B4 Magazine Issue 6

B4 ISSUE

06

SPRING

Magazine

2008

www.b4-business.com

FINANCE • LAW • PR • MARKETING • ACCOUNTING • LIFESTYLE • NEWS C O M M U N I C AT I O N S • N E T W O R K I N G • C A R S • P R O P E R T Y • I N T E R V I E W S • E V E N T S

What’s News?

Local and international organisations invite us to read all about it

The history and future of the web Nominet’s CEO with some fascinating insight

Corporate Responsibility Barclays Group Chief Executive shares his views

B U I L D I N G

B R I D G E S

B E T W E E N

B U S I N E S S

Inside

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B4 COMMUNICATIONS

news Focus on careers find success in the future and was led by panellists Lee Cash, Co-Founder and MD of Peach Pubs Ltd; Terri Eastaff, Vice-President of Human Resources for Intercontinental Hotels Group; Chris Foy, Strategic Partnerships Manager of VisitBritain; Natalie Watkins, HR Business Partner of Aramark; Sally Webb, Managing Director of The Special Event Company; and Iain Woodward, Overseas Recruitment Advisor of TUI UK.

The Department of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism at Oxford Brookes University Business School kick-started its "Focus on Careers" season for its students on 24 October 2007. It is hoped the weekly events will provide a forum in which senior industry representatives can provide an overview of the vast array of exciting opportunities for graduates in different sectors of tourism and hospitality.

STEP THIS WAY

The first event, sponsored by Intercontinental Hotels Group, focused on the qualities likely to help students

Getting a grip on business Individuals and organisations all over the UK are being encouraged to get a grip on their business skills by Oxford Brookes University Business School.

The school launched its new “Getting a grip” series of two-day short courses in November, and hopes to engage individuals and organisations in a range of business subjects that are designed to enhance specialist business expertise. The new range of short courses takes a practical interactive approach, helping individuals and their organisations to get a better grip on leadership, finance, project management and difficult people situations.

Welcome to Issue 6 of B4

Elspeth McFarlane, Head of Consultancy and Corporate Learning at Oxford Brookes University

Business School, said: "Improving your knowledge, skills and confidence is vital to enhance your individual performance and, in turn, the performance of your organisation. Enhanced performance will improve your personal and career development."

• Getting a grip on...Leadership • Getting a grip on...Finance • Getting a grip on...Project Management • Getting a grip on...Difficult People Situations The courses, which start in January 2008, are taught by tutors who are experts in their own subject and fluent in understanding the needs of and developing others. For further information please contact 01865 484534 or jlaver@brookes.ac.uk.

Spiritually intelligent leadership

Since B4 was launched nearly two years ago, we have tried to bring new ideas to the magazine in order to keep it fresh and interesting.

The Oxfordshire branch of the Institute of Directors and Oxford Brookes University Business School held their fourth annual business and education event at Brookes Restaurant on 14 November 2007. The theme of the evening was "Spiritual Intelligence", a much-studied and researched topic over the past decade.

David Langford, Dean of Oxford Brookes University Business School, introduced the latest thinking on the subject followed by John Knights of LeaderShape, who addressed the practical

It is also crucial for the long-term development of B4 not only to attract more businesses but also to find out more about our readers. I would like to invite you to encourage business associates, suppliers, customers and staff to contact us to request copies of B4. We distribute either via mailsort or through our own distribution network, and, by ensuring B4 is available to as wide a business network as possible in Oxfordshire, we can continually improve the content and quality of the magazine.

As ever, if you have your own ideas as to how we can improve what we offer you, please contact me on 01865 742211 or via e-mail at editorial@b4-business.com.

I hope you look forward to reading an excellent array of articles in Issue 6. Highlights include: an interview with Lesley Cowley, Chief Executive of Nominet; Barclays Chief Executive John Varley’s views on corporate responsibility; an interview with former Indianapolis champion Gil de Ferran; and a review of The Restaurant at Witney Lakes.

Start by writing down the most obvious words and phrases. Let’s take an example: Oxford’s Buildbase (www.buildbase.co.uk) would have search terms like builders merchants, building products, and builder materials. Then get ideas for other keywords from your staff, from competitors’ websites and especially from your customers. You may find that your customers talk about your products and services in a different way to your staff.

Bonus resource – Google provides a tool that will help you discover new keywords. Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExte rnal and type in a couple of the keywords you have already. Google will immediately generate a list of related words and phrases for you.

Organisations are now recognising the impact of drive, will, aspiration and motivation on the bottom line and business schools are adding Spiritual Intelligence to their programmes by exploring the impact of adding values, beliefs, ethics and meaning to individual, team and business performance.

2. Choose keywords for your home page …

When you’ve got your list of keywords, pick three or four of the main keywords to use on your home page.

Don’t be tempted to choose keywords that are too general. For example, if your website sells digital cameras, don’t try to optimise it for words like digital or cameras on their own: it’ll be much harder to rank

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for these words and, even if you did, you wouldn’t necessarily see an increase in targeted traffic. Instead, go for phrases like digital cameras, Nikon SLR and specific product names.

These keywords will deliver the best return on investment as it is easier to rank for them and the traffic will be much more targeted, meaning the visitors will be more likely to convert into customers.

3. …and every other page of your website When you’ve got the keywords for your home page, repeat the process for every other page of your website. This will ensure that your website gets as much traffic from the search engines as possible.

Advanced tip – Each page should ideally target a different set of keywords. If you try to optimise more than one page for the same keyword, you risk what’s known as “keyword cannibalisation”: instead of becoming more optimised for the keyword, you’re actually diluting the optimisation of your website.

4. Optimise your website Now you’ve chosen the keywords for each page, we can start to optimise your website. Take the keywords and use them in different parts of the page, like the headings and the main text. Use them in your internal navigation as well: when linking to other pages on your website, links like Home and Products won’t help you rank better; instead, make the links descriptive and incorporate your keywords.

It’s essential not to overdo it – don’t stuff keywords in as many places as possible. The search engines can spot this and penalise your website accordingly and, moreover, unnatural text like this will not convert your visitors into customers.

5. Get more traffic When Google and other engines display search results, they generally show the title and description for your website. These are known as the title tag and meta description tag. These tags play two very important roles in search engine optimisation: • By including keywords in these tags, you’ll improve your website’s chances of ranking for these terms.

• The visitor will decide whether or not to click on your link after reading the title and description, so you should ensure that they sell the benefits of your products or service. Include the USP, the price of the product or even a testimonial. Even if you rank second for a search term, you can still get more traffic than the website ranked at the top if you write better copy!

Implement these five steps and you’ll be well on the way to getting more visitors from Google. But don’t forget – search engine optimisation is only one part of your online marketing strategy. To be truly successful, your strategy then needs to focus on converting these visitors into customers.

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39 B4 News 6 9 11 13 15 17

Local Business News Nominet HM Revenue and Customs Microsoft Saïd Business School Oxford Brookes University Business School 19 University of Oxford

B4 Advice 22 Jingle Hells Coping with life after the office party 26 Employment Law Fisticuffs in the board room and sexual harassment by the coffee machine. Sounds familiar?

B4 Networking 28 Awarding Business Spotlight on some outstanding business performances

I would like to wish you a healthy 2008 on behalf of the team at B4.

B4 Property Richard Rosser Editor

1. Build your keyword list The first step is to look at the keywords for your site – the words and phrases that visitors will use to find your site through Google or other search engines. It’s important to get this step right, as your whole search engine optimisation strategy depends on using the right keywords.

implications and benefits of spiritual intelligence.

An opportunity to discuss views, experiences and opinions of spiritual intelligence followed over dinner, before the evening was formally concluded with summary remarks from the speakers.

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This issue sees the introduction of some real heavyweights in the shape of Oxford University, Brookes University, Saïd Business School, Revenue and Customs, Microsoft and Nominet. We are delighted that B4 has been recognised by these welcome additions as a platform for promoting news and events, and we look forward to a long and successful working relationship.

Just having a website is no longer enough. For your website to be successful, it needs to get visitors from the search engines and, most importantly, convert these visitors into customers. Stephen Pavlovich from Bony Toad Online Marketing presents five steps that will make your website rank higher, get more traffic and generate more business. At Bony Toad, they use these tactics to help all kinds of businesses across the country add millions to their annual turnover.

30 Property News FPD Savills, Pink & Black, North Oxford Property Services and Breckon & Breckon with their views on the property market

39 Step This Way Topping the Google list – is it easy?

40 The Technology of Innovation Solving communications problems without the pain.

42 Nominet Nominet’s CEO, Lesley Cowley, tells B4 about the past, present and future of the internet 44 Sci-Net Business Intelligence a reality

B4 Corporate & Social Responsibility 47 A Star Role How a local boys football club benefits from local business 48 Responsible Banking John Varley, Group Chief Executive of Barclays, outlines his Corporate Responsibility views 49 The OCF Effectively assisting business to help those less fortunate

B4 Communication

50 Charity Begins at Work How Buildbase has helped keep a smile on the face of the Children’s Hospital

36 The Easy Life Lines and calls in one package?

Thanks goodness!

52 Healthy Funding The many guises of charitable support

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MALMAISON UNCORKED!

Malmaison’s sommelier, Virginie Thoraval, visited Oxford’s former prison building many years ago as a schoolgirl and was so frightened she promised herself she would never return. Luckily for us, she changed her mind, and now works in the same building housing the stunning premises of Malmaison.

If Virginie were a wine, the tasting notes would describe her as “a young, vibrant and adventurous French appellation with a refreshing sparkle and amazing legs.” She extols the virtues of the Oxford Malmaison customers who, she says, are willing to try different wines to complement their food.

Although she’s French (with a wonderful accent to match), she says that the British are far more likely to experiment. In fact, her decision to move from France to study in London and Scotland was motivated by a passion to learn about a greater range of fine wines than the French experts were willing to recommend, as well as by the opportunity to expand her expertise to fortified wines such as port and sherry (which the French don’t drink as much). She now has the largest wine list of all the Malmaisons, with over 400 bin numbers to choose from. In case this intimidates you, there are informative tasting notes on the wine list and Virginie is on hand to recommend the perfect accompaniment to your choice of food to meet your budget and palette. Virginie is extremely knowledgeable about the exact locations of her vineyard sources, so if you want a wine from a particular region where you have bought property or that you have visited on holiday then Virginie can recommend something special for you.

SOMMELIER ( S Ê - M Ê L - Y AY ) :

Virginie speaks with passion and excitement about her role at Malmaison, which she describes as “selling pleasure”. She enjoys getting to know what the customers really want and suggesting interesting wines to accompany their choice of dish. She says the customer is always right because they know what they like, so her job is to understand their palette and recommend the perfect all-round dining experience.

a trained and knowledgeable wine steward working in fine restaurants who specializes in all facets of wine service: wine procurement; storage; wine cellar rotation and the development of the wine list. Working alongside the culinary team, the sommelier suggests wines that will best complement each particular food menu item within the taste preference and budget parameters of the customer.

She loves the family atmosphere in the Malmaison team and especially enjoys working with head chef Russell Heeley, who is also keen to experiment with different combinations of tastes. As Virginie was educating me on the correct way to taste wine (I had to have several attempts to get it right and unfortunately she forgot the spitoon…), Russell came and joined us, and the pair started to discuss wine and food combinations. Their passion and enthusiasm for their jobs was obvious as they shared ideas for ways to delight the Malmaison diners.

Virginie’s top tips for wines to accompany a dinner party: • Start with an apéritif to get your mouth watering, such as bin no. 84 Chapel Down Brut, Pinot Reserve.

This is a British sparkling wine (BRITISH? Seriously, you have to try this!), made by the same method and grown in a similar chalky soil to Champagne, but at a suitably understated Brit price! Order this discreetly by bin number and challenge your dining party to guess where it’s from.

salmon with bin no. 121 Saumur Langois Chateau, which has a lemon twist to refresh your palette.

• Turkey is usually a little dry, so Virginie recommends a creamy wine to complement it, such as bin no. 104 Chablis Domaine des Marronnies, Bernard Legland.

(Virginie sniggered because apparently “Legland” is rude in French – ask her why, because I couldn’t possibly say...)

• Virginie says if you prefer red wine then there’s no reason to stick with the old-fashioned rules: go for bin no. 570 Pinot Noir, Madfish, Western Australia which tastes of blackcurrant with a hint of cinnamon for a real treat.

• With a hearty pudding there’s nothing better than Pedro Ximenez Viejo, Napoleon, Vinicola Hidalgo. This syrupy sherry tastes like liquid Christmas pudding!

Harvey’s Bristol Cream is a blend of this sherry and a fino sherry, but after tasting the PX solo I said I’d no idea why anyone would want to mix it with anything.

“Except Russell’s Christmas pudding!” added Virginie with a twinkle in her eye.

• Or how about a glass of sherry? Virginie recommends Fino Manzanilla La Gitana, Bodegas Hidalgo.

• Virginie says that the typical Brit starter of prawn cocktail is notoriously difficult to partner with a wine because of the mayonnaise. (Virginie recalls being asked to recommend a drink to accompany mayonnaise dishes in her Wine & Spirit Education Trust exam. She answered “water!” The examiner agreed; she passed with merit!)

• As an alternative starter she suggests smoked

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B4 LIFESTYLE

B4 CSR In the last year, there has been a further marked increase in the importance attached to Corporate Responsibility (CR). Over the course of the last 12 months, CR has become more than just good business sense – in 2007 no organisation can afford to ignore its scope and its implications for business.

LOOK

There are two key developments driving this change from Barclays’ point of view. The first is the growing, and increasingly widespread, understanding of the consequences of climate change. The second development is the evolving debate around sustainability, and the long-term impact business has on the societies and economies in which it operates. Neither of these issues is particularly new – what is unprecedented, however, is their adoption and embrace by so many different and interested parties.

O UT F OR A selection of the exciting attractions along the Chiltern route:

• • • • • • • • • • •

Severn Valley Railway Cadbury World Birmingham Sea Life Centre Thinktank Shakespeare Country, including Stratford-upon-Avon Warwick Castle Bicester Village Outlet Shopping The Hell-Fire Caves Bekonscot Model Village Roald Dahl Museum Chiltern Hills Country Walks

Banks play an important role in influencing thinking and behaviour on both of these issues, through their relationships with customers, clients, employees, suppliers, governments, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. This role as influencer is a core tenet of responsible banking – which embodies the Barclays approach to CR. I repeat my message from last year’s corporate responsibility report: I want us to be leaders, not followers, in corporate responsibility.

If we look at climate change, it is right that Barclays should assess – as others quite properly will – whether we are doing enough to tackle an issue with such significant consequences. We have done much to address our direct environmental footprint, and have fulfilled the commitment we set last year to make our UK operations carbon neutral. In our direct sphere of influence, we are well under way with environmental as well as social and ethical screening of our supply chain. In our lending activity, we have significantly updated our environmental as well as social guidelines. But we need to plan for the years ahead so we are undertaking a thorough review of our environmental and climate change strategy.

B4 Spotlight 56 Fastest Man in the World And you thought 110mph on the A34 was fast – try 241mph!

Preserving the environment for future generations reflects the evolution in thinking on sustainability, and the need to assess the impact of business over decades, rather than years. It shifts the emphasis from a relatively near-term focus on managing social, ethical and environmental risk, towards a more active form of business leadership, which identifies and embraces the commercial opportunities arising from this change in thinking. Sustainability is also very much about playing our part in building a more inclusive and just society, by addressing acute challenges such as financial exclusion. This has always been an area of strength for Barclays and we remain determined to build upon it, both in the UK and in our strongly growing business across emerging markets – particularly in Africa.

RESPONSIBLE

BANKING

Corporate and Social Responsibility is becoming an increasingly important part of any business profile. It is not so much a question of “do they have an active plan in place?” but more a case of “what do they do and how do they do it?” John Varley, Group Chief Executive of Barclays, outlines why Corporate Responsibility is so fundamental to Barclays make-up.

We make our greatest contribution to society by being good at what we do, and so ensuring Barclays continued success. This is at the heart of our ability to help our customers and clients achieve their goals through providing competitive products and services, as well as supporting economic growth and sustaining healthy financial systems. We must demonstrate by our actions how it is possible to make a significant and lasting difference. Last year we made some encouraging progress in CR. We are developing broader relationships with key stakeholders and have improved our performance in a number of ethical indices. In support of our commitment to raise the profile of CR further, Gary Hoffman, the Group Vice Chairman, now represents this agenda at Board level. We made progress with innovative financial inclusion programmes in the UK and Africa, while Absa became the first major South African bank to achieve ISO14001 accreditation for its environmental management system.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

Chiltern Railways is the award-winning local railway for Oxfordshire, providing regular, reliable train services along the M40 corridor between London and Birmingham. With stations at Banbury, Bicester North and Haddenham & Thame Parkway, the Chiltern route is easily accessible from a wide part of the county. B4 experiences the Chiltern service and learns more about what Chiltern can offer Oxfordshire residents.

The prospect of getting to Wembley with my ten-year-old son in August for the football season’s curtain-raiser, the Community Shield, was soured by the fact that I knew getting in and out of Wembley would be “awkward”.

All too often the knee-jerk reaction is to get in the car because that’s what most of us do – it’s there, we’re lazy and we take the consequences on the chin. But believe me, if you are planning a trip to the new Wembley Stadium, Chiltern Railways is the only way to do it. No traffic, no parking, no panic: stress-free travel, and that’s quite a novelty.

With trains running directly from your local station to Wembley Stadium – the Chiltern station is literally right outside the venue – you’ll be there in no time. Extra trains normally run on event days too, so you don’t even need to worry about getting home after a late finish.

