B4 Magazine Issue 7

B4

B4 TITLE

Magazine

ISSUE 07 SUMMER 2008

FINANCE

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LAW

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PR

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MARKETING

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ACCOUNTING

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LIFESTYLE

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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

Changing the Face of Law All change at Darbys – Simon McCrum gives it to us straight

Clinton Pugh The highs and lows of a man with passion, drive and the odd saying

Changing Course From finance to a fine course – how Ian Darby is changing the face of Studley Wood Golf Club

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Inside

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STL

GREENMINUTES

Welcome to Issue 7 of B4

On that note and in this issue, Nick Walker of Focus Financial Services offers B4 readers some advice on mortgages and what to expect in the year ahead, Richard Wadsworth at Darbys urges us to get our wills in order, and Tony Haines of Wenn Townsend gives us his summary of the recent Budget.

Also in this issue, we take a look at three men who have changed course in their life. Simon McCrum has taken over at leading Oxfordshire firm of solicitors, Darbys, having spent his entire working career in Manchester; Alun Williams has chosen the self employed route to flex his marketing muscles, having spent his career in industry; and Ian Darby, now in charge at Studley Wood Golf Club, explains why he chose to leave the board room and head for the first tee.

We tackle a few green issues in B4: the importance of being environmentally aware is brought into focus by B-Line Offiice Supplies, we feature the greener side of the red bus and STL Communications’s new GreenminutesTM package.

For our regular spot of indulgence, we ‘closely inspect’ one of the most famous restaurants in the world, The Fat Duck.

This issue also sees the introduction of our new contacts section which we hope will grow and grow.

Richard Rosser Editor

™

REDUCING CARBON, REDUCING PHONE BILLS

Open the papers on any given day and the dark clouds have well and truly gathered. Some say we are talking ourselves into a recession, others say it is here. In an increasingly competitive world, the slightest pressure can create panic and the chain reaction can have severe repercussions.

For anyone new to the business world, this truly is a baptism of fire – we all know how difficult it is at the best of times. The best advice I can give is to seek advice from those who have experienced this all before. So if you are new to business and think you need help to guide you through the choppy waters ahead, seek advice from professionals with experience, and share your concerns without further delay.

B4 COMMUNICATIONS

In today’s increasingly environmentally aware society, organisations are under increasing pressure to ‘be greener’ in their activities. In response to this, STL Communications, in association with the award winning Earthdream concept from Honda Racing F1, have developed Greenminutes™ – our way to help our customers achieve more renewable and environmentally sound business communications.

Greenminutes™ is radically different from any other

communications package – utilising low power IP networks to route your businesses telephone call traffic, as opposed to more traditional and power hungry legacy telephone infrastructure. Because our network uses less power, we are able to calculate a carbon saving against every minute of call traffic carried over the Greenminutes™ service. This carbon saving accumulates with every call made, and as part of your monthly statement, we let you know the total amount of carbon offset that has been generated. This is totalled on an annual basis, and at the end of this period Greenminutes™ customers will receive a certificate confirming the total carbon offset generated by their organisation – this can then be applied to the business itself, perhaps helping to carbon neutralise the business’s premises or company vehicle fleet.

STL Greenminutes™ customers also enjoy free of charge access to our next generation IP teleconferencing bridging service, as well as our in house videoconferencing suite, allowing groups of people to hold virtual meetings without the need for long distance travel.

In addition, STL Greenminutes™ customers do not receive a paper bill for telephony services. Instead we send monthly statements by email and provide customers with detailed management reports through a dedicated online website service.

To find out more about STL Greenminutes™ and the award winning Earthdreams concept from Honda F1 Racing, contact Philip Donigan at STL or go to www.stlcomms.com or www.myearthdream.com.

For an organisation to take advantage of this exciting new service, no changes are required to existing telephone infrastructure. There is also no initial cost involved in switching the service which is implemented in a similar way to a change of utility provider - without interruption of service. As with any communications package from STL, Greenminutes™ call rates are ultra competitive and will comfortably improve on most existing business call tariff’s.

GREENMINUTES

FA

C T F I L E

• Electronic Itemised Billing • Monthly Direct Debit • Free Homeworker Connection • Free Telephone Conferencing* • Free Video Conferencing* • Reduced Costs * Pay only for the calls

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B4 News 8 9 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24

Local Business News Local Business News The In Oxford Group Oxford Saïd Business School Oxford Brookes University Business School Nominet Microsoft STL Communications HM Revenue and Customs Charitable Funds

B4 Features 6

Bugatti The historic Prescott Hill Climb and world famous Bugatti Veyron

13 Idea Idol Into the Dragon’s Den 40 Always Look on the Bright Side of Life One of Oxfordshire’s most respected Restauranteurs

B4 Advice 28 Changing the face of law The New Man at the top at Darbys 32 On A Budget Tony Haines with his Budget “Highlights” 34 Where There is a Will, There is a Way for Business Ignore it at your Peril 36 What’s Wrong with Mortgages?

Get your House in Order ...it’s going to be a bumpy ride

B4 PR

38 Philosophical Marketing Marketing in a Box

26 Spinning Value Focus on two Oxford spin-out companies

44 Sci-Net Business Intelligence a Reality

53 Ox Tale Oxford United’s new focal point

46 Hidden Wealth Maximising your Wealth Opportunities

54 Changing Course From the Board Room to the First Tee

B4 Property

58 Pryors First Class Executive Travel

48 North Oxford Property Services Breckon & Breckon Pink & Black Savills Their views on the property market

70 Oxford Ironmongery The master craftsman

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BUGATTI On a glorious spring day, the breathtaking hills surrounding the Prescott Hill Climb, based just outside of Cheltenham, are bathed in sunshine. This is home to one of the world’s most prestigious motor racing venues. Set amidst sixty acres of glorious Cotswold countryside, the estate not only provides a beautiful setting for a range of classic car and bike weekends, but also hosts major motor racing championships.

Prescott is owned and run by the Bugatti Owners’ Club (BOC) who purchased the estate in 1937 and commenced converting the muddy, rutted drive into a speed hill climb ready for the opening rally in April 1938, when the current Club President, Earl Howe, opened proceedings by driving his type 57 Bugatti up the Hill. The Club was formed in 1929 to reflect the interests of the old vintage Bugatti’s.

The original founders were also clever enough at the time to open membership to not only Bugatti owners but to motor enthusiasts in general.

of history attached to Prescott with an abundance of famous names who began their careers here, including Stirling Moss.

The 1127 yard course rises over 200 feet via short straights, fast and slow corners and a breathtaking hairpin, with the fastest modern racing cars completing the course in an exciting 36 seconds. The action can be viewed from strategic points along the course as well as from the restaurant terrace. Visitors and competitors alike can enjoy an exhilarating days racing plus vintage cavalcades up the Hill.

“The main allure of the Club is the Bugatti cars themselves. Wonderful, cutting edge designs. A unique feature of Prescott is the Bugatti Trust, located on the other side of the starting line, opposite the club house.

The Trust was set up by Hugh Conway as a charity with an educational theme as its raison d’etre. It is totally independent of the Club, and is essentially a museum with a permanent display of two or three Bugatti’s at any one time. These works of art need to be seen to be fully appreciated, their magnificence almost defying the possibility that a human being could ever contemplate exposing such a masterpiece to the stresses and strains of competitive racing.

Ian Patton, the Club’s General Manager for the past two years, gives B4 a more intimate insight into this most interesting institution. He runs the club on behalf of the directors. “I am a long term enthusiast, particularly of vintage cars and came back out of industry because I love being involved in the sport. I trained back in Cheltenham and the very first competitive event that I came to was Prescott.”

“I have been coming ever since. Out of the blue, two years ago, the club was looking for a General Manager and I applied for the post and with the rest of the team enjoy what we do and have a lot of fun.

“The first competitive event was held in May 1938 and events have been running here ever since. It is not the oldest venue by any means, that said, there is a mass

“Racing cars pre-Bugatti were clumsy, huge offerings.

Bugatti changed this, opting for a more streamlined, lightweight model, which turned the whole ethos of racing on its head. However, by 1932, he was struggling, against the power houses of Alfa Romeo and Mercedes who were making their size and resource tell against the very man who had contributed to their new lease of life. Bugatti was forced to turn his attention to Grand Touring Cars. Some of these were spectacular and very unique. To many lovers of Bugatti, the 1930s were his heyday, at a time when he really had his back to the wall.”

“We now have a membership of just under 2,000, of which 500 are overseas members. Seventy-five per cent of the membership are non-Bugatti owners, motoring enthusiasts who enjoy coming to Prescott to compete or just to be part of a Club with a rich history.

It is an excellent mixture, members with a wide variety of cars and a love of motor sport.

Raphanel, an ex Le Mans winner, the event was immensely popular and there will be at least two Veyron on show this year.

“The Veyron has certainly stimulated renewed interest in the club – it is the reincarnation of the Bugatti marque. It reflects the history of the Bugatti and the pursuit of engineering excellence. We had the Veyron alongside two vintage Bugatti Grand Prix cars at the NEC Motor Show recently and it created massive interest.

“The fascinating aspect is that there was nothing for a long time before the Veyron – there are those who feel the car is stealing the thunder of the original Bugatti’s, however, the BOC was established to cover all marques and it has always been receptive to new models and many of the members embrace marques that are far more estranged from Bugatti’s than the Veyron.

The Bugatti marque laid dormant until Volkswagen stepped in, with one aim being to produce a 1,000 hp supercar, the Bugatti Veyron. This car has had not only Jeremy Clarkson salivating - it is technically superb but for just under £1million, wouldn’t you expect a little more than a nice trim and good looks? “In my experience, I have never seen a vehicle achieve iconic status so quickly. VW have produced something which is unique and just a little bit special,” adds Ian.

“The Bugatti is certainly a romantic and pulse-racing marque and it was extraordinary that, at the recent NEC show, there were a huge number of 12 to 14 year olds who were telling their parents what they were looking at, both in terms of the original Bugatti’s and the Veyron. That is very healthy – if the Veyron can stimulate appreciation of the technological wizardry behind it, then it can stimulate appreciation of the original Bugatti’s.

So what can you and I experience at Prescott? “We have six race meetings a year – mostly two day events.

Five are run by the Club and the sixth is run as a joint venture with the Vintage Sportscar Club. This is probably our largest event, held every August, and it is possibly the largest vintage event in Europe. It attracts entrants from all over England and Holland, Belgium and the rest of Europe.

“The Trust also provides the visitor with a fascinating insight into the history of the Bugatti family. This all makes for a wonderful day out and the Trust complements the thrilling race experience beautifully.

“Ettore Bugatti originally set out to develop a racing car rather than an everyday use car. He single-handedly changed the face of Grand Prix racing in the 1920s.

Over a short period of four or five years, Bugatti race cars reigned supreme. His most famous model was the Bugatti Type 35, which was, indeed, regarded as a work of art.

“It’s easy, however, to get sucked in by the sex appeal of the Veyron, but a lot of visitors come to see the other cars, with five to six thousand members of public regularly in attendance.”

“The other large event is on the 24th and 25th May, La Vie en Bleu, which has, as the name would suggest, a very French theme. This comes to the fore on the Sunday with solely French cars on view. Last year, the Veyron actually took part in the hill climb, which is possibly not ideally suited to it. Driven by Pierre-Henri

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At £12.50 entrance for an event including parking, with no access restrictions – visitors can go to the paddock,

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talk to the drivers, and touch the cars – this sort of event is unique and this has always been the case at Prescott. “We strive to protect Prescott’s unique character – it is crucial that we maintain it,” stresses Ian. But like every business, the Club has to take steps to ensure that it is not just on race days that it is able to make the venue work for itself. With restaurant (catering for up to one hundred and fifty) and club house facilities, there are also areas suitable for corporate entertainment.

“We have one company coming shortly which will be using the facilities to brief and train their agents and will spend the afternoon enjoying the country lanes in their cars – what a thrill. We also have areas on a race day where companies can put up marquees and invite clients along, with dedicated parking areas and dining facilities (catering from five to one hundred and fifty).”

“We also stage, throughout the year, a number of driving schools. Applicants can come along in their own car for the day. Starting with breakfast, you can walk along the track with three qualified instructors who will explain how to drive the course, explain car control and you can then spend the day driving this famous hill climb course. It is all about driving better, and how to drive through corners. We video you and show you how you could improve your skills.

“In the afternoon, drivers get the chance to experience the hill with one of the instructors who will demonstrate what it is like to go up the hill at speed, safely – usually the highlight of the day for most people.

“Finally, we give everyone an assessment of their performance – it is a fun day which suits people of all skills. It is a good gift for a birthday but also appeals to those who wish to be more competitive. Normally we can cater for numbers up to thirty but can also cater for smaller numbers exclusively for companies.”

Walking the course you get a real feel for what takes place on the day. It is purely down to the skill of the driver and the technological ability of the car. Further details are available on the Club’s web site www.prescott-hillclimb.com.

So for a pulsating day out, you will be hard pushed to find a more exciting event – just remember to turn left at the entrance and don’t go up the hill!

Contact details on page 82

EVENTS C ALENDAR 26 & 27 April 2008 British & Midland Championships 24th & 25 May 2008 La Vie en Bleu 2 [ French Invited Clubs] 28 & 29 June 2008 Midland Championship 2 & 3 August 2008 Vintage Weekend 6 & 7 September 2008 British & Midland Championships 27 & 28 September 2008 Classic Meeting

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B4 PR

B4 PR

WHEN RED

IS GREEN

From horse drawn trams to the greenest bus fleet in the country, the Oxford Bus Company has been around for more than 125 years. Managing director Philip Kirk explains how investment, science and long-term environmental commitments made it the greenest bus company in the country.

B4 Green

OXFORD IRONMONGERY

Oxford Ironmongery, established in 1979, is still the only specialist architectural ironmonger in the area. The company’s aim is to deliver high quality door and window furniture. B4 discovers that this is a company with not only the customer but the environment in mind.

60 When Red is Green The Greenest Bus Company in the Country

“As a company with a long established tradition and reputation, Oxford Ironmongery have successfully carried out projects recreating door handles which are centuries old through to futuristic door opening mechanisms,” says Julian Newman, the company’s proprietor. “We also offer a complete ironmongery scheduling and quotation service for architects and building project managers. This includes working from drawings and conducting site surveys to achieve the best possible specification.

“Our showroom on Botley Road provides an extensive display of traditional and contemporary ironmongery, in a full range of finishes.”

Oxford Ironmongery has also been accepted as a full

62 Buy Together Online with B-line How Clubbing Together can be good for you and you and you........

64 STL Greenminutes Reducing Carbon, Reducing Phone Bills 66 B-line Make the Mark, Environmentally Making the business world a better place

member of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers.

Having satisfied the board on various conditions, including professional competence and depth of stockholding, membership was granted. To qualify for membership, Oxford Ironmongery must also agree to abide by the Guild’s “Code of Professional Conduct” which provides assurance to all of Oxford Ironmongery’s customers that they will receive the highest standard of professional service.

“We also have a very clear environmental policy,” stresses Julian, “and this is borne out on several fronts.

Firstly, as far as suppliers are concerned, we will endeavour to partner with and source our products from manufacturers and distributors who demonstrate a strong ethical and environmental policy. Secondly, we use low energy lamps and energy efficient heating

at our premises. Thirdly, we reuse packaging from suppliers and recycle all waste paper and excess packaging materials. And finally, we aim to introduce a scheme where customers who are undertaking refurbishment and restoration projects can bring the used items of architectural hardware to us and we will arrange to have them recycled in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Julian Newman certainly has an impressive business, but to fully appreciate the breadth of Oxford Ironmongery’s products, a visit to the showroom is a must so that you can benefit from the advice and experience of a dying breed – a true master craftsman.

Oxford was one of the first historic cities in the UK to recognise that its historic central area would be under threat if it didn’t curb the private car. In 1973 the City and the County Councils developed the Balanced Transport Strategy, creating the country’s first permanent Park & Ride site, at Redbridge, and controlling car park pricing in the city centre. It placed the emphasis on walking, cycling and public transport and it kept traffic at a fairly constant level over the next 20 years, at a time when car use nationally was rocketing.

In the 1990s, the policy was pushed further, to improve the environment in the central area. The Oxford Transport Strategy saw the pedestrianisation of Cornmarket and restrictions on cross-city traffic through High Street.

People who have known Oxford for a long time will remember the daily, constant stream of slow-moving traffic from Carfax to Magdalen Bridge. Today, the same number of people are being transported using 6% fewer buses than before, and considerably fewer cars.

Buses are part of the lifeblood of the city. Over half of all journeys into the city are made by bus, people coming into Oxford to work and play their part in our economic success, to study, creating yet more jobs or to shop and enjoy the leisure facilities.

If bold action hadn’t been taken, the city would have ground to a halt, commerce would be struggling and many visitors, shoppers and even workers would have

decided to go elsewhere. If general traffic was uncontrolled, it would travel at painfully slow speeds and every scrap of green space in the city centre – and the colleges - would have to be given over to car parking.

But just coping with the increased number of people using buses isn’t enough. We recognised a long time ago that we had to tackle the effect our business might have on the environment. This is really important as the traffic management schemes have concentrated buses in fewer streets and could have led to difficulties if we had done nothing ourselves.

Fifteen years ago, we decided to tackle the issue of emissions from the diesel engines in our fleet. We invested in the greenest, most sophisticated anti-emissions technology available. This policy has reaped rewards and an independent survey has shown

Contact details on page 82

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Oxford Bus Company (OBC) has supported the local authorities since that first tentative step in 1973 and has grown and changed dramatically to carry more and more people.

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We’ve always been at the cutting edge of technology.

We’ve been making Oxford greener and cleaner for 15 years. The first step was to fit special exhaust filtering devices, known as Continually Recirculating Particulate Traps, or CRTs for short. These units cut down significantly (by up to 90%) Carbon Monoxide, Particulate Matter and Hydrocarbons, and up to 15% of Oxides of Nitrogen. This was a huge step forward in controlling emissions, years before car manufacturers caught onto the need to do this. As the Honda advert says “Change Something”, and we certainly have.

Over the 15 years, basic diesel engines have had to conform to ever more stringent emissions - and the addition of our emissions control devices has made them cleaner still. This culminated in 2007 when we were the first bus operator in the UK to introduce

buses that conformed to Euro 5 standards, many years before this becomes mandatory. The Euro 5 has all the benefits of earlier standards but also gets to grips with Oxides of Nitrogen - a vital development in emissions control. In fact we were the first company to use both buses and coaches that met Euro 5 standards.

green but, by offering superior seating, full air conditioning and bright, attractive accommodation, dozens of highly polluting cars are kept off our roads.

If just four people decide to take one of our buses instead of their car then that is a net contribution to the environment.

We were so impressed by the benefits of this that we have invested heavily again, and now nearly a third of our vehicles meet that Euro 5 standard or higher.

Arguably the air coming out of our exhausts is cleaner that that going into the engine!

Everyday there are claims about how this or that is greener than the rivals. Many of the claims don’t stand close scrutiny. That’s why we’ve made all our science and research available on our website, www.oxfordbus.co.uk. We are constantly looking at experiments elsewhere into alternatives to diesel propulsion. We are convinced that, in time, there will be a breakthrough, but until then we will continue to provide the lowest emission buses and coaches available commercially.

So much for the science – what about customer appeal? We have invested in top of the range, state of the art Mercedes Citaro buses and their contribution to the environment has been twofold and dramatic.

On the “Citaro routes” bus use has risen dramatically attracting many people who would otherwise have stayed in their cars. Not only are the engines ultra

B4 Lifestyle

B4 LAW He rates himself, not in a cocky or arrogant way, but in a positive, refreshing way that makes you want to be involved in his crusade – and a crusade it is. He’ll accept he makes mistakes, and that is an endearing quality, but he aims for the best and will keep going until he gets there – somewhat akin to the Duracell Bunny, he’ll keep on and on and on and on…..

Simon McCrum is forty-three, and married to Angie, with his A Team kids, Murdoch and Maverick McCrum. “They will either be famous or end up in jail” quips Simon, but let’s at least hope, either way, they’ve got their father’s number.

15 B4 Golf Cup Oxfordshire’s Leading Business Golf Tournament

A bit of background Simon? “I am a Cumbrian, but have spent my entire adult life – until now - in Manchester. I studied history at college. I am not a career lawyer – and there is no history of lawyers in the family!

“For years my parents ran a market stall, so law was never the designated path for me. I made a hash of my A Levels but was thankfully able to get into higher education and the drinking that goes with that through a history course at Manchester Polytechnic, as it then was”. I nearly managed to make a hash of that too”, he says, almost becoming exasperated at this former Simon McCrum, as if he were talking about an imposter!

“My progress through college wasn’t worthy of any prizes and I only really got to grips with matters after a chat with the careers officer who said I was nicely set up to be a Policeman or Tax Inspector. Anyone who knows me would guffaw at both of those. I had a friend whose brother was a solicitor, and I knew he had read history. I had a chat with him and found out that there was a post-grad course you could do which gave me a second bite of the cherry”.

Simon learned, once on the course, that he also needed “articles” at a law firm – now called a training contract. Lady Luck shone on him - he wrote one letter, got one interview, and got one place. This happened totally by chance to be at a very good law firm, Pannone in Manchester. On qualification as a solicitor in 1990, he joined the Commercial Litigation Department there.

“I was never the text book lawyer. I still had some “rugby” in me. They kept me on when I qualified”, which according to Simon was “very visionary of them.”

His real passion, though, had started to burn already.

“Even at that time I remember wondering and asking, where each case had come from? If we knew the answer, we could find more of them, either from that client or people like them.

B4 Contacts 82 Let’s do business

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B4 Communications

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72 The Fat Duck The Best Restaurant in the World?

68 Man on the Move How the Mobile Phone has changed life for us all

that we now have the cleanest, most environmentally friendly bus fleet in the country.

CHANGING THE FACE OF LAW

A tornado arrives at B4’s offices, a man with a purpose in life and nothing is going to stop him. It is hard to imagine a more single-minded, focused human being. But this guy won’t sweep all before him without listening. Honest, straight and true to his word, if you’ve got something to say, tell him – he won’t bite your head off – and he will be the first to concede if things aren’t working. With three year old son Murdoch and one year old Maverick, this is the type of guy you’d expect to be able to tell if a plan isn’t coming together, Darbys very own A-Team. Yes - this guy is a lawyer. He is the new Managing Partner at Darbys Solicitors in Oxford.

