We would like to thank all organisers and participants at The Business Show for making the event a great success.

We had great interest in our new service offering “Into Blossom” focused on helping female entrepreneurs excel and exceed and had a lot of positive feedback on the service we have designed.

We offered a free business health check to visitors to our stand, if you were unable to attend the stand or were not able to book in, you may still be able to take advantage of the health check by following this link

We will be providing further details of our programme and follow up seminars on the offering

We are offering a free health check to visitors of the Business Start up show and Great British Business show to review through current business strengths and weaknesses

Follow the link below to take our health check questionnaire

Click here to start business health check

We are proud to announce the launch of our new business programme “into blossom” at the Great British Business Show in Earls Court on 17th and 18th November.

This programme has been developed to assist women in business, whether you are an entrepreneur running a start-up enterprise or established business our 3 packages will assist you to excel in business growth efficiently.

Our packages are as follows: -

“Seed” – package is focused on start-up enterprises

As a startup business or new franchisee we help you to nurture and develop your business from its roots. A clear mindset, decision and action are key. This package covers key areas including: business planning, legal due diligence, negotiation of terms, and implementation of processes to empower you in making better decisions and improve your communication skills.

“Bud” – package focused on small businesses and business professionals

We provide guidance and expertise to strengthen your business structure, develop a route map through our risk management tool and provide an implementation programme for your business success.

“Blossom” – Personal Coaching programme

This is a coaching programme focusing you on your business leadership skills so you become a great leader in your industry. In this programme we develop a route map for you to plan for the future. We focus on helping you to raise your game, develop leadership skills and through our risk management tool provide an implementation programme for your business.

These packages have been developed in collaboration with our affiliate Kamaka Limited, to find out further details about our services come and meet our team at stand 138 at the Business Start-up show

Most Impacted

Hotels and restaurants most affected by the recession were those that cater to business travellers. While leisure travel has generally maintained pre-recession levels, companies all over the nation have dramatically cut back on business travel spending in an effort to trim their budgets. The increased use of technology like outsourcing, video conferencing, and webinars has made it possible for international companies to do business without sending employees on the road. This means that leisure hotels have experienced only limited losses while business hotels have struggled to keep their doors open.

Future Uncertain for Business Hotels

Despite the hardships of the past several months, the hospitality sector seems to be on an upward trajectory, but hotels and restaurants that cater to business travellers have yet to see significant recovery.

According to a report from Deloitte in 2009, the Euro has boosted tourism to the UK overall. Despite the ever fluctuating economic and political activity, the UK economy emerged from the recession during 2010 with GDP growth of 1.3 per cent compared to -4.9 per cent during the previous year.

The in-depth analysis reveals a strong trend in UK hotel performance over the past five months. Though revenue per available room (revPAR) is still in the red, the pace of decline has slowed significantly and some markets are actually posting gains for the first time in more than two years. Leisure travel seems to be driving the trend, as weekend occupancy and revenues have risen sharply. In London, there has also been some growth in weekday corporate travel. This comes as good news to beleaguered hotel and restaurant owners.

In commenting on the report, Deloitte Hospitality Managing Partner Marvin Rust said, “The UK tourism industry continues to be challenged by the recession, with some companies announcing record losses and year-to-April revPAR, the hotel industry’s leading performance indicator, down 11.1%. However, our analysis shows that both weekend leisure demand in London and the Regions and corporate weekday demand in London over the past five months has shown an upward trend, signalling that the worst may be over for hoteliers.”

Weekend pleasure travel is leading the recovery and has shown much stronger performance that weekday business demand. RevPAR was down almost 4 percent on weekend travel, while weekday revPAR was down a more severe 14.6 percent by mid-2009. However, cities like Glasgow, Edinburgh and London actually saw increases in weekend demand.

Rust suggested there still may be a long road ahead for the business travel sector.

He added, “Although the results for corporate weekday demand in London look weak with a decline of 11%, the trend is definitely upwards over the last five months. Clearly one of the factors driving the upward trend across the country is the increasing number of Brits taking short breaks in the UK, where Sterling stretches further than in Europe. The strong Euro against Sterling has also made the UK less expensive than in the past, which is helping hotels perform better.”

The only areas that have not yet shown significant improvement are weekday demand in the Regions and at airport hotels. The proposed public sector cuts could continue to impact this portion of the industry for many months to come.

Devatas International provides a range of solutions to help hospitality business owners strengthen their brands even in the face of economic hardship. We also offer schemes to help protect intellectual property, which can help business owners get an edge on the competition.

Why Counterfeiting is Bad for Your Business

Counterfeit goods and brand theft costs companies billions in lost revenues annually, and the problem seems to be getting worse, with some experts estimating that the trend is growing at an astonishing 15 percent each year.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), about 10 percent of the global drug trade is funded by the sale and trade of counterfeit products. Organised crime and terrorism have also been linked to the counterfeit market. There are plenty of other ways brand theft can impact you and your customers:

• It’s hard to compete with criminals manufacturing and selling fake products, often at a discount. Genuine manufacturers are often forced to cut jobs, putting hundreds of people out of work.