One worry about public transport is reliability, but the Chiltern Railways service is one of the most reliable in the country. 94% of trains run to time, and the service is also one of the most highly regarded by passengers, as 90% would recommend it to others. So, a simple transport solution that is reliable – surely this must come at a price? Not a bit of it: our trip to London cost just over £20. Moreover, with Chiltern’s “3 For Free” offer you don’t have to pay for parking when three or more rail passengers travel in the same car. Even better, combine that with the

“Groupsave” offer – enabling three or four passengers to travel for the price of two on off-peak trains – and you’re well on your way to a great value day out.

And it’s not just Wembley that is within reach. There are dozens of exciting attractions along the Chiltern Railways route, so travelling from your local station can be a great way to get you and your family and friends out and about. A big advantage of travelling by train is that many attractions also offer discounts or other benefits for rail ticket holders – check www.chilternrailways.co.uk/daysout for the latest deals.

All that, and we haven’t even mentioned London yet. Chiltern Railways’ “2 for 1” entry offers give great discounts to rail passengers at over 100 top London attractions, restaurants, theatres, exhibitions and more.

Kids love taking the train and there’s room for them to move about. You’ll seldom hear “Are we there yet?” Plus you will be able to reacquaint yourself with some of the finest countryside in Britain as it rolls past you – the green stuff which is all a blur when you are in the car!

Contact details on page 78

Sustainability is an appropriate topic for an organisation that can trace its roots back well over 300 years. But I am looking to the future when I say that we are fully committed to action – we must debate, we must learn and then we must act, to ensure the successful and responsible development of our business in the years ahead.

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B4 Lifestyle 61 Are you in the Mood?

Lose your inhibitions and let your hair down at Mood 64 The B4 and M Group Golf Cup Two holes in one in one day? Surely not!

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59 Sugar Coated Graft Making cakes an art form

B4 CSR

71 The Restaurant at Witney Lakes Resort Fine dining by the lake

CHARITY BEGINS AT WORK

73 Business Class Barnett Hill, a stunning weekend retreat

All too often business is so consuming that thoughts for those less fortunate than ourselves barely hit the radar. Every so often, however, a worthwhile cause and a business with a conscience come together. And in the case of local builders merchant Johnsons Buildbase and the Oxford Children’s Hospital, the match produces heart-warming and meaningful results.

“I would challenge anyone to visit a children’s ward and not be moved enough to want to help,” said David Robertson (Central Regional Director of Buildbase based in Oxford), having visited The Oxford Children’s Hospital.

“Our pledge of £55,000 was unanimously agreed by the management team of our Oxford branch and all of our staff were more than happy to support such an outstanding local charity. We have also had full support from our customers and suppliers who have played a significant part in helping us to achieve our target.

66 On the Right Track Go on, take the train, it really makes sense 68 Malmaison Uncorked!

Know your wine? Meet Malmaison’s sommelier – she does

“We must not forget to pay thanks to the following: Aziz, Williams Grand Prix, Liverpool FC, Oxford United FC, Quinn Radiators, Anthony Worrall Thompson, BT, Dell Powernet, Solar Soft, European Electronique, who have generously donated prizes and gifts for our charity dinner [held at the Aziz restaurant in Cowley Rd], auction and raffle.

“To hit our target, staff have subjected themselves to all manner of ‘tortures’, including a 55-kilometre walk, golf days, a car raffle, sponsored runs, counter collections – and one manager was even offered £1,500 by two generous customers if he shaved his moustache off!

B4 Contacts 78 Let’s do business

“Even our Chief Executive got into the spirit of things with a skydive organised by Head Office.”

Other events included car boot sales; a trade show with all proceeds raised being donated; the Wantage branch held a cricket match against some of their builders with a raffle and BBQ; all branches within the central region sold T-shirts over the counter with all money being donated to CHOX. “The Oxford Children’s Hospital is a huge part of not only Oxfordshire now, but all over the country, and we are very proud to say that we have beaten our target: to date we have raised in excess of £62,000. This would not have been possible without the help and support we have had from everyone mentioned above.”

Graham Brogden, Head of Community Fundraising for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds, was understandably delighted with Buildbase’s efforts. “Buildbase’s fundraising efforts are a great testimony to the teamwork within the business. Led

by Dave Robertson, staff and friends of Buildbase undertook a pledge to raise £63,415.92 in aid of the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign.

Their teamwork and tenacity has really paid off and the range of fundraising activities and local involvement really has been inspirational.

“Dave and his colleagues at Buildbase really embraced the challenge and are the epitome of a business acknowledging its corporate and social responsibility. We are very grateful to them for all of their tremendous support and look forward to celebrating their achievements.

“Successful corporate fundraising should have a positive outcome for the charity and the business. As well as raising money for a good cause, if a partnership works well then business can benefit too from creating teambuilding opportunities, increasing morale, heightened awareness and positive PR, generating market research statistics and hopefully an increase in sales.

“The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds works with the community to provide facilities beyond the capacity of limited NHS funds. Working together we really can put the icing on the cake. There are several unique and exciting projects local business can get involved with supporting in such fields as cancer, cardiac, gerotology as well as children’s.”

If you are interested in hearing more about positive developments at the Trust or want to get involved please contact Graham on 01865 743442.

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Join the republic Coffee Republic are planning to develop many more of their new-look deli bars throughout Oxfordshire and are looking for new franchisees to open them.

Coffee Republic Delis are the next generation in coffee bars; they produce their sandwiches, paninis and baguettes in-store daily to ensure absolute freshness. Guests can also choose exactly what they want from the deli bar and have it made to order.

They sell mouth-watering milkshakes and smoothies as well as a fabulous

range of teas. They also offer internet stations and WIFI to keep in touch.

The coffee bar market is growing fast, as people desire quality coffee.

Coffee Republic is at the forefront of this, with a strong UK and international development plan Franchisees get help to set up their own business, including getting finance, doing a business plan, finding and fitting out a bar, extensive training to run the bar and ongoing support and business development to maximise their return.

As a franchisee you get the benefit of belonging to a larger organisation with promotional support and product innovation, with the freedom of working for yourself.

Coffee Republic is looking for enthusiastic and energetic people who have a passion to run their own successful business.

If you are interested, or know anyone who would be, then please contact Andrew Bowen on 07736 950673 or email coffox@tesco.net.

STL awarded Samsung accreditation Oxfordshire-based STL Communications have become one of just a handful of European partners to be awarded Platinum Partner status by Samsung, the electronics giant.

STL supply voice and data communication services for local government, the NHS and UK businesses, and the Platinum award is in recognition of the company’s sales achievements and investment in staff training.

“We are delighted to receive this award from Samsung and it is recognition for the hard work and dedication of all our staff,” said Brendon Cross, Managing Director of STL, who went on to say, “Samsung have some excellent intuitive products for small and large businesses and this has been reflected in our sales of Samsung equipment, which have doubled so far in 2007.”

The Platinum award was presented to STL at the Silverstone premises of the new Force India F1 team, who have deployed Samsung technology from STL to support

the team’s UK-based and travelling staff for the 2008 season. Head of IT for the team, Adrian Collinson, is pictured (centre), together with Brendon Cross (left). On awarding him his plaque, Julian Barnes of Samsung was keen to point out that the award is not just about increased sales: “STL have worked with Samsung for 11 years and over that time they have become extremely competent in commissioning and supporting our systems and solutions," said Barnes, adding, "the business customers of today need their communications provider to partner them and that’s what STL do.”

It’s clearly a fantastic achievement for STL to be honoured in this way, so we gave Brendon Cross the last word. “STL provide progressive and innovative communications services to organisations the length and breadth of the country, but people often forget that we are based in Oxfordshire, and one STL focus for 2008 is to work with more companies locally!”

Working together As a national charity with projects and centres based in local communities across the country, The Children's Society is delighted to be working with Schools Out. Oxford is an important location for us, as we have three projects in the area and it is also one of six historical towns that will be hosting a major sponsored walk for us in 2008.

example - we believe that every child deserves a good childhood. We are working closely with schools and businesses in Oxford to achieve this and Schools Out is the ideal publication to champion our aims.'

Martin Field, Director Marketing, Fundraising and Campaigns The Children's Society

While our direct work focuses on disadvantaged children - disabled children, young refugees and runaways, for

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B4 News Venturefest celebrates ten successful years Venturefest 2008 is back for its tenth successful year, to celebrate enterprise and innovation and promote the commercialisation of new technology.

Launched in Oxford in 1999, Venturefest has become synonymous with the provision of vital – and free – professional tools, resources and advice, proving an essential diary date for anyone who is developing or growing their business in the UK today.

Located at the Unipart Group of Companies in Oxford, Venturefest 2008 will take place on 30 June and 1 July 2008, bringing together those involved in the wealth creation process, whether as funders seeking investment opportunities, new businesses looking for money and advice, or people wanting to commercialise their innovative ideas. www.venturefest.com

Malmaison New Year’s Eve Gala Celebration evening: Book Now! Book now for Malmaison’s New Year’s Eve Gala Celebration evening: Black tie; Champagne reception; wine inclusive 19.00-21.30; band/DJ and piper; ice sculptures; huge chocolate fountain; sensational menu!

Limited to 230 people so book now! Only £130 (or £379 including bed and breakfast with 2 people sharing.)

Tel: 01865 268400.

Blenheim Palace Natural Mineral Water The In Oxford Group are proud to announce that the 8th Oxford Restaurant Guide in 2008 will be sponsored by Blenheim Palace Water. “This represents the perfect fit for our established guide and a remarkably well-known and respected brand,” commented Richard Rosser, Managing Director of the In Oxford Group which publishes the Oxford Restaurant Guide.

Blenheim Palace Water is part of a centuries-old tradition which began in

the 12th century when Henry II built a pleasure pool for his mistress Rosamund Clifford in the park. The pool was fed by an ancient spring which, legend maintains, has never dried up, and Rosamund’s Well can still be seen to this day. This heritage inspired the production of Blenheim Palace Water and the bottling plant within the park is now a thriving operation supplying bottled water extensively across Oxfordshire, into London and the south-east and as far afield as Hong Kong, North America and outlets within the Caribbean.

John Hoy, Chief Executive, commenting on the Blenheim Palace Water business said, “We are very proud of the heritage and quality of the Blenheim Palace Water brand and we enjoy supplying a wide range of outlets – particularly within Oxfordshire where the synergy with Blenheim Palace is so strong.”

Further information and full contact details regarding Blenheim Palace Natural Mineral Water can be found by visiting www.blenheimpalace.com.

Bloody Good Red The film “Sideways” has been a mixed blessing in some ways for the Californian wine industry. The character Mile’s gushing adoration of Pinot Noir, while scorning Merlot, was taken quite literally by many vineyards, who have now spent over two years grubbing up fields of the latter variety and replanting with Pinot Noir in an attempt to cash in on that variety’s wild upward swing in popularity. Without French-style appellation laws, too many Californian wineries have found themselves at the mercy of such fashion dictation.

California has a gorgeously long ripening season, but its range of soils is quite limited, reducing the number of varieties that can really shine. One man who has looked into this, and refused to follow the fashion demands of the market, is Randal Grahm of the Bonny Doon winery in Santa Cruz. In the mid 1980s he decided that varieties originating from the French Rhone Valley would be much better suited to the region’s soils than the Merlot and Chardonnay vines his neighbours were growing.

He isn’t the only Californian producer to follow this line of thought, but Grahm’s enthusiasm to learn and experiment, while keeping a firm grasp upon the ideas he knows to be right, shows him to be a leading light for those drinkers who are determined not to let a film character pick their wine for them.

Bonny Doon’s Bloody Good Red, made by Randal Grahm, is available at Oddbins at £8.99.

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COMPETITION: To win a bottle of

Bloody Good Red, answer this question: Santa Cruz is just south of which Californian city? Answers to: competition@b4-business.com

7

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Please note that the number listed above is a mobile number. Calls may be monitored and/or recorded for security and training purposes. You can call us from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Barclays Bank PLC. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Registered in England. Registered No: 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.

news Registering a domain name for your business Choosing and registering a domain name is the first step in establishing your company’s online presence.

With over 140 million domain names registered worldwide, it may be useful to think about a few alternatives in case the name you ideally want is already registered. You can check whether the name you want is available by using the WHOIS search on the Nominet web site at http://www.nominet.org.uk.

Companies based in the UK usually register a domain name ending in .co.uk, although it’s a good idea to register several similar domain names so no-one else can capitalise on your brand name using another major

domain name type. You could also register your full company name and a shorter, easier to remember version.

Nominet manages the registry for all domain names ending in .uk and has a network of registrars who can register your domain name and provide services such as web design and hosting. Make sure that the domain name is registered in your name, as this will make it easier to keep your contact details up to date. This is vital for when you renew your domain name after its initial two-year registration period.

Protect your online brand without breaking the bank The increasing comfort levels of businesses and consumers transacting online has delivered a significant increase in the value of online brands. This has created a currency – the domain name, a gateway to an organisation’s brand – which is fiercely traded. Domain name trading is a huge business. But as value has grown, so too has the practice of "cybersquatting".

While online disputes account for a small proportion of all .uk domain registrations (around 0.05%), cybersquatting is a significant problem for companies with well-known, established brands. It involves registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with the explicit intent to profit from a brand owner’s goodwill or trademark, by offering to sell the domain name to them at an inflated price, or make money from internet traffic accidentally landing on their website.

Profitable results can also be yielded from "typosquatting". Websites that are common misspellings of popular sites can contain pay-per-click ads from which the typosquatter benefits each time a user makes a typographical error when inputting the web address in a browser and then clicks on these links.

Consequently, organisations (and individuals) are faced with a choice – protect the brand at potentially significant cost, or accept the infringement. Dispute resolution services are a viable quick alternative to the costly court process.

Businesses can use them as a cost effective, efficient method of dealing with domain name disputes. There are various online services available to UK businesses, including Nominet’s Dispute Resolution Service (DRS) for .uk domain names, and the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) for .com, .net and others.

Nominet’s process is founded on mediation and, if needed, an expert decision regarding the dispute.

Our mediators currently handle an estimated 13% of all commercial mediations in the UK. In addition, we have pioneered telephone mediation to settle disputes about .uk domain names. Our mediators resolve over half the cases they deal with: as they focus on what the parties want, rather than discussing legalese, their success rates are good.

The success of using mediation for online dispute resolution has enabled individuals and businesses to protect themselves from potential cyber threats cost-effectively. In addition, the lessons we have learned by administering the DRS are now being used in providing advice to others worldwide. Our challenge is to ensure that resolution services adapt to the rapidly changing online environment.

Trust in .uk continues to grow Research carried out earlier this year illustrates that British internet users are six times more likely to choose a .uk rather than .com address when looking for information via an internet search engine.

The online survey of 2,324 internet users, carried out by YouGov, also found that 62% believe a .uk address suggests a company is local or more relevant than a .com, and a third

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(32%) believe that it is important for international companies to have local domain names in order to attract local customers.

When asked about searching for a particular company on the internet, 72% said they would visit a British web address above any other. These findings would indicate that British consumers have higher levels of trust for the .uk domain name and a loyalty to local web sites.

An independent online survey conducted in August 2007 found a similar picture amongst UK marketing professionals, with more than 60% choosing a .co.uk domain name for their primary web site address.

Over a quarter of respondents to the survey had opted for .co.uk as a primary domain because of the perceived trust levels over and above that enjoyed by other domains.

9

Let’s connect Our new approach to banking

• One-to-one banking • Fast, local decision-making • Access to an expert team of financial specialists • Competitive, flexible solutions • Global expertise and backing • Free conference and meeting room facilities throughout the UK

One team, one location, one focus: you.

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We’ve been looking closely and listening carefully. The result is a return to traditional levels of personal attention, combined with the best of today’s facilities and specialist knowledge.

And all delivered through our local Financial Solutions Centres – a place where our customers are treated as members.

Find out more about the benefits of being a member of Clydesdale Bank, Oxford.

Contact us on 01865 265 400.

When it’s important to you, you need a bank with expertise.

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news Fancy a boost from the taxman?

It’s not often the taxman gives you money, but here’s a chance for companies in the Oxfordshire area to gain a competitive edge with a helping hand from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

Research and development tax credits were first introduced in 2000 to promote investment in innovation. More than 4,500 SMEs are already claiming in excess of £250 million each year in tax credits.

If your company carries out innovative work then you could be eligible for tax credits. This could reduce your tax bill or, in certain circumstances, give you a cash payment.

So how do you know if your company is eligible, and how do you apply?

Either way, it could help many companies in and around Oxfordshire to fund technological breakthroughs, helping them to grow and prosper and get ahead of the competition.

Mike Breteche, Head of HMRC’s Research & Development Unit for Oxfordshire said: “I would strongly encourage companies in and around Oxfordshire to find out more about the scheme. It’s open to businesses of all sizes, although we are particularly urging more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of this type of tax relief. Oxford is a vibrant city, with a prosperous economy and we want to continue to support that growth and success. We are happy to visit companies and help them put their claim together, flagging up opportunities they might otherwise miss and making the whole process simpler and pain-free.”

To be in the running, your company must be carrying out qualifying research and development and this must aim to achieve an advance in overall knowledge or capability in the field of science or technology.

If you think you might be eligible and want to find out more, telephone HMRC’s specialist unit on 02380 204253, or go to http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/randd/index.htm.

With the vast majority of companies receiving their payable tax credits within a month of a successful claim, the big question is: can you afford not to apply?

Do it today, and take a step towards making your company more successful.

Are You Ready for the New Money Laundering Regulations?