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idea a structured and branded marketing and hard business dimension. I packaged it as Connect2Law and went on the road selling it. I spent a year in my car, rushing from law firm to law firm around the North West. It was a visionary scheme and package. Indeed, Pannones letting a partner spend all of his time doing this was visionary in itself.

“I was making the whole thing up as I went along, as this kind of scheme simply didn’t exist. I was honest with everyone and was often asked questions where I had to respond “I haven’t got a clue, I’m making this up, what do you think we should do?” That was an early lesson in the value of total honesty when dealing with people – if you are going to build anything that is going to last.

Having grown a very successful scheme in the North West, Simon then saw that the scheme could be developed nationwide by “franchising” it to large regional firms in regions around the country. One such firm was Oxford’s own Darbys, of which more below.

Simon continues, “Joy Kingsley’s visionary capabilities then kicked in again and she asked me to be Head of Commercial Litigation when the mighty Vincent O’Farrell came up to retirement. I had never held a management role, anywhere, before. The department was very good at law but some improvements could be made on the business side.

“I tried again to be honest, open and inclusive with the team. I like to give people jobs that empower them and give them responsibility and bring them into the team. I did it in the Litigation Department and also in two other departments that I became head of. When it got to the stage where the Litigation Department was running very well – indeed better - without me, I asked Joy if I could move on to a new job within the firm. I handed over to my successor a much larger department – nearing a hundred people - and one that was very happy and profitable.”

Things then took an unexpected turn. After a return to his marketing role, a rare thing happened in the legal sector.

Darbys Solicitors in Oxford took the unique decision to look for a Managing Partner from outside, who could hopefully take them to “the next level,” or even beyond. A shortlist of candidates was being drawn up and they asked Simon, whom they had come to know through their involvement in his Connect2Law scheme, whether he wanted to be included in that list. He leapt at the chance.

I was even then thinking more about the business of law than the nuts and bolts. By dint of two or three job moves I was able to move away from doing straight chargeable hours and legal work and to instead undertake business development and marketing work for a law firm.”

“My self-belief was and is huge – I didn’t care who the other applicants were.

I was doing well at a very successful law firm, but I wanted to develop myself and fulfil my own potential. I didn’t know what my potential was. It may sound arrogant, but I wanted to develop a law firm and everyone in it, my way, so that it could do something very particular and very different in the legal world. That was the dream.”

His nirvana came in 1995 when he moved back to Pannone. A new Managing Partner – Joy Kingsley - had taken over. She was very visionary and was willing to take a risk on Simon in releasing him from doing legal work and billing, and to focus him, instead, on “work-getting”.

“The interview and selection process was incredible. The first interview panel was made up, not of partners from Darbys, but of business leaders that were friends of the firm – it was truly intimidating. I was impressed by the panel and how they gave me a thorough going over.

“Amongst the many things I learned from Joy was that lawyers can make a contribution that is equal to or even greater than the usual billing. I stopped doing legal work altogether, and I became a partner shortly after – a rare combination in the legal world. I was charged with bringing in work for all the specialist departments. To start with, I did what everyone does. I went to every cocktail party – usually all full of lawyers - and I put on three stone. I also did some more systemic, structured, thought-through marketing, which other lawyers, bogged down in legal work and fee targets, could not do.

“I then had to present to the partners on what I would do if I secured the post – my presentation was called “Making Darbys Even Greater” and it contained – for a law firm – some scary stuff. I was told later that day that I had been chosen.” He started in the job six months ago.

“Perhaps my greatest success was to take an old idea, wrap it up, and make it sexy. It has now become a £multi-million business. The idea was one that was mentioned to me way back by one Rodger Pannone, a big name in Pannone’s history and in law in general. He had long spoken of a concept called “hub and spoke” whereby large and small law firms worked together. I applied to this

Yes – to change the face of law in this country.

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Not one to think small, he and Darbys have great plans – not just to build on Darbys’ position as a leading regional law firm, but to actually change the face of law in this country.

“As I see it, most law firms provide law to their clients in pretty much the same way, and I am not convinced that the country is a huge fan of that way. Our gamble is that it is not. Yes there are plenty of very good law firms - hundreds

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B4 FEATURE

BUGATTI On a glorious spring day, the breathtaking hills surrounding the Prescott Hill Climb, based just outside of Cheltenham, are bathed in sunshine. This is home to one of the world’s most prestigious motor racing venues. Set amidst sixty acres of glorious Cotswold countryside, the estate not only provides a beautiful setting for a range of classic car and bike weekends, but also hosts major motor racing championships.

Prescott is owned and run by the Bugatti Owners’ Club (BOC) who purchased the estate in 1937 and commenced converting the muddy, rutted drive into a speed hill climb ready for the opening rally in April 1938, when the current Club President, Earl Howe, opened proceedings by driving his type 57 Bugatti up the Hill. The Club was formed in 1929 to reflect the interests of the old vintage Bugatti’s.

The original founders were also clever enough at the time to open membership to not only Bugatti owners, but to motor enthusiasts in general.

of history attached to Prescott with an abundance of famous names who began their careers here, including Stirling Moss.

The 1127 yard course rises over 200 feet via short straights, fast and slow corners and a breathtaking hairpin, with the fastest modern racing cars completing the course in an exciting 36 seconds. The action can be viewed from strategic points along the course as well as from the restaurant terrace. Visitors and competitors alike can enjoy an exhilarating days racing plus vintage cavalcades up the Hill.

“The main allure of the Club is the Bugatti cars themselves. Wonderful, cutting edge designs. A unique feature of Prescott is the Bugatti Trust, located on the other side of the starting line, opposite the club house.

The Trust was set up by Hugh Conway as a charity with an educational theme as its raison d’etre. It is totally independent of the Club, and is essentially a museum with a permanent display of two or three Bugatti’s at any one time. These works of art need to be seen to be fully appreciated, their magnificence almost defying the possibility that a human being could ever contemplate exposing such a masterpiece to the stresses and strains of competitive racing.

Ian Patton, the Club’s General Manager for the past two years, gives B4 a more intimate insight into this most interesting institution. He runs the club on behalf of the directors. “I am a long term enthusiast, particularly of vintage cars and came back out of industry because I love being involved in the sport. I trained back in Cheltenham, and the very first competitive event that I came to was at Prescott.

“I have been coming ever since. Out of the blue, two years ago, the club was looking for a General Manager, and I applied for the post, and with the rest of the team enjoy what we do and have a lot of fun.

“The first competitive event was held in May 1938 and events have been running here ever since. It is not the oldest venue by any means, that said, there is a mass

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“We now have a membership of just under 2,000, of which 500 are overseas members. Seventy-five per cent of the membership are non-Bugatti owners, motoring enthusiasts who enjoy coming to Prescott to compete or just to be part of a Club with a rich history.

It is an excellent mixture, members with a wide variety of cars and a love of motor sport.

“The Trust also provides the visitor with a fascinating insight into the history of the Bugatti family. This all makes for a wonderful day out, and the Trust complements the thrilling race experience beautifully.

“Ettore Bugatti originally set out to develop a racing car rather than an everyday use car. He single-handedly changed the face of Grand Prix racing in the 1920s.

Over a short period of four or five years, Bugatti race cars reigned supreme. His most famous model was the Bugatti Type 35, which was, indeed, regarded as a work of art.

“Racing cars pre-Bugatti were clumsy, huge offerings.

Bugatti changed this, opting for a more streamlined, lightweight model, which turned the whole ethos of racing on its head. However, by 1932, he was struggling, against the power houses of Alfa Romeo and Mercedes, who were making their size and resource tell against the very man who had contributed to their new lease of life. Bugatti was forced to turn his attention to Grand Touring Cars. Some of these were spectacular and very unique. To many lovers of Bugatti, the 1930s were his heyday, at a time when he really had his back to the wall.”

The Bugatti marque laid dormant until Volkswagen stepped in, with one aim being to produce a 1,000 hp supercar, the Bugatti Veyron. This car has had not only Jeremy Clarkson salivating - it is technically superb but for just under £1million, wouldn’t you expect a little more than a nice trim and good looks? “In my experience, I have never seen a vehicle achieve iconic status so quickly. VW have produced something which is unique and just a little bit special,” adds Ian. So what can you and I experience at Prescott? “We have six race meetings a year – mostly two day events.

Five are run by the Club and the sixth is run as a joint venture with the Vintage Sportscar Club. This is probably our largest event, held every August, and it is possibly the largest vintage event in Europe. It attracts entrants from all over England and Holland, Belgium and the rest of Europe.

“The other large event is on the 24th and 25th May, La Vie en Bleu, which has, as the name would suggest, a very French theme. This comes to the fore on the Sunday with solely French cars on view. Last year, the Veyron actually took part in the hill climb, which it is possibly not ideally suited to. Driven by Pierre-Henri

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Raphanel, an ex Le Mans winner, the event was immensely popular, and there will be at least two Veyron on show this year.

“The Veyron has certainly stimulated renewed interest in the club – it is the reincarnation of the Bugatti marque. It reflects the history of the Bugatti and the pursuit of engineering excellence. We had the Veyron alongside two vintage Bugatti Grand Prix cars at the NEC Motor Show recently and it created massive interest.

“The fascinating aspect is that there was nothing for a long time before the Veyron – there are those who feel the car is stealing the thunder of the original Bugatti’s, however, the BOC was established to cover all marques and it has always been receptive to new models, and many of the members embrace marques that are far more estranged from Bugatti’s than the Veyron.

“The Bugatti is certainly a romantic and pulse-racing marque and it was extraordinary that, at the recent NEC show, there were a huge number of 12 to 14 year olds who were telling their parents what they were looking at, both in terms of the original Bugatti’s and the Veyron. That is very healthy – if the Veyron can stimulate appreciation of the technological wizardry behind it, then it can stimulate appreciation of the original Bugatti’s.

“It’s easy, however, to get sucked in by the sex appeal of the Veyron, but a lot of visitors come to see the other cars, with five to six thousand members of the public regularly in attendance.”

At £12.50 entrance for an event including parking, with no access restrictions – visitors can go to the paddock,

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talk to the drivers, and touch the cars – this sort of event is unique and this has always been the case at Prescott. “We strive to protect Prescott’s unique character – it is crucial that we maintain it,” stresses Ian. But like every business, the Club has to take steps to ensure that it is not just on race days that it is able to make the venue work for itself. With restaurant (catering for up to one hundred and fifty) and club house facilities, there are also areas suitable for corporate entertainment.

“Finally, we give everyone an assessment of their performance – it is a fun day which suits people of all skills. It is a good gift for a birthday, but also appeals to those who wish to be more competitive. Normally we can cater for numbers up to thirty but can also cater for smaller numbers exclusively for companies.”

Walking the course you get a real feel for what takes place on the day. It is purely down to the skill of the driver and the technological ability of the car. Further details are available on the Club’s web site, www.prescott-hillclimb.com.

“We have one company coming shortly which will be using the facilities to brief and train their agents and will spend the afternoon enjoying the country lanes in their cars – what a thrill. We also have areas on a race day where companies can put up marquees and invite clients along, with dedicated parking areas and dining facilities (catering from five to one hundred and fifty).

So for a pulsating day out, you will be hard pushed to find a more exciting event – just remember to turn left at the entrance and don’t go up the hill!

“We also stage, throughout the year, a number of driving schools. Applicants can come along in their own car for the day. Starting with breakfast, you can walk along the track with three qualified instructors who will explain how to drive the course, explain car control and you can then spend the day driving this famous hill climb course. It is all about driving better, and how to drive through corners. We video you and show you how you could improve your skills.

C ALENDAR

“In the afternoon, drivers get the chance to experience the hill with one of the instructors who will demonstrate what it is like to go up the hill at speed, safely – usually the highlight of the day for most people.

Contact details on page 82

EVENTS 26 & 27 April 2008 British & Midland Championships 24th & 25 May 2008 La Vie en Bleu 2 [ French Invited Clubs] 28 & 29 June 2008 Midland Championship 2 & 3 August 2008 Vintage Weekend 6 & 7 September 2008 British & Midland Championships 27 & 28 September 2008 Classic Meeting

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Poor Payment Processes Restrict SME’s Cashflow Accountancy firm Titcheners is warning SMEs to ensure that their processes for invoicing and collecting payment from debtors are not exposing them to undue risk.

According to the firm’s new credit control division, although businesses may place the blame with customers for late payments, in the vast majority of cases, the root cause of the problem can be traced back to a gap in the invoicing process.

“At a time when talk of the credit crunch and speculation over the possibility of a global recession is rife, SMEs need to examine the processes that they follow to ensure that they are not partly responsible for delays in payments,” explains Roy Ashton, director at Titcheners.

For more information on the Credit TC service, visit: www.titcheners.co.uk

One of the UK’s leading spinal injuries lawyers joins Marshall and Galpin One of the country’s leading spinal injuries lawyers, Richard Dawson, has joined the Oxfordshire law firm Marshall and Galpin. The move makes M&G one of the UK’s leading Medical Negligence practices. Richard set up his own company in Cheshire specialising in Accident and Clinical Negligence in 1989 and for the last eleven years has focused solely on very serious personal injury claims.

Richard said, “Joining Marshall and Galpin has been easy for me because they are a firm that shares my client care ethos. I decided the time had come to merge my own company with a larger firm like M&G because I wanted the

support structure around me that would enable me to spend all my time on my clients and leave someone else to look after all the administration and compliance paperwork.”

Tracey Norris-Evans, who heads Marshall and Galpin’s Medical Negligence Department said, “Richard’s standing as a spinal injuries lawyer is second to none, but he also has an incredible reputation for client care and always puts their needs before anything else.”

Richard’s firm, Richard Dawson and Co, has been acquired

by M&G.

TBAC In Business With Plans For New Mentoring Service A group of business centres in Abingdon, Oxford and Witney are to play a leading role in the revival of a free advice service that played a part in the start-up stages of many now-established Oxfordshire businesses.

For many years, TBAC ran an acclaimed, free counselling and mentoring service for businesses across Oxfordshire, by drawing on the skills of experienced business people who donated their time. Now, six years on, the service is being revived by Jennings who provide premises and support for local small businesses.

Jennings have taken over the four managed office centres that TBAC still runs in Abingdon, Witney and Oxford (two) and plan to use them as the launch pad for a new, free business

mentoring service. The four TBAC centres (see www.tbacsbs.co.uk) are currently home to 50 businesses.

MD, Mike Jennings and fellow director Paul Mabbutt, (pictured) were both volunteer advisors for the TBAC service. Paul says: “Between the four TBAC centres, our two parks and our many contacts there is a huge amount of valuable business experience and expertise that could be used to benefit start-up and early-stage businesses. We plan to draw on this pool of talent and business skill to revive the free TBAC mentoring service that played such an important part in the early stages of many businesses that are now thriving in the county.”

For more details, call Mike Jennings on 01865 893300 or visit www.jennings.co.uk

Peace of mind from Home & Away Leaving your home unattended can be a stressful time if you take a holiday or travel on business – especially if you live in a rural area or have pets.

some garden maintenance and arranging for a wasps nest to be removed from someone’s loft, so it’s certainly varied and interesting.”’

Adrienne Clark of Aston in West Oxfordshire recognised that this as an opportunity and started Home & Away in early 2007. Home & Away provides a broad range of services from simple key holding and animal management through to the organisation of building maintenance and gardening.

Adrienne covers Witney and the surrounding villages, mainly because she is the business and “I wouldn’t want to dilute my effectiveness by spending too much time travelling.”

“Interest has been fantastic and business is booming”, said Adrienne who was speaking to B4 between jobs. “This morning I’ve been cleaning out Guinea Pigs, supervising

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B4 Business believe Adrienne has spotted a gap in the market and we think this is a great service. Adrienne can be contacted on 01993 852123, 07990 907106 or homeandawayac@aol.com.

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B4 News Building a Green Lifestyle at Buildbase Anyone who cares about the environment should visit Johnsons Buildbase. The builders merchant in Watlington Road, Cowley, has opened a new ‘green eco-room’ which brings together all the latest ideas in energy-saving and eco-friendly home improvements.

The first-floor display is packed with information and sample products so that customers can choose which

concepts might suit their home. As well as a working solar panel display, there are less familiar products such as a Greenstore ground source heat pump system that harnesses ground heat in different ways.

Other new heating systems include a boiler which uses wood pellets in place of gas or oil or an air source heat pump that harvests thermal energy from the air. A rainwater

harvesting system stores water in a huge underground tank for use in the washing machine, toilet or garden.

Photovoltaic roof tiles will collect vast amounts of solar energy for a long-term investment. Whereas roof light tunnels are a simple way to increase internal light.

Richard Coles (pictured right) has masterminded the project.

Big Wigs Challenge!

Teams from companies in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire are taking part in Sue Ryder Care’s Big Wigs Challenge 2008. Big Wigs is an exciting entrepreneurial challenge which involves participants taking a crisp £50.00 note and, over a four month period, raising as much as they can from this initial sum, in aid of Sue Ryder Care – Nettlebed Hospice.

The raised sums will be given back to the charity at an Award Ceremony in August – the winning team/individual who raises the most will be crowned Sue Ryder Care’s Charity Entrepreneur of the Year!

During the four month period, which started in April and runs through to July, the companies will be reporting back on their progress and their achievements will be highlighted over the coming months.

If you’d like to hear more about Big Wigs, please contact Geraldine Harmon on 01491 641070 or contact Geraldine.harmon@suerydercare.org. We will be delighted to hear from you.

ONLC Mega Lunch - 27th June 2008 - it's back!

St Hilda’s College is the chosen venue for the 2008 ONLC Mega Lunch. The world famous, and last surviving, female-only Oxford university college, has kindly agreed to open its doors to all ONLC members and their guests - including men!

This meeting will be a great opportunity to entertain your clients and contacts in the grounds of the college, overlooking the River Cherwell at Magdalen Bridge, before enjoying a sumptuous lunch in the College Dining Room.

In addition to a three course lunch, ONLC members and their guests will be given the opportunity to have a short guided tour of the College and/or the opportunity to sip a glass of chilled wine on the lawn, and for the very brave (or foolhardy) the opportunity to use one of the College’s five punts– the choice is yours. To book your place at this event, please contact Marie Holloway at marieholloway@ brethertons.co.uk or call Marie at Brethertons on 01295 661499. www.onlc.co.uk

A Nice Glass of Bubbly “As is usual in the spring, the UK’s wine merchants have spent several weeks deciding how to absorb not only the latest rise in government duty, but also the even steeper asking prices again coming out of the Champagne region. Despite accounting for less than 1% of the 30bn bottles of wine consumed worldwide every year, Champagne’s reach and financial power influences the entire wine trade.

“There is no disputing that Champagne has become a truly global aspiration, with huge growth in new markets like India, China, Brazil and Russia. Even in the mature markets of UK, US and Scandinavia, demand is beginning to leave supply levels behind, with the Champagne dipping deeper into precious reserve stock. Total sales of Champagne outside France have increased from 103m bottles in 2000 to 158m bottles last year – a massive 52% increase in volume, and a 70% increase in value terms.

“Back in France, however, the Champagne houses’ main problem is the very real lack of raw material – namely grapes.

The vineyard planting on the vital chalk soil has reached its limit, and despite some long drawn out legal discussions finally allowing some extension to the application, planting won’t take place until 2015, with a further four years for the vines to grow – potentially eleven years until production levels increase. Whatever the path of the world’s economy over the next few years, my guess is that the price of Champagne will continue to rise”. Peter Hack

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COMPETITION: To stand a chance

of winning a baby bottle of Moet Champagne, which cathedral city is the capital of the Champagne region. Answers to: competition@ b4-business.com

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In Oxford

news

G R O U P

The In Guides Are Born

Following on from the success of Oxfordshire’s definitive What’s On Guide (In Oxford Magazine), April saw the launch of the first In Guide publication outside of Oxford and the new title “In Guides” was born. The success of In Cheltenham Magazine has proved that the format of the guide, supported by the popular www.inoxford.com web site, can work outside of Oxford. With sites now firmly set on new towns and cities with supporting web sites, it is hoped that the stable of In Guides will now grow quickly over the next five years. As CEO Colin Rosser commented, “There is never any guarantee that a product which works so well in one area can be as

successful in another. We have been delighted with the way Cheltenham businesses have welcomed our title and this has encouraged us to look at new territories. With the backing of a successful web site, we know we can create a brand of city and town guides which will be useful for the reader and provide results for the advertising businesses.”

If you are interested in starting your own In Guide, drawing upon six years of experience and with the full administrative, design and print structure already in place, please call 01865 742211 and ask for Colin or Richard Rosser.

New Oxford Conference Centre Identity Blink Design, the design and print agency of The In Oxford Group, are delighted to reveal the new logo of Oxford’s newest conference centre, The Oxford Conference Centre. Working in conjunction with Fafar and Roger Watts, who currently manage Apartments in Oxford Limited and will be managing the new conference Centre, Keith Simpson, Head Designer at The In Oxford Group, wanted to create an identity which would represent everything the new venue stood for.

“To try and create a logo for, what will be, a massively important landmark in Oxford was, initially, quite daunting. We worked with Fafar and Roger to create an identity which was clean and simple, yet embodied the very essence of the venue – a meeting place. I came up with the identity of the forum/amphitheatre after trying various ideas. It seemed to work and, fortunately, Fafar and Roger were both delighted with the end product.”

Classic and Contemporary Packs Do you find that your visitors don’t get the information they need for hotels, restaurants and things to do in Oxford? Ask for one of our sample visitors packs, including: 80 page guide to Oxford and all that it has to offer, including restaurants, hotels, University College information, places of interest and much more; City and County A2 Map; The 8th Oxford Restaurant Guide with detailed

information on over fifty restaurant in the City Centre and surrounding villages of Oxfordshire.

Starting at just £1.50 per pack, these guides represent excellent value and will ensure your visitors, be they customers, suppliers or other guests, will have every opportunity to actually enjoy Oxford!

Contact us on 01865 742211.

Brighton College Contract For the past two years, Blink Design have been providing Brighton College, one of the UK’s leading independent schools, with first class design and print services. The service includes management of the majority of Brighton’s print and design, including termly newsletters, conference brochures, DVD reproduction, posters and postcards. Blink are also responsible for all advertisement setting for Brighton and design for ad hoc projects such as banners and stands. We are delighted to have been awarded the design and print contract for the third year and look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with Headmaster, Richard Cairns, (former Usher at Magdalen College School) and Business Development Manager, David Gold.

