportunity.

The campaigners plan to launch an appeal against the college’s action but fear that if all else fails then hopes of a sympathetic buyer could be slim.

No Win No Fee Accident Claims have been around for centuries and there has, in the past, been some controversy surrounding them. Nowadays, that controversy is long buried and the No Win No Fee structure is one that’s advantageous to both the client and the solicitor.

Previously, a No Win No Fee arrangement would be entered into and it meant exactly that. If the lawyer pursuing the No Win No Fee Injury Claim didn’t succeed in the case then the client would not have to pay them anything. However, if the lawyer won, then not only did the client have to pay the standard fees, but in most cases they would also have to pay a ’success fee’ to the lawyer, which is where the controversy arose. Although it meant that anybody could pursue a lawsuit, regardless of their financial situation, it also meant that people would see any compensation they received dramatically reduced as they then had to pay the lawyer.

This all changed in 2000, when the Access to Justice Act 1999 allowed success fees to be recovered from the losing party. With the standard lawyers fees also able to be recovered from the losing party, there now exists a ‘No Win No Fee, Win No Fee’ agreement. The lawyer agrees not to charge the client if they don’t win, but if they do win it is the losing party that must pay all of the lawyer’s fees. This means that victims can keep 100% of their compensation and has removed the controversy that previously existed in the No Win No Fee field.

So, what does No Win No Fee really mean? Well, it means that whether you win or lose you don’t pay a penny.

The investment, pensions and insurance group, LV=, have launched a clever new recruitment advertising campaign to spearhead a new recruitment drive. The campaign uses a mixture of groundbreaking technology and LV= very own staff.

LV= will be utilising a whole range of media to target new recruits including, online, press and outdoor advertising and social media sites such as Facebook. The advertising material will use real life LV= employees telling their own stories of what it’s like to work for the country.

Those interested in working for LV= are asked to take a picture of the poster and either email or text it to LV=, LV= will then use some fancy technology to identify which employee is featured on the poster and that employee will then call the interested potential recruit. This allows anyone interested in applying for a position to find out a little bit more about the company. This recruitment campaign is not only benefiting LV= though as 10p from every text goes to the Great Ormond Street hospital.

The recruitment drive will be launched at 150 sites across cities such as Exeter, Croydon, Bristol and Bournemouth. LV= are looking at recruitment at many of there 28 offices across the country with positions with in their insurance departments being a particular focus.

If successful LV= could start a trend for innovative recruitment advertising which looks to utilise its own work force and cutting edge technology in a big to attract the best candidates.

We all know just how much we rely on our trusted PC, laptop or notebook for internet access and daily usage. The whole family benefits from the World Wide Web, from parents researching and booking their family holiday to kids using its vast resources to help them with their homework and studies, even grandparents are getting involved because of course, it is a great way to keep in touch with distant members of the family.

With the amount of use the internet gets and the vast amount of surfing that takes place from site to site and page to page with it brings a great threat to your PC. From fast spreading viruses, trojans, spyware and other forms of malware your PC, without protection, is vulnerable to catching all manner of infections which could crash your computer and loose valuable work, photos and downloads that are saved indefinitely.

Fortunately there is plenty of free download antivirus software available online which can enable you to surf safely and will protect your computer and information. Preventing viruses, rootkits, spyware, hackers, online fraud and identity theft along with the lesser known but very real internet threats, it’s certainly something that you should be looking at to provide you and your whole family peace of mind for 24 hour protection.

The latest to fail in the world of online mergers and acquisitions is the social networking site Bebo. It was once the most popular website for teenagers, but now it faces a complete closure by the end of this year. Bebo’s demise has been put largely down to the failure of AOL’s willingness or ability to fund the site which has now made it impossible to compete with the likes of other social networking giants Facebook and MySpace.

Recent figures show that Bebo’s global unique visitors in February totalled 12.8 million against Facebook’s whopping 462 million. MySpace totalled 110 million and Twitter 69.5 million. Bebo’s stats were 45% down on last February.

The result of the acquisition by AOL led to insufficient investment and when compared to Facebook, who at any given time have 2, 000 engineers working on the site to keep it running effectively, Bebo had just 40; it is not difficult to see one of its downfalls.

In its heyday, Bebo attracted a host of direct response advertising companies all keen to participate in features like the well publicised web video dramas like KateModern. This was a strategy that worked well and also saw the site attract media focus and ultimately led to a more attractive sale. However, since the acquisition it has lost the vital investment and impetus to keep up with the big boys and this, coupled with a gradual reluctance of top UK Advertising Agencies to continue to commit to any length of advertising campaigns, has led to their ultimate demise.

In the 21st century adverts are everywhere we turn and we can’t help but notice and be influenced by them. All manner of products and services advertise and compete for our attention, be they government services, recruitment adverts, the latest game or a tin of salmon. With so much competition advertisers are having to be more and more creative to stand out from the crowd.

Here are some of the ads that managed to stand head and shoulders above the competition

John West Salmon: Bear Fight

John Smith’s: Peter Kay ads

Sony Bravia: Bouncy Balls

Guinness: noitulovE

Compare the market: Compare the meerkat

Honda: Cog

Honda: The Impossible Dream

A while ago I wrote a blog about the effects of controversial advertising campaigns that Direct Response Advertising agents have used for the likes of Benetton over the years. The latest national campaign to cause a stir was designed to prove there is more to getting the message across than advertising on Google.

The 1.25 million ad campaign was intended to run on more than 11, 000 billboards and poster sites across the country and was backed by one of the biggest media owners in the sector. The three messages that were planned to run were: “Career Women make bad mothers”, “1966. It won’t happen this year” and “Educashun isn’t working”. Each of the ads asks the viewers whether they agree with the statement and pushes them to join a discussion on the website: Britainthinks.com.