New money laundering regulations come into effect in December this year and, if you’re an accountancy service provider (ASP), you need to be aware of the changes and how they affect you.

The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 require ASPs – which include accountants, book-keepers and tax advisors – to put in place anti-money laundering controls from 15 December 2007. This means businesses will have to be able to: • carry out due diligence on customers; • identify the risk of money laundering posed by a customer; and • report suspicious activity to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA).

The new regulations also require that if you are not already supervised by the Financial Services Authority or a designated professional accountancy body (see www.hmrc.gov.uk/mlr/asp.htm for a full list) you will need to register with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). However, if you need to register, you won’t have to do this until 2008 – HMRC will announce further details of when and

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how to register later this year.

HMRC estimates that as many as 80,000 accountancy service providers will need to familiarise themselves with the new regulations, so is urging anyone who is likely to be affected by these changes to start preparing now.

HMRC’s Business Director of Money Laundering Regulations, Melissa Tatton, says: “The Money Laundering Regulations aim to safeguard firms from abuse by criminals, while also making it easy to comply, with the minimum impact on business.”

“It is in everyone’s interest to ensure effective anti-money laundering controls and sufficient scrutiny is in place. The changes aren’t far away, so if you haven’t started preparing for 15 December, you need to do so now.”

Under existing money laundering regulations, HMRC already supervises money service businesses (MSBs) and high value dealers (HVDs) to ensure they comply. The new regulations extend this supervision to ASPs as well as trust or company service providers (TCSPs). And – like

accountancy service providers – MSBs, HVDs and TCSPs will all need to register with HMRC unless they are already supervised by a designated professional body.

You can keep up to date with the latest information on the new Money Laundering Regulations by visiting the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/mlr or by calling the National Advice Service on 0845 010 9000.

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news Digital Elites Innovation in British business is alive and well – contrary to criticism of a perceived lack of creativity.

After a nationwide search to find businesses using technology in the most innovative and cutting-edge ways, Microsoft’s Digital Elite project has found a healthy level of innovation in Britain.

The project, launched by Microsoft and Real Business magazine, set out to identify the nation's most intelligent users of software which made a positive impact on their businesses and markets.

Despite well-publicised fears that the UK is heading for an economic downturn and pessimism about the nation’s lack of innovative business ideas, the strength of the awards entries demonstrated that many businesses still see

investment in IT as key to achieving growth, while innovation remains one of the UK’s core strengths.

The winners were decided by a panel of four judges including two entrepreneurs, Charles Orton-Jones from Real Business and Simon Hughes of Microsoft. In particular, the judges were looking for how businesses were using software and IT to help them drive sales and profitability, increase customer satisfaction and change the traditional business model of their industry.

Award winners range from mass-participation film project Swarm of Angels to Zebtab, a company creating a desktop application that is helping transform the magazine publishing industry.

“British business is often criticised for a lack of innovation but we’ve been deeply impressed by the sheer variety and quality of businesses in the

competition,” said Simon Hughes, Director for Small and Medium-Sized Business at Microsoft UK. “These businesses are all using software to the full to create slick, agile businesses well equipped to stand up to and even beat larger competitors.”

Business curve - IT investment linked to success A report by Microsoft and Durham Business School report has found a direct link between IT investment in customer initiatives and business growth. Over 400 small and medium-sized firms were surveyed for the research which aimed to determine whether there was a significant difference in the way that growth companies used their investment in IT when compared to non-growth companies.

data as a motivation for their software investment, compared with 45% of non-growth companies.

The resulting data provides an interesting snapshot of the types of IT companies currently use to meet business challenges, including how they use it and whether they believe it brings tangible benefit to their business.

In terms of business size, smaller companies profiled tend to use separate bits of IT to meet their business requirements, with less integration and networking than companies with over 100 employees. The business challenges faced also varies by size of business, with 57% of small and 75% of larger businesses citing government legislation as a key challenge. Likewise, 18% and 42% respectively see managing customer data as an issue and 42% and 50% cite increased competition as a major challenge.

The results suggested that nearly one third of non-growth firms recognized they weren't spending enough on IT, with 51% citing lack of funds as the reason. This figure was even higher for medium-sized companies with 100 or so employees. Over 62% of growth companies cited managing customer

"It is clear that while many non-growth companies would like to spend more on technology, a narrow focus on cost control and internal challenges such as reporting and compliance is not enough to deliver business growth," said Simon Hughes, Director for Small and Medium-Sized.

Business blogging According to research conducted on 2000 UK SMEs by Fasthosts, nearly half of SMEs understand the business benefits of corporate blogs but only 3% have plans to start one. With so many acknowledging blogging as an effective marketing tool why are so many put off by starting their own?

Research indicates that for some, people are put off because they feel they don’t know what to say or how to say it. Microsoft’s Steve Clayton suggests that there are real benefits to be had that make it worth persevering: “Businesses who can create a ‘voice’ for their business by blogging are able to differentiate themselves from their competitors and create a brand image which is more respected, authentic and honest”.

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So how can you create a blog which can help bring your business to the forefront? Here are a few tips from Steve to get you started: 1. Blog frequently A rarely updated blog will appear neglected and unappealing to readers. Try to write regularly and stick to a posting schedule so you can “train” your audience when to expect new content. Search engines also respect frequently updated content which means if you write more often you have more chance of being noticed.

1. Don’t sell Resist the urge to heavily promote products or services as this is guaranteed to put off readers. Instead, discuss more generally issues which you feel are particularly interesting or important to your target audience.

1. Link. Link. Link Link to other blogs and stories wherever possible. This will build credibility in the blogging community and help increase the visibility of your business to potential customers.

1. Be Authentic Attempting to deceive your readers is extremely risky and should be avoided.

The most popular business blogs are often the ones which do not have a “tinted” business perspective and are candidly written.

1. Write like a human being Your blog should express your own thoughts. Make sure you write in the first person and use personal experiences where appropriate.

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news Youth team from India triumphs in Saïd competition Social Cobblers, a team from India, were the winners of the Youth Business Development competition run by MBA and MFE students at Saïd. The team triumphed over the eleven other finalists with their idea to provide security to socially and economically backward sections of society in India. “We wanted to provide a secure atmosphere to roadside workers such as cobblers and washermen, where they could earn a fixed income without being bogged down by tensions,” said

Anish Sandhir, the team spokesman. Two other teams from Asia were runners-up. Cash prizes of £1000 and £500 were awarded to the first and runner-up teams respectively.

Youth Business Development, launched by Said students in 2006, is a global competition for entrepreneurial young people aged 16-21. The competition is designed to deliver valuable life skills and business learning to the entrants, irrespective of background,

education or nationality, and to encourage an understanding of social enterprises. This year’s competition attracted 80 entries from across the globe, from which 38 were selected to go through to the semi-finals. These teams received mentoring from an MBA student to submit a business plan.

From these 12 were selected to go through to the final and face questions about their businesses.

Saïd alumnus named Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Tom Savage, a Saïd Business School alumnus and founder of four new ventures, has been named Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year in the Edge Upstarts Awards 2007.

Savage set up his first enterprise, Blue Ventures, while studying as a CHEAR scholar on the MSc in Management Research programme at the school. Blue Ventures has since gone on to become an award-winning NGO dedicated to raising awareness of the need for marine conservation and research.

have an environmental focus. They are Travelroots, an eco-tourism travel agency, and Tiptheplanet.com, a user-generated website offering visitors environmental advice. More recently, he has attracted private investment to create Bright Green, a recruitment business focused on the environment, which seeks to place staff in environmental and corporate social responsibility jobs in the private sector.

Alex Nicholls, University Lecturer in Social Entrepreneurship at the School, is a patron of Blue Ventures.

Since leaving Saïd, Savage has set up a further three new ventures which also

Two new scholarships for Oxford University alumni Two Oxford Alumni scholarships have been established for the Executive MBA programme. The scholarships, which are worth £10,000 each, will be offered to two Oxford alumni applying for entry to the EMBA in January 2008 and will be awarded to the

winners of an essay competition on the topic of “Oxford’s contribution to the culture of organisations”.

The Oxford Executive MBA is a 21-month modular programme delivered via 14 self-contained

residential week-long modules, held approximately every two months. In between modules, students participate in continuous e-learning as well as two individual projects – an entrepreneurial project and a core project.

Oxford Media and Communications Seminar Series Led by Dr David Levy, Associate Fellow in Media and Communications.

consumer behaviour and the search for new revenue streams? And what are the lessons for the rest of us?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the UK in the Global Media & communications Market? Are we doomed to be caught between the twin poles of global (US) content and local content in most markets, or are there real opportunities for UK media brands either to be real global players or occupy a space between the US and domestic offers? What are the successful models for UK players in the global market? How are they adapting to the challenges of converging technology, rapidly changing

This session will comprise an initial presentation of some of the key characteristics of and challenges for the UK media sector, followed by a panel discussion bringing together Mark Thompson, BBC Director General, with other senior UK media industry figures.

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First seminar: 24 January “The UK Media Sector & Global Media Business: Global or bit part player.”

Photo: Greg Smolonski, Photovibe

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news Focus on careers The Department of Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism at Oxford Brookes University Business School kick-started its "Focus on Careers" season for its students on 24 October 2007. It is hoped the weekly events will provide a forum in which senior industry representatives can provide an overview of the vast array of exciting opportunities for graduates in different sectors of tourism and hospitality.

find success in the future and was led by panellists Lee Cash, Co-Founder and MD of Peach Pubs Ltd; Terri Eastaff, Vice-President of Human Resources for Intercontinental Hotels Group; Chris Foy, Strategic Partnerships Manager of VisitBritain; Natalie Watkins, HR Business Partner of Aramark; Sally Webb, Managing Director of The Special Event Company; and Iain Woodward, Overseas Recruitment Advisor of TUI UK.

The first event, sponsored by Intercontinental Hotels Group, focused on the qualities likely to help students

Getting a grip on business Individuals and organisations all over the UK are being encouraged to get a grip on their business skills by Oxford Brookes University Business School.

The school launched its new “Getting a grip” series of two-day short courses in November, and hopes to engage individuals and organisations in a range of business subjects that are designed to enhance specialist business expertise. The new range of short courses takes a practical interactive approach, helping individuals and their organisations to get a better grip on leadership, finance, project management and difficult people situations.

Elspeth McFarlane, Head of Consultancy and Corporate Learning at Oxford Brookes University

Business School, said: "Improving your knowledge, skills and confidence is vital to enhance your individual performance and, in turn, the performance of your organisation. Enhanced performance will improve your personal and career development."

• • • •

Getting Getting Getting Getting

a a a a

grip grip grip grip

on...Leadership on...Finance on...Project Management on...Difficult People Situations

The courses, which start in January 2008, are taught by tutors who are experts in their own subject and fluent in understanding the needs of and developing others. For further information please contact 01865 484534 or jlaver@brookes.ac.uk.

Spiritually intelligent leadership The Oxfordshire branch of the Institute of Directors and Oxford Brookes University Business School held their fourth annual business and education event at Brookes Restaurant on 14 November 2007. The theme of the evening was "Spiritual Intelligence", a much-studied and researched topic over the past decade.

David Langford, Dean of Oxford Brookes University Business School, introduced the latest thinking on the subject followed by John Knights of LeaderShape, who addressed the practical

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implications and benefits of spiritual intelligence.

An opportunity to discuss views, experiences and opinions of spiritual intelligence followed over dinner, before the evening was formally concluded with summary remarks from the speakers.

Organisations are now recognising the impact of drive, will, aspiration and motivation on the bottom line and business schools are adding Spiritual Intelligence to their programmes by exploring the impact of adding values, beliefs, ethics and meaning to individual, team and business performance.

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news Oxford University mixes business with academia Oxford University has an 800-year legacy in encouraging innovation and discovery, and today it leads the way in creating jobs, wealth, skills, and entrepreneurship at all levels and within all disciplines.

The University is the second largest employer in Oxfordshire, supporting over 18,000 jobs, and is a founder member of the Oxfordshire Economic Partnership, a network of public and private sector partners committed to building a world-class economy in Oxfordshire.

Oxford University successfully links business and academia through the Begbroke Science Park, Isis Innovation, the University’s wholly-owned technology

transfer company, and its business courses developed through the Department of Continuing Education’s Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Centre.

Established in 1996, Oxford University's Saïd Business School is Europe's fastest-growing business school with a reputation for innovative business education. Its range of programmes include the flagship MBA, MSc in Financial Economics, undergraduate programmes and executive education.

Oxford University's Regional Liaison Officer Joe Barclay pursues a strategy that aims to strengthen the university’s links with regional organisations and businesses, for the benefit of the local and regional economy.

Rewley House, Department of Continuing Education, Oxford. (photo:Department of Continuing Education)

Business at Begbroke Links between the world of business and academia were cemented in 1998 with the acquisition of the Begbroke Science Park (www.begbroke.ox.ac.uk), conveniently located only six miles outside Oxford. It is home to twenty companies, with two more located on sites nearby.

In May 2007, Begbroke celebrated a new chapter in its evolution with the formal opening of both the Institute of Advanced Technology and the Begbroke Centre for Innovation and Enterprise.

The two new additions will provide an additional 5,000 square metres of laboratory and office space. The Centre for Innovation and Enterprise is

now fully occupied by spin-outs and external high technology companies.

Begbroke's research facilities are impressive and include world-class materials characterisation facilities, especially very advanced electron microscopes that are available to university users and external companies. There are also new materials processing equipment and expertise for making advanced coatings and nanocomposite materials that will find application in aerospace and consumer products.

start-up companies, and the science park works closely with Isis Innovation (www.isis-innovation.com), the University of Oxford’s wholly-owned technology transfer company, established in 1988. “The most common problem academics face in trying to exploit their research discoveries is underestimating the sheer amount of money involved in moving from an idea in the lab to a prototype product,” says Professor Pete Dobson, Academic Director of Begbroke Science Park. Last year seven new companies based on Oxford research were spun out.

At Begbroke, University research laboratories sit alongside space reserved for new technology

Isis Innovation During 2006, Isis sales turnover exceeded £3.5 million, and £1.7 million was returned to the university for distribution to university researchers, departments, and central funds, representing a 20 per cent increase over last year. Isis has recently been made a Carbon Trust incubator, helping other research institutions and small companies to develop and commercialise their carbon reducing technologies, working alongside the Carbon Trust.

Four successful companies spun out by Isis already this year include Chrysalin, developing high-value research reagents that improve the efficiency of the pre-clinical phase of drug development, and Eykona, which uses unique imaging to capture the 3-D shape and material properties of the human body using low-cost, portable hardware, useful in medical imaging for dermatological care and wound management, in particular leg and foot

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ulcers. (See www.eykona.com.)

OrganOx is a start-up company currently in the pipeline. It aims to address the unmet clinical and patient need for the repair and preservation of livers prior to transplantation. OrganOx is a novel medical system for the preservation of organs at normal body temperature post-retrieval and pre-transplantation. The system comprises an automated self-contained control box containing sensors, infusions, associated disposables, and preservation solutions. It reverses the deterioration in the liver found due to the delay in retrieval and transplantation, and enables the provision of data to ensure that the patient can receive a "quality-assured" liver for transplantation. £1.2 million is needed to support the company for the next 18 months and develop the four prototypes for clinical investigation.

Eykona Technologies Ltd. A scarred human arm 3D-imaged using Metriderm 3D. (Photo Eykona Technologies Ltd.)

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CLIENT SUPPORT We can offer independent advice in all areas of financial services.

OXFORD 30 St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3LE Te l . 01865 559900 email . information@wenntownsend.co.uk CIRENCESTER 5 Gosditch Street, Cirencester GL7 2AG Te l . 01285 659778 email . partners@wennsci.co.uk ABINGDON 10 Broad Street, Abingdon OX14 3LH Tel . 01235 548700 email . partners@wennsab.co.uk www.wenntownsend .co .uk

1. O come, all ye faithful Christmas is a Christian festival so if all staff are pressured to attend the Christmas party, people of other religions will have cause to complain.

2. All I want for Christmas is…

When telling people to bring a Secret Santa gift, request inoffensive presents. Some gifts – notably underwear and adult toys – are frequently regarded as a source of complaint.

3. Deck the halls with boughs of holly • Use a stepladder to put up office decorations – not a swivel chair • Don’t hang tinsel on computers or other sources of heat • Leave the emergency exits clear • Check that your insurance covers damage caused by untested electrical equipment. If not, do make sure that your turn the tree lights off before going home.

5. Silent night Keep the noise down if the party is in a residential area!

4. I saw three sick come sailing by • Keep party food fresh in a fridge before the party.

Food should not be left out at room temperature for more than 90 minutes and should be stored below 5ºC.

6.

• • • •

Away in a danger Use paper cups and not glasses Move computers out of range of spillages Avoid flaming puddings, candles and smoking Do not allow employees to dance on the desks!

JINGLE HELLS DARBYS’ TOP 10 CAROLS OF THE SEASON Boozy brawls, flirting and festering finger-food are creating a legal minefield for employers, making the office party one of the most risky corporate events of the year! Was your Christmas party a nightmare or are you having it “fashionably late” in January? Either way, plan for next time with a few tips from Darbys Solicitors LLP – and if you do get in trouble, just call Darbys!

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B4 ADVICE 7. We wish you a merry Christmas • Do not provide too much free alcohol.

Employers providing free drink or putting a credit card behind the bar should be careful. In one case, three employees of the Whitbread Beer Company got drunk and had a fight after a seminar on improving behavioural skills(!) They successfully argued that their resulting dismissals were unfair. A relevant factor was that the employer had provided a free bar – and thus condoned their behaviour.

