Office Requirements: Computer Equipment

Computer EquipmentPrime Office Space has compiled a series of guides to help you with all your Office Requirement needs which include Office Planning, Office Equipment, Communications Equipment, Office Furniture, Computer Software, Computer Equipment and Office Supplies.

This week we will be looking at: Computer Equipment

Buying computer equipment for your office is a critical decision, especially if your business is growing. The most important step is to identify your business needs and determine how you plan to use the computer equipment to help your business grow further without buying excessive machinery that will only increase the cost of capital for unnecessary equipment.

The basic equipment of a computer includes the RAM memory (which allows more applications to run faster on the PC without it crashing all the time), the monitor (typically 17 inches) and the hard drive (the storage room of your PC). You should also decide on the speed, which depends on the use you need your equipment for, and the brand (to be a reputable one).

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Gatwick Airport for Business Travellers

Business travel is all about comfort, efficiency, and first-class services and facilities. If your job requires you to travel through Gatwick airport frequently, take a look at our travel business guide to the second largest single-runway airport in the United Kingdom.

Business Travel Stats

Gatwick airport business vs leisure travellers infographic

Gatwick Airport Passenger Breakdown 2014

More than 45 airlines use Gatwick’s two terminals to link the UK with more than 200 destinations all over the world. The busiest routes go to well-known business destinations like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Barcelona, Dubai, and Geneva. In fact, the airport has links to 46 of the top 50 European business destinations. The construction of a second runway is being planned, which would increase both the efficiency and the number of destinations on offer at Gatwick.

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Corporate Christmas Gift Giving Tax Guide

Corporate Christmas Gift Tax GuideWith the festive season just around the corner, you might already be thinking about giving gifts to your staff. There are ways for you to give Christmas gifts, without having to pay tax. Unfortunately, the rules surrounding avoiding tax when giving Christmas gifts are a little unclear in places. Learning more about them can help you avoid costly fines.

Cash Gifts and Vouchers

HMRC has made it quite clear that cash gifts are taxable. This includes vouchers, so you can forget popping to Debenhams to buy a few for your employees to enjoy. Vouchers and shop credit are seen as being the same as Christmas bonuses. You’re free to buy them for your employees, but they’ll be subject to specific tax rules.

If you do want to give your employees a cash or voucher gift, it’ll be taxed under the usual Pay As You Earn (PAYE) rules. Whether or not you choose to do this is up to you. As the gifts are a bonus on top of the employee’s usual earnings anyway, they’ll still stand to benefit.

Gifts that Do Not Attract Tax at Christmas

Here’s where the rules get a little confusing. You are allowed to give ‘trivial’ gifts to members of staff that are of a seasonal nature. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), aren’t exactly clear on what trivial means, nor do they give a specific upper limit on how much you can spend. However, experts in the field have found that something small like a turkey, box of chocolates, or bottle of wine would be classed as trivial.

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Conversation Starters for Networking Events

Networking at a Business EventWhether you’re new to events or you’re adept at working a room, sometimes you might find yourself in need of a few conversation starters. Mingling at an event can feel particularly daunting when you’re new to a company or industry, but it’s a necessary part of the business world. Fortunately, there are some conversation starters everyone can employ to make events easier.

Look Out for Other People on Their Own

Unless the room is full of super confident networkers, the chances are someone else is going to be feeling out of place too. Take a look around the room for other loners and try the following:

“Do you work for (insert company name)? I work for (insert your company’s name)”
One of the best ways to get someone talking about themselves or their reason for being at an event is to find out more about their company. This is also a great opportunity to learn about their role and brag about yours.

“Hi there, I’m Sam.”
Okay, so starting with your name might seem a little simplistic. However, sometimes the simplest conversation starters are the best. If they’re struggling to network, they’ll appreciate pretty much any introduction.

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The Warrington Regeneration Plan

Warrington Town CentreThe Warrington Regeneration Plan is the Warrington Borough Council’s plan for redeveloping the Bridge Street area in the town centre. The £52 million regeneration plan was announced in 2013 and will revitalise an important retail hub for the town. Once complete, the project will create a family-friendly destination for shopping, entertainment and leisure.

About the Plan

Announced in October 2013, the Bridge Street regeneration plan will revitalise the traditional retail heart of the town centre. The plan for Bridge Street will include the development of a new multiplex cinema and a new civic centre, which will be the home of civic offices. One of the key components of the project will be the development of a contemporary market hall on Bridge Street. The new market will be built on the site of the former Boots building. The project will keep the Grade II listed building and maintain the existing heritage façade as the market’s entrance.

Planning permission for the project was submitted in August 2014 following a period of formal public consultation in June 2014. The Bridge Street regeneration project is being delivered in two phases to minimise disruption. The first phase will include the construction of a new building on the site of Time Square, which will be used as a temporary home of the market. The market will be located in its temporary home for two years while the former hall is demolished and the new building is built on Bridge Street.

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Office Requirements: Office Furniture

Prime Office Space has compiled a series of guides to help you with all your Office Requirements needs including Office Planning, Office Equipment, Communications Equipment, Office Furniture, Computer Software, Computer Equipment and Office Supplies.

This week we will be looking at: Office Furniture

Contemporary workplaces should have furniture of adequate quality, quantity, design, and size to meet the needs of current office technology. In the recent years, a key factor when selecting office furniture is the environmental responsibility of the products. This includes the location that the product is manufactured or produced, the degree to which a product can be recycled and what is the product’s impact on indoor air quality. Additionally, the office furniture market is rapidly changing. Employees work more efficiently and technological advancements require the use of proper office furniture, which can adjust to different business needs and how people are using working space differently.