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Top class hospitality at Twickenham We offer first class hospitality in the newly developed South Stand complex.

Packages include official RFU match tickets.

England v Australia Saturday 15th November Will England take no prisoners in this fantastic opening match?

LIONS2009 TOUR

SOUTH AFRICA

England v South Africa Saturday 22nd November England takes on the might of the World Champions in this thrilling re-match.

England v New Zealand Saturday 29th November The series finale promises to be a very special occasion as the All Blacks put on a show.

£659 per person + VAT When booking please quote reference ‘B4R08’ Demand is already high so don’t miss out.

Call +44 (0)1235 555844 now to reserve your table.

E-mail sales@sportsworld.co.uk or visit sportsworld.co.uk/rugby

We will be selling ticket and travel options to all three Tests.

Don’t pay the penalty – register for free at sportsworld.co.uk/lions2009 or call +44 (0)1235 555844

news Into the Dragon’s Den The winners of Idea Idol, the flagship event of Oxford Entrepreneurs, were announced on 19 February at the culmination of an entertaining and energetic evening of competition at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

An enthusiastic and supportive audience of around 300 student entrepreneurs, local entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, business angels, and representatives of the sponsoring organisations, heard the six finalists deliver their two minute ‘elevator’ pitches to the judges, including Deborah Meaden, from BBC’s Dragon’s Den, and then face tough questioning.

The judges were looking for a combination of feasibility, impact, market opportunity – and, of course, a good innovative idea. The joint winners were fledgling firms Zoombu and Altitude Medical, which were awarded £4,500 each.

Making his pitch, Alistair Hann explained that Zoombu is the ultimate way to plan a trip between any two places in Europe. Zoombu searches every permutation of coach, rail, air, sea and car travel between the two locations, enabling users to find the best route. Users express a preferred weighting between speed and cost, and are provided with the best route. There is no longer the need to search through the bewildering range of budget airline and airport options, and the enormous number of route choices they lead to. Users can even book all the tickets as one package from the website.

Altitude Medical, set up by Alexander Oshmyansky and Dan V Nicolau Jr., aims to produce a simple device that will substantially reduce the number of nosocomial infections in hospitals.

“Our idea is to make a door handle that releases antiseptic onto the hand when people use it, to help people working and visiting hospitals to clean their hands more often” said Alexander. “Use of our product will dramatically lower transmission rates and save and improve lives, while tapping into an enormous and unexplored market.”

The judges awarded the runners up prize of £500 to Heat is Energy, fronted by current MBA student Glen Mehn. Heat is Energy is an Einstein-patented process to use heat that is currently treated as waste in data centres, thereby saving money, carbon and energy. See Idea Idol opposite.

Private Equity Forum Now in its 4th year the Oxford Private Equity Forum will bring together key figures from the private equity, venture capital and hedge fund industries to engage in a series of panel discussions and master classes on the theme of ‘Exploring Stakeholder Dynamics & Industry Evolution’.

The conference, organised by Oxford University Private Equity Network (OxPEN) at Saïd Business School, will provide an unparalleled opportunity to address some of the most pressing issues with regard to the asset class. A series of panel discussions and breakout sessions will facilitate the discussion.

• • • • •

After The Deal Closes: Operational Improvements Emerging Markets: GP Perspective Changing Face of Venture Capitalism Sovereign Wealth Funds: Friend or Foe Road to Liquidity: The Realities and Future Expectations of Alternative Exits

The event will be attended by private equity practitioners, investors, entrepreneurs, senior executives as well as Saïd Business School faculty and MBA students. For further information, please see http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk /events/

Topics for discussion in the breakout sessions include:

The new face of the Oxford Advanced Management Programme Since its inception in 1983, the Oxford Advanced Management Programme (Oxford AMP) has attracted more than 1100 senior executives from over 80 countries worldwide. Board members, executives from private and public enterprises, government agencies, social organisations and business owners have been among those to have undertaken the prestigious programme.

In 2008, a new version of the Oxford AMP will be launched by Dr Lalit Johri, the new Programme Director, to reflect emerging issues faced by its participants and their organisations.

Dr Lalit Johri joined the Saïd Business School in 2007 to spearhead the research and development required to redesign the programme. “The Oxford AMP is one of the flagship programmes of the Saïd Business School and has

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established a reputation for relevance, impact and excellence in the marketplace,” comments Dr Johri. “The programme has had many revisions over the years to ensure it was keeping pace with the latest thinking and with management education best-practices, but we wanted to initiate a more comprehensive and thorough-going review of the programme to ensure it retains its leading position in the market, and continues to meet precisely the needs of its participants.”

The Oxford AMP is an intensive four week programme providing a compelling forum for participants to share views on how external and internal pressures affect them as individuals and their organisations. In an intellectually stimulating environment, participants reflect on their executive experiences and explore ways to design and implement innovative strategies and develop an action plan to enhance their leadership skills.

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B4 FEATURE

IDEA IDOL Idea Idol 2008 took place at Said Business School on Tuesday, 19th February and attracted a wide audience of both professionals and students. International Centre for Publishing Studies student, Daria Bierla investigates.

In addition to the satisfaction of getting so far, the prize for the winner was £10,000, or, as it turned out, a prize fund which was to be shared out between the joint winners.

winner by voting who should receive an ‘audiences’ choice’ award of £500 – this went to Altitude Medical, which was also the judges’ preference to share the overall prize fund with Zoombu. Heat is Energy also received £500 for their innovation.

The following ideas were presented: The first Idea Idol competition was organised in 2004 with the specific aim to find the best future entrepreneurs’ ideas in Oxford. The format of the event is based on the concept of the ‘Elevator Pitch’: just imagine yourself in the elevator with the boss of all bosses. You have just two minutes to pitch your great idea to him or her, so your presentation needs to be concise, fast, to the point and also attention-grabbing.

Each of the finalists had this chance to ‘be in the elevator’ pitching in front of the audience. But what is more important, in front of judges. This year the panel of judges included Deborah Meaden, entrepreneur and ‘Dragon’ from the BBC’s ‘Dragons’ Den’; Katherine Mathieson, the leader of NESTA’s Future Innovations team; Reshma Sohoni, leader of Seedcamp; and Sebastian Grigg, Head of UK Investment Banking, Credit Suisse.

For the nominees, it all started for them back in November 2007, when over one hundred entries were submitted. Each entrants had just one hundred words to summarise their brilliant ideas. These ideas were then whittled down to the twenty five most promising and the next step was to submit a fifteen hundred word executive summary. The summaries were then closely examined by the sponsors and the six final nominees were chosen.

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Altitude Medical, presented by Alexander Oshmyansky and Dan V Nicolau Jr. – a simple device which will substantially reduce the number of nosocomial infections in hospitals.

CivSpark, presented by Philippe Bradley – an open source philanthropy forum on the Internet.

Heat is Energy, presented by Glen Mehn – “greens” the data centre using a new and unique application of cogeneration.

NowIKnow, presented by David Abelman – a competitive scheme for students which will help promising undergraduates explore possible career paths.

Open Source University presented by Nick Shelton – a website which will provide university-level education for free.

Zoombu presented by Alastair David Hann – the ultimate way to plan a trip between any two places in Europe via the Internet.

The audience could also nominate their preferred

The judges reserved special comment for the level of ideas, stressing that “it had been an amazing and exceptionally well-presented set of innovations.”

Deborah Meaden added that the standard seen at Idea Idol “beats 90% of Dragon’s Den presentations.”

B4 asked the winners about their future plans.

Alexander Oshmyansky and Dan V Nicolau Jr. are planning the development of their prototype line by June 2008, as Dan Nicolau Jr. commented, “Altitude Medical still needs to be tested in chosen hospitals in order to prove its efficiency, but we hope to launch it on the market in two years time.”

Alaistair David Hann is building a prototype of his web page in order to prove the concept. “Some of my friends are ready to help, but I still need to organise a team and raise capital to develop the whole system”.

Although he is aware of the competition he faces, Alistair underlines his USP “we will be able to facilitate planning of the entire journey, including going to or from the airport, as well as factoring in a community of loyal users who will share their experiences.”

Well done to all entrants - get your thinking caps on for next year!

Contact details on page 82

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news Elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts Steve Probert, Assistant Director at Oxford Brookes University Business School, was elected in March as a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, following his contribution to the development of the new 14-19 diploma in Information Technology. Steve has been collaborating closely with the Specialist Schools Academies Trust and eSkills, the Sector Skills Council for the IT industry and was invited to the launch of the new 14-19 Diploma.

He is pictured here with Ed Balls, Secretary of State for the Department of Children, Schools and Families.

Oxford Brookes University Postgraduate Open Days There are a range of postgraduate opportunities starting this September at Oxford Brookes University Business School, including MBA, Masters, Diploma and Certificate programmes.

The School also offers a programme of short courses throughout the year, coaching and mentoring or courses tailor-made for your organisation. Find out more at an open day: Saturday 7 June - 10:00 - 12:00 Experience what it is like to study an MBA at Oxford

Brookes University Business School by attending a taster session and speaking to staff and to current and former students about studying with us.

There will also be an informal discussion on all Business Management programmes in the Postgraduate Centre at Wheatley Campus.

Wednesday 16 July - 17:30 - 20:00 If you are interested in studying for any of our Business Management postgraduate qualifications,

including Masters and the MBA, this is a chance for you to look around the School and to speak to the Programme Director and current and former students.

If you would like to attend one of these open days, please contact us to register your place. In addition, if you require any further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We can be contacted by phone on +44 (0)1865 485858 or by email at pgenquiries-bus@brookes.ac.uk

An MBA is for Real Traditionally, the MBA has set the highest standards in academic achievement with a business emphasis.

The MBA was designed as a business qualification that would enable individuals to meet the challenges of senior management. However, in a changing global environment, the MBA has come under criticism as employers feel it requires a more practical focus.

Dan Ganly, director of MBA programmes at Oxford Brookes University Business School, said: "Employers just want individuals who can understand and operate effectively in the global business environment and who have experienced it first hand."

Reflecting this, Oxford Brookes University Business School is introducing new elements to its internationally accredited MBA programme this September. These include executive coaching and mentoring, providing full time students with access

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to a personal coach to help them achieve their career ambitions.

The team is also providing students with the option to undertake a real business consultancy project as an alternative to the academic dissertation.

The new programme has an increased emphasis on developing a student’s individual leadership skills. It includes the opportunity to study abroad, widening students’ understanding of issues affecting organisations operating in a globally competitive environment.

Ganly commented: “Refocusing the MBA makes it more relevant to the careers of students striving to reach the top of their chosen profession. The introduction of coaching enables the MBA to address the personal barriers affecting an individual’s development. Every student has different needs and development issues. Coaching ensures that what is read and experienced can be interpreted individually.

“Offering the real business consultancy project is a popular option with students, employers and professional associations. We are working with high quality organisations to ensure students receive an international experience where they can put what they are learning into practice.”

Oxford Brookes University Business School has an international reputation for excellence. It has delivered the MBA for twenty years and was the first UK institution to receive EPAS accreditation and the first in the world to be awarded accreditation for five years. It is also accredited by the Association of MBAs. The MBA can be studied on a full time, part time or distance learning basis. For more information, please contact Oxford Brookes University Business School on 01865 485858.

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B4 LIFESTYLE

B4 GOLF CUP B4 are delighted to announce that, following on from the success of Oxfordshire’s newest golf tournament last year, The MGroup, one of Oxfordshire’s leading chartered accountancy firms, will again be lead sponsors. Last year, nine teams competed for the inaugural trophy, won eventually by Tenon Recovery at The Oxfordshire on 5th September, 2007.

Our sponsors were delighted with the final formula – a relaxed, but still competitive tournament, fostering excellent team spirit and the perfect opportunity to develop good relationships between colleagues and customers.

As Richard Clayton, Partner at The MGroup, commented, “The inaugural tournament was a great success for all the teams that took part. The most positive feedback we had was that all of the guests thoroughly enjoyed the www.b4-business.com

days. We welcome other teams into future tournaments.”

The dates for the tournament this year are as follows, and even though the first date may be too soon to submit a team, we will be pleased to welcome entrants for the final three days.

Frilford Heath Golf Club: 1 May Southfield Golf Club: 12 June Studley Wood Golf Club: 10 July The Oxfordshire Golf Club: 12 September Please call Colin Rosser on 01865 742211 or Gary McHale on 01865 404707 for more details.

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news Nominet Foundation created We have recently announced the creation of the Nominet Foundation, which is a charitable organisation that will fund education, research and development initiatives in the UK Internet industry.

Having received the backing of our Board and broad support from the Nominet membership, the Foundation will aim to launch this summer with a first year donation of £5 million.

At the heart of this decision is the fact that Nominet is a not-for-profit organisation. We believe that any surplus income we generate should be used for the benefit of the UK Internet community. We now have a growing, successful .uk registry and the ability to

fund worthwhile projects. We are excited about the types of work the Foundation will be able to fund.

Potential beneficiaries could include: organisations which promote and support online safety for children; community projects designed to increase access to the Internet; organisations which promote and support user training and education; and academic research into security for the UK Internet.

We are currently setting up the Foundation as a charitable organisation and recruiting for its Board of Trustees. We will then be inviting projects to apply for funding and look forward to seeing the impact this investment can make in the UK Internet community.

Promoting UK Internet Governance Best Practice Recently, the UK Internet Governance Forum was launched at an event in Parliament attended by over one hundred individuals from industry, government, parliament, academia and civil society.

The UK Internet Governance Forum (UK IGF) is a collaborative partnership between Nominet, the UK Department for Business and key parliamentarians.

Its aim is to provide a local forum in the UK to engage industry, government, parliament, academia and civil society in debate on Internet Governance issues, stimulating partnerships and coalitions to deliver solutions, and demonstrating best practice for others to learn from.

One of the key messages to emerge from the first UK IGF meeting is that the UK is taking a leading role in Internet governance, and that other countries are seeing what we are doing and

beginning to start running their own processes at the national level. Brazil, France and Finland are among the first countries to follow the UK’s ‘best practice’ model. The UK is proving to the rest of the world that the Internet Governance Forum works as a collaborative partnership between government, business, civil society and academia, because it is not subject to government legislation and is free from bureaucracy.

The UK IGF will concentrate on developing examples of UK best practice and serve as a potential prototype model for other national IGFs. Rt Hon Alun Michael MP commented that Tanya Byron’s recent review of the online child protection sphere has highlighted successful partnership initiatives in that area, particularly between the Internet Watch Foundation and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Unit. They have successfully combined resources and expertise

from law enforcement, Industry and the third sector, while working closely with the Home Office’s Online Child Protection Task Force. This kind of precedent paves the way for a co-operative template to be applied in the field of Internet governance.

We would encourage UK companies and organisations to send us their entries for our Best Practice Challenge that celebrates examples of British Internet innovation (see http:// www.nominet.org.uk/go/bestpracticechallenge for details). The Best Practice Challenge will recognise organisations, groups or individuals that have worked to deliver a safer, more accessible, diverse and open Internet experience. The closing date is 25 April 2008 and winning entries will be announced at an awards ceremony in July 2008 and invited to take a leading role in the UK preparatory meeting for the Internet Governance Forum meeting in India.

A First Class Company!

Nominet has retained its ‘First Class Star Status’ accreditation by Best Companies Ltd. The accreditation is based on a ‘Michelin-style’ star rating system and focuses on employee engagement with their organisation.

The scheme acknowledges companies that provide an excellent working environment for their employees and exhibit excellent workplace practices, as defined by the employees themselves.

This year, 653 companies applied to achieve ‘Star Status’, which is a 33.5% increase on applications in 2007. Of those, 558 organisations made it through the process, which involves the employees of each company completing a survey. However, less than half of the companies that applied actually achieved

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‘Star Status’.

We are delighted to have been recognised for our commitment to our employees again by achieving first class star status for the second year running.

Gaining the status last year was a great achivement for us and demonstrates the effort we have made to ensure that the best practice and learning we had from last year’s survey was carried through. The feedback from the survey showed that our employees enjoy their work environment and are proud to work here. This is particularly important to us as we are striving to become an employer of choice.

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news Microsoft Office Live Small Business launches new tools and enhances free service to help small businesses sell and market online In February 2008, Microsoft announced a refined version of Microsoft Office Live Small Business (http://smallbusiness.officelive.com) to help small businesses more effectively market themselves and sell online. New features to the service include an e-mail marketing beta, to make sending e-mail newsletters and promotions simple and affordable. Small businesses who sign up will also receive a valuable set of tools and features for free.

Eight out of ten UK residents today are online and spend as much time on the web as they do watching TV, and nearly two-thirds of consumers view a company’s own website as a source of advertising they trust. Yet half of the 4.3 million small businesses in the UK with fewer than ten employees do not have a website. This percentage increases further when we look at startups with 72% of the four million sole proprietorships in the UK not represented online.

“Today, having a professional website is as fundamental to running a small business as having business cards,” said Tim Kimber, UK Product

Manager for Microsoft Office Live Small Business.

“By making it simple and affordable to develop and maintain a website, and offering user friendly sales and marketing features, Office Live Small Business provides a one-stop-shop to help small businesses easily take, promote, and manage their businesses online.”

Christopher Wray (right), a Web 2.0 business consultant, has been working with Office Live Small Business for over a year now, starting out with a site to help promote his Web 2.0 consulting business (www.Web2Consultant.com). Since becoming a power user, he has moved onto test the beta of the new service, “The new Office Live Small Business is now more than just a web site,” says Wray. “The key thing for me with the new version is that the applications and workspaces within the site are accessible to everyone for free. You can have content in your workspaces which can then be published directly to the web site and when you edit the data in the workspace, this information automatically updates onto the site – allowing you to perform live updates quickly and easily.”

Microsoft launches Office Accounting in the UK to help small businesses manage their finances more effectively In November 2007, Microsoft launched Microsoft Office Accounting 2008, which enables small businesses, from sole traders to businesses with up to 25 employees, to more effectively manage their business finances.

According to the latest government statistics, there are four million small businesses in the UK, contributing £1.2 trillion to UK GDP. However, 30% of small businesses fail within three years, with poor financial management cited as a major contributor.

As Gareth Arnold, Office Accounting Product Manager at Microsoft UK, observes, “Many small

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business owners today manage their business with a simple spreadsheet or have a shoebox of receipts, so they lack a comprehensive picture of their finances. Office Accounting brings this data together in one place, giving them far better control over their finances and cashflow.”

Two versions of Office Accounting are available.

Office Accounting Express is free and is designed for new and home-based businesses. Office Accounting Professional costs £149.95 and offers additional features such as stock management, job costing and multi-user access.

Duncan Reid, Partner of Icelantic, a small independent IT reseller has been using Office Accounting 2008 for the past 18 months. He said: “We run our entire business on Office Accounting and it’s been a breath of fresh air. We can now manage all sales, POs, VAT and payroll easily and it has made a big difference to the time we spend doing the books. If you took it away from us, the business would grind to halt.”

The software is available to download from Microsoft at www.msofficeaccounting.co.uk

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Understanding your world Your tax affairs are safe in our hands whether they be private or corporate matters.

Rooks Rider offers a truly integrated legal service to provide our clients with Onshore and Offshore advice for their private and corporate legal requirements. We have experience in every offshore destination and our lawyers can ensure that all your tax issues are dealt with in the most advantageous manner.

We have advised clients and protected their interests since 1761.

Please visit us at www.rooksrider.co.uk 19

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news STL powering up the F1 Grid with the Honda Racing F1 Team Communications company STL will work with the Brackley based Honda Racing F1 Team in 2008 for, what will be, the tenth year that STL has provided support for the team’s worldwide communications.

and they understand the tight deadlines we need to work to. We are delighted to have reached agreement with them to continue our partnership for the next two years”.

STL's Brendon Cross said “It's fantastic that we have provided support for the team over so many years, we really have become an extension of the team's IT department. Being an official supplier to the Honda Racing F1 Team brings many benefits and in 2008 we will continue to use the team facilities in Brackley for technology seminars, reference visits and customer trips to see first hand our technology working at the track”.

The Honda Racing F1 Team will be continuing with the award winning earthdreams environmental awareness campaign throughout 2008, which sits well with STL. “Communications technology is generally considered environmentally sound in that we tend to prevent people from having to travel,” said Cross who went on to say, “for 2008, STL have focused on areas where we can help reduce carbon footprint still further and, in particular, our GreenminutesTM proposition (see page 64.) will be attractive to conscientious businesses”.

David France, Director of IT for the Honda Racing F1 Team added, “STL have worked with us for a long time

Service Excellence from STL STL Communications have just completed their 2008 customer satisfaction survey with some very pleasing results. A total of 97% of the 367 customers that responded placed STL’s customer service at excellent, with a total of 94% of the customers placing STL as excellent overall during 2007.

Brendon Cross, STL Managing Director, comments: “We have worked very hard over the last year and have put in place some new procedures alongside some key new appointments to further strengthen what was already a great team. The results of the survey are a testament to the commitment that all STL staff give to our customers. Over the coming twelve

months, we plan to further strengthen the team and continue our internal staff development and training programme to ensure that we continue to provide the very highest levels of service to our customers.”

Andrew Corkhill, from the Wilton Carpet Factory, commented: “No improvements needed as far as I am concerned. Nothing but praise for all your staff, always had a quick professional response and service above and beyond the expected.”“ Brendon Cross goes on to say, ’To see comments like Andrew’s coming back makes all the hard work worthwhile and gives our staff that little bit of extra pride in what they do, day in and day out.”

BT Wholesale Line Rental from STL Following our BT Wholesale Line Rental (WLR) accreditation in 2007, there has been a huge uptake of STL lines and calls from existing STL customers. WLR means that customers are now able to buy their BT lines through STL so that they appear on the STL bill, which removes the need for any contact with BT. “The vast majority of STL customers prefer to single-source their communications services, and there is no doubt that this simplifies fault resolution for both STL and the customer’, said

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Phil Donigan, who added “Typically, BT line rental is 10% cheaper when taken from STL which, of course, is another good reason to move your lines without delay”.

The process of moving your lines to STL using the WLR process is purely administrative and remarkably straightforward. If you would like to know more about this, or any of the network services that STL provides, please call Phil Donigan on 01993 777113 or contact pdonigan@stlcomms.com

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There’s more than one way to meet.