• Limit the number of free drinks and be prepared to ask individuals to take it easy if they appear the worse for wear. Be prepared to limit the spirits!

• Keep an eye out for any employees who are under the age of 18.

8. Mistletoe & wine Cliff Richard didn’t warn us about the dangers of this lethal combination.

A recent survey found that, whilst 80% of women would laugh off a pass made by a male co-worker, boss or client, 13% would lodge a complaint.

An extreme example of such misbehaviour involved a man telling a female colleague that she “needed a good man”, adding that he would like to try her out in bed. At the Christmas party, the man pulled her dress down and made disparaging comments. A claim of sexual harassment succeeded and an award of £10,000 was made for injury to feelings.

10. All through the night • Take responsibility for staff to ensure that they will be safe in getting home.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents says that “Many Christmas and New Year holiday accidents could be saved through better planning. Pubs, clubs and restaurants will be busy from now until Christmas and there will be big demands on taxis and public transport.”

• Consider ending the party before public transport stops running • Provide employees with the phone numbers for local taxi companies • Consider hiring a minibus to take employees home • Warn employees of the dangers of drink-driving.

If a member of staff has clearly drunk too much at the office Christmas party and plans to drive home, the employer needs to take responsibility. ACAS points out that the employer has a duty of care to its employees and because it is the company’s party, the employer must think about travel arrangements.

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9. Love came down at Christmas • Before the party, circulate a memo reminding people of your sexual harassment policies • Remind them that the policies apply to events outside normal working hours • Remind managers of the rules and what to do if they witness or hear of potential harassment.

If your party budget extends to an after-dinner speaker, choose carefully. When Bernard Manning performed for one company, the host hotel was deemed liable for the offence caused to Afro-Caribbean waitresses by Manning’s racist jokes.

Contact details on page 78

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Our clients tell us we should blow it more often

But it’s not just our clients…The Association of Chartered Certified Acccountants have awarded us with their prestigous Quality Assured Certification, which demonstrates our commitment to high professional standards CONTACT US TO FIND OUT HOW WE CAN BE INSTRUMENTAL IN ASSISTING WITH YOUR BUSINESS

Cranbrook House 287 / 291 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7JQ Tel: 01865 552925 Fax: 01865 557732 Email: r.clayton@theMgroup.co.uk Website: www.theMgroup.co.uk

Planning a Meeting With a Real Difference Are you planning to hold that away day meeting but are looking for a venue and a programme that will create a real lift within your team?

B4 RS' EE E ' 'S AD FER RE OF

AWAY DAYS AND PLAY DAYS

• A company or individual golf clinic in our John Cook School of Golf followed by nine holes on our friendly lakes course.

Or

Then here at Witney Lakes Resort in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds we have the perfect answer to that meeting combined with an inspirational team-building day.

Mix and Match It’s your choice. Your objective. Meet in the morning, pamper and play in the afternoon.

Or the other way round.

You Shape The Day to Meet & Play So here’s the menu of opportunity.

• Select from one of six fully equipped and dedicated meeting rooms each with natural daylight, self-controlled heating, air conditioning and multi-level lighting.

• Lunch, tea and coffee breaks when you want and where you want • Half day meeting before or after lunch then either

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• two spa treatments in our Retreat Spa and a sumptuous afternoon in the Resort’s health club. You can choose from a Skin Specific Taster Facial, a Well-Being or Deep Tissue Back Massage and an Indian Head Massage.

Our flexible approach to creative meetings makes this aspirational and exciting package available to you for an all-inclusive added value cost of just £89 per person including VAT. Call Gemma or Anna now on 01993 893008 or marketing@witney-lakes.co.uk to discuss dates.

Meeting + Golf or Spa = Success

EMPLOYMENT LAW Hardly a day goes by when there isn’t an action brought by an employee against an employer, alleging discrimination, sexual harassment or unfair dismissal. Steve Ilott of Focus Insurance Consultants sheds some light on the insurance aspect of Employment Law.

26

www.b4-business.com

B4 ADVICE Employment disputes are becoming more frequent and more costly, providing one of the fastest growing areas of corporate liability. With a growing number of trade unions, “no win, no fee” law firms and associations choosing to help workers bring claims, and such claims finding their way into newspapers, employers need to sit up and take note of this trend.

In the UK, anti-discrimination legislation has existed in one form or another for over 30 years. 2006 was a defining year, with the implementation of the employment equality age regulations. These made discrimination on the grounds of age before, during and after an employment relationship unlawful. As a result, there were almost 1,000 age discrimination claims on record in the first year.

Employers must be particularly wary of making errors in the process of hiring an employee. This extends from the job advert and the interview to the job offer. Recruitment is clearly a significant danger area and even big companies fall foul of the law. In a recent case, Ryanair was fined €8,000 (£5,400) after advertising for a “young and dynamic professional”.

The new law formed the sixth part of employment legislation that outlaws discrimination on the grounds of age, sex, race, disability, religion and sexual orientation.

The increasingly litigious British society encourages ever more claims. Employment tribunals, offering easy access to the courts, are intensifying this trend, as are the significant amounts being awarded to employees following successful claims.

Many claims, of course, do not even get to tribunal, with employers choosing to settle out of court to avoid bad publicity.

How to protect your business Traditionally, employers have tended to rely on the coverage afforded by Directors and Officers (D&O) Liability policies. However, D&O policies will not cover the Entity or cover personal injury losses such as claims for mental anguish.

Employment Law Protection (ELP) can offer the employer an ideal solution. This will provide insurance cover for employers and fellow employees against the expense of defending any allegations or investigations and the cost of any awards made against them.

Due to the ever-increasing demand for such insurance, there are now numerous insurers offering cover. The premium charged for an ELP policy depends on the number of employees but can cost from as little as £28 per month. Employers can choose the level of cover required – usually £250,000, £500,000 or £1,000,000 – and the policy excess, from £1,000 per claim.

When considering the significant cost of employing a solicitor, the benefits of having such cover in place become immediately evident. ELP gives employers the peace of mind and financial security they need to run their business effectively.

C L AIMS 2006/7 132,577 Employment Tribunals

R ECENT CLAIMS Unfair dismissal A designer who had been sending explicit emails to her lover has won her claim for unfair dismissal. Her employers claimed that since she had started sending the “offensive” messages, her standard of work had slipped and she was dismissed for gross misconduct.

The tribunal found that her employers had not given her prior warning that her behaviour warranted criticism and ordered the employer to pay her £26,000 in compensation.

Disability discrimination A street cleaner who was offered a job lifting goalposts after she was left partially paralysed after an operation has been awarded £18,000 compensation.

She had asked her bosses for a desk job after she was no longer able to continue as a street cleaner but she was only offered manual work in other departments. When this was refused she felt she had no option but to claim on the grounds of disability discrimination.

Discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation A homosexual man has been awarded £35,000 compensation after being subjected to sustained homophobic comments by senior management.

The tribunal found he had suffered both continuous harassment and direct discrimination on the grounds of his sexual orientation and awarded the compensation, including £10,000 for injury to feelings, after finding in his favour.

Racial discrimination An Asian postman was awarded more than £200,000 compensation by a tribunal after facing years of racist abuse and threats from colleagues.

£7,974 on average awarded for Unfair Dismissals £10,052

on

average

awarded

for

Sex

Discrimination £14,049

on

average

awarded

for

Racial

Discrimination £15,059 on average awarded for Disability Discrimination.

He was under severe stress and suffered ill health which forced him to retire early.

Despite his repeated complaints of harassment his immediate boss turned a blind eye. It was only when managers installed a hidden camera that some of the culprits were caught and disciplined.

Furthermore, an increased number of employers settled out of court.

Source: Employment Tribunal Annual Report 2006/7

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Contact details on page 78

27

B4 NETWORKING

AWARDING BUSINESS

Friday 30 November 2007 saw over 40 successful business owners from across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire coming together for the annual Massive Action Coaching Client Celebration Dinner and Dance.

What did all of these people have in common? Well, they were either members of the highly successful Oxford Profit Club, Oxford’s premier networking and business training club, or they have experienced business growth coaching with the award-winning ActionCOACH Paul Avins. “We decided we wanted to bring all our clients together to say thank you for working with us over the last 12 months and to recognise some truly outstanding results that have been achieved by businesses of all sizes that we work with," said Paul, MD of Massive Action Coaching. ”Running your own business can be a lonely place, as I have found out over the last 15 years. So this seemed like a great way to celebrate business growth and successes with other positive like-minded people, and have a great time letting our hair down of course! After all, business can and should be fun.” There

28

were separate award categories ranging from Networker of the Year and Best One-Minute Presentation to Outstanding Marketing, Leadership and Business Growth of the Year and Team of the Year, as well as the highly sought after Business of the Year award. “The feedback on the night was that people really found the awards motivational, and the celebrations went on well into the early hours,” said Becky Tegg, Marketing Manager for Massive Action Coaching. “Clients left saying they can’t wait for next year’s event!”

If you want to find out more, visit www.oxfordprofitclub.co.uk or www.actioncoach.com/paulavins or call the Massive Action office on 01869 278900.

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U NLOCK

THE POTENTIAL

• Thinking of Selling Your Property?

• Want to unlock the development potential in your property to maximise your sale value?

• Worried about the professional costs involved?

• Is getting planning a minefield?

Call us on 01865 742211to start unlocking your homes potential Registered in England No. 5255050. Proptimise is a division of C&S Developments(Oxford) Ltd

B4 PROPERTY

PROPERTY NEWS Refurbished Offices Will Drive Rental Growth Savills’ Oxford Office and Industrial Survey 2007 (contact us for a copy) found that office take-up for the first nine months of the year was around 17% higher than the same period last year, and quality stock in out-of-town locations has continued to dominate the market.

Although the in-town market lacks Grade A office space, rents are forecast to increase as more refurbished space becomes available. Projected employee growth in the financial and business services sector over the next ten years will add to the demand for office space.

The industrial market saw take-up figures reach a respectable 524,000 sq ft at the end of 2006. The eventual out-turn in 2007 will probably be higher and there is an encouraging trend away from market domination by smaller deals.

There has even been unprecedented interest in the shed market during 2007, demonstrating the strength of developer interest in quality brownfield sites in prime locations.

Contact details on page 78

Nick Berrill, Savills Commercial Agency Director

Pink & Black

Tracey Jefferies & Claire Moloney of Pink & Black

As we write this comment, we are surrounded by companies preparing for Christmas, looking for innovative ways to show their appreciation to clients. Why wait? At Pink & Black, we take time throughout the year to show our clients that we care. We make time to chat with our postman, an elderly neighbour and other people we meet as a result of running our business. Everyone involved with Pink & Black has the same attitude and gives of themselves without seeking reward.

By spreading a little joy throughout the year there

is no huge pressure to perform any differently in December. The American poet, Maya Angelou, sums up the ethos of our company perfectly: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.

How do you and your staff make people feel?

Contact details on page 78

Oxford Residential Letting Investment Market Oxford continues to outperform most of the country with its strong tenant demand and shortage of new-build property.

“Oxford is a well located city,” states Debbie Kelly, property Director at North Oxford Property Services, and she is right.

Close proximity to London means Oxford benefits from the city’s success without the extreme volatility. Demand outweighs supply in Oxford; unlike Manchester, Leeds or

Bristol you will not see large skyscraper development diluting the letting market in Oxford due to cone height restrictions.

North Oxford Property Services has been finding high-yielding property investments for landlords for over 17 years.

Contact details on page 78

The Tenancy Deposit Scheme Following its introduction in April this year, the Tenancy Deposit Scheme now safeguards over £283 million in tenants’ deposits. Breckon & Breckon are members of this scheme, one of three authorised by the government. There are now 217,134 landlords registered, covering 282,364 tenancies that house 428,769 tenants – some amazing statistics.

Inevitably disputes will sometimes arise and the first of these are beginning to appear under the scheme. More than half of all disputes include disagreements over cleaning premises

30

at the end of a tenancy which highlights the importance of preparing your home correctly.

Breckon & Breckon provide honest and reliable advice to ensure that every property we offer is up to standard to limit the chance of dispute and allow both parties to enjoy a smooth-running tenancy.

Contact details on page 78 Greg Barnes of Breckon & Breckon

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From concept I High quality design solutions I Step by step guidance and project management I Professional and accessible I Wide spectrum of expertise and experience I Corporate, private and commercial clients I Added value within realistic budgets

Savills Architectural Design Wytham Court 11 West Way Oxford OX2 0QL

01865 269000 gfreeman@savills.com savills.co.uk

路

A Refreshing Approach...

Residential Letting & Management Search & Acquisition Refurbishment & Furnishing

Tel: 01865 201111 15 Hollybush Row, Oxford OX1 1JH

WHAT IF WHAT IF YOUR AGENT KEPT IN TOUCH YOU KNEW WE CARED WE KEPT THINGS SIMPLE

THESE PEOPLE KNOW

WE DO 01865 515919

www.pinkandblackproperty.com info@pinkandblackproperty.com

14 Oakthorpe Road, Summertown, Oxford, OX2 7BE

Affordable Housing Agri-Business Architectural Design Building Consultancy Client Accounts Commercial Property Portfolio Management Commercial Agency Commercial Consultancy, Development and Investment Development Estate and Farm Agency Healthcare Hotels Leisure New Homes Planning Private Finance Residential Property Rural Asset Management Urban Design Valuations

Covering the full property spectrum

Savills Oxford 11 West Way Oxford OX2 0QL 01865 269000 oxford@savills.com

Savills Oxford - Residential 256 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7DE 01865 339700 summertown@savills.com

savills.co.uk

Working together with your Property Investments We have specialised in the management & letting of city centre property for over 17 years.

Use our expertise to find you an investment property 47 Walton Street

•

Oxford

•

OX2 6AD

07714 708687 www.nops.co.uk

B4 COMMUNICATIONS

36

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THE EASY LIFE LINES AND CALLS FROM STL: A REALISTIC ALTERNATIVE TO BT

Oxfordshire telecommunications company STL have something every business could do with for Christmas: a simple lines and calls package which frees you from the obligation to take those irritating calls from other providers that are “guaranteed to save you money”.

How often does the call come through? “Hi, it’s Mandy, we spoke six months ago and you asked me to give you a call around now to discuss your lines and calls ...” Every week? Twice a week? Once a day?! Well, you can consign Mandy to the shredder, as STL are now in a position to offer you a genuine alternative to BT, in more ways than one. Phil Donigan of STL explains more to B4.

“The telecommunications line rental market has always been the ugly duckling of the business we are in. It was time consuming with very tight margins and was, to be honest, best left with BT. “However, STL have now completed the process of BT Wholesale accreditation, which means that we can operate on behalf of BT. This has stripped away the cumbersome element of offering line rentals to our customers. It also means that we are able to offer an attractive product at a competitive price to our customers, and also at a price which enables us to support the service so that our customer does not feel too isolated.

“So now, any BT customer can potentially become a customer of ours by switching lines and calls to STL, having one account manager to whom they can have a dialogue about any issues they may have, and at a price which remains competitive to what they would have been paying with BT. “The benefit is very real for our customers as we can bill BT’s products and services clearly and sensibly.

The account management support from STL is a real plus, and the days of hanging on the line to BT to make a complaint can be forgotten.

So how are STL able to offer this previously exclusive service?

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“STL has become involved with BT as a wholesale partner due to the de-regulation of BT's telephone network. STL used to order BT services through BT retail; however, we are now able to deal directly with Openreach, BT's network operator, and this has simplified the whole process of offering BT’s services.

So, in terms of a telecommunications “one stop shop”, STL really do provide businesses with a realistic alternative to BT. STL can also offer a line ordering service so that from start to finish, the whole process can be managed by STL. It's actually very simple to transfer to STL, as Phil explains to B4.

“The process of accreditation was open to us because we’d had a relationship with BT for a number of years.

It was a fairly labour-intensive procedure, but one we had to go through to be in this advantageous position.

“All we need is a copy of your BT bill and we need to know what telephone numbers are involved. We complete some internal paperwork, it is signed by the customer and that is pretty well that. There is no disruption whatsoever. It is a completely seamless process. The customer then gets an account manager with STL and a direct billing contact for any queries or issues.”

“STL have had to earn the right to become accredited; nonetheless, it is true to say that had BT not invited us to go through the process, because of deregulation, BT ran the risk of other providers offering us the same service.

“Being a wholesaler of BT’s products in the dim and distant past meant that your customers ran the risk, in terms of support of services, of doubling their fault resolution lead times in the event of a failure because they had to come to a wholesaler. Now, wholesalers like STL are on the BT platform so when a customer calls us, they are effectively calling BT. “We strongly believe that our customers will get a more effective service dealing with their own account manager, simply by virtue of the fact that the volumes of customers we deal with are more manageable than those BT deal with on a daily basis. BT recognise this, and that is why we have the opportunity to offer their services and package it under the STL brand.

STL have now strengthened their billing team, and the operations and services teams are also fully conversant in the processes involved. Phil is now head of lines and calls, ably supported by John Deeley (Billing Manager) and John’s assistant, Sharon Symmonds.

“It really is a very simple process and will definitely improve your overall lines and calls package.”

Contact details on page 78

“And not only is the service more personal, broadly speaking, STL will offer a 10% reduction against what a customer will be paying to BT for all services. Even higher discounts can be achieved with calls, depending on who is currently providing a company’s service.”

37

Do your business systems leave you in the dark?

Let us guide you in the right direction At Sci-Net we understand that it’s not enough to just provide you with a piece of software from a box. We know that to make your business run smoothly, we need to review how your business currently operates, then look at how we can improve it using technology. By doing this we can really improve the efficiency and profitability of your business, as we have with so many others.

