A SUMMARY OF KEY BUSINESS NEWS AND EVENTS

In this section we have brought together a summary of recent key business news and events which we're sure you will find interesting, plus we give you our opinion on a recent topic.

KEY BUSINESS NEWS

More women break into top boardrooms

The Independent reports that 27% of FTSE100 Board appointees in 2011 were women.

Retail sales in December up 4%

The Guardian reports on a last minute rush to the shops which saw December deliver a 4% increase over 2010.

Temporary jobs fall for first time in two years

The number of temporary job placements fell in December according to the Independent

Flybe shares down on fresh profit warning

A steep fall in the numbers of internal UK flights has left Flybe facing another year of losses according to the Guardian.

BUSINESS EVENTS

Food & Drink Expo 2012

25th - 27th March 2012 NEC Birmingham

The UK's largest Food and Drink Show

www.foodanddrinkexpo.co.uk

Internet World

24th - 26th April 2012 Earls Court London

Europe's leading event for Digital Marketing and Online Business

www.internetworld.co.uk

OUR OPINION

HOW IMPORTANT IS GROWTH FOR THE AVERAGE SMALL BUSINESS?

The economic news these days is dominated by worries about growth in the UK economy. Clearly government plans are dependant on the increased tax revenue which a growth in GDP would deliver.

But how important is it for a small business to grow its revenues and profits?

In our opinion, growth has to be managed extremely carefully in these troubled times.

Of course it's vital that any business is able to return a reasonable profit, particularly when there are inflationary pressures on costs, but we believe that any growth which relies on increased borrowing must be weighed against the risks of a further fall in consumer confidence and the possibility of future interest rate hikes.