Tuesday 9th April, 2013

Friends Life, which provides pensions, investments and insurance for over five million customers, is investing in an intelligent online expenses management solution. This solution (developed by Software Europe) is being provided by Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced)* and is due to go live in June 2013.  

Monday 8th April, 2013

According to the latest Business Trends report the BDO’s Employment Index has hit a 19-month high, indicating a resurgence in private sector hiring intentions.

BDO's Employment Index, measures UK businesses’ hiring intentions over the next two quarters, found it reached 96.0 in March, the highest since August 2011.

Friday 5th April, 2013

As reported in today's Guardian, the simple Keynesian message - Borrow to invest and grow is a message that is undermined by survey data published on Wednesday by the Bank of England.

The survey says British banks plan to cap their lending to companies in the second quarter as much as they did in the first, despite a probable increase in demand. For small companies the situation is dire and, unfortunately, getting worse.

Thursday 4th April, 2013

The adoption of electronic invoicing has spread rapidly across the Nordic countries, with Denmark and Norway currently leading the way with Sweden following closely behind. However, it seems that Finland currently has a way to go to catch up.

According to a study conducted by Itella Information, in 2012, 76 percent of invoices were received electronically in Denmark and 69 percent in Norway. The figures for Sweden, Finland and Russia were 46, 41 and 31 percent, respectively.

Wednesday 3rd April, 2013

A new Shared Service Centre jointly run by the government and a private sector partner will consolidate back office functions across government, Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude confirmed.

Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2), due to launch in 2014 will comprise of a number of existing shared service centres, and will deliver payroll, HR, finance and procurement services to government departments and could deliver savings of up to £600m.