We also know that for some companies it is hard to know where to start.

Whether you are starting afresh or looking to replace existing software that isn’t living up to your expectations, we can guide you through the entire process. We will work with you to decide which software will be most appropriate for your business, then design, develop, tailor and maintain it, enabling you to manage information and streamline your organisations services.

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• • • •

Manufacturing & Assembly Business Intelligence & Analytics CRM Document Automation

B4 COMMUNICATIONS

STEP THIS WAY Just having a website is no longer enough. For your website to be successful, it needs to get visitors from the search engines and, most importantly, convert these visitors into customers. Stephen Pavlovich from Bony Toad Online Marketing presents five steps that will make your website rank higher, get more traffic and generate more business. At Bony Toad, they use these tactics to help all kinds of businesses across the country add millions to their annual turnover.

1. Build your keyword list The first step is to look at the keywords for your site – the words and phrases that visitors will use to find your site through Google or other search engines. It’s important to get this step right, as your whole search engine optimisation strategy depends on using the right keywords.

Start by writing down the most obvious words and phrases. Let’s take an example: Oxford’s Buildbase (www.buildbase.co.uk) would have search terms like builders merchants, building products, and builder materials. Then get ideas for other keywords from your staff, from competitors’ websites and especially from your customers. You may find that your customers talk about your products and services in a different way to your staff.

Bonus resource – Google provides a tool that will help you discover new keywords. Go to https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExte rnal and type in a couple of the keywords you have already. Google will immediately generate a list of related words and phrases for you.

2. Choose keywords for your home page …

When you’ve got your list of keywords, pick three or four of the main keywords to use on your home page.

Don’t be tempted to choose keywords that are too general. For example, if your website sells digital cameras, don’t try to optimise it for words like digital or cameras on their own: it’ll be much harder to rank

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for these words and, even if you did, you wouldn’t necessarily see an increase in targeted traffic. Instead, go for phrases like digital cameras, Nikon SLR and specific product names.

These keywords will deliver the best return on investment as it is easier to rank for them and the traffic will be much more targeted, meaning the visitors will be more likely to convert into customers.

3. …and every other page of your website When you’ve got the keywords for your home page, repeat the process for every other page of your website. This will ensure that your website gets as much traffic from the search engines as possible.

Advanced tip – Each page should ideally target a different set of keywords. If you try to optimise more than one page for the same keyword, you risk what’s known as “keyword cannibalisation”: instead of becoming more optimised for the keyword, you’re actually diluting the optimisation of your website.

4. Optimise your website Now you’ve chosen the keywords for each page, we can start to optimise your website. Take the keywords and use them in different parts of the page, like the headings and the main text. Use them in your internal navigation as well: when linking to other pages on your website, links like Home and Products won’t help you rank better; instead, make the links descriptive and incorporate your keywords.

It’s essential not to overdo it – don’t stuff keywords in as many places as possible. The search engines can spot this and penalise your website accordingly and, moreover, unnatural text like this will not convert your visitors into customers.

5. Get more traffic When Google and other engines display search results, they generally show the title and description for your website. These are known as the title tag and meta description tag. These tags play two very important roles in search engine optimisation: • By including keywords in these tags, you’ll improve your website’s chances of ranking for these terms.

• The visitor will decide whether or not to click on your link after reading the title and description, so you should ensure that they sell the benefits of your products or service. Include the USP, the price of the product or even a testimonial. Even if you rank second for a search term, you can still get more traffic than the website ranked at the top if you write better copy!

Implement these five steps and you’ll be well on the way to getting more visitors from Google. But don’t forget – search engine optimisation is only one part of your online marketing strategy. To be truly successful, your strategy then needs to focus on converting these visitors into customers.

Contact details on page 78

39

B4 COMMUNICATIONS The Oxford University Begbroke Science Park

Start-up businesses by their very nature will grow and

"We operate in a commercial environment, whereas

describes itself as a place where industry and

develop, often having different requirements further

the

science meet. It offers a unique environment in

down the line which simply cannot be foreseen on

Companies require changes to their programming at

which world-class scientists work alongside

day one. With this in mind, it was vital that every

short notice which could not be achieved if another

entrepreneurs, colleagues and decision-makers

aspect of the centre was as flexible as possible,

department was involved. Once I realised that the

from industry to translate cutting-edge research

including its communications technology. Centre

solution they were proposing could not do what I

into commercial opportunities.

Manager, Barbara Allsworth, explains further:

required, I recommended that we talk to STL

To this end, the science park historically included an

"I came on board in September 2005, some ten

innovation centre where new businesses could be set

months before the centre opened. Part of my role at

up and developed in a relatively safe and controlled

that time was to ensure the centre had all of the

STL had worked closely with Barbara as an approved

environment. However, due to increasing demand for

facilities that our occupiers would expect – and that it

supplier during her six years at the Oxford Innovation

these services, a larger facility was required. Therefore

was set up in a way that would make it

Group, providing a Samsung DCS which she loved.

a new 15,000 sq ft purpose-built Centre for

straightforward for us to administer. Of course, the

After reviewing the centre’s requirements and

Innovation and Enterprise was constructed, opening

communications system was a vital part of that,

discussing

its doors for business in the summer of 2006. This

especially in a building where we have many separate

recommended the Samsung OfficeServ 7400, which

more than doubled the size of the previous centre

companies operating.”

is an IP-based voice and data communications

university

is

an

academic

environment.

Communications, who had been our telecoms provider in my previous role.”

their

future

plans

in

detail,

STL

platform, as the ideal solution. This was installed in

and offered flexible office and laboratory space, with the full range of services companies require for

Barbara met with the university to discuss the centre’s

the spring of 2006 and was fully operational in time

start-up. Most importantly, the centre gave new and

requirements, but the proposals which came back did

for the opening of the centre in July 2006.

existing tenants the flexibility to grow and expand into

not meet these requirements, as the day-to-day

more space as and when they needed it.

administration would have to be carried out by the

The system has 144 analogue extensions and 32

university telecoms department and not by Barbara

digital extensions, with the option to add IP handsets

herself. She continues:

and IP softphones in the future as and when these

The underlying theme of the facility is flexibility.

THE TECHNOLOGY OF INNOVATION STL Communications have successfully installed a Samsung OfficeServ system at the Oxford University Begbroke Centre for Innovation and Enterprise, much to the delight of Centre Manager Barbara Allsworth.

B4 finds out how STL have managed to solve a crucial issue for this pioneering establishment.

40

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calls through this person rather than via the main reception. We have a list of around 200 DDI numbers so when a new person joins, or requires a DDI, we just give them the list of available numbers, to choose from. Everyone in that company has their own DDI in the main office, but often they are in the lab and cannot take calls, so they choose whether to divert these calls to a group, to the administrator or to voicemail. The system is also very flexible and simple to set up for handling out of hours calls.”

Barbara is not currently using the IP capability of the OfficeServ 7400, but this is something she plans to adopt in the future. To start with she had a few concerns, as there had been some issues with VoIP on the main university’s system, but with the new Samsung OfficeServ, Barbara is confident that its IP technology will provide even more benefit for the centre.

Currently they have one virtual tenant who will be moving in eventually but is undergoing a lab fit-out before they do. For now, the centre provides virtual office services for that company, including taking calls in their name and forwarding them as required.

However, the IP capability of the OfficeServ would enable employees of this company and others to use IP handsets or IP softphones on their laptops. This means that they could take and receive calls on their main DDI number from anywhere in the world, without anyone realising that they are not in the office.

Barbara concludes: "Future use of VoIP is definitely something that we wanted to accommodate from day one. We have a tenant whose CEO travels extensively and this will be ideal for him. We are really pleased with the system, both with everything it can do now and everything it will be able to do for us in the future. Whatever our tenants need from a communications perspective, we know we can accommodate it. I love the fact that it is a totally flexible system and I can set everything up myself, which makes us very self-sufficient. are required. STL also installed a fixed cable link to

per room. Some of these rooms are offices and some

Oxford University, which gives them the ability to over-

are laboratories, so there are often very different

“Having said that, STL Communications are excellent

flow calls to the main university reception during busy

communications requirements. The mix of analogue

when we do need to call them in. They were great

times. The OfficeServ has full voicemail capability for

and digital handsets which the centre has provided

during the implementation, ironing out the bugs very

all users and offers an extensive range of features

offers the flexibility for everyone to have the right facil-

swiftly – and they have also been very responsive

which are ideal for a serviced office environment, as

ities for their individual needs. In addition, each room

when I have needed support. I just call and they send

Barbara explains:

can be set up with DDI lines as required, enabling staff

someone out to see us. On top of that, they are very

to take calls directly rather than having to go through

knowledgeable and they understand how much I

"When a call comes in for a particular business, it is

the centre’s reception. Again, flexibility is key here, as

know. This means they can provide support over the

essential that our operator can answer with the correct

some companies, particularly smaller ones, are often in

phone that I can understand, which definitely makes

company name, so this needs to be presented

a situation where no-one is in the office. So the ability

things easier.

on-screen before the call is taken. The other vital

to divert calls which normally come in on a DDI to the

requirement is speed. When a new company moves

operator, or to voicemail, at the press of a button is a

“I now have a flexible and cost-effective solution that

in, adds extra staff or requires different call routing for

huge benefit.

is easy to use and gives me all the features I need. The

example, we have to be able to accommodate this

Samsung OfficeServ is what I wanted and what I know

immediately, often with little or no prior warning. I

"We are 60% occupied in terms of square footage,

our tenants need. It is working really well and I am

needed to be able to make these changes myself to

with 11 companies on site at the moment,” adds

extremely happy with the outcome.”

meet the needs of commercial organisations.”

Barbara. "These range from single individuals through to one company which has two laboratories and an

The centre has 32 separate rooms of differing sizes,

office. Recently they recruited an administrator, and we

which can support anything from one to ten people

were able to very simply update the system to route all

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Contact details on page 78

41

NOMINET

Many B4 readers won’t be aware that a huge name so synonymous with the internet was not only born in Oxfordshire but remains here today. Richard Rosser readily took up the invitation to speak to Nominet CEO Lesley Cowley at Nominet’s impressive new offices at the Oxford Science Park.

42

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B4 COMMUNICATIONS Nominet operate at the heart of e-commerce in the UK, running one of the world’s largest internet registries and managing over six million domain names.

With highly respected industry credentials, they are entrusted with the safe, stable and secure management of the .uk internet name space. They maintain the register of .uk domain names and run the technology which locates a computer on the internet hosting the website or email system you’re looking for when you type in an address that ends in .uk.

perfect opportunity to turn the company into a massively profitable organisation but chose not to and took the not-for-profit route.

The internet was originally established during the 1970s and was known as the Arpanet. By the 1980s a parallel system, the Joint Academic Network (JANET), was set up in the UK and used by universities, the Ministry of Defence and research organisations to communicate electronically with one another. By the early 1990s, the emerging internet service providers such as Demon, Pipex and BT became involved with the network and started to provide domain names to customers on a commercial basis. I was interested in finding out how Nominet fitted in to this story.

As a not-for-profit organisation, functioning efficiently and outwardly displaying the traits of a very successful “business”, what is the company’s policy with regards to dealing with profits?

Lesley, when did Nominet enter the picture?

“Nominet was formed in 1996, so is just over 10 years old, which is very old in web terms but not very old for a company. Originally in the UK, domain names were dealt with by a voluntary naming committee who used to vet every application. It would either pass the committee or not, and in those formative days of the net they would deal with up to 200 names per month, if that.

“The rules were very strict. If you wanted a name, it had to match your trading name and you could only have one. As time went on the committee became quite concerned at the volumes of applications that were starting to come through. They were concerned about the time they were investing and about potential liability if they approved a name incorrectly.

At that time there was no case law about domain names – this came later.

“The voluntary committee decided that the management of the .uk Top Level Domain should be taken over by a more professional organisation and structure, and as a result Nominet was established.

“Nominet was founded by Dr William Black (who has since retired) in Abingdon. Nominet have a unique role because of the way the internet is structured. It relies, at certain points of the network, on there being one entity which has a certain role. There is only one Top Level Domain for the United Kingdom, or .uk.

There is no duplicate as that would lead to huge confusion, or even technical meltdown.

“And because this was a unique role, the UK felt it should be co-ordinated and administered by a not-for-profit company and that no one should profit from running the entity. Dr Black therefore had the

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“When Nominet began, there were around 2,000 registrations per month. But now we handle several thousand new registrations per day. There are now almost 6.3 million .uk names in total in our register.

As far as new registrations are concerned, we have the equivalent of the city of Oxford getting on the net every month!”

“Surpluses have only really ever occurred in recent years, and that has been because since I have been leading the company I have driven the company to towards becoming paperless. We have taken systems online and eliminated the need for forms etc. This streamlining of systems has reduced costs and helped to ultimately make us a very efficient company.

“Combined with the growth in registrations, this has culminated in a surplus. We are part-way through discussions that would enable this surplus to be given to some sort of charitable foundation that would benefit the wider internet community in the UK, with an emphasis on education, research and development projects. That is our general aspiration, but we will wait to see if our membership agrees with this scheme in principle before taking it any further.

“But certainly people always thought that if we made money, and it was a big if, that we would use it to reduce prices, which is exactly what we have done. If B4 readers consider what they paid five years ago for a web registration and what was included in that – in terms of e-mail addresses etc. – and what they pay now and what is included, it is almost the complete inverse. Getting a lot more for less is certainly not the case in many aspects of our lives today.

“A lot of people think the web should be free in all respects, but we have to have some form of control.

We run a technical service to make sure users are able to make use of their name once it has been registered, and the actual cost of that, albeit spread over a massive number of registrations, is quite large.

“It is a relatively simple business on some levels. In essence it is a registry. We have a call centre to support queries and our staff are very well informed. Our customers do experience difficulties and we do what we can to help or point them in the right direction. As is often the case in IT, it is more often than not a PC problem, or an internet access problem.”

How do you see things progressing over the next 5, 10, 15 years?

“The internet industry is fascinating to work in because it is still relatively young, and it is also very changeable and challenging. We were recently awarded a contract to run ENUM, which is a new technology that converts your phone number into a domain name and enables you to use it to route your calls over VoIP, which should result in cheaper telephone calls. That is one area where the internet and telecommunications businesses, normally two very separate businesses, will start to converge. There is also convergence with TV, but this has a long way to go. This will, however, develop and improve enormously.

“The internet changes so many things. My son has only ever known the internet with social networking and research for schools at the forefront of its use.

There are so many positives, although we are all too often made aware of the negative aspects of the internet. With the international work I do for Nominet, we see so many underdeveloped countries becoming enabled, which in turn will most definitely help develop their economies. It is exciting to see them beginning to benefit from this technology.

“So it is a time of huge change and development but we are still very young in the general cycle.”

As a publisher, I have to ask: Will the internet ever replace the printed word?

“No, definitely not. There will always be a need for printed products. Although we are growing increasingly accustomed to online media, making everything available on the web won’t satisfy all of your customers. There will always be a need for something tangible.”

Why did Nominet choose Oxford as its long-term home?

“We began life as a company in nearby Abingdon, and Oxford has a great supply of specialist staff, an excellent communications network and is a great place to live and work.

“The Thames Valley is earning a reputation as the Silicon Valley of the UK. We have recruited some overseas staff but the majority of our staff originate from Oxford. We also have the capacity to grow, having just moved in to our new building here in the Science Park.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed this role as CEO for the last five years or so and there are still massive challenges ahead. Sometimes you feel that you are in the eye of the storm working in the internet, and that makes it such an exciting business to be in.”

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B4 COMMUNICATIONS

SCI-NET

What do a company producing polythene packaging and one of the most exclusive kitchen manufacturers in the country have in common? They both have business intelligence. At least they do now, after deciding to partner with Sci-Net to embed ICT into their operations. Mark Reynolds finds out how Duncan Fergusson has built Sci-Net into a market leader and improved their customers’ productivity and profits.

“I always knew I wanted to be in business, but just wasn’t sure what,” says Duncan honestly. Who is? Over 15 years ago he was a financial controller for a successful business, and he decided that the manual bookkeeping that occupied his days was just not the way things should be done. “I decided to computerise an accounts system for my employers, which at the time was a revolutionary move, and the success of that project led other companies to ask me if I’d do the same for theirs.” Duncan has also worked as an operations director for a mail order business, which helped him learn about how to manage logistics and manufacturing. “After a few years in business, accounting became the small part of what we did, and it became a lot broader. We moved into managing the whole operational process of our clients’ business.”

Sci-Net, the company Duncan is now responsible for, has perfected the art of making a business run smoothly. They don’t simply talk about accounts software or stock control, they review how a business currently operates and ask how they can make it better using technology. Duncan explains how a new customer might find their approach different to many systems integrators: “We spend time understanding what the customers want and work on a complete solution for them. We don’t just implement, train and support – we very often tailor the software to give a 100% fit for our clients’ business. Most companies seem to like that, the flexibility to give them really what they need, rather that what a piece of software can do out of the box.” To make sure this process is successful, Sci-Net employ a team of full-time analyst-programmers, who do all the development work and code writing for bespoke projects.

A great example of this work is the system designed for Smallbone Group plc.

Sci-Net have improved their business greatly using Navision, by Microsoft Dynamics (the business systems side of Microsoft). Navision (or NAV 5.0) is one of two products in which Sci-Net specialise, and according to Microsoft is “a powerful yet cost-effective solution that can be tailored for your company”. But what does that mean for a company that has built a brand famous for the most luxurious kitchens on the market? The group is made up of Smallbone of Devizes, Mark Wilkinson Furniture and Paris Ceramics: all successful businesses in their own right, but on different sites, in different countries and with different business needs.