• Lost revenue is just one of the financial pitfalls of counterfeiting; the other is reduced funds for new product research and development. Your company could be held back if your brand is hijacked by counterfeiters.

• For consumers, the danger of buying fake products can be serious. Some goods may be dangerous, hazardous to health, or cause accidents.

• Consumers are also left out in the cold after the sale, as fake manufacturers don’t offer guarantees or customer support. This can damage your legitimate brand image.

• Dealing in fake goods can lead to higher taxes because counterfeiters don’t pay tax; the difference is often passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices for the genuine article.

How the Law Protects You

It is illegal to apply a registered trade mark to goods or to make copies of trade-marked goods without the explicit permission of the trade mark owner. This even applies to intellectual property. If you discover that your brand has been stolen, you have a right to bring legal action against the counterfeiters.

Even if your products or services are not subject to trade mark protection, it is sometimes still possible to bring something called a “passing-off” action. This means that another party has been found to be dealing in goods or attaching marks to goods without the permission of the person already trading those goods and marks legitimately.

Copyrighted goods like computer software, electronic media, and artistic designs are also illegal to copy without permission. If you own copyrights and discover that your goods are being copied and sold without your consent, you have legal recourse to go after the counterfeiters.

Protecting Your Brand

There are many companies out there offering brand protection solutions. Organisations like Devatas International provide a wide range of professional services to help business owners combat counterfeiting and protect their brand image. Outsourcing these services to experienced professionals is often the most effective way to secure your brand.

The most common protection schemes are overt, covert, and semi-covert.

Overt protection usually involves a clearly distinguishable mark of authenticity. These can be holograms, colour-shifting ink, specially-formulated films, or a host of other technologies applied to retail goods. Covert protection schemes must be authenticated; these include things like hidden images and bar codes, invisible security crystals, forensic coding, and more. Semi-covert protection combines both overt and covert solutions, blending visible and invisible technologies. This gives legitimate manufacturers a customisable level of control over their brands.

After much debate and criticism, the controversial Digital Economy Act 2010 was rushed through Parliament on 8 April 2010. The new measure contains plenty of benefits for internet users, but also carries some harsh penalties for those caught misusing digital capabilities. The biggest question, though, is how the new act will impact businesses and professional services that depend on the internet for much of their operation.

Faster Connections

Despite efforts of some communications giants to bring fast broadband to the nation, the truth is that many places across the UK make do with sluggish connections that don’t even reach 2Mbps.

One of the most exciting provisions of the Digital Act is that every citizen in the UK should have access to at least a 2Mbps connection by 2012. This has some serious implications for businesses.

Small businesses are likely to see the most benefit, as companies located in rural areas will enjoy better connectivity and faster broadband speeds and will no longer have to turn to outsourcing for important tasks. Larger companies and retail outlets with multiple branches and locations will be able to rely on decent connectivity and a minimum base speed wherever they decide to expand. Businesses of all sizes will be able to take advantage of remote working, allowing employees to work from home no matter where they are.

Security

More and better connections means an increase in security threats, and the Digital Act places a lot of responsibility on businesses to protect their portals from illegal use.

Perhaps the most controversial measure of the new law is the provision that holds the owners of internet connections responsible for any illegal activity that occurs over their connection. This includes illegal file sharing, illegal downloads, and misuse of copyrighted materials and intellectual property.

The proviso was meant to stop unlawful activity online, but critics claim it places unfair pressure on connection owners and administrators.

Connection owners would be held responsible for both external hackers and internal users abusing their connections. For example: A pub owner would be held responsible if a patron used the establishment’s Wi-Fi connection to download music files illegally, just as an employer would be liable if an employee used the company internet portal to share copyrighted materials unlawfully.

For businesses, this could pose a real problem, as there is greater risk of illegal usage simply because there are more potential users with easy access to company internet connections. It also encourages hackers, some critics claim, because they’ll just use someone else’s internet connection to engage in illegal activities and the connection owner would be responsible for any fines or penalties incurred.

The penalties for security breaches are severe, another element of the bill that has angered critics. When illegal usage has occurred, the internet connection owner is notified by letter. After three letters, the owner could face substantial fines or even a complete loss of internet connection.

Risks and Rewards

The Digital Act should go far in providing better internet access for citizens all over the nation and in protecting owners of copyrighted intellectual property, but businesses should also be aware of the risks associated with the new law and prepare effective ways to deal with these threats. Devatas International can help businesses of any size in creating strategies to manage the benefits and risks of the Digital Act.

The Bribery Act 2011 has far-reaching implications for any company (for example retail businesses and catering companies) which does business in the UK.