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To book call your preferred hotel Holiday Inn Aylesbury 0870 400 9002 Holiday Inn Oxford 0870 400 9086 holidayinn.co.uk

*Terms and conditions apply

news Oxfordshire Employers Urged: Make the Switch and File Online HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is urging small employers in Oxfordshire to file their 2007-08 annual returns online.

As well as being the quickest and easiest way to file a return, employers with 50 employees or less can receive £100 tax-free by filing online. However, there are still an estimated 200,000 smaller employers who haven’t made the switch to online filing.

HMRC’s Jennie Kendall said: “Online filing is safe, secure and convenient. If you’re a small employer who hasn’t made the switch to online filing, now is the time to do it.

“If you haven’t filed online before and need help or advice, please call our Employers Helpline on 08457 143 143, or visit our website at: www.hmrc.gov.uk.”

Making the switch is easy: • Visit the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk and select ‘PAYE for Employers’ from the ‘do it online’ menu • Click ‘Welcome to Online Services’ then select ‘Register’ • Follow the instructions and complete the registration process – a PIN number will then be posted to you, which you need to access your account • Install HMRC’s free PAYE Online software or, if you prefer, buy and install commercial software • Log in and file your return, once you have received your PIN. Intermediaries, such as agents or payroll bureaux, can also file online for employers. And small employers will still get the £100 tax-free payment, even if an agent files on their behalf.

Facts & Figures • Each year around 1.8 million employers throughout the UK are required to file a return. This consists of a P14 for each employee and a P35 summarising the details of all their employees.

• Employers with 50 or more employees must file their returns online or they face a penalty. HMRC estimates there are almost 50,000 employers in this category.

• Employers with 50 employees or less who file a valid return online can claim either a £100 tax-free payment or a deduction from their next tax bill. HMRC estimates there are almost 1.8m employers in this category.

• All returns must be filed by 19 May.

Advice on starting a new business So, you’ve decided to give up the day job, wave a fond farewell to over-crowded transport systems, and follow your dreams of setting up your own business.

Or maybe you’re already running a small business and feel the time is right to expand?

over the country, at which experts from a variety of fields speak. And for those who require more detailed information, HMRC run a number of smaller advice workshops on everything from setting up your own business and what your obligations are, right through to when you take on your first employee.

HMRC podcast

Don’t forget to register

To make things even easier, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has recently launched a podcast about the help and information available to people starting a new business. Packed full of useful information and helpful tips, the podcast is available for download from iTunes or from the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/podcasts.

Whatever your circumstances as a new business, it can all be rather scary. You’ll be excited, nervous and possibly working long hours, all at the same time. Every minute will count, and probably one of the last things on your mind will be the thought of registering with HMRC. But it’s vital that you do this as soon as possible.

The podcast tells you what help is available from HMRC, and how they are accessible online, by phone or face-to-face – whichever is best for the individual’s needs at the time.

It is far easier to get things right now, rather than trying to sort it out further down the line. By dealing with it immediately, it is not only out of the way, but you are automatically protecting your entitlement to a state pension and to any benefits you may need to claim in the future.

Clear and concise, and very easy to understand, all the various options are explained, including the wealth of practical information on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/businesshelp.

The podcast also mentions the business advice open days run by HMRC – national events run all

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So if you have recently started up in business, and haven’t registered yet, call HMRC on 0845 915 1545.

departments to launch their own podcast service in April 2007. They are available on a variety of topics, including self assessment, PAYE, online services and tax credits.

Using this modern form of technology has proved extremely popular with more than 30,000 people tuning in to HMRC’s podcasts.

A new series of podcasts will be launched by HMRC in March 2008, including one on employers’ end-of-year filing.

HMRC were one of the first government

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“The MGroup's understanding of our business needs helped to improve the efficiency and performance of our accounting system.”

As leading Sage accounting software providers in Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley region, The MGroup are pleased to offer *FREE SAGE ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE to all new business clients. Please contact Gary McHale on 01865 404707 or g.mchale@theMgroup.co.uk to arrange a free, no obligation, consultation.

We are able to provide assistance, training and support on the full Sage product range please contact Darren Green on 01865 404709 or d.green@theMgroup.co.uk for further enquiries on a product to suit your business, ranging from Instant to the new Sage 200 mid market solution. *Software provided is Sage Instant (RRP of £115 + VAT).

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

news Cancer Campaign reaches new heights Fineprint recently added its support to the fundraising campaign for the new Oxford Cancer Centre at the Churchill Hospital. The company have sponsored the campaign’s next big fundraising event, a sponsored abseil on Sunday 27 April. The sponsorship included printing all of the promotional leaflets and posters free of charge.

The event takes place at the John Radcliffe Hospital, and involves abseiling 100ft down the side of the Women’s Centre, with great views of Oxfordshire to distract participants on the way down! One local company, STL Communications, based in Witney, have offered to pay the registration fee of any employee wishing to take part. Managing Director Brendon Cross said, “It is a great opportunity for team-building whilst still having fun.” Pictured are some of the staff who are taking part.

The abseil is now full, but watch this space for future Cancer Campaign events.

Oxford Mail OX5RUN For the first time in its history, the annual Oxford Mail OX5RUN in aid of the Children’s Hospital became a victim of the weather. After heavy snowfall overnight, the organisers reluctantly had to postpone the event, due to take place in the grounds of Blenheim Palace on 6 April.

By the time B4 goes to press, a new date will have been announced – please visit www.orhcharitablefunds.nhs.uk for more information. If any readers thought they had missed the chance to enter, either as an individual or as part of a corporate team, it is not too late!

Many corporate teams have already signed up, and will be competing for the Challenge Cup, awarded to the team with the five fastest runners. The Oxford Mail & Oxford Times are the current holders but Grant Thornton’s ‘Tax Tornados’ (who won in 2006) are keen to recapture the title. Also competing will be AbD Serotec, Esporta Health Club (who will also be organising the warm-up for all participants) and Siemens Magnet Technology Ltd. Staff at the Children’s Hospital itself are also getting behind the cause, and are entering a Specialist Surgical team.

Calling all Sponsors from Lands End to John O’Groats!

Jeremy Banks, Deputy Head of Beachborough School in Brackley (pictured on the left), and Graham Maxa of Prodrive (pictured right) have teamed up to cycle the 970 mile, 13 day challenge from John O’Groats to Lands End in July this year.

Silver Stone Search & Selection and STL Communications are already major sponsors of the event, but if you would like your company logo visible across the country, please contact the Corporate team at ORH Charitable Funds.

Contact details are on page 82.

Charity Golf Day Stop Press: the annual Children's Hospital golf day, sponsored by The Co-Operative Bank, takes place on 14 May at the Oxfordshire Golf Course.

Grundon became the first local business to support this year's event by entering their team of four. Team member Andrew Malone said, "Grundon are

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very happy to participate in this event as it gives the team a great opportunity to play a terrific championship course whilst also supporting a truly worthwhile cause - that way everyone, hopefully, is a winner." Places are limited, so if you are interested in taking part, please contact Janet Sprake as soon as possible on 01865 743443.

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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 PR

Oxford University’s growing band of spin-out alumni are part of a trend over the last ten years in the UK in which private, and then public funds, are invested in the country’s most promising technologies.

According to 2006 research by the University Companies Association, Unico, over 30 university spin-out companies have floated on the stock market in the last four years, with a combined value of £1.7 billion. Spin-outs have proven to be attractive investments for venture capitalists. Raising money for fresh ideas and unproven business cases is still difficult, but the process has been professionalised by University technology transfer companies which foster spin-outs in their earliest stages.

every year, using our new technology that preserves organs outside of the body.”

Russell cautions that great technology must also have the potential to develop into a commercial product, and the process of shepherding it through development, regulation and marketing is a demanding one.

Finding the right investors is also a challenge: “You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince – in terms of people who are going to invest. Investors have their own needs, including technology emphasis, portfolio balance, timing and exits and so you have to cast your net widely.”

Class of 2007

“Oxford Advanced Surfaces is the eleventh Oxford spin-out to list on the public markets and an excellent example of the successful commercialisation of Oxford technology,” says Tom Hockaday, Managing Director of Isis Innovation, the technology transfer company for the University of Oxford and client of B4 sponsor, Barclays.

“When Sir Martin Wood spun out Oxford Instruments from the University in 1959, the University’s attitude was very different, to such an extent that the University declined to become a shareholder in that company.

“The University’s portfolio of shareholdings in its spin-outs really started in 1988 with Oxford Glycosciences. There was a period of one spin-out being formed every few years by particularly entrepreneurial researchers working with investors and business managers. In the last ten years, Isis has grown and has steadily supported researchers in creating spin-out companies – a company is now set up once every few months.”

The total number of Oxford spin-outs has grown to over sixty-four, and many remain in the local area, often based at the Oxford Science Park, Milton Park in Abingdon, or the University’s Science Park, Begbroke, located near Oxford Airport.

Isis also licenses technology to industry, manages consulting contracts with Oxford academics, and assists other universities and companies with technology transfer.

“We sit at the end of the production line,” says Hockaday. “When researchers are interested in commercialisation, they bring us what they’ve got. However, this mustn’t conflict with their day jobs: The main reason universities exist is teaching and research.”

Hockaday explains that Isis works with the inventors to raise the first round of cash – usually half a million to a million pounds – from business angels and venture capitalists.

When Oxford Advanced Surfaces listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in December, it was a key milestone for the company and for the inventors, Dr Mark Moloney and Dr Jon-Paul Griffiths, who have worked on the technology for over ten years.

Oxford Advanced Surfaces was spun out by Isis in 2006 to commercialise a surface coating technology developed at Oxford’s Department of Chemistry. The coatings are only a few molecules thick, but are able to modify the surface properties of a broad range of materials including polymers, glass, and even diamond.

“We were initially interested in the difficulty in dye-ing plastics,” says Moloney. “We were able to solve that problem, but the solution these new surface materials provided proved to be far more general than we’d anticipated. We discovered that the technology could not only be used to dye things, but we could control the wetting and adhesion characteristics and disinfectant ability of surfaces.”

Marcelo Bravo, CEO of Oxford Advanced Surfaces, says the listing will provide funds for further development.

“At this stage, we are focussing on applications in electronics, advanced materials, such as specialty fibres and composites, and life sciences, including sterile surfaces.”

Meanwhile, Oxford Medical Diagnostics was purchased by AIM-listed detection and analysis company Avacta. Oxford Medical Diagnostics’ laser-based gas detection technologies can be used to analyse gases in industrial settings, and also for diagnosing conditions such as stomach ulcers.

“Avacta is already developing diagnostic techniques, and Oxford Medical Diagnostics’ clinical diagnostics for breath analysis fits in very well with their existing products,” says Professor Gus Hancock, who heads the group which invented the technology.

But before this fundraising process can take place, an essential ingredient is required – the right management.

Not every spin-out takes the public fundraising route, indeed many choose to raise further rounds of private funding. Oxford Immunotec, a 2002 spin-out developing a TB diagnostic test, raised US$40 million last year from venture capital investors, enough to take it through the US launch of its first product.

One of the potential spin-out companies currently in the process of raising funds is Organox, which is developing technology based on Professor Peter Friend’s work in the repair and preservation of organs destined for transplantation.

Isis itself has also developed its own new business in the technology transfer space.

In response to demand for expertise in the area, it has set up a group to consult on technology transfer and open innovation.

Chief Executive, Dr Les Russell, had been in contact with Isis for a number of years before he took the reigns of the new venture.

“For the last three years, Isis Innovation has been working with public and private sector clients, helping them to develop their own technology transfer processes using our experience, networks and translation skills,” says Dr David Baghurst, Head of the New Business Group at Isis.

“Isis is always looking for people who might be able to lead spin-outs,” he says “One that caught my eye was on the vaccines front. However, I took another opportunity, but that came to an end and I got in touch with Isis again.

“The goal with Organox is to double the number of liver transplants that take place

“A large part of our success has been translating and communicating between people and organisations with divergent experience and objectives, finding common ground and forging long term partnerships.”

Contact details on page 82

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SPINNING VALUE With little fanfare, two Oxford spin-out companies graduated to the public markets in the final days of 2007.

Both Oxford Advanced Surfaces and Oxford Medical Diagnostics took less than three years to travel from the university to the city, now a well-trodden path for companies built around the research at Oxford.

Article courtesy of B4 sponsor, Barclays Business Banking.

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B4 ADVICE

CHANGING THE FACE OF LAW A tornado arrives at B4’s offices, a man with a purpose in life and nothing is going to stop him. It is hard to imagine a more single-minded, focused human being. But this guy won’t sweep all before him without listening. Honest, straight and true to his word, if you’ve got something to say, tell him – he won’t bite your head off – and he will be the first to concede if things aren’t working. With three year old son Murdoch and one year old Maverick, this is the type of guy you’d expect to be able to tell if a plan isn’t coming together, Darbys very own A-Team. Yes - this guy is a lawyer. He is the new Managing Partner at Darbys Solicitors in Oxford.

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He rates himself, not in a cocky or arrogant way, but in a positive, refreshing way that makes you want to be involved in his crusade – and a crusade it is. He’ll accept he makes mistakes, and that is an endearing quality, but he aims for the best and will keep going until he gets there – somewhat akin to the Duracell Bunny, he’ll keep on and on and on and on…..

Simon McCrum is forty-three, and married to Angie, with his A Team kids, Murdoch and Maverick McCrum. “They will either be famous or end up in jail” quips Simon, but let’s at least hope, either way, they’ve got their father’s number.

A bit of background Simon? “I am a Cumbrian, but have spent my entire adult life – until now - in Manchester. I studied history at college. I am not a career lawyer – and there is no history of lawyers in the family!

“For years my parents ran a market stall, so law was never the designated path for me. I made a hash of my A Levels but was thankfully able to get into higher education and the drinking that goes with that through a history course at Manchester Polytechnic, as it then was”. I nearly managed to make a hash of that too”, he says, almost becoming exasperated at this former Simon McCrum, as if he were talking about an imposter!

“My progress through college wasn’t worthy of any prizes, and I only really got to grips with matters after a chat with the careers officer who said I was nicely set up to be a Policeman or Tax Inspector. Anyone who knows me would guffaw at both of those. I had a friend whose brother was a solicitor, and I knew he had read history. I had a chat with him and found out that there was a post-grad course you could do which gave me a second bite of the cherry”.

Simon learned, once on the course, that he also needed “articles” at a law firm – now called a training contract. Lady Luck shone on him - he wrote one letter, got one interview, and got one place. This happened totally by chance to be at a very good law firm, Pannone in Manchester. On qualification as a solicitor in 1990, he joined the Commercial Litigation Department.

“I was never the text book lawyer. I still had some “rugby” in me. They kept me on when I qualified”, which according to Simon was “very visionary of them.”

His real passion, though, had already started to burn.

“Even at that time, I remember wondering and asking where each case had come from? If we knew the answer, we could find more of them, either from that client or people like them.

idea a structured and branded marketing and hard business dimension. I packaged it as Connect2Law and went on the road selling it. I spent a year in my car, rushing from law firm to law firm around the North West. It was a visionary scheme and package. Indeed, Pannones letting a partner spend all of his time doing this was forward-thinking in itself.

“I was making the whole thing up as I went along, as this kind of scheme simply didn’t exist. I was honest with everyone and was often asked questions where I had to respond ‘I haven’t got a clue, I’m making this up, what do you think we should do?’ That was an early lesson in the value of total honesty when dealing with people – if you are going to build anything that is going to last.”

Having grown a very successful scheme in the North West, Simon then saw that the scheme could be developed nationwide by ‘franchising’ it to large regional firms in areas around the country. One such firm was Oxford’s own Darbys, of which more below.

Simon continues, “Joy Kingsley’s visionary capabilities then kicked in again and she asked me to be Head of Commercial Litigation when the mighty Vincent O’Farrell came up to retirement. I had never held a management role, anywhere, before. The department was very good at law but some improvements could be made on the business side.

“I tried again to be honest, open and inclusive with the team. I like to give people jobs that empower them and give them responsibility and bring them into the team. I did it in the Litigation Department and also in two other departments that I became head of. When it got to the stage where the Litigation Department was running very well – indeed better - without me, I asked Joy if I could move on to a new job within the firm. I handed over to my successor a much larger department – nearing a hundred people - and one that was very happy and profitable.”

Things then took an unexpected turn. After a return to his marketing role, a rare thing happened in the legal sector.

Darbys Solicitors in Oxford took the unique decision to look for a Managing Partner from outside, who could hopefully take them to “the next level,” or even beyond. A shortlist of candidates was being drawn up and they asked Simon, whom they had come to know through their involvement in his Connect2Law scheme, whether he wanted to be included in that list. He leapt at the chance.

“I was even thinking more about the business of law than the nuts and bolts.

By dint of two or three job moves, I was able to move away from doing straight chargeable hours and legal work, and to instead undertake business development and marketing work for a law firm.”

“My self-belief was and is huge – I didn’t care who the other applicants were.

I was doing well at a very successful law firm, but I wanted to develop myself and fulfil my own potential. I didn’t know what my potential was. It may sound arrogant, but I wanted to develop a law firm and everyone in it, my way, so that it could do something very particular and very different in the legal world. That was the dream.

His nirvana came in 1995 when he moved back to Pannone. A new Managing Partner – Joy Kingsley - had taken over. She was very visionary and was willing to take a risk on Simon in releasing him from doing legal work and billing, and to focus him, instead, on “work-getting”.

“The interview and selection process was incredible. The first interview panel was made up, not of partners from Darbys, but of business leaders that were friends of the firm – it was truly intimidating. I was impressed by the panel and how they gave me a thorough going over.

“Amongst the many things I learned from Joy was that lawyers can make a contribution that is equal to or even greater than the usual billing. I stopped doing legal work altogether, and I became a partner shortly after – a rare combination in the legal world. I was charged with bringing in work for all the specialist departments. To start with, I did what everyone does. I went to every cocktail party – usually all full of lawyers - and I put on three stone. I also did some more systemic, structured, thought-through marketing, which other lawyers, bogged down in legal work and fee targets, could not do.

“I then had to present to the partners on what I would do if I secured the post – my presentation was called “Making Darbys Even Greater” and it contained – for a law firm – some scary stuff. I was told later that day that I had been chosen.” Simon started in the job six months ago.

“Perhaps my greatest success was to take an old idea, wrap it up, and make it sexy. It has now become a £multi-million business. The idea was one that was mentioned to me way back by one Rodger Pannone, a big name in Pannone’s history and in law in general. He had long spoken of a concept called “hub and spoke” whereby large and small law firms worked together. I applied to this

Yes – to change the face of law in this country.

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Not one to think small, he and Darbys have great plans – not just to build on Darbys’ position as a leading regional law firm, but to actually change the face of law in this country.

“As I see it, most law firms provide law to their clients in pretty much the same way, and I am not convinced that the country is a huge fan of that way. Our gamble is that it is not. Yes, there are plenty of very good law firms - hundreds

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B4 ADVICE of law firms with thousands of satisfied clients, but the reality is that there are actually millions of people and businesses out there, many of whom will only turn to lawyers as a last resort, if at all. Indeed, many will turn to other sources of legal expertise. There are no end of organisations that aren’t law firms providing employment law services. Its not just B2C – it’s B2B too. Businesses can get legal services from their banks, for example.

“One question I ask a lot of businesses and individuals is ‘who is your lawyer?’ A lot of people can tell me who their accountants are or who their dentist is, or which garage they take their car to. They can’t, on a surprising number of occasions, tell me who their lawyer is.

“The challenge we have set ourselves though is not just to take personal and business clients from other law firms – they all make up only a fairly limited percentage of the population. The challenge we have set ourselves is to get people to use us who would never ordinarily think of using lawyers. That is a whole untapped market.“

“I appreciate that this is a departure from the way things have been done here. I am being backed to the hilt by Darbys, but I am not so stupid as to keep going down a blind alley if it doesn’t work – if it doesn’t, we’ll stop doing it and try something else. We will definitely have learned something though.”

Simon believes in giving people jobs to do over and above their normal work. “People here, as everywhere, respond fantastically to being given responsibility and challenges. As I have done in the past, I have delegated roles and responsibilities here so that instead of feeling as if they were sitting on the touchline and watching the game, more and more people are actually being picked to play.”

There is obviously a fine line between empowering and delegating, but Simon has hit on the right way to delegate, but get a positive reaction rather than leaving the person he has instructed feel like they have just had another task added to their list.

Developing a 21st and 22nd century business needs forward-looking people to drive it forward. Are lawyers the right people to do that?

How have the first six months been?

“It has been fantastic. Darbys is a strong, well-known, and well respected regional law firm. It is known internally and externally as a very nice law firm. It has business and personal clients that would be the envy of many a law firm. Up until now though, the service we have been delivering wasn’t a million miles from that which we delivered fifty years ago. We have changed that with our new ways of providing expertise to our clients.

“We are also being very brave on the marketing and client-winning front. ‘Lots of ideas’ gets in the way of ‘good ideas’. We are focusing on two or three main ones - our marketing spend has plummeted.

“Seminars that take dozens of man-hours to organise ,where you might get ten or twenty bums on seats and over the next six months you might get one piece of business if you are lucky, is no way to really grow your business. You need things going on while you are asleep, like manufacturing companies do, for example.

There are business tools available that law firms just aren’t harnessing yet.

“The whole of Darbys is buying into this approach in an invigorating and exciting way. If I can get the one hundred and fifty people here all promoting and selling our brand, then we will have a very good chance of succeeding as things start to build up to a “tipping point”. The whole success of our strategy and of our business generally is not reliant on me – it is reliant on the one hundred and fifty people that I work with. They can take us to the stars if they get stuck in.

“At Darbys, we are working to create a legal brand which transcends Darbys. We want to create a brand which is a first port of call for businesses and families, regardless of geography – a brand that grows because people will come to know what they will get every single time they call us.

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“Some are, some aren’t”, says Simon. “In the nicest possible way, it is my aim to get all the partners here to take on a role over and above the client-care and legal work that they do. They have the power and weight to take the whole business that is in our plans forward, as well as working on their cases. You can’t make partners do that though – you have to give them something they can believe in. They are all supporting me so far, for which I am grateful! We are investing in developing all of our partners, so that they become skilled at and thus, hopefully, enthusiastic about promoting and running the wider business, as well as doing a good job for their clients”.