The group’s directors wanted to gain greater control of how these companies operated and also understand how they compared. They wanted to use Navision to make sure they were doing the right things.

Duncan explains: “Paris Ceramics are a ceramic floor company. They import hundreds of containers of top-quality raw materials that end up being used in kitchens installed by Smallbone of Devizes. The system we have built for them tracks the progress of containers which are being shipped, manages how and where things are stored in their 53,000 square foot warehouse, takes them

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through the production process and manages how those tiles are shipped to the customer’s site.” You can tell that Sci-Net are proud of this one, and rightly so. “It’s a global system running across France, America and the UK. They can now analyse every aspect of their business from looking at their most profitable or biggest-selling designer, or re-stocking their most popular ranges. They can even tell who the most efficient and quickest installation managers are!” For me, this sums up what a good ICT project is all about. It allows a business (or, in this case, a group of businesses) to look at all of their systems and processes and use this information to fix problems and improve profits. Duncan calls this “Business Intelligence” and I am starting to understand why…

Smallbone had needed an HR department for a few months but, like every business, were unsure if they could justify the additional expenditure. With the efficiencies that their new ICT system brought them, they ended up with three spare staff in their accounts department. They moved these staff into HR and now are running far higher levels of employee satisfaction as a result. If that is not an intelligent business move, I don’t know what is.

Sci-Net do lots of work for the smaller business too, which is very cost-effective and doesn’t need any development time. The software they specialise in is very sophisticated on its own and the second package which Sci-Net use is a bit easier to get to grips with for the small to medium sized business. Sage 200 and Sage CRM were recently deployed at United Polythene to great effect. They are manufacturers of polythene packaging products, with accounts and operations in Witney and a manufacturing plant in Liverpool. Sci-Net have recently installed the Sage products for them to cover all of their accounting, sales, operations and production systems across the two sites. United Polythene is a new business, and its founder has worked with Sci-Net on all of his multi-million pound businesses.

“He was one of our first customers,” recalls Duncan, “and it’s great that he has come back to us for his new venture.” If a customer calls in and logs an enquiry, the sales team use Sage CRM to manage that interaction and close the order. The order is then put into the Sage 200 system. If they need to buy any stock in to fulfil the order it will do that automatically, or if they need to do a specific production run for someone, that will be kicked off seamlessly in Liverpool. Once the goods are produced, the system will then handle the shipping requirements, manage the accounts and invoicing and – if that wasn’t enough – even do credit control after 30 days!

You might run a small business and feel that your operation could be made more efficient by implementing a simple yet powerful accounts package. You might manage a group of companies with a very specific set of mission critical systems that currently don’t talk to each other. Either way, contacting Sci-Net could be the most business-intelligent thing you do today.

Contact details on page 78

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B4 CSR

A STAR ROLE

Summertown Stars AFC (“the Stars”) is a youth football club based in north Oxford. Established in 1974, the club caters for boys and girls from 6 to 16 years of age. Kit and equipment is needed to play team sports, and, although parents pay subscriptions, these barely cover the cost of council fees to hire the pitches. It is no surprise, therefore, that the club has to turn to the local business community for assistance. B4 finds out from Paul Chamberlain of Summertown Stars what Oxfordshire businesses are doing to support one of the county’s most established youth football clubs.

Sponsorship is vital to help develop the Stars. A business may either sponsor a team, paying for each player’s kit, or make a general donation to the club. B4’s sister publication, In Oxford Magazine, has sponsored the new under-11 team which kicked off its first game in September this year with a triumphant 9-0 win. Clydesdale Bank and International Digital Management sponsored the two new girls’ teams, and tracksuits were purchased for every player.

Wenn Townsend, an Oxford-based firm of accountants and B4 sponsor, Broughtons, a retailer of household goods in North Parade, and Shadows, a Kidlington-based company which makes bespoke curtains and furnishings, have all given donations to the club. Ajay Bahl, a partner at Wenn Townsend, says, “It is important that local firms consider making community donations, in particular where children are involved”. Janet Hodgkins, who owns Shadows, comments, “Girls get little chance to play football at school, and it is important to support clubs like the Stars, who run girls’ teams.”

Children who play team sports develop life skills by

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learning to work together and taking responsibility for their own kit. Time-keeping skills are also nurtured, because players are disciplined not to be late for a match or training.

These charitable links are very important, not just because they are rewarding, but they also make the club attractive to potential sponsors.

The Stars are keen to build their own charitable links.

Barclays Bank loaned the Barclays Premiership trophy to the club at its five-a-side tournament this summer, raising more than £1,000 for the Oxford Children’s Hospital from viewing and photography donations.

Marks and Spencer in Summertown were happy to be associated with an event that helped children in the community, and they donated bread, salad and sauces for the barbecue stall.

So, what is the upside for local businesses wishing to get involved with the Stars? This really depends upon what the sponsor wants. Team sponsors usually have their logos emblazoned on the players’ shirts. General sponsors are mentioned on the club’s website. There can be no guarantee that this will generate business for the sponsor, but visibility is key to the success of any business, and what could be more visible than supporting children in the community? Keith Milburn from Boilercare sums it up perfectly: “At the end of the day it is for children, and that is what matters.”

The Stars have also established charitable links further afield. Six boys’ teams from Greenhouse Bethwin, based in London, were invited to participate in the tournament at the club’s expense. Greenhouse is a charity that uses organised football to encourage children to keep off the streets and out of organised gangs. Another project at the club involves collecting old sports kit from players to send to Lwandle Primary School in South Africa, whose pupils are from particularly poor backgrounds.

Money that would normally be aimed at grassroots sports development is now being redirected to help fund the 2012 London Olympic Games. If funding dries up for local clubs such as Summertown Stars, the development of children into the sports stars of tomorrow will be jeopardised. Ironically, that may be the legacy of London hosting the greatest sporting event on earth.

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B4 CSR In the last year, there has been a further marked increase in the importance attached to Corporate Responsibility (CR). Over the course of the last 12 months, CR has become more than just good business sense – in 2007 no organisation can afford to ignore its scope and its implications for business.

There are two key developments driving this change from Barclays’ point of view. The first is the growing, and increasingly widespread, understanding of the consequences of climate change. The second development is the evolving debate around sustainability, and the long-term impact business has on the societies and economies in which it operates. Neither of these issues is particularly new – what is unprecedented, however, is their adoption and embrace by so many different and interested parties.

Banks play an important role in influencing thinking and behaviour on both of these issues, through their relationships with customers, clients, employees, suppliers, governments, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders. This role as influencer is a core tenet of responsible banking – which embodies the Barclays approach to CR. I repeat my message from last year’s corporate responsibility report: I want us to be leaders, not followers, in corporate responsibility.

If we look at climate change, it is right that Barclays should assess – as others quite properly will – whether we are doing enough to tackle an issue with such significant consequences. We have done much to address our direct environmental footprint, and have fulfilled the commitment we set last year to make our UK operations carbon neutral. In our direct sphere of influence, we are well under way with environmental as well as social and ethical screening of our supply chain. In our lending activity, we have significantly updated our environmental as well as social guidelines. But we need to plan for the years ahead so we are undertaking a thorough review of our environmental and climate change strategy.

Preserving the environment for future generations reflects the evolution in thinking on sustainability, and the need to assess the impact of business over decades, rather than years. It shifts the emphasis from a relatively near-term focus on managing social, ethical and environmental risk, towards a more active form of business leadership, which identifies and embraces the commercial opportunities arising from this change in thinking. Sustainability is also very much about playing our part in building a more inclusive and just society, by addressing acute challenges such as financial exclusion. This has always been an area of strength for Barclays and we remain determined to build upon it, both in the UK and in our strongly growing business across emerging markets – particularly in Africa.

RESPONSIBLE

BANKING Corporate and Social Responsibility is becoming an increasingly important part of any business profile. It is not so much a question of “do they have an active plan in place?” but more a case of “what do they do and how do they do it?” John Varley, Group Chief Executive of Barclays, outlines why Corporate Responsibility is so fundamental to Barclays make-up.

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We make our greatest contribution to society by being good at what we do, and so ensuring Barclays continued success. This is at the heart of our ability to help our customers and clients achieve their goals through providing competitive products and services, as well as supporting economic growth and sustaining healthy financial systems. We must demonstrate by our actions how it is possible to make a significant and lasting difference. Last year we made some encouraging progress in CR. We are developing broader relationships with key stakeholders and have improved our performance in a number of ethical indices. In support of our commitment to raise the profile of CR further, Gary Hoffman, the Group Vice Chairman, now represents this agenda at Board level. We made progress with innovative financial inclusion programmes in the UK and Africa, while Absa became the first major South African bank to achieve ISO14001 accreditation for its environmental management system.

Sustainability is an appropriate topic for an organisation that can trace its roots back well over 300 years. But I am looking to the future when I say that we are fully committed to action – we must debate, we must learn and then we must act, to ensure the successful and responsible development of our business in the years ahead.

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B4 CSR Community Foundations raise funds from their local areas to support the needs of voluntary groups working to improve the quality of life for residents in that area. There are now more than 60 foundations in the UK and their number continues to grow.

Nationally, by March 2006 they held about £140 million in endowment (funds for the future) and in 2005-6 gave over £70 million in grants. The Oxfordshire Community Foundation is proud to be accredited to the Community Foundation Network, an independent charity and umbrella body, linking, promoting and supporting Community Foundations across the UK. The foundation was created 12 years ago with the mission “to develop income streams and capital funds in order to support the unmet needs of community groups working with disadvantaged people living in Oxfordshire.” Having passed the £2 million mark recently, the foundation is proud to have handed money and advice to literally hundreds of local community groups across Oxfordshire. Last year alone, the foundation awarded 131 grants totalling almost £350,000 to good causes.

The heartbeat of the organisation is provided by Barry Tanswell. In “another life” he managed Marks and Spencer’s Oxford and Banbury stores, generating cash for the huge retailer. But now the gamekeeper-turned-poacher is “loosening the grip” on corporate funds for the benefit of underprivileged local organisations.

Ably assisted by an impressive roll-call of Patrons, Presidents and Trustees (including Ian Workman of Barclays and Anna Moon of Elsevier), Barry is keen to “use” the experience of individuals working within Oxfordshire organisations to release funds from other businesses for the good of the local community. And the role of a trustee isn’t just to help the foundation, it also provides the individual, and ultimately their employer, with key experiences to help them in their 9 to 5 job.

The challenge for Barry is to build on the £1.4 million endowment fund. “We are now seeing a move away from corporate giving in terms of actual cash donations to more donations in kind. We are very much into building partnerships with the corporate sector which can help increase the ratio of cash to donations in kind.”

THE OCF Barclays community programme is one strand of the strategy referred to by John Varley and this is where their support for the Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) comes in. Ian Workman, Area Director of Barclays Commercial Bank - Oxford Team and a Trustee of the OCF, recently helped to organise a gala dinner in support of the foundation.

B4 were kindly invited to hear ex-Vodafone Chief Executive Sir Christopher Gent give a passionate speech about the necessity for all of us to recognise the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves and to champion the work of this remarkable organisation.

Barry openly describes the ideal business which he feels can help the foundation and which he feels the foundation can help in terms of structuring the way it donates. “I want to target the £5 million-plus turnover businesses which have a family heart, a workforce which is intertwined with the community, a business which can see the benefit of developing links with good causes in the community but doesn’t know which way to turn.

“We can help identify causes which we feel would suit the business in question and manage the donation so that every penny is followed through to its intended destination. We can also organise for employees of the business in question to see the fruits of their giving by visiting the causes they are supporting and getting involved in what they do on a daily basis.

“Another target audience is high net worth individuals coming to terms with the bonuses they have earned in the City and developing a social and moral conscience!”

So what sorts of organisations can benefit?

“Oxpots is a group of visually impaired or totally blind people who have developed an interest in pottery. We gave them £1,500 to provide tutorials over a sustained period and this has had a huge impact on the individuals involved. The classes are great, but also bringing together people who have had similar experiences, the networking side of things if you like, is truly phenomenal.

“Carterton Young Mums Group is another prime example. The fascinating thing about this group is that it is not run by experts, but by young mums who have experienced what they are trying to warn against – teenage pregnancies. They have recognised how difficult it is to bring up a young baby when, as is often the case, the mum is on her own.

"15- and 16-year-old girls are given computerised babies, for up to a week. These babies do what normal babies do, everything! They really do help to mimic the stresses and strains a young mum will experience. The week is monitored and the babies can’t be turned off! There is even a baby which has been developed to imitate the actions of a baby born to a heroin-addicted mother.

“The truly wonderful thing about all of what we do is the amount of work the volunteers put in. Without them we wouldn’t be able to cope with the work which needs to be done, but without businesses like Barclays, we simply cannot exist and that is why it is so important for business to recognise how important it is to get involved.”

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B4 CSR

CHARITY BEGINS AT WORK

All too often business is so consuming that thoughts for those less fortunate than ourselves barely hit the radar. Every so often, however, a worthwhile cause and a business with a conscience come together. And in the case of local builders merchant Johnsons Buildbase and the Oxford Children’s Hospital, the match produces heart-warming and meaningful results.

“I would challenge anyone to visit a children’s ward and not be moved enough to want to help,” said David Robertson (Central Regional Director of Buildbase based in Oxford), having visited The Oxford Children’s Hospital.

“Our pledge of £55,000 was unanimously agreed by the management team of our Oxford branch and all of our staff were more than happy to support such an outstanding local charity. We have also had full support from our customers and suppliers who have played a significant part in helping us to achieve our target.

“We must not forget to pay thanks to the following: Aziz, Williams Grand Prix, Liverpool FC, Oxford United FC, Quinn Radiators, Anthony Worrall Thompson, BT, Dell Powernet, Solar Soft, European Electronique, who have generously donated prizes and gifts for our charity dinner [held at the Aziz restaurant in Cowley Rd], auction and raffle.

“To hit our target, staff have subjected themselves to all manner of ‘tortures’, including a 55-kilometre walk, golf days, a car raffle, sponsored runs, counter collections – and one manager was even offered £1,500 by two generous customers if he shaved his moustache off!

“Even our Chief Executive got into the spirit of things with a skydive organised by Head Office.”

Other events included car boot sales; a trade show with all proceeds raised being donated; the Wantage branch held a cricket match against some of their builders with a raffle and BBQ; all branches within the central region sold T-shirts over the counter with all money being donated to CHOX. “The Oxford Children’s Hospital is a huge part of not only Oxfordshire now, but all over the country, and we are very proud to say that we have beaten our target: to date we have raised in excess of £62,000. This would not have been possible without the help and support we have had from everyone mentioned above.”

Graham Brogden, Head of Community Fundraising for the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds, was understandably delighted with Buildbase’s efforts. “Buildbase’s fundraising efforts are a great testimony to the teamwork within the business. Led

by Dave Robertson, staff and friends of Buildbase undertook a pledge to raise £63,415.92 in aid of the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign.

Their teamwork and tenacity has really paid off and the range of fundraising activities and local involvement really has been inspirational.

“Dave and his colleagues at Buildbase really embraced the challenge and are the epitome of a business acknowledging its corporate and social responsibility. We are very grateful to them for all of their tremendous support and look forward to celebrating their achievements.

“Successful corporate fundraising should have a positive outcome for the charity and the business. As well as raising money for a good cause, if a partnership works well then business can benefit too from creating teambuilding opportunities, increasing morale, heightened awareness and positive PR, generating market research statistics and hopefully an increase in sales.

“The Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds works with the community to provide facilities beyond the capacity of limited NHS funds. Working together we really can put the icing on the cake. There are several unique and exciting projects local business can get involved with supporting in such fields as cancer, cardiac, gerotology as well as children’s.”

If you are interested in hearing more about positive developments at the Trust or want to get involved please contact Graham on 01865 743442.

Contact details on page 78

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HEALTHY FUNDING

Susannah Maxa has experienced corporate fundraising from both sides of the fence: initially during her time as a director with STL-Intellion, when she played a major part as an active committee member for the Oxford Children’s Hospital, and now in her new role as a consultant for Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds. For more about Susannah's successful term at STL-Intellion, see B4 Issue 4.

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B4 CSR Susannah’s role really came about because of the success of the Children’s Hospital Oxford (CHOx) campaign. A wide range of different individuals and businesses threw their weight behind the appeal and formed a truly dynamic partnership that has, to date, raised £13.7 million. B4 are introduced to the new causes Susannah will be championing and also highlight some of the Corporate fundraising success stories from the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign.

There is a lot said about corporate social responsibility these days, and the CHOx campaign really proved how corporate support for a local charity can take on many different guises. Susannah certainly saw massive diversity in the ways local businesses helped. “Corporate support can be tailored to match a business’s budget, the size of its workforce and the time that it has to spare,” says Susannah.

“The CHOx fundraising team can quote a long list of fascinating examples. BMW donated the two hundredth Mini from their production line for a raffle; Accord sponsored an abseil; new local station Jack FM recently covered the printing costs of sending out a Christmas card to all the charity’s supporters; while Allen Associates publicised the campaign in their e-newsletter and then sponsored a fundraising dinner at Ditchley Park; and Champion Recruitment wrote out cheques to the tune of £160,000!”

Corporate support has not been limited to donations of money and goods, and here are just a few examples of the diverse ways in which businesses helped support the Oxford Children’s Hospital Campaign: Renault F1 Team gave a £150,000 gift to the Children’s Hospital Campaign in 2005 to name the Renault F1 Play Terrace on Tom’s Ward.

Since that time, they’ve continued supporting the hospital with gifts of auction items, toys for the children and a six-foot electric Formula 1 car.

