Business technology Get a (digital) life!
By Martin Leuw
Last week my teenage daughter was interviewed by the Sunday Times. I didn’t realise what it was all about until I read the headline: “Children spend seven hours a day in ‘electronic life’.”

Leadership Charlie Mullins: "How dare MPs fly first class while the economy is in tatters?"
By Charlie Mullins
Evidence of this government’s “Do as I say, not as I do” attitude has again been revealed, this time relating to the travel arrangements of ministers heading to the recent World Economic Forum in Davos.

Leadership Members of BNI Hogarth create a YouTube hit
By Kate Pritchard
For some Friday-afternoon entrepreneurial entertainment, check out this music video created by the members of Business Network International (BNI) Hogarth. [Make sure you crank your speakers up.]

Leadership Making time for charity
By Jason Hesse
An increasing number of entrepreneurs now give back to society by donating time and expertise to charitable organisations. Nigel Watson is one such entrepreneur who believes he has struck the right balance.

Sales and marketing Customer (dis)service
By Don Joe
This week Don Joe – our undercover agent in the corporate world – explains why speaking to someone in a call centre turns us all into rabid wolves.

Leadership The next generation: who will take over from you?
By Jason Hesse
A test that could help identify the next generation of Alan Sugars and Richard Bransons has been devised by an academic at Kingston University.

Employment Extending paternity leave: what the new regulation means for SMEs
By Christopher Hitchins and Ashley Cara Brown
The government has announced proposals to give families more choice and flexibility in how they use maternity and paternity leave. What does it mean for your business? Christopher Hitchins (partner) and Ashley Cara Brown (associate) from the labour and employment team at international law firm Morgan Lewis give you the lowdown.

Finance and banking Liquidations slow down in Q4, but it's not over yet
By Jason Hesse
As Britain finally dragged itself out of the recession, the number of company liquidations in England and Wales fell last quarter, despite 2009 recording the highest number of liquidations in over 15 years.

Leadership Lord Digby Jones: "Don’t go back to your old ways"
By Kate Pritchard
Former director-general of the CBI Lord Digby Jones gives a frank outlook on business growth and trade opportunities.

Finance and banking "Private equity has helped us go from strength to strength"
By Jason Hesse
Despite the bad press that private equity has received in recent months, some entrepreneurs continue to relish the opportunities that external investment has given to their businesses.

Startups The year of the 'necessity entrepreneur'
By Jason Hesse
"I decided that if nobody was going to offer me a job, then I'd go out and create one for myself, which is exactly what I did," says Liam Danby, a budding entrepreneur who recently set up his own coffee shop.

Leadership Entrepreneurs confident about the future
By Jason Hesse
Despite the challenging tax and regulatory environment, entrepreneurs expect this year to be good for business, with many expecting both profitability and revenue to rise.

Carbon footprint The "convenient truth" of going green
By Kate Pritchard
Commercial Group, a Cheltenham-based office supplies company, says its environmental programme – inspired by former US vice-president Al Gore – has helped it win £6m in new business.

Leadership Ask Timpo: How do you encourage innovation?
By John Timpson
Q: Innovation and collaboration are cited as two of the key features of the post-recession economy. How do you encourage innovation in your business? Do you have a director of innovation?

Business woman Karen Paterson: Mover. Shaker. Innovator
By Kate Pritchard
This country needs more entrepreneurs like Karen Paterson – our 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year and the woman behind the world’s first internet-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) global payroll management system.