Simon certainly has at least one eye on the longer term future. “We have also just promoted nine key people here to Associate level – we now have eleven, and they are all dynamic, impressive and enthusiastic individuals. They want to be involved in driving the business forward as they feel they can bring A, B, and C to the table. I have told them they are right, but that if they really want to drive our business forward, they need to bring X, Y, and Z too, as it is these factors which will turn them from lawyers into businessmen. These people are the future of Darbys, and they are now in a programme that will actively challenge and develop them for theirs, and our, benefit.

“I have appointed a Head of Potential – I couldn’t think of a better way to describe what I want this lady to do, namely to unlock all of our potential. We are investing heavily in her and in this drive. She is charged with bringing out the potential in everybody in Darbys, from the receptionists, down to me. I use those words deliberately because our receptionists are far more important to the firm than I am.”

It will certainly be interesting to see the impact Simon McCrum has on Darbys. I don’t think you could back a more obvious dead cert.

Contact details on page 82

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B4 ADVICE

ON A BUDGET At a time of increasing economic uncertainty, Tony Haines, partner at leading Oxfordshire accountancy firm, Wenn Townsend, outlines the key points of Alistair Darling’s budget

Main Budget proposals • Plans to stop the tax savings available to businesses by ‘income shifting’ are delayed for one year • Further details on the changes to the capital allowances regime including the taxation of company cars • Improvements to the Enterprise Management Incentive scheme • Income tax relief extended for the Enterprise Investment Scheme

Previous announcements Many of the changes detailed in this article have been the subject of earlier announcements. Here is a reminder of some of the more important ones: • Reduction in the basic rate of income tax and significant increases in national insurance • The abolition of taper relief and indexation allowance for capital gains tax (CGT) • The introduction of a flat rate of CGT for individuals of 18% and a new Entrepreneurs’ Relief • A significant change in inheritance tax relief for married couples and civil partners The Budget proposals may be subject to amendment in the Finance Act. You should contact your adviser before taking any action as a result of the contents of this article.

Corporate and Business Tax Corporation tax rates The main rate of corporation tax which applies to companies with profits of more than £1.5 million falls to 28% from 30% from 1 April 2008, and that rate will be maintained in 2009. The small companies corporation tax rate, which applies to companies with up to £300,000 of profits, will increase from 20% to 21% from 1 April 2008. The intention is to increase this rate to 22% in 2009.

The effective marginal corporation tax rate for profits between £300,000 and £1.5 million is 29.75% from 1 April 2008.

Simplification of the associated company rules The profits limits referred to above may need to be

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shared between companies if the companies are ‘associated’. Companies are associated if they are under common shareholder control, for example, where the same individual has more than 50% of the ordinary share capital of each of the companies.

However, an individual may be regarded as having control of two companies because shares owned by other persons are deemed to be owned by the individual. This is known as the ‘attribution concept’.

From 1 April 2008, shares held by business partners will not be attributed to a person unless a tax planning arrangement has been put in place in order to pay less corporation tax than would otherwise be due.

Capital allowances Major changes will be implemented to the capital allowances system from 2008/09. The details for plant and machinery are: • a new Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) for the first £50,000 spent on plant and machinery. This gives a 100% write-off against profits. The AIA complements and does not replace any of the existing 100% first year allowance schemes • writing down allowances for plant and machinery in the main ‘pool’ will be cut from 25% to 20% • a new writing down allowance for ‘integral features’ in a building will be 10% • writing down allowances for long life assets will be increased from 6% to 10% • the 10% allowances will be given by combining integral features and long life assets into a ‘special rate pool’ • the special rate of 10% for integral features will include certain replacement expenditure where this might otherwise have qualified as a revenue deduction • where companies have a loss after claiming 100% first year allowances on green technologies, they will be able to reclaim a tax credit from HMRC. Small plant and machinery pools Writing down allowances at the rates summarised above are computed on the ‘pool’ of unrelieved expenditure. When calculating writing down allowances, there is no de minimis rule, so, for example, businesses with £1,000 of unrelieved expenditure and no new expenditure or disposal

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receipts would have to carry on calculating the annual writing down allowance for many years. Businesses will be able to claim a writing down allowance of up to £1,000 in the case of each pool, once the unrelieved expenditure in either the main rate pool or the special rate pool is £1,000 or less.

This measure has effect for chargeable periods beginning on or after 1 April 2008 for businesses within the charge to corporation tax, and on or after 6 April 2008 for businesses within the charge to income tax.

100% capital allowances on green technologies Two schemes exist that give 100% first year allowances for expenditure on certain energy-saving and water technologies. Following the annual review of the qualifying technologies, the schemes will be revised to include one new technology: waste water recovery systems. The Energy Technology Criteria List will be revised to include four additional sub-technologies: compressed air master controllers; compressed air flow controllers; heat pump dehumidifiers and white LED lighting.

The 100% first year allowance for expenditure incurred on natural gas and hydrogen refuelling equipment, due to end on 31 March 2008, will be extended for an additional five years to 31 March 2013.

Taxation of business travel With effect from 1 April 2009, for corporation tax purposes (6 April 2009 for income tax), the capital allowance treatment of all cars will be reformed.

• Expenditure on cars with CO2 emissions above 160gm/km will attract 10% writing down allowances.

• Expenditure on cars with CO2 emissions of 160gm/km or below will attract 20% writing down allowances.

• Subject to State Aid approval, cars leased to those in receipt of certain disability allowances will be placed in the 20% main pool, regardless of their CO2 performance.

The rules which disallow a proportion of car lease rental payments will be reformed in line with the new capital allowances rules. The new disallowance will be 15% of the relevant payments, applied to cars dealt with in the 10% special rate pool.

The 100% first year allowances for the cleanest cars will be extended from 31 March 2008 to 31 March 2013 and the qualifying CO2 emissions threshold will be reduced to 110gm/km.

‘Income shifting’ The government intended that legislation would take effect from 6 April 2008 to address ‘income shifting’.

The government has reconsidered its position following a period of consultation with business and now believes that a further period of consultation will ensure that legislation in this area provides clarity and certainty for businesses and their advisers.

The government now intends to introduce legislation through Finance Bill 2009 and will not enact legislation effective from 6 April 2008.

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Tony Haines Comment ‘Income shifting’ refers to a situation where one spouse or civil partner generates most of the profits of a business, but the other receives a proportion of the profit and the couple save tax as a result. The delay in the starting date for any legislation is to be welcomed and hopefully the further consultation will produce a more reasonable result.’

Example This is an HMRC example of a situation in which the original proposed legislation would have applied. Individual 1 and Individual 2 form a company, each owning 50 £1 ordinary shares. The business of the company is to provide the personal services of Individual 1. Individual 2 spends around five hours a week on back office duties for the business. In the first year they each receive a salary of £5,000 and dividends of £30,000. The salary received by Individual 2 is considered to be the market rate given the nature of the work done and time spent doing it. The company has no significant assets or liabilities.

There are discounts currently available for environmentally friendly cars, and from 6 April 2008 there will be: • a 2% discount for cars that have been manufactured to run on E85 fuel • a new 10% company car tax band for non-electric cars emitting no more than 120gm/km of carbon dioxide. Environmentally friendly discounts do not apply to such cars, but the diesel supplement does.

If free fuel is provided with a company car for private motoring then a fuel benefit tax charge arises based on the percentage used for the car benefit and a ‘multiplier’, which is currently £14,400. For 2008/09, the figure will increase to £16,900.

Tony Haines Comment ‘The fuel scale charge multiplier has not changed since it was introduced in 2003. This 17% rise, combined with an increase in the car benefit percentages for 2008/09, means that many employees will see a substantial increase in their tax bills from next April.’

Capital Taxes If Individual 2 has no capital in the business and bears no risk, the whole of the £30,000 would be treated as shifted income because Individual 2 is already receiving a market rate for the work done, has no capital in the business and bears no risk.

Of course, if Individual 2 does contribute more to the business than in the above example, then some or all of the income will not be treated as shifted income.

We await, with interest, the conclusion of the further consultation on these proposals.

Capital gains tax (CGT) reform The Chancellor surprised everyone with proposed major changes to the CGT regime last October. The changes affect individuals and trustees, but not companies. The Chancellor has confirmed that legislation will be introduced with effect from 6 April 2008 to give effect to a new single rate of CGT at 18%, but many business owners will continue to have the potential benefit of a 10% rate.

An annual exemption will remain in place, and for 2008/09, this will be £9,600. The annual exemption allows the first element of gains made in a given tax year to be exempt from CGT.

Employment Issues National Insurance Contributions (NIC) There is no change in the rates of NIC. For 2008/09, the upper earnings limit, above which employees continue to pay contributions of 1% on earnings, will be increased by £100 per week. This gives an annual figure of £40,040.

The upper profits limit for Class 4 national insurance for the self-employed will also be increased in 2008/09 to £40,040.

For gains arising on or after 6 April 2008, changes to the CGT regime include: • the withdrawal of taper relief • the withdrawal of indexation allowance • the introduction of Entrepreneurs’ Relief • simplification of the share identification rules.

For any questions concerning the budget please contact Tony Haines (See contacts details page 82). Alternatively, please consult the Wenn Townsend “Tax Facts” enclosed with mailed copies of B4.

In 2009/10 the upper earnings and profits limits will be aligned with the point at which the higher rate of income tax becomes payable.

Tony Haines Comment ‘For many, this increase in the contributions for employees and the self-employed removes the tax savings given by the reduction in basic rate of income tax.’

Company cars and the fuel scale charge Where a company car is provided for an employee’s private use, a taxable benefit arises which is based on the list price of the car and its CO2 emissions. The percentages range from 15% to 35% for most cars.

Contact details on page 82

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B4 ADVICE

WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY FOR BUSINESS

“Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way for Business”, says Richard Wadsworth, of Oxford’s leading law firm, Darbys Solicitors LLP. Here he provides legal advice on what entrepreneurs should consider when making a will.

“Surely it’s all a bit easier now, isn’t it? After all, will kits are being sold in newsagents for as little as £5. Also, if one spouse or civil partner dies without using up all of their Inheritance Tax nil-rate band, the unused portion can simply now be added to the other spouse’s own nil-rate band. No need to do any tax planning then?

“It’s fair to say tha,t for a person whose affairs are straightforward, a homemade will should be sufficient, if drafted correctly, to dispose of their assets. This however, will not be the case where a person’s circumstances are more complicated and particularly where the person in question owns a business.

“Under the current Inheritance Tax legislation, the value of assets that qualify as ‘relevant business property’ and which have been owned for more than two years can be reduced, for tax purposes, by either 100% or

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50%. This is called Business Property Relief, or BPR. “Crucially, a sole trader’s business, an interest in a partnership, and shares in a limited company would, on the whole, qualify for the relief provided they have been owned for the requisite period.

“A business-owner ought to make sure that all available reliefs such as these are indeed received.

“To not only maximise the benefit to the entrepreneur’s surviving family, but also to allow a smooth transition of the business, there are a number of steps that can be taken “A trust is often used to receive the property to which BPR applies to ensure that the business assets leave a person’s estate in a way that maximises the relief. The trustees of such a trust can be separate from the executors of the deceased’s Will, and will often be people who have a knowledge of, and an understanding of, the business in question.

“This can all be set up and set out in advance by the preparation of a suitable will.

“In addition to preparing a suitable will to establish the trust, work may also need to be carried out to make sure the partnership or company documentation allow the business to continue in the preferred way - BPR can be lost if the Partnership Agreement or the Articles and Memorandum of a limited company do not properly provide for how the business is to continue.

“For example, if a partnership agreement does not provide for the partnership to continue after the death of a partner, it will come to an end on a partner’s death, and any BPR will be lost. BPR can just as easily be lost in the case of company, if that company’s Articles grant a right to the surviving shareholders to purchase the deceased shareholder’s stake.

“These are just a few of the issues to be addressed when drafting a will for anyone who owns a business.

The full list of issues will invariably be longer and would almost certainly not be addressed by a homemade will. It will only be when a business owner has died and BPR has been lost that the family will realise that it was the worst £5 that had ever been spent!”

Contact details on page 82

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B4 ADVICE Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, and recent US Republican Presidential candidate, quoted the recently departed Mormon Prophet, Gordon B Hinckley, who said a few years ago: “So many people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings. We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed. I want to make it very clear that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.”

Prophetic words indeed!

The mortgage market is currently facing its biggest crisis since the late 1980s, when high interest rates and high inflation and falling house values meant that many homes were either repossessed or handed back to lenders simply because borrowers couldn’t afford the mortgage payments. Today, we have relatively low interest rates, relatively low inflation, and stable house prices.

So what’s different ~ and what’s gone wrong? To put it bluntly, gluttonous banks greedy for market share and weak individuals gorging on cheap money that ultimately causes them to fall ill financially. The irony is that when borrowers eventually spu because of their overindulgences, it is the banks that are then forced to close shop in order to clean up the mess.

In the past decade, lender after lender has tried to impress the City by proving that they can grab a bigger slice of the financial services cake using borrowed funds. Many have achieved this but simply on the back of artificially cheap funds provided to mortgagors only too pleased to snap their hands off. Not only were lenders fighting for a bigger share based on rate but many dreamed up interesting ways of attracting borrowers by making it easier for them to qualify for a mortgage. Self certification of income crept back into the game even though similar schemes had caused the demise of many banks in the property crash of the late 1980s. Fast track processing was introduced so that only a sample of applications became subject to absolute scrutiny. Multiples of income increased to the dizzy heights of 6 times a borrower’s income, and some banks even lent money way beyond the value of the security offered.

In isolation, these underwriting assists are not that irresponsible. The problems grew as the incessant drive for market share forced lenders into providing a complete free-for-all in the cafeteria. With increasing values of property, it became so easy to obtain mortgages and credit that providing you had an ‘OK’ credit rating, lenders were happy to keep lending more and more ~ without the need to prove affordability. And it’s not just mortgages that fell foul of the greed merchants ~ credit cards and loans became ever easier to get hold of providing ones credit rating was sufficiently robust. The weak ones, gorging to keep up with the Jones’, eventually took on more than they could comfortably chew, and when borrowers end up living on their borrowings, the heart attack is inevitable along with the requisite recovery in hospital.

For most of us, mortgages are a necessary requirement in owning a home. Only a tiny percentage of the population have the means to purchase a property without borrowing. Property prices are high simply because of demand outstripping supply, and until we build sufficient, appropriate homes, the problem will remain for those desperate to buy a roof to put over their heads. That demand is not just because of an increasing immigrant and aged population. It is also fuelled by the fact that the breakdown of the family is forcing the need for two homes where previously one would have sufficed. The graphs

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alongside demonstrate the worrying trend; Households by household type, (Great Britain) 1979 and 2002 – Office for National Statistics.

The UK population is projected to increase by 4.4 million by 2016. This increase is equivalent to an average annual rate of growth of 0.7 per cent, or in excess of 400,000 per annum, and therefore demand for owner occupied property is likely to remain strong. With strong demand, prices will remain high, and that will naturally mean that borrowing levels are likely to stretch the first time buyer, although existing borrowers will determine whether the relative increases associated with a move are worth it, or not, as the case may be. Mortgages are still, in most cases, very affordable ~ it is important, however, that borrowers, along with lenders, adopt a responsible attitude to the levels of borrowing. Credit providers (and that includes mortgage lenders) need to take a collective view of borrowers’ overall debt. Far too often, as long as a lender has security, they couldn’t care less about what other debt is in the background, and this surely has to stop.

Blaming lenders and blaming borrowers is, however, not the answer. The solution lies in a prudent and innovative approach to mortgage lending. Profitability is key for lenders today and affordability is essential for borrowers. As panic ensues around the mortgage market with lenders withdrawing from the market every day, a calm and measured view needs to be taken by borrowers and their advisers. Reducing unsecured debt is crucial.

There is no point in having savings if you have debt. Yes, it is wise to have some ‘rainy day’ money set aside, but just enough for emergencies is fine. Offsetting is eminently sensible, especially for higher rate tax payers. Mortgages, transferable to new owners /borrowers together with fairer tiered application of stamp duty would also help smooth the market.

The biggest problem, however, is that the mortgage industry is now experiencing an undersupply of very competitive, innovative, mortgage products. As lenders are now totally reliant on their own deposits for lending, we could very well find ourselves going back to the situation in the early 1980s where borrowers had to queue for a mortgage until sufficient funds were provided by savers. The use of a good whole of market mortgage broker has never been so important.

1979 unweighted data Married/ cohabitationg couple with dependent children 31%

One person only 23% Lone parent with non-dependent children only 4%

So, the time has come to get our houses in order. That portent of stormy weather ahead means that we need to batten down the hatches and take appropriate action to ensure that our course to financial security remains true.

Lone parent with dependent children 4%

2002 weighted data Married/ cohabitationg couple with dependent children 21%

It is a fact that more homeowners spend more time looking for the right washing machine than they do looking for the right mortgage. Admittedly, mortgages are more complicated and borrowers should seek professional help in finding the best solution to meet their needs. If a washing machine breaks down, it is easily repaired. If a mortgage and debts become hard to service, then the problem can be vastly more complex, and it will take proper independent professional help to resolve matters.

Mortgage arrears problems shot up by 35 per cent in the first two months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, according to the Citizens Advice Bureau. The new figures also reveal continuing increases in problems relating to basic essentials, such as gas and electricity, water, telephone and council tax debts ~ all pretty much out of our control. A survey of 73 per cent of all Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales reported that they dealt with 215,000 new debt problems in the first two months of 2008 alone.

Married/cohabiting couple with no children or no-dependent children 34%

Other 4%

One person only 31%

Other 4%

Married/cohabiting couple with no children or no-dependent children 34%

Lone parent with dependent children 8% Lone parent with non-dependent children only 2%

Contact details on page 82

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MORTGAGES? Nick Walker, partner at leading Oxfordshire financial services company, Focus, gives B4 readers a stark warning to get their financial house in order. www.b4-business.com

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B4 ADVICE

PHILOSOPHICAL

MARKETING Alun Williams has a philosophy, basically to deliver, but only where he feels he can. As a marketing business, he knows where he can add value and where he needs support. If he is right for your business, Alun is, potentially, the perfect solution to your company’s marketing problems.

“I set AWM Marketing up roughly ten years ago, following on from a career as a Corporate Marketing Director. Like a lot of my peers, I had had enough of that environment and wanted a change of scenery. I worked predominantly in the paper and print industry for a couple of multi-national companies, Sappi (a South African company) and Arjo Wiggins.

“I started out as a Product Manager, progressing to become Marketing Director. However, I got to the stage where I wanted to run my own business and make my own decisions. Initially, the business was very much a consultancy, and focused on the paper industry. I had stayed within my comfort zone and did so for a number of years. In hindsight, I suppose it was a subconscious introduction to self-employed life.

“One of my important objectives from the outset was to enjoy my new life and to have fun. After all, it was my business, and if I wasn’t enjoying it, then what had I gained? After this two year initiation period, I deliberately moved the business in a different direction and started getting involved in more than just the strategic client work. I began to take the reins on the visual side, working on the nuts and bolts of marketing for my clients.

“Clearly, what I could bring to the party was the ability to plan strategy in the first place and execute the actual planning side of the business to really shape which direction a client should be taking and what they should be doing within a planned framework. Where I think I differ from a lot of agencies, is that their strength is focused on visual content and presentation, whereas, with my background, the very first thing I say to people is “why do you want to do it?” And then once I am very clear on what a client is trying to achieve, I can help put marketing in place to achieve that.

“I know my strengths and weaknesses and will not pretend to be able to do something I can’t. On the other hand, if a potential client says that they need someone to stand back and bring in fresh ideas about what they are doing, and to help them move forward, then I would be delighted to speak to them. That is the way I operate but, clearly, the client makes the business decisions and they have to decide if what I am suggesting is right for their business.

“I come to a client with my marketing expertise and work for them as a sort of detached marketing director. Many of the companies I work for would best be described as medium to larger sized businesses that don’t have an in-house marketing team.”

AWM Marketing has now evolved into a business where the focus is more on marketing rather than consultancy, with a number of retained clients. “This is the best way for me, as a small business, to operate. It is very difficult to manage a business where you become so engrossed in a particular project that you lose sight of the need to have the next job lined up.

“Working on a retained basis not only helps cashflow, but it facilitates a good working relationship, as with Ardington Archives, where we have worked closely together for many years.” Alun’s work for Ardington Archives is genuinely first class and befitting of his client’s blue chip customers.

“For a client like Millets Farm, I will work on all aspects of marketing, anything from vouchers to the Farm Shop Club, which recognises customer loyalty, or from brochure design and print to advertising. It is not always about being totally innovative. It is about doing marketing well and suitable for the task in hand.

“I value the fact that I work for a good spread of different clients – the experience I have with one does help with another.”

Alun’s clients also include Pryors and AWM Marketing were responsible for the flier enclosed with the mailed version of this edition of B4.

“My business is me, and I work with a series of partners and associates. It is like a virtual business – I have worked with these people for a long time, and their standard of work is to be relied upon.

“It is also important to recognise when things aren’t working and letting your clients know if things aren’t going to plan. It is far better to learn from your mistakes and move on positively.”

“My clients know from the outset how I work and how I am structured. They are not buying into a team of twenty people, they are buying into Alun Williams, the way I operate and the people I choose to help me.

Alun Williams is, quite clearly, a genuine provider of reasoned, honest and effective marketing.

Contact details on page 82

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B4 FEATURE

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE

As one of Oxfordshire’s most respected restaurateurs, Clinton Pugh has an abundance of enthusiasm, energy, passion and commitment. Richard Rosser had the pleasure of spending a couple of hours in the company of not only an impressive businessman, but a genuinely likeable bloke.

It’s Good Friday and Clinton Pugh, being Clinton Pugh, has been a hard man to tie down. Sincerely apologetic, it soon became apparent to me that any time spent with such an effervescent, jovial character, would be worth the wait.

Born in 1958, Clinton was the son of Londoners who were both from large families of well over ten children. His parents were keen to get to the countryside and became publicans at The Black Horse in Swaffham Bulbeck, Cambridgeshire.

“It was there that my father introduced me to working ‘the hard way’”, says Clinton, “it really was all hands on deck, a family business. We all had our fair share of jobs, but it was a wonderful way to grow up. To fall asleep listening to people singing and laughing was a great experience.” I ask Clinton if this acted as a drug from which he would never escape, “most certainly,” he replies.