Recently, promising development driver Lucas di Grassi (right) visited the hospital to the delight of children, parents and staff. Both the original commitment and subsequent visits have received positive media coverage, and the gift has resulted in a long-term relationship that continues to benefit both children in the hospital and Renault FI’s community profile.

The Midcounties Co-operative made a commitment to raise £150,000 to name the Children’s Radiology Waiting Area. One of the key strategies that enabled the Co-op to achieve their goal was product-related marketing. In addition to a creative array of events, activities and team participation in the OX5 Run, the Co-op asked every customer that went through one of their 130 stores in August last year to add 50p to their bill for the Children’s Hospital. Over 120,000 customers said “yes”. Not only did the appeal reinforce their “Healthy Families” advertising campaign and illustrate the Co-op’s policy and tradition of community service, it enabled them to engage with their customers while showing real commitment to their wellbeing.

The In Oxford Group have provided invaluable exposure to the Children’s Hospital through their fantastic range of high-quality printed publications and also in their numerous websites and e-newsletters. Column inches are like gold dust and the In Oxford Group have certainly provided charitable funds with their own gold mine. The article you are reading and the cancer campaign advert on the following page are further examples of the In Oxford Group’s continued commitment to charitable funds and the long-term drive to raise funds.

Newsquest, Oxfordshire, donated services of inestimable value to the Children’s Hospital when they backed the campaign with publicity over a five-year period including a two-page spread every week during its fifth year as a supporter.

Not only has the campaign’s coverage in the Oxford Mail and Oxford Times helped to raise over £3 million, it also built awareness of what can be achieved when the NHS and the communities it serves work together. This will help to improve healthcare in the region for decades to come.

Along the way, the coverage, as well as the OX5 Run, which is now an established fundraising event, and other activities organised and supported by the company, have allowed Newsquest to demonstrate to their staff, readers and advertisers its commitment to “making local life better”.

STL Communications provided support for the Children’s Hospital Campaign in a number of ways, the most glamorous of which was the Black and White Ball held at Blenheim Palace.

The idea for the event came from a CHOx networking evening held at Trinity College. The ball involved over 170 customers, clients and associated firms in a fabulous evening that included songs from Zoe Mace, a charity auction and dancing the night away! As well as being great fun, the event raised nearly £20,000 for the appeal. Moreover, STL have been able to engage with potential clients who share their commitment to the community and with whom it would have otherwise been difficult to connect: a good cause and good for business.

Corporate engagement can mean the difference between success and failure.

Company-led fundraising has a big impact, not just in terms of its financial contribution, but in raising a wider awareness of the campaign amongst employees and their families and in the local media. Sponsorship of an event or a donation of services or goods can act as a springboard for the fundraising team.

For their part, the corporate partners benefit from their association with a local campaign and a cause that is close to many people’s hearts.

If you would like to get on board, Susannah would love to hear from you and discuss any ideas.

Facts & figures about current projects at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals • ORH Charitable Funds is a registered charity (no. 1057295) that is made up of approximately 750 different funds, each with a specific purpose. These range from the large appeals like the Children’s Hospital campaign to much smaller funds that support specific wards or areas of research. Charitable gifts are used to support activities that are above and beyond the NHS standard.

• The Children’s Hospital Campaign has now reached a total of £13.7 million, thanks to all the support from the local community. Opportunities are still available to name an area in the new hospital for gifts in the region of £20,000 to £1 million.

• The ORH, NHS and Strategic Health Authority are investing £29 million to expand Oxford's already excellent cardiac services. As part of the Oxford Heart Centre’s programme of expansion, there is a £2 million fundraising target to ensure that the environment for patient care and research is optimized.

• Older people’s services are also undergoing renovation – £200,000 is sought to augment the NHS Trust’s £4 million investment to improve the environment for patients and staff. The campaign target includes the provision of a garden, pianos for day rooms, and a van to enable patients to explore mobility and other issues in their homes with an occupational therapist prior to discharge.

• A £2 million cancer campaign has just been launched to add “the icing on the cake” to the new £109 million Cancer Centre being built at the Churchill Hospital in Headington, Oxford. See overleaf for more details.

Contact details on page 78

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b-line business supplies

Be Happy with b-line and help us celebrate 20 years in business b-line would like to thank our customers, staff and friends for all of their support over the past 20 years Here’s to the next double decade!

B-Line. Proud to be sponsors of B4 business magazine B-Line Business Supplies, Enslow, Nr Bletchingdon, Kidlington, Oxon, OX5 3AX T: 08701 633340 F: 08701 633342 e: sales@b-line.co.uk www.b-line.co.uk

What do you want for your family if you face cancer?

A great hospital with everything you’ll need in the same place: the opportunity to have the latest treatments, the best medical team and dedicated operating theatres and intensive care beds, as well as gardens, day rooms and places for the family to stay.

Through a £109 million investment, Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Trust (ORH) is providing just that. A 217-bed hospital, designed around patient needs, with enhanced research capability

Will your business invest in our community’s health?

so patients can benefit from new treatments faster than ever before.

For further information, please contact Susannah Maxa on 01865 743448.

Now we need your help to raise the final £2 million and add those little extras that are beyond the NHS, but are hardly little when it comes to our family.

Your help will be the icing on the cake…

email: campaign@orh.nhs.uk www.cancercentreoxon.nhs.uk Registered Charity Number 1057295

B4 SPOTLIGHT

FASTEST MAN IN THE WORLD Oxford is probably the last place you would expect to find a two-time Formula Indy World Champion, winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500 and someone who earned the title of “fastest man in the world” for hitting speeds of 251.8 mph. But right on our doorstep resides Gil de Ferran, a true sporting hero who was recently honoured at the Great Sports Legends Dinner in New York, along with the likes of Earvin "Magic" Johnson, John Elway, Gary Player and Kelly Slater. B4 found out more about Gil’s fascinating career.

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Brazilian Gil de Ferran was born in Paris on 11 November 1967, but his parents returned to Brazil before he turned one. He and his two brothers, Marcia and Marcos, grew up in São Paulo, where he lived until he was 20.

“At the end of the year I chose to enter the last round of the British Formula 3 Championship, B Class. I qualified on pole and finished second in the race which got a lot of press. I met some guys from Reynard Racing Cars in Bicester.

“My Dad was an engineer for Ford and my uncle raced a little bit, so I guess what I call the ‘automobile culture’ was not far from me. At home we didn’t really talk much about football, politics or any other subject; it was more about cars, racing, drivers and engines. That was the Sunday lunch discussion.”

“They asked me to drive for their works’ Reynard Formula Ford team. In 1989 I won several races, I finished first in both major national championships and that caught the attention of Jackie Stewart who was starting a team with his son Paul. They asked me to test with several other drivers and I was hired to drive alongside David Coulthard in Formula Opal. I finished second in the British and first in the European championships.

Gil had his first introduction to racing at the age of five. Under the supervision of his father, he began driving a go-kart in the car park of the University of São Paulo. His career began at the age of 14 when he started to race karts.

“I was inspired by my family and the likes of Emerson Fittipaldi and, although a career in sports wasn’t exactly ‘frowned upon’, coming from a family of economists, geologists and prominent doctors, my father made it clear that I could only race if I studied – and studied hard. I was tolerated to a certain extent and I think I was expected to eventually contribute to society!

“But with early success in my career, a hobby turned into something more serious. You get caught up in that, fuelled by the family around you whose real passion is motor racing – all of a sudden you are the focus of the family, and everyone is willing you to get better and better. It was like a drug, I suppose, and we all just wanted to keep on winning.

“I won a few championships in karting and then moved up to cars in Brazil. I went to the Mauá Engineering Institute for three years in 1985 but as racing and studying became simultaneously more serious, I was forced to make a decision.

“I became the Brazilian Formula Ford champion in 1987, and at the relatively young age of 19, winning such a high profile championship thrust me into the limelight and forced my hand. I was halfway through my engineering degree, so did I finish that or concentrate on motor racing?

“I decided to take a break from the studies without losing any credits, and I somehow managed to raise $50,000 from sponsorship on the back of my success. My parents helped me, but essentially, I was doing this alone – sending proposals, going to meetings etc. That money meant I had enough to see if I had what it took and race with the best in England.

“But it wasn’t quite as I had imagined. I lived in a bed and breakfast in Silverstone, near to the team HQ, and bought a crumbling £200 Escort which had belonged to one of my mechanics, who I was trusting to look after my cars! That was the beginning of my life over here.

“My first season was terrible. I missed home a lot, the results were not very good, the team was OK but it wasn’t one of the top teams. So my first showing on the big stage wasn’t that promising.

“The next year I was again hired by Reynard to drive their Formula 3 car and I won several races including the British Grand Prix support race. I finished third in the prestigious British F3 Championship. Jackie then hired me for his F3 team. I had a great season with them and in 1993 I moved up to Formula 3000, which was one step below F1, for two years.”

At the end of 1994 Gil was invited to test an Indy car (now Champcar) by the infamous Jim Hall, and the owner was amazed with his abilities to work with the car set-up. Despite the worries of the team's sponsor, Pennzoil, that he was not a famous enough name for their car, the team was sufficiently impressed to offer Gil a drive for 1995.

“I went and did the test, with Jackie Stewart’s blessing. I wasn’t making much money and Jackie and Paul wanted me to do well. They helped me to get the trial – they always pushed me. There was pressure, but that is what you deal with – if you can’t do it you won’t succeed. I felt that I was ready to move up a level. The car was quicker and I had to go straight into an unknown car and perform, a much more powerful car.

“A couple of months later, I was offered a three-year contract – this was the first time I was on a proper salary. I was married to my wife Angela in 1993 and we had Anna in January 1995 and Luke in 1997, so my career and family life were great.

“At the time, Indy was big news, with Nigel Mansell there as World Champion, and with other names such as Villeneuve and Fittipaldi this was my first time in the big league.

“I was on pole in my very first race and had a good first season. I spent three years with Jim Hall and was then hired by Penske Racing with a big sponsorship from Valvoline and finished second in 1997 and raced there for three years. During this time I started my association with Honda as their main development and test driver.”

consecutive championship for Penske Racing at the Australia Grand Prix, having earned six podiums during the season including two wins.

“In 2002, I was leading the championship with two rounds to go and was knocked unconscious and missed the last round. In 2003 I came back and finished second in the first race and was doing well, until I broke my neck and back by smashing into a wall. I then came back, after missing one race, for the Indy 500. The race was awful but I managed to win it.”

Gil’s analytical approach to racing earned him comparisons with Penske's first driver, the late Mark Donohue. He also won praise for his politeness and integrity: when Penske controversially switched to the Indy Racing League in 2002, he did not criticize the move even though it meant he could not defend his Champcar title. Also, when he later moved to the IRL himself, he refrained from deriding the rival Champcar series – unlike others who had switched sides, such as Al Unser Jr. At the end of the 2003 season, Gil finished as runner-up and decided to retire after 21 years as a racing driver. During his career he had competed in 25 championships and won six titles, securing 52 victories out of 345 races along the way.

“I knew then that I wanted to do other things with my life. Having a young family wasn’t a key factor. I saw accidents as part and parcel of the job. I knew I could die every time I strapped myself in the car. It was an accepted fact – I was conditioned to race and the possibilities of failure or crashing didn’t come into my head.

“At times it was a difficult life to have a family as it was airport–hotel–racetrack–gym. The funny thing was that when I finished, the first thing I did was book a summer holiday, bang smack in the middle of the school term!

“I worked for ESPN/ABC as an expert commentator and then moved to Honda to help with the F1 programme. I came in from mid-2005 to the end of 2006 and things really picked up. We won a race in Hungary during my time as Sporting Director, which was a wonderful achievement.

“I just felt the job wasn’t moving as I had hoped, and we felt mutually that a parting was best for everyone.

I really hope they can turn things around.

“Where next? I always go to where there are challenges to meet and what is best for my family. I guess I am an international citizen. I enjoy challenges, and who knows what is in store for me next?”

In 2000, Gil was Formula CART champion in his first season driving for Penske Racing, winning the 100th victory for Roger Penske at Nazareth. He also became known as “the fastest man in the world” after recording a speed of 241.428 mph during qualifying at Fontana, California.

The following year Gil captured his second

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Who wants to join in?

Family Adventures including ‘Malaria-free’ Safaris South Africa | Mauritius | Seychelles | Oman & Dubai

Contact us for a copy of our new brochure, out November! www.bushbaby.travel tel: 01252 792984 | info@bushbaby.travel

B4 LIFESTYLE

SUGAR COATED GRAFT

If your business is planning a big event, then what better way than a personalised and inventive centerpiece to mark the celebration in style. Mark Reynolds visits The Cake Shop in Oxford’s Covered Market to see if their work really is too good to eat.

Arriving in the Covered Market at 8.30am is a rare event for me, and I am pleasantly surprised by the buzz about the place. The fruit and veg stall is noisy and colourful, the coffee shops are filling up with people queuing for lattes and carrying newspapers, and the artists of The Cake Shop are going about their craft as the world walks by. This is a relatively quiet Saturday morning for Sally Davis. They are making preparations for Christmas and working on their advance orders for the festive period, but this is nothing compared to the summer, when they might be getting ready for the collection of 20 wedding cakes in a single day.

and we invest a lot of time and care making sure that people get something special, something they're happy with.”

In 2005, B4 met Sally for the first time and since that time her business has gone from strength to strength.

In case you didn't see that article, here are some things to get straight before we continue. They are not bakers. There are no industrial ovens and vats of selfraising flour. The items that Sally’s customers keep coming back for are not baked on the premises, and in some ways the word cake is misleading. The “raw material” that is the cake base is delivered to the shop by their suppliers, and leaves as a work of art. “When a member of staff joins us, it takes about 3 years before they do wedding cakes and 10 years for them to be fully up to speed and able to run with any new order” says Sally. “It’s a very highly skilled profession

In addition to their staple diet of weddings and other family celebrations, which provide around 70% of their revenue, they have been doing a lot more corporate work in the last few years. Companies have used them for launch events, anniversaries or to say goodbye to a special employee. They have worked closely with Mercedes, Blackwells, Oxford University Press and even the National Lottery for their 21st double rollover celebration. Because they are based in Oxfordshire, Sally if often already familiar with the businesses that contact her to discuss their requirements, so its much easier for The Cake Shop to work on something bespoke for them with a genuine understanding of what they are trying to

Most of their staff have enjoyed the craft of cake decoration at home, and therefore now come to work to do something they love. Making sure that her staff are happy at work is a top priority for Sally in ensuring that her business is successful. “We work hard and take it seriously, but try to retain that family business feel. Most of the team are female, so we often have to be sensitive to peoples family arrangements and ensure that we offer a flexible working environment”.

achieve. Sally acts as the sales force for the Oxford based clients and is proud of the high level of personal service they are able to offer; “If OUP had just called Sainsburys, or some other national supermarket chain [who represent The Cake Shop’s main competition]. they would just not have been able to get that standard of service. The big supermarkets are unlikely to employ sales people as specialised as we can be, so their service can be very impersonal”.

When planning a special celebration, or a big company event, you can call the Cake Shop team to talk about the type of cake that would suit the occasion. After an initial consultation, either on the phone, or at one of their stores, you could email them pictures of your building, or of the product you are trying to promote and then they can get to work. If you can take the time to visit them, their shops in Oxford and Banbury host some amazing examples of their craft and many of the intricate decorations they produce are on display to give you some ideas about what they could do for you. In their Oxford store on that cold Saturday morning I felt a real sense of pride in their craft, both from the hard working women and the director of the business. They all share a passion for their craft and for some of the amazing work in the window, seeing is believing.

Contact details on page 78

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b-line business supplies

Happy Birthday to b-line (This isn’t how we go to work so don’t be scared!)

B-Line. Proud to be sponsors of B4 business magazine B-Line Business Supplies, Enslow, Nr Bletchingdon, Kidlington, Oxon, OX5 3AX T: 08701 633340 F: 08701 633342 e: sales@b-line.co.uk www.b-line.co.uk

B4 LIFESTYLE

ARE YOU IN THE MOOD? B4’s Gemma Pearson goes in search of a great night out in Oxford, and discovers a bar that will certainly get anybody in the mood.

Mood is perfectly located on George Street, in the centre of the city of Oxford. This is great because it is surrounded by restaurants, pubs and bars, so it can act as a before or after party venue.

From the street, Mood is lit up in bright blue neon, highlighting the entrance to a discreet doorway. Its clientele is already filtering into the bar early in the evening, proving that Mood is one of Oxford’s most popular venues.

Walking down the stairs, I can already hear the cool tunes of R‘n’B and hip hop, getting me energized and in the party mood.

Entering the stylish open-plan bar, the fantastic

ambience doesn’t go unnoticed. Trendy people in their early twenties fill the bar area along with students, all socialising and having a great time.

Making my way through the crowd I am greeted by smiling faces at the modern bar, where funky blue lights hang from the ceiling.

You will not be disappointed with the choice of drinks on offer, catering for all tastes from bottled beer and spirits to lavish cocktails. I couldn’t help but try a few from the menu, all exceptionally yummy.

the bubbling champagne that Mood offers.

Mood, unlike most bars, has a generously sized dancefloor, surrounded by a wall of mirrors, in keeping with the contemporary look. The floor is filled with excited dancers, as the DJ lays down the coolest tunes until 3.00 a.m.

Mood is open all over the Christmas Season and New Year: a brilliant choice for drinking and dancing this party season.

Mood: Oxford’s most stylish R‘n’B and hip hop venue.