The campaign, which launched with its first statement ‘Career women make bad mothers’ on Monday 4^th January quickly ruffled the feathers of women the length and breadth of the nation and an influx of angry and upset Mothers posted their rage on the Mumsnet website stating their contempt and hurt at the blazon statement.

The Outdoor Advertising Association had intended these posters run for a fortnight on buses and billboard sites but have had to be scrapped due to the bad attention it has received. The next to run is the statement “1966. It won’t happen this year” which is sure to risk offending football fans and rubbing salt in old wounds, but its got to be said that whilst this campaign has already offended a great deal of people, the attention it has achieved is exactly what it set out to do, which many UK Advertising Agencies often can only dream of.

In these current hard times of redundancies and the recession there is a large number of people looking for employment and it can be easy to get down about things. Many people get more and more discouraged as time goes by and they can’t find a position.

So what can job seekers do to make sure they stay positive when looking for work?

Well to start with making sure you partake in activities that make yourself feel good and highlight your strong points. If you are good with your hands why not volunteer to help build things in the local community or if you are good with an instrument you could volunteer to teach the instrument to local children. This will not only make yourself feel better but you can know you are making a difference to someone else’s life.

When looking for a job, you end up doing a lot of work that may not have an immediate outcome, so it is a good idea to set yourself tasks and activities with a tangible outcome. This can be something as simple as redecorating a room in the house or as complex as getting to grip with website design and building yourself a site on an area that interests you. No matter what it is, the feeling that you have accomplished something will make you feel great.

One of the worst things you can do while trying to stay positive is spending time with negative people, the ones who always see the cup as half empty. Talking to positive people is a great way of lifting your mood and reinforcing that everything will work out for the best.

Staying healthy and getting plenty of sleep always puts you in a good mood. It is very easy to get down and feel negative about things when you haven’t had enough sleep.

After a hard day of job hunting or interviews you should make sure you find time to relax and reward yourself. Whether it’s watching your favourite film or doing some exercise, you should make sure you allow yourself some time to take it easy.

Finding an accountancy job or an international job where there is a lot of competition can be a very stressful situation, so try following some of the tips mentioned in this blog to help you make it through.

Fishermen and Merchant Seafarers

Fishermen and Merchant Seafarer’s find themselves in the dubious position of working in the most dangerous profession in the country. The main reason for this is of course the unpredictable and very treacherous seas. Since records of work related deaths have been kept, fishermen and merchant seafarers have always topped the tables and are 50 times more like to die at work than anyone else. Currently 103 per 100,000 fishermen die each year, though incredibly high it is thankfully lower than the 1885 rate of 1 in 63 (10,000 a year) who perished while at sea.

Bomb and Mine Disposal

An unsurprising entry on our list Bomb disposal experts face danger and even death on a daily basis, thankfully though most survive which is why many have been nicknamed ‘Felix’ because they have nine lives like cats. Despite doing such a dangerous and important job the average disposal expert can look to bring home only £32,000 a year.

Oil and Gas Rigger

Oil and Gas workers have traditionally found themselves at risk due to the highly flammable and dangerous materials they find themselves working with day after day. The biggest cause of accidents is when rigs and pipes catch fire, though these are relatively rare when they do occur the loss of life can be high. In modern times rigs and are much safer but workers face a new threat. Terrorists have chosen oil and gas rigs as targets since the first Golf War. Some areas have become so dangerous for employees that oil and gas companies have been forced to withdraw there multi million pound operations from the area completely.

Construction Workers

Over the past five years 30% of all work related fatalities in the UK have come from the construction industry. Within the construction industry Scaffolders and Steeplejacks find themselves most at risk with 23% of all construction fatalities being caused by falls. As well as fatal injuries the industry also receives a high number of non fatal injuries. These can range from someone hitting their thumb with a hammer to more serious injuries such as white finger and Raynauds Disease.

Commercial Drivers

Commercial drivers are involved in 150 crashes up and down the country each day and are annually involved in 54,000 per year. Often the main cause of the crashes is the longer hours drivers often have to work caused by tight deadlines that many companies run by. 1-in-4 of road fatalities involves a driver at work.

War Zone Security Guard

The most recent entry on to the most dangerous job list, War Zone security guards are finding themselves working in the most dangerous places on Earth. Security Guards are often called in to work in highly dangerous areas, usually Iraq and Afghanistan to protect organizations and people. As part of their job them find themselves daily on the front line and often come under fire.

Buying a franchise is a great way to get into an area of business and to become a success. The franchisors have a business for sale and want you to succeed. They want to protect their brand and image so they will be giving you continuing support, making sure you are able to run the business and make it a success. The opposite of this would be to start your own business and try and compete against already established companies, so this is where the old saying comes into place. If you can’t beat them, join them.

But franchises will suit certain types of people. If you are strong minded and have to have the final say and decision on everything, then they may not be for you. You will be told what suppliers to use, what products to sell, how to recruit and generally how to run the business. You can look at this two ways, that the franchisors are nosey busy bodies who want to control everything or that they are trying to make your business a success by using tried and tested business techniques that has seen the brand through to its current success.

As a franchisee you will also have to pay a percentage of your profits to the parent company, but this cut will not be buying the owner a flashy car. Most of it will be being used to help promote the brand you are part of and help improve business techniques and improve training.

When choosing a franchise you should take a long hard look at what they offering you. Franchise business opportunities are a great fast low risk method of expanding a successful business in new areas and across the world. They will take the majority of the financial risk and will provide local knowledge to help you along. But you need to ask yourself whether the support, training, business techniques and brand will be worth the investment you will need to put in. In many business areas there will be competing franchises offering different deals and packages, so you should carefully think about which one will be the best for you and your business in the long run.