It soon becomes clear that Clinton is a fan of sayings, some of which he has inherited and adapted from his parents, others which he has invented to good effect. His father was ‘a very hard taskmaster’ and Clinton has found himself taking his father’s values into his life and employing his father’s many sayings with his staff on a daily basis. Most fondly ‘if a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well’ or ‘if you go out like a man, get up like a man’. He explains how important his parents were in shaping who he is today, how incredibly supportive they have been for him.

it is to be negative. It’s an awful lot more enjoyable being positive, not to say I don’t have my moments, but let’s face it, we would all rather deal with a smiling face than a miserable sod!”

And this is an attitude, which would appear from the outside looking in, to be one of the key reasons for Clinton’s success. This infectious modus operandi has to be a huge part of the foundation of a business which shows no signs of shrinking. In fact, quite the opposite. A self-confessed sufferer of “siteitis” Clinton has impressive plans up his sleeve. More later.

“We were very much treated like adults as kids. My mum never told me to do my homework, insisting that it was my life and I would make of it what I wanted.

However, after failing my 11+, I went to Coleridge secondary school in Cambridge, a great school that taught practical skills - how many schools nowadays have a metalwork facility with sixteen lathes and a milling machine? In those days, failures of the 11+ were considered apprenticeship fodder, and I wanted to buck that trend.

‘I then went to Kingston Art School, and during my time there I worked at an inspirational restaurant, Cloud’s Café. Owned by John Reid, a great boss, he developed a formula which worked and which I have tried to inject into my businesses. The formula was to employ exciting, positive people who create a buzz.

Individuals who are not necessarily following their chosen career, but come together and enjoy the moment.”

“Every day I say to my staff that it is just as easy to come to work and be positive as

40

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41

B4 FEATURE Clinton’s first design job was with the successful restaurant design group, Broadbent Williams, in London. Then he went back into restaurant management with Crusts plc. When Crusts was taken over, Clinton set up a restaurant business and opened Baedecker's in Cornmarket Street.

and that comes from employing the right type of staff.

We are not looking for Michelin Stars, but the quality of service and the standard of the food are incredibly important. It is the consistency and honesty of a business which shines through and which are key values to uphold in any business I run.”

“Firstly, Damion Farrah, who now runs my office and started working for me in Baedeckers when he was 17.

Secondly, Johnny Pugsley, our top chef started working for me when he was 19 at the first Lemon Tree, and finally, James Webb, our Operations Manager, and an amazing resource of new energy.”

Dark clouds then began to appear as Clinton recalls a time in his life, in the late eighties, that proved to be his making: the recession. Having become involved in property development, almost overnight increases in interest rates practically rendered properties worthless, and exposed developers such as Clinton.

“Two years after opening Café Coco, I frequently used to drive past The Red Lion pub on Woodstock Road, thinking that it would make a fantastic site for a restaurant. After a long battle, my exceptionally wonderful business partner and friend, Dudley Chapman, purchased the freehold and The Lemon Tree was born. It was a very successful unit for several years, although it took up a lot of my time. After that, I opened The Grand Café on High Street and The Kazbar on Cowley Rd. I then sold The Lemon Tree, but, unfortunately, the new restaurant, La Gousse d’Ail, failed, and so I bought it back and re-opened …….

The Lemon Tree!”

However, against the backdrop of expansion, Clinton does face his fair share of problems.

“My parents, who had worked ridiculously hard all of their lives, had to hand the keys back on four properties they owned, and their own house. I will never forget John Majors’ posters almost boasting that ‘it was hurting but it was working.’

“It was a very humbling experience to go from feeling that I was moving upwards, to then go down to the absolute depths, losing what I had worked so hard for.

But the one thing that really sticks in my mind, and which spurred me on, was the help of some very dear friends. I eventually lost the properties and all of my restaurant shares. Watching The Life of Brian restored

On 19th May this year, Café Coco will enter its seventeenth year, and this year will also see the roll out of another Café Coco at The Royal Oxford Hotel, near Oxford Railway Station. A notoriously ‘difficult’ site, Clinton relishes the challenge, and believes that he will make a success of a site where many before him have

“This time around, things are harder. The restaurant business has changed: there are twice as many restaurants in Oxford now as there were ten years ago, and, with particular reference to The Lemon Tree, recent parking restrictions don’t make it any easier to operate. In fact, it is no longer viable to run a big restaurant like The Lemon Tree in that part of Oxford.

“I am continually knocking my head against a brick wall to fathom what the Council require with regards to my various ventures. I own the site of a failed pub in Marston, The Friar, which I want to turn into an Art Deco style parade and terrace, including a patisserie, delicatessen, greengrocers, café and wine bar, with apartments above. But the council planning officer has told me that he will not recommend my application because ‘It is not in keeping with the area’. I want to

‘if a job’s worth doing it’s worth doing well’ my sense of humour and I decided to stop being gloomy. From then on my answer machine played ‘Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life,’ and I began to work harder than ever.

“With the help of my partner, my family and a few very fine friends, we managed to scrape enough money together to get Café Coco built and open. Simon Young joined me from Baedeckers. Simon became a junior partner in Café Coco and later in The Kazbar. He and I spent six cold, painstaking months transforming a near derelict building into a viable restaurant.

“My son, Toby, was born in February 1992, and six weeks later, we opened Café Coco. We were running out of money, I had a new baby and things were damn tough. In Café Coco, there is a sign on the wall listing all of the people who backed me during that appalling time, including an amazing Barclays Bank Manager, Richard Morley, who lent me his own money to help open Café Coco. There were many doubters, including my then bank (not Barclays), who didn’t take the same view as Richard Morley. I will never forget the people who did support us at that time. It taught me a lesson that you should never forget those people who help you when you’re on the way down.

“Café Coco was designed to be recession proof. Value for money is key, and all pizzas at Café Coco reflect this - they all sell for £6.50. We also wanted to make sure that it was a safe and welcome space for women.

This worked, as seventy five per cent of our initial customers were female.

“We had to try to create an environment where customers could escape, which was ideal at the time of the recession. I want my customers to feel special,

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failed. Inside the huge new Café Coco will also be a grocery/deli called ‘Café Coco To Go.’ “I think this area needs a bit of a lift, and for travelers, residents and local businesses, this will be a very welcome gateway to Oxford.

“At the same time, we are working on a new venture in the Cowley Road, The Oxford Organic Burger Company. We want to change the idea that burgers are junk food by offering an innovative menu and using the finest local ingredients; we will also be offering a delivery service for food, wine and beer.

“It has taken a long time to develop because of the state of the building, but we have completely gutted the site and replaced it with a unique interior and courtyard garden. The idea is to strengthen and maintain the identity of the Cowley Road. When I opened Café Coco, many of the shops were run down and derelict, and I like to think that Coco, together with the help of key people in local politics, such as Craig Simmonds, has helped to regenerate Cowley Road.

“Designing individual restaurants is what I most enjoy.

Many people enjoy the sameness of chain restaurants, but I think our customers want something different.

The chains can only replicate a style, not a spirit.

“I am giving 45% of the equity in the new Coco and Oxford Organic to three special members of my team.

My business would not be what it is today without the loyal staff I have. I always employ good people; as the saying goes, ‘you can make a good person a great waiter, but you can’t make a great waiter a good person.’

know what would be in keeping within a sea of 1930s houses? Of course, they never tell you what they do want; but we see what is being built in Oxford and it looks pretty uninspiring to me.

“Oxford is, generally, a difficult place to do business in, and I think our Oxford Transport Strategy is an unmitigated disaster, the way it stifles the flow of traffic that then chokes up the roads and pollutes the air. The ridiculous junction at the station means that it currently takes thirty minutes to move two miles along The Botley Rd - and yet the council want to encourage another three thousand plus daily shoppers into Oxford. My advice is, if you want to shop here on a Sunday, then set off on Saturday!

“I always have some battle on, and it does get stressful, but, overall I must like the challenge.

“I have got so much pleasure from the fascinating people I have worked with over the past twenty years.

As I often say, ‘this is not a dress rehearsal’. Life is to be enjoyed and I feel compelled to help as many people as possible. I am a sincere believer that ‘what comes around goes around’.

“You have got to make sure you enjoy life. I tell my children that they have got to do in life what they want to do, and that you need to put in as much as you want out. It is all out there, we can all achieve anything we want, if we are prepared to put the energy into it and we are positive and committed.”

Contact details on page 82

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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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B4 ADVICE

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 through the

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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 82

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B4 ADVICE

HIDDEN WEALTH

Imagine having the Wealth Network to help you create a business that supports your life the way you want it… Picture being liberated from the day-to-day routine of your business, to truly experience the freedom most entrepreneurs only dream about.

Sounds too good to be true? Well, in today’s world of ever-decreasing person to person contact being replaced by e-mail, text and PDA communications, having a powerful network of the right relationships can give you the edge in business and become your most valuable asset.

“The key is to be clear about the groups of people you need in your Wealth Network and which are the people to keep clear of,” says Business Coach and Oxford Wealth Club founder, Paul Avins.

If it’s true that you become more like the people you hang around with, why don’t more of us put in place a strategy to increase the quality of this potentially powerful business tool. “People put more effort into designing a marketing flyer than they do into designing their Wealth Network,” says Paul. “The Oxford Wealth Club is not just about building financial wealth; though that’s important, it’s about teaching people how to build a powerful network of relationships that are tuned into finding them the right kind of opportunities

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that they can then maximize”.

So why don’t people build a powerful network of relationships?

“There are usually three reasons in my experience,” Paul says. “Firstly, they don’t see the value of investing their time in this way. This usually stems from the fact that they don’t yet have a clear enough vision of where they want to go, and why. Secondly, the fear of rejection. At a primitive level, this is a deep fear for people and it stops people calling individuals who could really help them. Finally, the mindset of chance over choice. People have given over control of who they meet and now believe that it’s all down to chance, when in reality, the opposite is the case.”

So who should you have in your Wealth Network?

Here are Paul’s 8 Categories: 1. Opportunists - these people are always seeing opportunities in their industry 2. Professional Advisors – more knowledge than you in an area / specialised knowledge 3. Financiers – access to money for investments 4. Potential Managers – somebody you may want to run a business of yours in the future 5. Team Players – people with specific skill sets you

would want in your future businesses 6. Fans – have a large network that think positively about you and your businesses 7. Mentors – shared values, but they are at the next level you wish to go to 8. Positive Supporters – behind the scenes, offering positive support and encouragement Once you know who you need to have around you it’s also critical to understand who in your network may be holding you back. Often these people are the ones closest to us and are well meaning but they just don’t have your vision or drive and can be referred to as your Poverty Network.

In the next issue we’ll show you how to spot them and how to avoid them so you can get ahead.

To find out more about building your Wealth Network, come along and visit the Oxford Wealth Club’s Open Day on Tuesday 29th April from 7am at The Oxford Centre, 333 Banbury Road, Oxford.

You’ll also be able to attend a special two hour presentation by the Beermat Entrepreneur Mike Southon so visit www.wealthclubopenday.co.uk or call 01869 278900 today and reserve your place. Your future Wealth awaits.

Contact details on page 82

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B4 PROPERTY

PROPERTY NEWS Apartment Market Anything But Flat Despite some adverse predictions, apartments in Oxford and the surrounding villages are still in demand, with buyers including first-timers, downsizers, lock-up-andleavers and young professionals as well as investors.

A recent survey by Savills Research indicated that two thirds of all buy to let investors are looking to increase the size of their portfolio, whilst only 5% are seeking to reduce their property holding. Where owners hold more than 20 properties, the proportion looking to expand increases to some 84%.

confidence is definitely holding up. There are relatively few opportunities to buy a brand new apartment in Oxford, but we will be launching two new schemes around Easter and more later in the year. Developers are listening to what customers want, and delivering it, so we expect them to be snapped up.

Savills is currently marketing The Lodge on Five Mile Drive, Oxford, a scheme of seven two-bedroom apartments by Vanderbilt Homes, including one penthouse at £385,000 and six apartments at £249,500 to £290,000.

In the Oxford apartments market, there are still plenty of investors and potential owner-occupiers around and developer

Contact details on page 82

Karen Mole, Head of Savills New Homes

Pink & Black There is no reason why houses shouldn’t be selling; there are would-be sellers and there are potential buyers, so why the mismatch? The property market is very confused and it is becoming increasingly difficult to get the two to come together and agree a price, resulting in a very static market. So, should sellers reduce their house price? No, only if you want a quick sale.

Properties going ‘Under Offer’ are doing so at, or near to, the asking price. Reputable agents will be

working hard to create additional marketing opportunities for their sellers; if your agent appears complacent, maybe now is the time to consider a change. We are just entering the busiest few months of the year and everyone should see an increased level of interest in viewings, offers and ultimately what we are all aiming for, a successful sale.

Contact details on page 82

Tracey Jefferies & Claire Moloney of Pink & Black

Credit Squeeze………..a Curse or a Comfort ?

Still want to make money in property ? Well now is the time, more money has been made by more people buying on a low and selling on a high. The rental market is booming and the selling market is falling. “It’s a no brainer” says Robin Swailes of North Oxford Property Services. “Buy right and we

can let for you, we’ll even guarantee your rental income 365 days per year and advise on what to buy..” Call 01865 311745. What a comfort...

Contact details on page 82

Landlords remain confident With negative press surrounding the property market and the ‘credit crunch’, many landlords remain confident, reports Greg Barnes. Most landlords have taken a long term view with many treating their property investment as their pension. It does, however, sharpen current focus on void periods and rental growth which has not really kept pace with capital appreciation over recent years.

The Association of Residential Letting Agents indicates that the demand for rental homes is set to grow by 20,000-30,000 a year over the next decade because of the rise in the number

48

of divorces, immigration and increasing job mobility. Add to that the number of potential first-time buyers priced out of the market, and there are an awful lot of people needing rented accommodation.

There are still a lot of opportunities for the Buy-To-Let investor and many areas in and around Oxford perform well. Breckon & Breckon are shortly due to launch a letting operation in their new Witney sales office driven by the number of developments and investors in West Oxfordshire, all of which shows confidence in the investment market.

Contact details on page 82

Greg Barnes of Breckon & Breckon

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B4 PR

OX TALE Is this a turning point in Oxford United’s fortunes?

Four year old Matthew Deeley recently unveiled a striking new bronze ox statue outside Oxford United’s Kassam Stadium. But what’s the story behind the ox? B4 found out more from one of the main protagonists, Brendon Cross of STL. After months of collaboration, those who made this possible could take a step back and feel that they have contributed to a part of the club’s history. The magnificent ox, mounted on a five foot marble plinth and engraved with the words “Oxford United”, was funded by Buildbase, Ridge & Partners, Oxford Stone and Marble, and STL Communications.

A condition of the original planning for the stadium, the statue was actually purchased last March for a cost in the region of £25,000. Brendon Cross explained more about the history, “It has taken longer that we expected, but we wanted to make sure the statue symbolizes the football club and epitomizes the desire and aggression required to take the football club forward.

“The feedback so far has been nothing but positive. It would have been great to unveil the ox on a match day, however, with a few thousand fans around, there are too many safety implications, so we decided on a low key affair.”

Well done to those involved. The next time you are at the stadium, make sure you have a look at an ox which took a long time to get here but will surely be around for a lot, lot longer.

Contact details on page 82

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At 43, Ian Darby has certainly seen his fair share of boardrooms. Until recently, he had spent all of his working life in financial services, working predominantly with John Charcol Mortgages. He was also a main board director of Bradford and Bingley. But on December 6th 2007, Ian became the new owner of one of Oxfordshire’s leading golf clubs, Studley Wood. B4 went to find out what made Ian want to buy a golf club and what his plans are for the future of his new acquisition.

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B4 PR

CHANGING COURSE “I left John Charcol finally in 2006, and since then I have been building a portfolio of companies that I am involved in, either as a non executive director, or as an investor. One of these companies is Sesame, the largest IFA network, based in Eynsham.

“It was through my involvement with Sesame that I started spending some time in the Oxford area. My brother is a consultant surgeon at the John Radcliffe, so I have had an opportunity to spend time and play some of the golf courses, whilst visiting.”

B4: So why the diversion into the world of golf?

“I have spent all my life in the financial services industry, and always as only a part owner. I decided it was time to do something different, removed from the financial services sector, and in an industry which has always held great fascination for me. I also wanted to own my own business and worry solely about my customers, not shareholders as well!”

B4: So how did you go about selecting Studley Wood?

“I spent twelve to eighteen months researching the golf industry; I saw dozens of clubs in a geographical area from Birmingham to the south coast. I knew exactly what I was looking for, and I was prepared to wait until the right facility came to the market. Eventually, after a year, I heard from a Studley member, whom I knew, that the Club was being made available.”

Ian becomes visibly animated recalling his reaction when he first visited Studley Wood.

“I came up last summer and went out quietly and played eighteen holes. I was completely hooked almost instantaneously by the magnificent setting, the peaceful location, and the incredible quality and appearance of the whole course. I had played the West course at Wentworth the day before, and I can honestly say that Studley was in better condition.

“I spent a great deal of time with the owner, getting myself comfortable with the business and the reasons for sale, but in my mind, I had already made a decision.

I clearly remember calling Ken, my business partner to be, as I left the car park, to tell him that I had found somewhere special.”

B4: So now that you have finally completed the purchase, what are your plans for the club?

“We have a substantial programme of works planned which we have already started.

We fully intend to ensure that all of the facilities in the clubhouse and in the driving range match the quality of our greatest asset, the course itself. We have already completely refitted our superb restaurant area at the top of the clubhouse, which is now fully self contained with its own bar, and looks over the course itself. We will then concentrate on the entire ground floor, which will be refitted, redecorated and refurnished to a high standard.”

B4: And what about the golf course itself?

“We will also ensure that we continue to upgrade the course. Since December, we have carried out extensive work on two tees and replaced a lot of the bunkers, which couldn’t cope with the Oxfordshire weather! We have strengthened our green staff

team and I am really looking forward to finally seeing the 4th reopen next month!”

B4: So are you overseeing all of this work yourself?

“No, whilst I have spent a lot of time since the New Year at the club, I always recognised the need to find a business professional that had significant business knowledge of the golf industry. I am delighted, as a result, to go into partnership with Ken Heathcote, who has a fantastic track record over the last twenty five years in building and operating golf and leisure companies. I am convinced that, with my general business background and Ken’s knowledge and experience, we can make a real success of the venture together.”

B4: What has been the members’ reaction to the takeover and are you looking to increase the number of members?

“Overwhelmingly positive. I think they all wanted to see the club go to the next stage, and as a result, they have been delighted with our plans. We are looking to increase the size of the membership, and we have been delighted that in the first three months of ownership we have welcomed over thirty new members. Now that we have a team in place and the building programme is underway, we will focus on marketing the club to a wider audience.”

B4: It is very clear Ian, that this is not just a passion, but a business. How easy will it be to achieve success on both fronts with a members club?

“I think all members understand that, to make a commercial success of a members club, requires some compromise on all sides. I am a golfer myself, so I fully understand what makes a good members club. However, membership revenue alone rarely makes the numbers stack up! We will need to build on our existing corporate and society business, and we will need to develop both the restaurant and events part of the business as well. We believe we can do this whilst enhancing the membership experience at the same time.”

B4: How do you see Studley Wood in twelve months time?

“The place to go in Oxfordshire for an excellent all round package of great golf, good facilities and great service.”

The last word goes to Ken Heathcote, Ian’s trusted partner, to back up why Studley Wood was chosen and what he sees for the future of the club: “Without doubt, the greens at Studley Wood were the best I played last year, and that includes Valderrama and The K Club. That told me that Studley Wood had to be the club for us, as it is undoubtedly one of the best courses in the area.

“We know we have the course and now it is a case of making sure the facilities come up to scratch. Having spent twenty-five years in the golf and leisure business, I want to create a facility of five star status and something of which our members, guests and staff will be proud. Our aim has to be to make this the best golfing and food/beverage facility in the area, a club where they can’t wait to come back – we may have to be a bit different to achieve that, but with our excellent team and Ian’s marketing experience, we know we can.”

Contact details on page 82

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B4 PR

P RYORS As, arguably, the Thames Valley’s leading provider of Executive Cars for the Business Traveller, with a wealth of experience dating back over fifty years, Pryors Cars are a shining example of reliability, performance and customer service levels which are second to none. B4 interviewed David Pryor to find out why Pryors should be your first call for executive travel.

David, his business partner (sister Caroline) and their round the clock control centre have firm control of their fleet of forty five e-Class Mercedes and ninety drivers. David’s impressive array of monitors (in addition to that in the control centre) keeps him in “eerily” close contact with his drivers.

“We know where they are, which direction they are traveling in and how far they are away from the next pick up or drop off. This is vital in ensuring we deliver.”

Pryors evolved serving the business community of Harwell and Milton Park. This still accounts for the bulk of the company’s business, however, Pryors are very much focused on the executive corporate market and are looking to expand further in this particular area, an area where they have more than proved themselves.

“We have established a reputation as a company with uniformed drivers, with pristine cars delivering great value for money, plus 24/7 availability and flexibility to meet changing schedules. As a result, our customers trust us and recommend us.

Our customer base has spread such that one of our main customers is in Reading and another is in Swindon.”

As we speak, David backs this up with reference to his ‘bridge’ of monitors and the precise location of his fleet, “Of twenty-seven drivers working at the moment, only about four of them are within five miles of Didcot.”

Pryors’ impressive number of company owned, quality executive cars which are driven by an employed, experienced and fully trained team of drivers, gives Pryors the depth and flexibility that their satisfied clients value. ”We are well-placed to provide businesses with the availability, flexibility and reliability that they demand from a top class executive car travel service. As we regularly travel to major airports and destinations across the Thames Valley, and well beyond, we can respond to last minute changes to flights or urgent calls for help.” On any given day, Pryors run up to seventy five airport trips and between 4am and 7am on Mondays, there are up to thirty-five scheduled trips to Heathrow alone.

“We have the technology, we have a web booking system and we can also take bookings by e-mail. In addition we have a corporate travel office which focuses solely on our corporate customers, controlled by three dedicated staff who will ensure our corporate customers will always get a response.

“With the benefit of our communications here, we have the edge over other providers in the executive car travel market and our service and reputation means we should be first choice. We are chosen time and again because we are ‘handling’, for want of a better word, very ‘important merchandise’ - the people that are priceless to our customers.