You should primarily consider your office furniture budget. The amount of money you are willing to spend on your office furniture depends on your office space and needs. If you have a small office with a few employees, you are looking for less working stations and a low budget. Your budget will determine the type, quality and quantity of the office items you will purchase. Having a budget will help you control you spending and look for the best deals in the market.

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Re-Development of Infinity Park Derby

Infinity Park Derby is intended to attract thousands of jobs, primarily in the high-tech sector. The manufacturing and technology business park will also help Derby increase economic output and boot productivity in order to further establish the city as a leading high-tech hub. Marketed as the UK capital of innovation, Infinity Park is being jointly developed by Miller Birch and Wilson Bowden Developments.

About Infinity Park

Infinity Park is designed with a mix of commercial developments including offices, retail and leisure facilities and industrial space. Originally known as the Global Technology Cluster, the development was formally announced by local government and business leaders in October 2013. It is designed to build on the successes of Pride Park, an 80-hectare business park on former railway yards that is now at capacity. The business park is a partnership between Derby City Council, Rolls-Royce, the Harpur Crewe Estate, and developers Wilson Bowden and Miller Birch.

The new manufacturing and technology business park will support supply chain small and medium sized businesses in the aerospace, automotive and rail industries. When complete, the development will encompass 25 acres and will feature 1.5 million square feet of space when fully developed. The park will be zoned to allow for commercial, distribution, leisure and industrial uses. Although a focus of the sprawling business park will be on the high-tech sector, Infinity Park will also attract jobs and businesses from a range of other sectors. Construction on the new park began in 2014.

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Office Requirements: Communications Equipment

Office Communications EquipmentPrime Office Space has compiled a series of guides to help you with all your Office Requirements needs including Office Planning, Office Equipment, Communications Equipment, Office Furniture, Computer Software, Computer Equipment and Office Supplies.

This week we will be looking at:

Communications Equipment

Modern, high-quality office communications equipment makes a huge difference in business productivity and improves customer perception about the company.

Contemporary businesses have a multi-line phone system to handle a sufficient number of lines (typically more than two) for inbound and outbound calls. Each employee has access to a telephone and is able to transfer a call, place a call on hold, put a call on speaker or start a conference call for both internal and external customers. Also, a multi-line phone system has queuing and messaging capabilities and can also be linked to a computer for computerized call routing. The number of telephones that need to be purchased are subject to the number of employees, the business size and the call volume. However, with computerized call routing the need for more lines is possible as a result of downloading more data and using telecommuting options.

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Heathrow Airport for Business Travellers

Travel a lot for business? Flying in to London for a quick meeting? Read our business travel guide to Heathrow and make the most of your time in and around the airport.

Business Travel Stats

Heathrow Airport serves 28 of the top 29 world destinations based on their GDP ranking and handles nearly 190,000 passengers daily. It is estimated that the airport handles nearly 40 departures per destination weekly and serves 40 percent of all UK business travellers, of which 63 percent are from London.

Since 2009, nearly 1/3 of all passengers going going through Heathrow annually were business travellers. More specifically, the percentage of business travellers in 2009: 33.7% (22.2 million), percentage of business travellers in 2010: 35.3% (23.2 million), percentage of business travellers in 2011: 31% (21.5 million), percentage of business travellers in 2012: 30% (20.7 million) and percentage of business travellers in 2013 remained steady at 30% out of the 72.3 million people that travelled through Heathrow.

Heathrow passenger breakdown 2013

Business Services and Incentives

Heathrow is becoming increasingly attractive for passengers as a result of a huge transformation that took place from 2008 to 2011 with the operation of Terminal 5. Additionally, Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 4 have undergone modernisation improvements and remodelling. Especially for business passengers, the new airport facilities include self-service check-in desks, fast bag drops and extra security lanes. The Fast Track priority service is addressed to business passengers, who can save up to 30 minutes walking from the parking area to the airport, check-in area and gate. Regardless of the airline, the Fast Track priority service typically offers dedicated parking, duty free counters and priority check-in and boarding.

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Birmingham’s Regeneration Plan

Grand Ferris Wheel - Birmingham City CentreFor over two hundred years, Birmingham has played a crucial role in the development of the British economy. Since the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, this West Midlands city has been undergoing constant geographic and demographic expansion. While this has put pressure on the city’s resources, it has also provided numerous opportunities for growth and development. In this article we take a look at how the various regeneration projects that will soon be a reality in Birmingham can help boost even further the local economy and transform the Midlands city into a model for successful urban planning and high standards of living.

Birmingham’s Big City Plan

The Big City Plan is one of the most important regeneration initiatives currently underway in Birmingham. This regeneration masterplan is designed to transform the city centre area over a period of 20 years, increasing the city core’s total area by nearly 25 per cent and improving connectivity and standards of living.

The Big City Plan was devised by Birmingham City Council following the comprehensive report published by Baron Mike Whitby, who has shown a lifelong commitment to improving the city’s livability and infrastructure standards. The Big City Plan was launched in early 2008 and it is expected that once it is fully completed, it will add 1.5 million square metres of prime floorspace, create more than 50,000 jobs, build 5,000 new homes, and contribute more than £2 billion to the local economy every year.

This clearly ambitious urban regeneration plan has identified six economic zones that will attract high-value businesses to the city, which include the Jewellery Quarter, St George & St Chad, Eastside, Digbeth, and Westside & Ladywood. In addition to these core areas in and around the city centre, the Big City Plan also aims to transform other outlying districts, such as Greater Icknield, Bordesley Park, Longbridge, Sutton Coldfield, South Edgbaston, Selly Oak, Aston, Newtown, Lozells, and the areas along the Eastern Corridor, which currently connects the city centre with Birmingham airport.

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