The sophisticated, chilled VIP area has already been taken advantage of by a group of young ladies, warming up for their night out on the town, sipping

Contact details on page 78

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UtçáãtàxÜ Framing Bespoke Picture Framing • • • • • •

All work to conservation standards Computerised mountcutting Hotpress drymounting All frames made to order Canvas stretching and box framing Free collection & delivery service to local areas for galleries, framers & commercial customers

T: 0870 428 6882 F: 0870 428 6884 E: debbie@bayswaterframing.co.uk W: www.bayswaterframing.co.uk

Personalised Corporate Sport and Social Fixtures brochures 5,000 copies of your own fixture brochure, including key domestic and international sports and social fixtures, holidays and special occasions, including design, for just £999+VAT Also available in mouse mat format: Standard 500 mouse mats at £1.75+VAT each Luxury 500 mouse mats at £2.50+VAT each

Call 01865 742211 to discuss your requirements

B4 LIFESTYLE

GOLF CUP The B4 / MGroup Golf Cup was launched on Friday 27th April at Frilford Heath with 9 teams competing for the inaugural cup.

Round 2 took place on a glorious Thursday afternoon at Southfield Golf Club on 24th May.

one but two hole in one’s, ite a rarity by any standards. Well done to Andrew Carman, a guest of Darbys and Mike Jones of HSBC for achieving this quite extraordinary feat!

But the heavens opened for Round 3 at Studley Wood, our banker for great weather on 5th July. Not only was it wet, but it was cold and windy and the waterproof’s were out in force to protect a fair-weather field. Tim Henman had also braved the elements, having exited early from Wimbledon, but it was fellow six-footer (plus) John Hoy (Chief Executive of Blenheim Palace) who pulled off a peach of a shot to win nearest the pin.

Congratulations must go to Tenon Recovery for winning the inaugural B4 / MGroup Cup. However, without the support of our sponsors, it would not have been such an excellent event, played in a superb spirit throughout.

Thanks also to the four hosting Golf Clubs and to Peter Bennett for his faultless organisation.

Round 4 and Presentation Evening took place on 5th September at the The Oxfordshire Golf Club. Now this was perfect golfing weather and yielded not

To see a selection of pictures from the tournament, log onto www.b4-business.com.

FINAL S CORES 64

Rank

Team

R1

R2

R3

R4

Total

1

Tenon

89

81

67

171

341

2

Darbys

75

84

66

172

331

3

HSBC

69

75

73

168

316

4

The MGroup

68

84

71

154

309

Manches

75

73

53

160

309

6

B4

71

77

67

150

298

7

Wenn Townsend

89

53

47

152

294

8

Carter Jonas

80

71

68

142

293

9

Blenheim Palace

56

58

56

156

270

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NEXT Y

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E A R

Any interested parties wishing to take part in next years competition should contact Richard Rosser on 01865 742211.

The format is likely to be similar to this year where teams of four competed in four separate days. Team members can include staff, customers, suppliers or business associates. Each team is given a number of team shirts in their preferred colours.

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ON THE RIGHT TRACK Chiltern Railways is the award-winning local railway for Oxfordshire, providing regular, reliable train services along the M40 corridor between London and Birmingham. With stations at Banbury, Bicester North and Haddenham & Thame Parkway, the Chiltern route is easily accessible from a wide part of the county. B4 experiences the Chiltern service and learns more about what Chiltern can offer Oxfordshire residents.

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B4 LIFESTYLE

LOOK O UT F OR A selection of the exciting attractions along the Chiltern route:

The prospect of getting to Wembley with my ten-year-old son in August for the football season’s curtain-raiser, the Community Shield, was soured by the fact that I knew getting in and out of Wembley would be “awkward”.

All too often the knee-jerk reaction is to get in the car because that’s what most of us do – it’s there, we’re lazy and we take the consequences on the chin. But believe me, if you are planning a trip to the new Wembley Stadium, Chiltern Railways is the only way to do it. No traffic, no parking, no panic: stress-free travel, and that’s quite a novelty.

With trains running directly from your local station to Wembley Stadium – the Chiltern station is literally right outside the venue – you’ll be there in no time. Extra trains normally run on event days too, so you don’t even need to worry about getting home after a late finish.

One worry about public transport is reliability, but the Chiltern Railways service is one of the most reliable in the country. 94% of trains run to time, and the service is also one of the most highly regarded by passengers, as 90% would recommend it to others. So, a simple transport solution that is reliable – surely this must come at a price? Not a bit of it: our trip to London cost just over £20. Moreover, with Chiltern’s “3 For Free” offer you don’t have to pay for parking when three or more rail passengers travel in the same car. Even better, combine that with the

• • • • • • • • • • •

Severn Valley Railway Cadbury World Birmingham Sea Life Centre Thinktank Shakespeare Country, including Stratford-upon-Avon Warwick Castle Bicester Village Outlet Shopping The Hell-Fire Caves Bekonscot Model Village Roald Dahl Museum Chiltern Hills Country Walks

“Groupsave” offer – enabling three or four passengers to travel for the price of two on off-peak trains – and you’re well on your way to a great value day out.

And it’s not just Wembley that is within reach. There are dozens of exciting attractions along the Chiltern Railways route, so travelling from your local station can be a great way to get you and your family and friends out and about. A big advantage of travelling by train is that many attractions also offer discounts or other benefits for rail ticket holders – check www.chilternrailways.co.uk/daysout for the latest deals.

All that, and we haven’t even mentioned London yet. Chiltern Railways’ “2 for 1” entry offers give great discounts to rail passengers at over 100 top London attractions, restaurants, theatres, exhibitions and more.

Kids love taking the train and there’s room for them to move about. You’ll seldom hear “Are we there yet?” Plus you will be able to reacquaint yourself with some of the finest countryside in Britain as it rolls past you – the green stuff which is all a blur when you are in the car!

Contact details on page 78

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SOMMELIER ( S ĂŠ - M ĂŠ L - Y AY ) : 68

a trained and knowledgeable wine steward working in fine restaurants who specializes in all facets of wine service: wine procurement; storage; wine cellar rotation and the development of the wine list. Working alongside the culinary team, the sommelier suggests wines that will best complement each particular food menu item within the taste preference and budget parameters of the customer.

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B4 LIFESTYLE

MALMAISON UNCORKED!

Malmaison’s sommelier, Virginie Thoraval, visited Oxford’s former prison building many years ago as a schoolgirl and was so frightened she promised herself she would never return. Luckily for us, she changed her mind, and now works in the same building housing the stunning premises of Malmaison.

If Virginie were a wine, the tasting notes would describe her as “a young, vibrant and adventurous French appellation with a refreshing sparkle and amazing legs.” She extols the virtues of the Oxford Malmaison customers who, she says, are willing to try different wines to complement their food.

Although she’s French (with a wonderful accent to match), she says that the British are far more likely to experiment. In fact, her decision to move from France to study in London and Scotland was motivated by a passion to learn about a greater range of fine wines than the French experts were willing to recommend, as well as by the opportunity to expand her expertise to fortified wines such as port and sherry (which the French don’t drink as much). She now has the largest wine list of all the Malmaisons, with over 400 bin numbers to choose from. In case this intimidates you, there are informative tasting notes on the wine list and Virginie is on hand to recommend the perfect accompaniment to your choice of food to meet your budget and palette. Virginie is extremely knowledgeable about the exact locations of her vineyard sources, so if you want a wine from a particular region where you have bought property or that you have visited on holiday then Virginie can recommend something special for you.

Virginie speaks with passion and excitement about her role at Malmaison, which she describes as “selling pleasure”. She enjoys getting to know what the customers really want and suggesting interesting wines to accompany their choice of dish. She says the customer is always right because they know what they like, so her job is to understand their palette and recommend the perfect all-round dining experience.

She loves the family atmosphere in the Malmaison team and especially enjoys working with head chef Russell Heeley, who is also keen to experiment with different combinations of tastes. As Virginie was educating me on the correct way to taste wine (I had to have several attempts to get it right and unfortunately she forgot the spitoon…), Russell came and joined us, and the pair started to discuss wine and food combinations. Their passion and enthusiasm for their jobs was obvious as they shared ideas for ways to delight the Malmaison diners.

Virginie’s top tips for wines to accompany a dinner party: • Start with an apéritif to get your mouth watering, such as bin no. 84 Chapel Down Brut, Pinot Reserve.

This is a British sparkling wine (BRITISH? Seriously, you have to try this!), made by the same method and grown in a similar chalky soil to Champagne, but at a suitably understated Brit price! Order this discreetly by bin number and challenge your dining party to guess where it’s from.

salmon with bin no. 121 Saumur Langois Chateau, which has a lemon twist to refresh your palette.

• Turkey is usually a little dry, so Virginie recommends a creamy wine to complement it, such as bin no. 104 Chablis Domaine des Marronnies, Bernard Legland.

(Virginie sniggered because apparently “Legland” is rude in French – ask her why, because I couldn’t possibly say...)

• Virginie says if you prefer red wine then there’s no reason to stick with the old-fashioned rules: go for bin no. 570 Pinot Noir, Madfish, Western Australia which tastes of blackcurrant with a hint of cinnamon for a real treat.

• With a hearty pudding there’s nothing better than Pedro Ximenez Viejo, Napoleon, Vinicola Hidalgo. This syrupy sherry tastes like liquid Christmas pudding!

Harvey’s Bristol Cream is a blend of this sherry and a fino sherry, but after tasting the PX solo I said I’d no idea why anyone would want to mix it with anything.

“Except Russell’s Christmas pudding!” added Virginie with a twinkle in her eye.

• Or how about a glass of sherry? Virginie recommends Fino Manzanilla La Gitana, Bodegas Hidalgo.

• Virginie says that the typical Brit starter of prawn cocktail is notoriously difficult to partner with a wine because of the mayonnaise. (Virginie recalls being asked to recommend a drink to accompany mayonnaise dishes in her Wine & Spirit Education Trust exam. She answered “water!” The examiner agreed; she passed with merit!)

• As an alternative starter she suggests smoked

Contact details on page 78

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THE RESTAURANT AT

WITNEY LAKES RESORT

Witney Lakes has a lot to offer: beauty spa, first-class health club and superb golf. But B4’s Gemma Pearson headed for the superb restaurant, based at the very heart of this stunning resort.

A warm greeting is always a sure sign that your host cares – there is nothing worse than standing around waiting to be seated or even to be acknowledged. The customer is key to any restaurant and it astounds me whenever the customer’s very presence is ignored. This is certainly not a failing of The Restaurant at Witney Lakes. A smile and a “hello” and a “nice to see you” go a long way in my book to setting up a good evening out, and it shows that you are in the presence of a team that cares about its product.

We were initially seated in the contemporary lounge area, where our drink orders were taken and we had time to peruse the menu. The menu itself was fairly small, but who wants to be confronted by a book these days? The selection appeared delicious and very original – a considerable amount of thought was quite apparent. Whilst gazing over the menu and specials we were served appetizers of sundried tomatoes, olives and cheese biscuits – a perfect preamble to our meal.

It was again noticeable how politely and courteously we were guided through the restaurant to our table.

This wasn’t over the top and in your face – the manner of all of the staff was all quite natural. The restaurant was very modern but snug, the atmosphere softened by the candlelit tables, perfect for a romantic dinner. The restaurant overlooks the patio terrace which must be ideal for the warmer months.

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The starters were served promptly with soft, warm bread. The presentation of each was excellent and these were “proper” starter proportions, designed to tease before the main course, not wipe out any appetite you may have had! Tucking into my pork and rabbit terrine wrapped in Parma ham, the combination of flavours was spot on, complemented perfectly by the plum chutney.

My two guests’ starters looked amazing: the roast Piedmontese peppers and chargrilled aubergines with rocket leaves were full of warm flavours and the house smoked salmon, served with horseradish cream, was simply divine.

I was more than happy with my choice of main course, the chargrilled chicken served on top of creamed leeks and roast garlic, with tarragon and redcurrant jus. It looked scrumptious and I was not disappointed. The chicken was cooked superbly, succulent and moist, the creamed leeks were mouth-watering and the roast garlic gave it that extra twist.

One of my guests opted for the ten-ounce aged Oxfordshire sirloin steak. Once again, the chef had excelled. Cooked to perfection, the steak was hot and tender and was accompanied by roasted tomatoes and field mushrooms and drizzled in peppercorn sauce. My other guest chose the tuna steak, which was again faultless, remaining luscious and succulent. This was served with tasty, soft, seasonal

potatoes.

Almost replete, we didn't think anything could tempt us to go for dessert. However, after just one cursory look at the dessert menu we caved in!

My pineapple carpaccio with almond macaroons was superb. The tangy pineapple was well complemented by the macaroons and some smooth crème fraiche.

My guest’s dark chocolate mousse with candied orange and Grand Marnier ice cream was a sight for sore eyes! She didn’t hesitate to start, describing it as satisfying and rich but the perfect portion. My second guest’s baked vanilla cheesecake with blueberries looked fabulous. The locally made double cream trickled over the top, looking sooooooooo good and heavenly.

The evening was exceptional, the service throughout the night was fantastic, the staff were polite and attentive but far from intrusive. Each course was faultless and truly wonderful, each full of flavour and presented beautifully. Witney Lakes offers an exquisite dining experience; and exceptional value for money.

I couldn’t have asked for more.

Contact details on page 78

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If you are looking for tranquillity, seclusion and luxury, Barnett Hill, set in a stunning location in the heart of the Surrey Hills and just five minutes from Guildford, is second to none. B4 found out more about this elegant listed house.

Barnett Hill is one of three venues in the Sundial Group portfolio. Other venues include the head office, Highgate House in Northamptonshire, and Woodside in Warwickshire. Sundial Group is wholly owned by the eight children of Michael and Diana Chudley, three of whom remain on the board of the directors, making it very much a family-run business. The effect of this is a personal passion for guest satisfaction.

A beautiful Queen Anne-style mansion set in 26 acres of stunning landscaped gardens and woodlands, Barnett Hill is situated close to the main road networks, four miles from Guildford and conveniently close to the M25 and the M3, which give easy access from all parts of the national motorway network.

Barnett Hill operates mostly as a dedicated conference and training centre, being the preferred location in the South East for a large number of small, medium and large companies. The conference rooms all provide natural daylight, high quality furniture and a distraction-free environment conducive to creativity and focused thought.

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The stunning architecture of the venue has been carefully maintained and enhanced with beautiful decor to ensure that the meeting rooms and all 54 of the bedrooms have their own individual style, creating a timeless world of elegance and serenity that makes Barnett Hill a very special venue.

Designed and furnished to the highest standards, the bedrooms are modern and light with a relaxed feel.

The large well-lit work area features a sturdy yet elegant desk and provides web connectivity. The beds are hand-made by an English supplier.

The bedrooms are well equipped, featuring en-suite bathrooms, remote control television, iron and ironing board, hot-drink making facilities, bottled mineral water, direct-dial telephone and web connectivity. To ensure the highest standards for guests, toiletries are supplied from The White Company in the guest rooms.

Guests will find a range of leisure facilities at the hotel which include a spa bath, sauna, fitness room, games room and extensive gardens and grounds. The sauna

and spa bath are open from 6.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. and are a great way to chill out after a hard session in the gym.

The games area, located next door to the gym and sauna, includes a pool table, table-tennis table, board games, table football and television. The bar itself is available for delegates and guests to unwind over a drink or two, but is perhaps not as healthy an option as the rest of the activities at Barnett Hill!

Outdoor pursuits include croquet, volleyball and walking in the grounds. A Teamscapes exercise provides a good activity for a group looking to unwind.

Although designed to enhance specific business skills, ignoring certain rules and turning the occasional "blind eye" makes it ideal for an icebreaker or a “filler” session.

Barnett Hill was the perfect retreat, apart from a rogue fire alarm which meant we had to assemble outside, but that just provided us with a great excuse to sample more of Barnett Hill’s extraordinary charm.

Contact details on page 78

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Ryfield Oxford.

The new name for your business address book.

Ryfield Oxford Banbury Road, Shipton-on-Cherwell, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1JH. Golden Cross Court · 4 Cornmarket Street Oxford · OX1 3EX T: 01865 790 345 · www.davidclulow.com

01865 376000 www.ryfield.co.uk

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B4 CONTACTS

Let’s do business...

Platinum Sponsors Barclays Business Banking Jayne Woodley Mobile: 07775 555481 E: jayne.woodley@barclayscorporate.com W: www.barclays.co.uk/buisness B-Line Contact: David Beesley T: 08701 633340 E: dbeesley@b-line.co.uk phil@b-line.co.uk W: www.b-line.co.uk Darbys Solicitors LLP Contact: David Parry T: 01865 811700 E: dparry@darbys.co.uk W: www.darbys.co.uk

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The Focus Group Contact: Steve Illott T: + 44 (0) 1865 295295 E: s.illott@focus-oxford.co.uk W: www.focus-oxford.co.uk

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Johnsons Buildbase Contact: David Robertson T: 01865 787763 M: 07831 332696 E: david.robertson@buildbase.co.uk W: www.buildbase.co.uk Malmaison Hotel Contact: Stephen Woodhouse General Manager T: 01865 268400 E: swoodhouse@malmaison.com W: www.malmaison.com

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Righton Property Contact: Emma Righton T: 01865 311696 E: er@oxfordshortlets.co.uk W: www.oxfordshortlets.co.uk Oxford United FC T: 01865 337500 W: www.oufc.co.uk

Contacts If you want to contact B4 Magazine T: 01865 742211 E: info@b4-business.com

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Publisher B4 Magazine is published by Designs On Ltd, The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford, OX3 0BT

Editorial Richard Rosser John Kennedy Pauline Siddons Mark Reynolds E: editorial@b4-business.com

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