If you have any special requirements, or just want someone reliable, contact Pryors and place your executive car travel business in the hands of true professionals.

Contact details on page 82

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FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS In most businesses, it is the backroom operations that are vital to the smooth running of the organisation, and Pryors is no different.

The Operational Control Centre is manned twenty four hours a day, using fully computerised booking and despatch systems to: a) Schedule work in the most efficient and flexible manner for the forty-five cars and ninety drivers in the Executive Car fleet b) Communicate with the drivers to keep them fully informed of developments on the road and up-to-the-minute with changes to client plans c) Monitor traffic surveillance and constantly check flight situations to pinpoint problems and divert cars Business clients communicate with the team via the Customer Travel Centre, where the Travel Advisers respond to their specific issues. Pryors invest in leading edge data communications technology to stay ahead of the game and ensure first class communications.

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B4 GREEN

“Oxford was one of the first historic cities in the UK to recognise that its historic central area would be under threat if it didn’t curb the private car. In 1973, the City and the County Councils developed the Balanced Transport Strategy, creating the country’s first permanent Park & Ride site, at Redbridge, and controlling car park pricing in the city centre. It placed the emphasis on walking, cycling and public transport, and it kept traffic at a fairly constant level over the next twenty years, at a time when car use nationally was rocketing.

“In the 1990s, the policy was pushed further, to improve the environment in the central area. The Oxford Transport Strategy saw the pedestrianisation of Cornmarket and restrictions on cross-city traffic through High Street.

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“Oxford Bus Company (OBC) has supported the local authorities since that first tentative step in 1973, and has grown and changed dramatically to carry more and more people.

“People who have known Oxford for a long time will remember the daily, constant stream of slow-moving traffic from Carfax to Magdalen Bridge. Today, the same number of people are being transported using 6% fewer buses than before, and considerably fewer cars.

Buses are part of the lifeblood of the city. Over half of all journeys into the city are made by bus, people coming into Oxford to work and play their part in our economic success, to study, creating yet more jobs or to shop and enjoy the leisure facilities.

‘If bold action hadn’t been taken, the city would have ground to a halt, commerce would be struggling and many visitors, shoppers and even workers would have

decided to go elsewhere. If general traffic was uncontrolled, it would travel at painfully slow speeds, and every scrap of green space in the city centre – and the colleges - would have to be given over to car parking.

“But just coping with the increased number of people using buses isn’t enough. We recognised a long time ago that we had to tackle the effect our business might have on the environment. This is really important as the traffic management schemes have concentrated buses in fewer streets and could have led to difficulties if we had done nothing ourselves.

“Fifteen years ago, we decided to tackle the issue of emissions from the diesel engines in our fleet. We invested in the greenest, most sophisticated anti-emissions technology available. This policy has reaped rewards, and an independent survey has

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WHEN RED

IS GREEN

From horse drawn trams to the greenest bus fleet in the country, the Oxford Bus Company has been around for more than 125 years. Managing Director, Philip Kirk, explains how investment, science and long-term environmental commitments, made it the greenest bus company in the country.

shown that we now have the cleanest, most environmentally friendly bus fleet in the country.

“We have always been at the cutting edge of technology. We have been making Oxford greener and cleaner for fifteen years. The first step was to fit special exhaust filtering devices, known as Continually Recirculating Particulate Traps, or CRTs for short. These units cut down significantly (by up to 90%) Carbon Monoxide, Particulate Matter and Hydrocarbons, and up to 15% of Oxides of Nitrogen. This was a huge step forward in controlling emissions, years before car manufacturers caught onto the need to do this. As the Honda advert says “Change Something”, and we certainly have.

“In the past fifteen years, basic diesel engines have had to conform to ever more stringent emissions - and the addition of our emissions control devices has made them cleaner still. This culminated in 2007

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when we were the first bus operator in the UK to introduce buses that conformed to Euro 5 standards, many years before this becomes mandatory. The Euro 5 has all the benefits of earlier standards, but also gets to grips with Oxides of Nitrogen - a vital development in emissions control. In fact, we were the first company to use both buses and coaches that met Euro 5 standards.

attracting many people who would otherwise have stayed in their cars. Not only are the engines ultra green, but by offering superior seating, full air conditioning and bright, attractive accommodation, dozens of highly polluting cars are kept off our roads.

If just four people decide to take one of our buses instead of their car, then that is a net contribution to the environment.

“We were so impressed by the benefits of this that we have invested heavily again, and now nearly a third of our vehicles meet that Euro 5 standard or higher.

Arguably the air coming out of our exhausts is cleaner than that going into the engine!”

“Every day there are claims about how this or that is greener than the rivals. Many of the claims don’t stand close scrutiny. That’s why we’ve made all our science and research available on our website, www.oxfordbus.co.uk. We are constantly looking at experiments elsewhere into alternatives to diesel propulsion. We are convinced that, in time, there will be a breakthrough, but until then, we will continue to provide the lowest emission buses and coaches available commercially.”

Contact details on page 82

So much for the science – what about customer appeal? “We have invested in top of the range, state of the art Mercedes Citaro buses and their contribution to the environment has been twofold and dramatic.

On the ‘Citaro routes’ bus use has risen dramatically,

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B4 GREEN

BUY TOGETHER ON-LINE WITH B-LINE Carbon footprint, cost cutting, battening down the hatches. These are just a few of the phrases we are hearing more often each day as more and more businesses face uncertain futures and harder working conditions. One local company, B4 sponsor B-Line, have come up with a unique scheme to help businesses and local causes.

It has probably gone through a lot of B4 readers’ minds, “if I can get all the businesses on the trading estate to buy sandwiches off the same supplier, surely they’ll give me 50p off mine every day.”

Easy in principle, but try putting it into practice. It doesn’t happen does it? Too many other day to day issues distract you.

But this is where B-Line are different. They have put this principle into practice and it is yielding rewards. Not just for them, not just for the group of companies who are benefiting, but also for local causes. More specifically, the businesses at Monument Business Park in Chalgrove, run by Jennings, are putting this to the test and, so far, thirty three of the tenants have signed up.

So how does it work?

Essentially, it is bulk purchasing, with specific regards to office supplies. B-Line have negotiated their best prices with an easy to operate internet based pricing system.

What are the benefits?

All Jennings tenants have the advantage of ‘increased buying power’. The more tenants that sign up, the more this ‘buying power’ increases, which could see vast cost savings as compared with your current supplier.

What are the guarantees?

B-Line have offered a ‘Price Match Guarantee’.

For example, if you are currently paying £8.95 for a box of stationery paper and B-Line are selling exactly the same paper for £9.45, they will match the price and also amend their price

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for the other tenants who have signed up to the scheme.

Social and Community Responsibility At the end of each calendar year, B-Line will work out an overall discount based on usage.

This is expected to be at least 2.5%. Jennings have agreed to double this and the total will be put into the Jennings community trust fund which will be donated to local causes.

Doing your extra bit for the environment Don’t underestimate the effects on the environment. One van delivering ten reams of photocopy paper is far more carbon friendly than ten vans delivering one ream each.

Imagine the reductions that could be made if we aimed at concentrating our buying of other supplies?

Paul Nelson of B-Line is delighted with the way the scheme has “rung true” with the tenants at Jennings, and now he is keen to roll this idea out to other groups of businesses, be they on business parks, in office blocks or on smaller trading estates. So if you have any queries or would like to find out more, look up B-Line’s details in the B4 contact section at the back of B4.

And we at B4 are keen to promote these schemes. If your company would like to promote a similar scheme in B4, we will be pleased to run a specific section on companies working together to reduce costs and give profile to your specific scheme.

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B4 GREEN

STL

GREENMINUTES

™

REDUCING CARBON, REDUCING PHONE BILLS Phil Donigan of STL Communications introduces an environmentally friendly new ‘green’ calls package.

“In today’s increasingly environmentally aware society, organisations are under increasing pressure to ‘be greener’ in their activities. In response to this, STL Communications, in association with the award winning Earthdream concept from Honda Racing F1, have developed Greenminutes™ – our way to help our customers achieve more renewable and environmentally sound business communications.

“Greenminutes™ is radically different from any other

communications package – utilising low power IP networks to route your business’s telephone call traffic, as opposed to more traditional and power hungry legacy telephone infrastructure. Because our network uses less power, we are able to calculate a carbon saving against every minute of call traffic carried over the Greenminutes™ service. This carbon saving accumulates with every call made, and as part of your monthly statement, we let you know the total amount of carbon offset that has been generated. This is totalled on an annual basis, and at the end of this period Greenminutes™ customers will receive a certificate confirming the total carbon offset generated by their organisation – this can then be applied to the business itself, perhaps helping to carbon neutralise the business premises or company vehicle fleet.

STL Greenminutes™ customers also enjoy free of charge access to our next generation IP teleconferencing bridging service, as well as our in house videoconferencing suite, allowing groups of people to hold virtual meetings, without the need for long distance travel.

“In addition, STL Greenminutes™ customers do not receive a paper bill for telephony services. Instead we send monthly statements by email and provide customers with detailed management reports through a dedicated online website service.

To find out more about STL Greenminutes™ and the award winning Earthdreams concept from Honda F1 Racing, contact Philip Donigan at STL or go to www.stlcomms.com or www.myearthdream.com.

“For an organisation to take advantage of this exciting new service, no changes are required to existing telephone infrastructure. There is also no initial cost involved in switching the service which is implemented in a similar way to a change of utility provider - without interruption of service. As with any communications package from STL, Greenminutes™ call rates are ultra competitive and will comfortably improve on most existing business call tariff’s.”

Contact details on page 82

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GREENMINUTES

FA

C T F I L E

• Electronic Itemised Billing • Monthly Direct Debit • Free Homeworker Connection • Free Telephone Conferencing* • Free Video Conferencing* • Reduced Costs * Pay only for the calls

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B4 GREEN

B-LINE MAKE THE MARK, ENVIRONMENTALLY Local office supplies company, B-Line, were recently awarded ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) certification. So what does this really mean?

Such accreditation demonstrates B-Line’s environmental responsibility.

Customers, consumers and shareholders are increasingly demanding environmentally responsible products and services. They expect companies to comply with environmental standards and demonstrate their commitment to the environment in daily operations. Clients want proof of this commitment, and it is an opportunity for companies to leverage their sincere environmental actions.

The ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) certification helps a company to demonstrate their commitment to the environment.

The standard also provides guidance on how to manage the environmental aspects of your business activities more effectively, while taking into consideration environmental protection, pollution prevention and socio-economic needs.

Furthermore, it assists a company to ensure it complies with environmental legislation and reduces the risk of penalties and possible litigation.

Demonstrating commitment to the environment can transform a business’s corporate culture externally by opening up new business opportunities with environmentally aware customers or clients. Internally, it can improve employee ethics and the workplace. ISO 14001:2004 compliance can also provide your company with a better use of energy and resources, and reduce costs over time.

As B-Line’s Managing Director, Phil Beesley, commented, “the increased awareness of our environment will undoubtedly improve operations here which will mean increased efficiency in meeting customer requirements and overall performance. We

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hope this will rub off internally so that we increased staff motivation, commitment understanding of their responsibility with organisation, and, more importantly, within environment in which they operate.”

see and the the

• Sea level rise: sea levels in the south of England are expected to rise dramatically - up to ten times the rate of rise in the last century.

Following on from B-Line’s lead, what should we be aware of and doing as businesses in order to make us more “Green”?

Climate change IS the biggest issue facing the world today. Every individual, business and government will have to radically adapt to reduce emissions and live with the inevitable impacts of climate change (economic, environmental, social).”

The following is an extract from a paper by Colette Walmsley, External Relations Manager, Environment Agency, (Thames Region) entitled ‘Making the Environment Work for the Bottom Line in the South East’:

The Environment Agency offers significant help to businesses through advice on its web site http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk, but please also consider these five useful Environment Agency tips:

“The South East has a buoyant economy, a diverse and growing population. It is a beautiful and exciting place to live and work. But, it is under threat. It risks catastrophic consequences if climate change is allowed to continue unchecked. We are already seeing the effects. The five hottest years on record for the UK as a whole have all been since 2000. The UK’s highest temperature of 38.5°C was recorded in the south of England in the 2003 heat wave. There has been extensive flooding in the last few years. All the indications are that we will experience more severe weather events:

1. Taking a train instead of a plane for a typical journey, such as between London and Glasgow, would save 528kg of carbon dioxide. It would take 176 trees a whole year to absorb that much gas.

• Temperature: by 2050, summers in the south of England will be between 1.5 and 3.5 ºC warmer, and winters 1 to 2 ºC warmer than now. So hotter summers and milder winters are in store.

• Rainfall: by 2050, summers will be 15 - 30 per cent drier and winters 5 - 15 per cent wetter than now, and heavy winter rainfall will be more common.

• Storms: there are likely to be more storms, leading to damage and flooding.

2. The average car commuter drives 19 miles a day.

Cutting that figure in half by car-sharing instantly saves 648kg of carbon dioxide in one year.

3. Produce less waste by reading emails on screen.

Do you really need to print that 200 page report?

4. Turn down the heating. Turning down the thermostat by 1ºC saves roughly 10% on energy (and money) used for heating, and the equivalent in carbon emissions.

5. Switch off the television or computer screen, rather than leave it on stand-by. Just leaving on a computer monitor overnight wastes enough energy to laser print 800 A4 pages.

Contact details on page 82

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MAN

ON THE MOVE

As STL announce the appointment of Martyn Mathias in the position of Senior Sales Consultant (Mobile Applications), we ask Martyn about the advance of the mobile phone in the business world. Martyn has spent many years working in the mobile sector and brings with him a wealth of experience to STL. 'The mobile phone is now an extension of the telephone system and when you add mobile e-mail and other applications, it becomes a formidable business tool', says Martyn, 'Network independence, together with benefits such as personal call billing and competitive rates all on a single STL bill is a really attractive proposition'.

B4: How has the mobile phone changed since its introduction?

MM: “Since the mobile was introduced in the late 1980’s, it was seen as an unwelcome intrusion into what would commonly be dead time for people travelling on the road.

However, over the last twenty years, it has now become such an integral part of our business life, that many of us communicate purely by mobile phone. The increased response time to customers’ requests has made the mobile phone the most valuable means of communication for businesses today”.

B4: But are the business tariffs as complicated as the personal tariffs?

MM: “In a lot of ways the answer is ‘yes’. It seems that network operators are changing tariffs on a weekly basis with new offers being made all of the time to tempt customers onto a particular network. This creates confusion among users and I spend a great deal of my time analysing the tariffs companies are on and can easily say that 70% of businesses are on the wrong tariff for their needs. This can equate to a lot of wasted money for companies that heavily use the mobile as a form of communication, and in most instances, I have found that we can save customers 50% of their costs and create a better package for them”.

B4: Does this ‘better package’ include setting up user groups, or are they still closed to other networks?

MM: “If you had Vodafone as your network operator, your closed user group or ‘free calls’ between mobiles would only be between people who are on Vodafone with your company. This is not always the best possible solution, as your Managing Director may live out in a village and Vodafone may not offer great coverage in his area, so if he needs coverage at home, and the only way of doing that was giving him an O2 phone, he would not be part of that user group, and so would pay for calls to and from his staff.

STL wholesale from all the network operators so we can take a view on what a closed user group is, and if the MD does need a different operator to the rest of the staff, we can include calls to and from his phone free of charge”.

B4: How do you differ from the network operators?

STL MOBILE FA

C T F I L E

• 70% of businesses on wrong mobile tariff • True network independence • Delivery of mobile applications such as e-mail • Free calls across networks • Personal call bill • ‘Try before you buy’ with handsets

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MM: “We are more flexible as we can deal with all the operators, Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile, Orange and 3. This allows us to offer a more flexible and cost effective solution to our customers. We can also help with compliance to the new HMRC regulations on personal calls from a business mobile. If, for example, your staff were to press the star key before or after a call, we could pick that up as a personal call and strip it out onto a separate bill to highlight personal calls. This could then be submitted to accounts along with business calls as a single monthly STL bill, and if you have normal telephone lines and calls with STL, it could all be on your single STL OneBill”.

B4: What about data applications, everyone seems to have a Blackberry these days?

MM: “Blackberry have a good share of the market when it comes to mobile applications such as email on the move and so on, but it is not always the best option. Blackberry still remains quite unsecure and the associated expenses, typically £30 per month, is very expensive. Other options are becoming more widely available and more powerful but it depends on the company’s requirement for that application. We can now provide a company with the ability to have electronic job sheets on smart PDA’s where a customer can sign off on a job on the PDA and have the engineer report that back

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B4 COMMUNICATIONS directly to his company to let them know he has finished and ready for his next job. This speeds up all business processes as the engineer can be sent to his next job directly and accounts can invoice the customer immediately rather than waiting for the engineer to come back into the office at a later date to submit his job sheet. But again, if you just wanted email on the move, your requirements would be different, and this is where we differ. We can look at each company and the results they want to achieve and advise accordingly on the best technology and solution to achieve those results”.

B4: And what about the handsets, there are so many?

MM: “It is ‘horses for courses’ really. There are literally hundreds of ‘smart phones’ now in the market and they all make using different applications easier and smarter. It’s a case of looking at each case individually and seeing what best fits the requirement. This is something that sits well in what we do, as a delivery driver may not need the same handset as a sales manager”.

B4: So what does all of this mean to your customers?

MM: “Network independence together with benefits such as personal call billing and competitive rates all on a single STL bill is a really attractive proposition.

Couple this with our ability to consult and advise our customer on what is best for them and their requirements, and this puts STL in a very strong position, as we operate from an independent view to the operators. This does not just apply to people looking at mobile applications, but anyone on existing deals. As I mentioned earlier, 70% of the companies I speak to are on the wrong package, and being able to demonstrate this and show dramatic savings, is a very powerful excercise indeed”.

B4: And the future?

MM: “It is a changing business world and mobile applications are becoming more and more advanced and powerful. Businesses can no longer ignore them. We recently ran an event with the Institute of Directors where the delegates were surveyed and over 50% of those polled were looking into mobile applications this year. The ability to increase response times and business processes from a mobile are very powerful, and we sit in a very strong position to be able to advise people on what is best for their business”.

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B4 PR

OXFORD IRONMONGERY Oxford Ironmongery, established in 1979, is still the only specialist architectural ironmonger in the area. The company’s aim is to deliver high quality door and window furniture. B4 discovers that this is a company with not only the customer, but the environment in mind.

“As a company with a long established tradition and reputation, Oxford Ironmongery have successfully carried out projects recreating door handles which are centuries old through to futuristic door opening mechanisms,” says Julian Newman, the company’s proprietor. “We also offer a complete ironmongery scheduling and quotation service for architects and building project managers. This includes working from drawings and conducting site surveys to achieve the best possible specification.

“Our showroom,on Botley Road, provides an extensive display of traditional and contemporary ironmongery, in a full range of finishes.”

Oxford Ironmongery has also been accepted as a full

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member of the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers.

Having satisfied the board on various conditions, including professional competence and depth of stockholding, membership was granted. To qualify for membership, Oxford Ironmongery must also agree to abide by the Guild’s ‘Code of Professional Conduct’, which provides assurance to all Oxford Ironmongery’s customers that they will receive the highest standard of professional service.

“We also have a very clear environmental policy,” stresses Julian, “and this is borne out on several fronts.

Firstly, as far as suppliers are concerned, we will endeavour to partner with and source our products from manufacturers and distributors who demonstrate a strong ethical and environmental policy. Secondly, we use low energy lamps and energy efficient heating

at our premises. Thirdly, we reuse packaging from suppliers and recycle all waste paper and excess packaging materials. And, finally, we aim to introduce a scheme where customers who are undertaking refurbishment and restoration projects can bring the used items of architectural hardware to us, and we will arrange to have them recycled in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Julian Newman certainly has an impressive business, but to fully appreciate the breadth of Oxford Ironmongery’s products, a visit to the showroom is a must so that you can benefit from the advice and experience of a dying breed – a true master craftsman.

Contact details on page 77

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B4 LIFESTYLE Personally, I had heard a lot about The Fat Duck in Bray, near Maidenhead, but I was honestly more scared than excited about visiting, what sounded to me, like a food lab. I had made my mind up that it was the exclusive reserve of the twenty to thirty something city boy with more money than sense, the film star or fabulously wealthy barrister.

All of the above are probably true, but when I walked into the restaurant, at 11.50am on Tuesday 18th March, I started to think that the whole concept of The Fat Duck was some elaborate marketing ploy, hyped beyond any West End musical. Where was everyone?

With staff outnumbering my wife and I six to one, I honestly felt that we were on our own.

However, within twenty minutes, the place was full.

Heston Blumenthal, who surely needs no introduction, had placed a card on each table which talked of nostalgia, rhubarb and custard, and growing up. It was almost as if he had recreated the school dinner rush as part of his nostalgia trip – one minute the school dining room is empty, the next, everyone is sat at their

tables, ready for the lunchtime prayer.

For those of you who have heard but not been, The Fat Duck, as a place, is easy to miss. On the main road in Bray, it is more tearoom than world famous restaurant.

Inside, it is more two star than three Michelin Star. But that has to be part of the appeal. Never before had I felt so nervous about a meal. What do I do if I don’t like it? Will the man himself come and chop my head off if I dare to spit something out – and then stick an apple stuffed with prawns and covered in chocolate gravy in my mouth, and serve it as course nine of the tasting menu?

My fears were truly unfounded. What I experienced that day will live with me for the rest of my life. I don’t want to tell you too much – it will ruin the ending. The whole Fat Duck experience is an experience that no review, documentary or book could ever relay. It is a wonderful, delightful, slightly edge of the seat ‘trip’, in the safest sense of the word.

Read any review of the Fat Duck and it will mention some of the intriguing dishes, the critic will try and wow

you with his connection with the creator, his understanding of what he has just experienced. I’m not even going to go there. You have to go there yourself, book it now, for March 18th next year if you are lucky, just make sure you do it. Add it to your list of ‘fifty things you must do before you die’, alongside visiting the Grand Canyon and having tea with the Pope (it might be easier to get through to the latter).

I will, however, share one experience with you. We didn’t go for the tasting menu..... wish we had, but can’t complain – what we did have was perfect. There was a lady to my right, sounded like she had been on the ‘trip’ before. The waitress arrived with her palate cleanser, basically the bottom half of an ice cream maker, a large aerosol can and a canister of liquid nitrogen. She then poured some of the nitrogen into the ice cream maker, sprayed a dollop of, what looked like, mousse into a spoon and dropped it into the smoke-filled cauldron. Seconds later, she fished out something resembling a meringue and told the lady to pop it into her mouth.

With, what looked like a whole egg lodged in her jaw,

THE FAT DUCK On a cold Tuesday lunchtime in March, I was fortunate enough to enter the amazing world that is The Fat Duck, touted as one of the best restaurants in the UK, if not the world. But did it live up to expectations? B4’s Richard Rosser finds out, but doesn’t tell all.

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HESTON B LUMENTHAL

Heston Blumenthal was born in London in 1966 and spent his childhood years in Berkshire, England where he still lives with his wife and three children today.

At the age of fifteen Heston travelled to France with his parents for the first time. On this trip he visited L'Oustau de Baumaniere one of France's greatest restaurants, located in a small village in Provence. Heston Blumenthal was exposed to the wonderful world of gastronomy and was immediately consumed by it.

On returning to the UK he tried to gain a position in the kitchen of Londons' hotels and retaurants but at sixteen this proved too daunting a task. Undeterred he spent the next decade learning the rudiments of French cuisine from books, and worked in various different jobs to fund his trips to France. On these trips he visited restaurants, vineyards, cheese makers, butchers and artisan producers. His research was extensive, thorough and

the lady, head half cocked up to the waitress, as if a young girl at the school dining table, claimed “it won’t fit”. The waitress, for a second assuming the role of school dinner lady, insisted, “it will fit.”

I didn’t know what the lady experienced, until I read a review about The Fat Duck, which reads as follows, “As soon as I inserted it, the shell shattered, releasing an ice-cold liquid that tasted first of lime and then, after I'd swallowed it, green tea. It was an extraordinary sensation, as though someone had sandblasted the inside of my mouth with Alpine air. Needless to say, the moment the experience was over, I wanted another one - and the waiter was happy to oblige.”

That sums up the world of The Fat Duck. Go, go as soon as you can, that’s all I need to tell you, but let me leave you with an extract of Heston Blumenthal’s philosophy from his web site: “This whole subject is incredibly complex, possibly the most complex of all processes performed by the human body and it starts in the womb; It has been shown that flavours can be passed from mother to baby through the amniotic fluid as early as eleven weeks (six months before birth); by the time that we are born into the world, we have already experienced many of the flavours from our mothers diet.

“The process of taste aroma and flavour perception is being researched around the world.

Knowledge gained from this research has far-reaching implications, be it detecting disease by smell or re-kindling the faded palate of an elderly person.

“Eating is a multi-modal process (involving all the senses). Any comments concerning food being just about taste are misguided. Try drinking a fine wine from a polystyrene cup or eating a beautifully cooked piece of fish off a paper plate with a plastic knife and fork, it is not the same.”

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determined, attributes which soon became the trademarks of his success.

In August 1995 this self-taught chef opened The Fat Duck restaurant, which gained three Michelin stars in January 2004. In April 2005 The Fat Duck received worldwide recognition for its unique approach to gastronomy and was proclaimed The Best Restaurant in the world by the "50 Best" Academy of over 600 international food critics, journalists and chefs.

Heston Blumenthal has been described as a culinary alchemist for his innovative style of cuisine. His work has awarded him international recognition and his research into the sensory journey of gastronomy has enabled him to work with food historians, perfumist, food physiologists and biochemists from all over the world.

In the New Years Honours list on January 1st 2006 Heston Blumenthal was awarded an OBE for his contribution to British Gastronomy by Her Majesty the Queen and later that year his papers written in partnership with the University of Reading awarded him an Honouray Doctorate of Science.

His Television Programme 'Heston Blumenthal - In Search of Perfection' showing his unique approach to British classic dishes gained a GQ Glenfiddich award in 2007 and was voted The Best Restaurant in Britain by the customers of the UK Good Food Guide 2008.

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Flexible ground floor conference rooms Tiered lecture theatres 600 free, secure parking spaces Easy access to Central Oxford, A34, M40 & M4 Latest AV equipment Video & audio conferencing Onsite AV support Dedicated Conference Team In-house catering facilities Leisure & fitness suite

Our Conference Team are pleased to tailor daily packages to suit all requirements. For more details visit our website: www.univenue.co.uk or telephone 01865 384083

with one of our teaching professionals and become a better golfer. 6) Get 10% discount on all food and beverage purchased. To help make this offer even more affordable you can spread your annual subscription over 12 monthly direct debit payments.

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Want to impress your customers with a professionally produced map and guide about Oxford?

Contact us for details about our visitors packs on 01865 742211 With over 15,000 packs sold to Oxford University Conference Departments for visiting delegates, don’t miss out on the chance to impress your visitors.

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THE LODGE

Conference at The Lodge……..why not?

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New for 2007 are our Breakfast Meetings combining an early start with either a full English or Continental breakfast.

The Lodge Conference Centre is ideal for any management meeting or training course that requires top level facilities supported by a superb hotel and restaurant amid idyllic surroundings in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The Lodge Conference Centre, Horton Hill, Horton-cum-Studley, Oxford OX33 1AY Telephone: 01865 351 235 Fax: 01865 351 721 email: info@otmoorlodge.co.uk web: www.otmoorlodge.co.uk

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HAWKWELL Where is your next conference?

We are perfectly placed for business meetings near to Oxford. We have four different conference rooms of varying sizes, and all of the conference backup facilities and expertise that you could possibly need to ensure that your sales conference, training, brain-storming session, or planning meeting is time well spent.

We’ll worry about the details – the flip-charts, the OHP, the refreshments, the menus – you worry about your agenda and sales targets.

Culham Conference Centre is ideally located in an attractive rural setting 10 miles south of Oxford, with excellent accessibility from road, rail and motorway networks. The centre itself is based on the UKAEA Culham Science Centre and benefits from 7 purpose built conference rooms. Six cater for meetings of 6-70 delegates and our largest room, the John Adams lecture theatre comfortably accommodates 233 tiered theatre style. All conference rooms benefit from natural daylight, air conditioning, up to date audio visual equipment and wireless internet. Whether it is a small meeting, seminar, lecture or exhibition, we have the facilities to meet your needs.

Getting out of the every day work environment is one of the best ways of stimulating and motivating your team.

In association with OCS Integrated Services, all catering requirements can be happily met by our ‘Foodhouse’ catering team where we can offer a variety of quality finger and fork buffets. Other facilities available to conference delegates include a shop, Costa Coffee Bar, Just Deli Bar, restaurant and ample, free car parking.

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If you are looking for a conference venue in quiet, secluded surroundings that offers value for money and a dedicated service then Culham Conference Centre is for you.

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CPDev Ltd 2, Hampden House, Warpsgrove Lane, Chalgrove, Oxford, OX44 7RW

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Browser based business application software Company Intranets Company Extranets Websites E-commerce consultation Multimedia 3D Animation

CPDev have innovative and modern solutions whether you require a refreshed or new internet presence, an intranet for your business, or a complete application to solve a specialised business need. With a portfolio of customers large and small we invite you to let us assist with your business challenge.

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Every solution is designed for YOUR organisation We really do understand websites We have a track record of big successes Our charging is transparent and competitive We ensure we understand your business

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Gibside Associates 2, Hampden House, Warpsgrove Lane, Chalgrove, Oxford, OX44 7RW 01865 893261

Gibside Associates exist to add value to organisations that are thinking differently and ambitiously about part or all or their business model. We do this by provoking different ways of looking at issues, providing resource to manage change, locating and deploying innovative technological solutions where appropriate, and running training and problem solving forums.

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Contacts If you want to contact B4 Magazine T: 01865 742211 E: info@b4-business.com Publisher B4 Magazine is published by Designs On Ltd, The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford, OX3 0BT Chairman Colin Rosser E: colin@designs-on.co.uk Art Editor Keith Simpson E: artwork@b4-business.com Editorial Richard Rosser E: editorial@b4-business.com Editorial contributor / assistant Daria Bierla Advertising Sales Manager E: sales@b4-business.com

1. Advice

advice on Pensions, Mortgages, Life Assurance, Investments & General Insurance.

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Accountants Wenn Townsend 32 Contact Name: Tony Haines E-mail: aehaines@wenntownsend.co.uk Telephone: 01865 559900 Address: 30 St Giles, , Oxford. , OX1 3LE. Website: www.wenntownsend.co.uk Information: Chartered accountants and tax advisors with particular expertise in owner managed business. Office in Oxford, Abingdon and Cirencester.

The M Group 23 Contact Name: Richard Clayton E-Mail: r.clayton@theMgroup.co.uk Telephone: 01865 404705 Address: Cranbrook House 287/291 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7JQ Website: www.theMgroup.co.uk

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Studio Photography Studio 8 T: 01865 842525 E: info@studio-8.co.uk

Darbys 28 34 Contact Name: Ema Murphy Email: emurphy@darbys.co.uk Telephone: 01865 811700 Address: 52 New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, OX1 2DN Website: www.darbys.co.uk

B4 Partners Apartments in Oxford Barclays Bank B-Line Buildbase Darbys The Focus Group The Oxford Conference Centre Oxford Shortlets Oxford United FC STL Communications Wenn Townsend Subscriptions For free Subscription, please contact: T: 01865 742211 E: info@b4-business.com

Information: One of the largest law firms in the region, Darbys specialist departments deliver legal services to businesses and their owners in some unique ways.

Charles Russell 78 Contact Name: Peter Elliott E-mail: peter.elliott@charlesrussell.co.uk Telephone: 0845 359 0090 Address: 7600 The Quorum, Oxford Business Park North, Oxford, OX4 2JZ Website: www.charlesrussell.co.uk

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Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure that the content of this publication is accurate and correct in every way, the publishers cannot be held responsible or liable for any inaccuracies or errors within the publication. Information reproduced from this publication is permitted with the express permission of the publisher and the advertiser, where relevant. All information is correct at time of going to press.

Conference Venues Oxford Conference Centre 74 Contact Name: Fafar Watts E-mail: FafarW@oxstay.co.uk Telephone: 01865 254075 Witney Lakes Resort 2 Contact Name: The Sales Team E-mail: sales@witney-lakes.co.uk Telephone: 01993 893000 Address: Downs Rd, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX29 0SY Web Site: www.witney-lakes.co.uk Information: With an attractive lakeside setting we are situated on the edge of the market town of Witney, Oxfordshire. Our facilities include- Meeting rooms, Health Club, Golf Course, Restaurant, Spa and Large function room.

Unipart Conference Centre 77 Contact Name: Lesley Quirk Email: conferences@unipart.co.uk Telephone: 01865 384083 Address: Unipart House, Garsington Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 2PG Web Site: www.univenue.co.uk

4. Communicate Communications STL Communications Ltd 20 64 68 Contact Name: Mark Vanner E-mail: sales@stlcomms.com Telephone: 0800 316 0123 Address: STL Communication Limited, Park House, Station Lane, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4LH Web Site: www.stlcomms.com Information: Oxfordshire’s leading provider of communication solutions.

5. Compute

Government Organisations

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Revenue and Customs Employers Helpline: 08457 143 143 Newly Self-Employed Helpline: 0845 915 1545 Online Services Helpdesk: 0845 60 55 999

Microsoft UK 18 Contact Name: Microsoft UK E-mail: businessaudience@infernopr.com Telephone: 0208 735 9735 Address: Microsoft, Microsoft Campus, Thames Valley Park, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 1WG Web Site: www.microsoft.com/ik/smallbusiness

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Conference and Meetings

2. Finance Banking Barclays 26 84 Contact Name: Ian Workman E-mail: Ian.workman@barclayscorporate.com Telephone: 07775 543496 Address: Wytham Court, Botley, Oxford, OX2 0XP Website: www.barclayscommercial.com

Financial Services Focus – Oxford 36 Contact Name: Nick Walker E-mail: n.walker@focus-oxford.co.uk Telephone: 01865 813302 Address: Seacourt Tower, West Way, Oxford, OX2 0JL Website: www.focus-oxford.co.uk

Information: Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

Web Services Nominet 16 Contact Name: Phil Kingsland E-mail: nominet@nominet.org.uk Telephone: 01865 332211 Address: Minerva House, Edmund Halley Road, Oxford Science Park, Oxford, OX4 4DQ Web Site: www.nominet.org.uk Information: Nominet is the Internet registry for .uk domain names, and provides a safe, stable and reliable .uk namespace.

Software Developer Sci-Net Ltd 44 Contact Name: Duncan Ferguson Telephone: 01869 349 949 E-mails: duncanf@sci-net.co.uk Address: 5 Lakeside Farm Park, Middle Aston, Bicester, Oxford, OX25 5PP Website: www.sci-net.co.uk Information: Sci-Net has been specialising in implementing and supporting Accounting, Finance & Enterprise Business Solutions for over 15 years.

6. Office Office Supplies B-Line 62 Contact Name: Kay Thomas E-mail: kay@b-line.co.uk Telephone: 08701 633340 Web Site: www.b-line.co.uk Information: A one stop solution for all your Office Supplies with an advanced optional on-line Stationery procurement system.

7. Stay Short Stay Accommodation Apartments In Oxford 74 Contact Name: Fafar Watts E-mail: based@oxstay.co.uk Telephone: 01865 254075 Address: St Thomas Mews, 58 St Thomas Street, Oxford, OX1 1JP Web Site: www.oxstay.co.uk

Serviced Accommodation Righton Property 56 Contact Name: Emma Righton E-mail: er@rightonproperty.co.uk Telephone: 01865 311696 Address: Righton Property Limited, 1st Floor, Cranbrook House, 287-291 Banbury Road, Oxford, OX2 7JA Website: www.rightonproperty.co.uk www.oxfordshortlets.co.uk www.rightonlets.co.uk www.shortletsnetwork.co.uk www.rightondecor.co.uk Information: Righton Property Limited manages all aspects of letting high quality serviced accommodation for business clients in Oxford and many other cities and towns throughout the UK

8. Property Professional Services Estate Agents North Oxford Property Services 49 Contact Name: Debbie Swailes E-mail: debbie@nops.co.uk Telephone: 01865 311745 Address: 47 Walton Street, Oxford, OX2 6AD. Website: www.nops.co.uk Information: North Oxford Property Services (oxfordlet.com) has been letting Oxford city centre residential property for 18 years.

Information: Oxford's leading IFA's for independent

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B4 Contacts Pink and Black Property 51 E-mail: info@pinkandblackproperty.com Telephone: 01865 515919 Address: 14 Oakthorpe Rd, Summertown, OX2 7BE Web Site: www.pinkandblackproperty.com Information: Pink & Black Property Consultants is a dynamic, fresh thinking and independent Oxford-based agency, offering a full range of property related services across Oxfordshire and beyond.

Savills 52 Contact Name: Karen Mole E-mail: kmole@savills.com Telephone: 01865 269000 Address: Wytham Court, West Way, Oxford, OX2 0QL Web Site: www.savills.co.uk Information: Acknowledged as the region's No1 new homes agent, specialises in high quality schemes within a 40-mile radius of Oxford.

Information: Retained brand marketing. From defining strategy to delivering marketing programmes against agreed budgets. Growing your brand and your market presence.

Felicitas Contact Name: Karen Lawton E-mail: felicitas@btinternet.com Telephone: 07989 936270 / 01684 273656 Address: 28 Vine Way, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 5FJ Information: Working alongside small businesses, arts organisations, museums and festivals to provide marketing advice, support and a cup of hot, sweet tea.

Design Blink Design Contact: Keith Simpson E-mail: art-work@btconnect.com Telephone: 01865 742211 Address: The Firs, Headington Hill, Oxford, OX3 0BT.

Letting Agents Breckon & Breckon 50 Contact Name: Greg Barnes E-mail: greg.barnes@breckon.co.uk Telephone: 01865 201111 Address: 15 Hollybush Row, Oxford, OX1 1JH. Website: www.breckon.co.uk Information: Letting offices in Oxford & Witney both perfectly located and offering a refreshing approach.

Accommodation

Business Club The Oxford Wealth Club 46 Contact Name: Angela Beaugeard E-mail: oxfordwealthclub@paul-avins.com Telephone: 01869 278900 Website: www.oxfordwealthclub.co.uk Information: The Oxford Wealth Club is a unique club, structured to help grow your wealth network, business skills and profits through world class training every fortnight.

Business Park

Photography

Culham Conference Centre 80 E-mail: culham.catering@ukaea.org.uk Telephone: 01235 466494 Address: Conference Centre Manager, Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 3DB WebSite: www.culhamconferencecentre.co.uk

Studio 8 39 Contact Name: Clark Wiseman E-mail: info@studio-8.co.uk Telephone: 01865842255 Address: 8 Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1AA WebSite: www.studio-8.co.uk

Property Services and Materials Builders Merchants

10. Learn Colleges

Information: We offer a wide range of Building Materials, Timber, Landscaping, Hire, Plumbing, Kitchens, Bathrooms, Tiles, Flooring & Decorative items.

9. Market

Said Business School Contact Name: Kate MacDonald / Clare Andrews E-mail: conference@sbs.ox.ac.uk Telephone: 01865 288846/7 Address: Conference Office, Saïd Business School, Park End Street, Oxford, OX1 1HP Website: www.sbs.ox.ac.uk Oxford Brookes Business School 14 Contact Name: Business School Enquiries E-mail: business@brookes.ac.uk Telephone: 01865 485858 Address: Wheatley Campus, Oxford, OX33 1HX Website: www.business.brookes.ac.uk Information: Our mission is to prepare individuals and organisations for the challenges of a continually changing, global business.

Marketing AWM Marketing 38 Contact Name: Alun Williams E-mail: alun@awm-marketing.com Telephone: 07740 031582 Address: Faringdon, Oxfordshire Web Site: www.awm-marketing.com

www.b4-business.com

Sports Clubs

Information: The technology transfer company of the University of Oxford.

53 Oxford United FC Telephone: 01865 337500 Address: Grenoble Road, Oxford, OX4 4XP WebSite: www.oufc.premiumtv.co.uk

11. Play

Oxford University Isis Innovation Ltd 26 Contact Name: Tom Hockaday Telephone: 01865 280839 Address: Ewert House, Ewert Place, Summertown,

12. Give

Days Out

Charitable Organisations

Bugatti 6 Contact Name: Ian Patton E-mail: club@bugatti.co.uk Telephone: 01242 673136 Address: Prescott Hill Climb, Gotherington, Cheltenham, Glos, GL52 9RD. Business Category: Motor Racing Web Site: www.prescott-hillclimb.com

Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals 24 Charitable Funds Contact Name: Susannah Maxa E-mail: campaign@orh.nhs.uk Telephone: 01865 743444 Web Site: www.orhcharitablefunds.nhs.uk

Information: Top class motor sport in a glorious setting, suitable for corporate entertaining, promotion & PR

Information: Donations to Charitable Funds improve the facilities and environment for patients at the John Radcliffe, Churchill and Horton hospitals.

13. Travel Golf Clubs

Air

Witney Lakes Resort 2 See Section 3 “Meet” for contact details under Conference Venues

Oxford Airport 17 Contact Name: James Dillon-Godfray E-mail: info@oxfordairport.co.uk Telephone: 01865 290 710 Address: Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1RA Web Site: www.oxfordairport.co.uk

Studley Wood Golf Club 54 Contact Name: Ken Heathcote E-mail: Ken@studleywoodgolfclub.co.uk Telephone: 01865 351144 Address: The Straight Mile, Horton-cum-Studley, Oxon, OX33 1BF. Website: www.studleywoodgolf.info Information: Members Golf Club, which welcomes both Corporate guests and visitors. Facilities include bar, restaurant and private room hire.

B4 Golf Cup 15 Contact: Colin Rosser Email: colin@designs-on.co.uk Telephone: 01865 742211 Contact: Gary McHale Email: g.mchale@theMgroup.co.uk Telephone: 01865 404707

Health Clubs and Spas 12

Johnsons Buildbase 63 Contact Name: Mike Augar (Heavyside) Craig Tarrant (Lightside) Telephone: 01865 787700 E-mail: mike.augar@buildbase.co.uk craig.tarrant@buildbase.co.uk Address: Watlington Road, Cowley, Oxford, OX4 6LN Web Site: www.buildbase.co.uk

Oxford, OX2 7SG Web Site: www.isis-innovation.com

Witney Lakes Resort 2 See Section 3 “Meet” for contact details under Conference Venues.

Restaurants Witney Lakes Resort 2 See Section 3 “Meet” for contact details under Conference Venues Clinton Leisure 40 Contact Name: Clinton Pugh Telephone: 01865 250850 Address: Head Office, Dawson Street, Oxford, OX4 1HP The Fat Duck 72 Contact Name: The Fat Duck Telephone: 01628 580 333 Address: High Street Bray, Berkshire , SL6 2AQ Website: www.fatduck.co.uk Information: Fine dining restaurant.

Information: Oxfordshire’s only airport and the only commercial airport between Heathrow and Birmingham International. Provides a number of air services for both private and business use.

Executive Car Travel Pryors 58 Contact Name: David Pryor E-mail: bookings@pryors.co.uk Telephone: 01235 812346 Address: 3 Mereland Rd, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 8AP Web Site: www.pryors.co.uk Information: High quality chauffeur driven Mercedes fleet aimed at meeting corporate clients travel needs.

Public Transport Oxford Bus Company 60 E-mail: Info@oxfordbus.co.uk Telephone: 01865 785400 Address: Cowley House, Watlington Road, Oxford, OX4 6GA Web Site: www.oxfordbus.co.uk Information: The local bus company that’s been at the heart of Oxford for over 125 years carrying over 17m passengers a year.

If you wish to list your business on this page, the charge is £75+VAT for a basic listing and £100+VAT for a listing including explanation of the business. The rate includes presence in 4 issues of B4. For presence on www.blackbookoxford.com, the rate is £100+VAT for a full year, with a donation to Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals, Charitable Funds.

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Market conditions are always changing.

Barclays Commercial Bank can provide a range of solutions to help your business prepare for that. From protecting against interest and exchange rate volatility, to managing your cash and liquidity effectively, to tailored funding solutions. By thinking ahead, we’ll help you face any storm.

Call Ian Workman from our Southern team on 07775 543 496 or visit barclayscommercial.com/thinkchange

Please note that the number quoted 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.