What the Act Entails

The Bribery Act 2011 reforms criminal law to provide a new, comprehensive scheme of bribery offences that will enable courts to more effectively respond to bribery at home or abroad. In essence, the Act:

• Provides a more-effective legal framework to combat bribery in public and private sectors.
• Replaces the fragmented and complicated offenses in the Prevention of Corruption Acts 1889-1916.
• Creates two general offenses which cover 1) offering, promising, or giving advantage and 2) requesting, agreeing to receive, or accepting advantage.
• Forms a new discrete offense relating to bribery of a foreign public official.
• Creates a new offense relating to failure to prevent a bribe being paid either for or on behalf of a commercial organisation.
• Requires that the Secretary of State publish a procedures guide that commercial organisations can put into place to prevent bribery taking place on their behalf.
• Aids in addressing the threat that bribery poses to economic progress and development.

The Bill, which was published in draft on 25 March 2009, received Royal Assent on 8 April 2010.

Why You Cannot Afford to Ignore It

The implications of the new Act are wide spread. For instance:

• The Bribery Act makes it an offense to receive as well as give a bribe.
• Bribery of private persons and companies is criminalised.
• Under the Act, there is no need to prove corrupt intent.
• Corporations are held liable if they fail to prevent bribery.
• No exemptions are provided for facilitation payments; no defence for promotional expenses.

The penalties are severe, with the maximum penalty for an individual being 10 years imprisonment and/or a fine, and the maximum penalty for a corporation is an unlimited fine. Those convicted can also see collateral damage, such as director disqualifications, asset confiscation, and debarment from public contracts.

Zero Tolerance

The Act also takes a stance of zero tolerance, which has given rise to a number of concerns. For instance, corporate hospitality, gifts, and entertainment could be construed as constituting advantages given with the intent of inducing or rewarding performance. Another concern is that the offence of bribing a foreign public official includes facilitation payments.

While the government is required by the Act to provide guidelines to commercial organisations, the draft, which is already available, is focussed at a high level. Therefore, it will up to corporations themselves to determine what is required, beginning with a risk assessment and creation of clear anti-bribery policies and procedures, especially in areas like hospitality, gifts, and facilitation payments.

About Devatas International

This important information concerning the Bribery Act 2011 is brought to you by Devatas International, a project management outsourcing solution with a fresh approach to project delivery. Our professional services help you manage risks and maximise rewards with projects delivered on time and within budget; all intellectual property is secured.

As reported in the Guardian newspaper on 31st August, Munir Yakub Patel has been charged under Section 2(1) of the Bribery Act, for allegedly: “Requesting and receiving a bribe intending to improperly perform his functions.”
The Crown Prosecution Service (“CPS”) explained that it had decided to prosecute Patel, an administrative clerk, in relation to allegations of misconduct during his employment at Redbridge Magistrates Court, in Ilford, East London. Gaon Hart, reviewing lawyer for the CPS Special Crime and Counter-Terrorism Division, said: “It is alleged that Patel promised an individual summonsed for a motoring offence that he could influence the course of criminal proceedings in exchange for £500, on 1 August 2011.”
Patel is due to appear before Southwark Crown Court, on 14 October 2011, to answer the charge.

Do you know your professional from your professional?

“Professionalism” is one of those words that is hard to define. People generally have different viewpoints on what characteristics constitute professionalism depending upon the experience or background the individual is from.

Some would argue that it is about the payment or conforming to arbitrary standards, others would still have the view point that it’s about certain attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours sometimes known collectively as “virtue” or “good character.” Attitudes and behaviors have two things in common. First, both are produced by our beliefs. Second, we have the power to choose our attitudes and behaviours.

There is no right or wrong answer as such in defining professionalism but what is clear is the outcome of the professionalism has on the other through reliance of that service.

There are a myriad of professional services out in the business world from lawyers, accountants, architects to surveyors, fit out experts, planners, each professional in their own profession being an expert in their field.

To the naked eye all professionals have the basic technical experience and understanding required to undertake the task at hand in a copious manner, but sadly this is not always the case

A client has the right to expect at the very least the technical astuteness of the service they have appointed no matter what professional service they are seeking.

So the question one asks is that if all professionals have to achieve a certain technical standard within their respective professions what differentiates one professional to another in the same field?

Some would say the schooling or educational background of the professional or how they were trained and by who?

This perhaps may assist in achieving the basic technical skills required to do the job but is a client likely to appoint a professional over another because he went to a better school than the other?

Perhaps so (in some circles) but the majority of the time a client is more concerned about their immediate concern and whether the person or company they have put their trust in can carry out the job.

Other clients who are wise to the ways of business would look at the experience of the individual or company or better still use a company recommended to them by someone that they trust.

Being a good professional does lead to trustful relationships with clients, to have a client take your advice and listen to your concerns can be quite an achievement, especially as a result of that advice the client has saved money (always a favourite)

At Devatas International we believe being professional is an attitude adjustment process that begins by understanding what it means to be a professional, creating a personal vision of professionalism, and aligning one’s values in accordance with that image.

Another way to say this is “change on the outside begins on the inside.” If you were to understand professionalism, then claim it as your set of personal values, where would you start to begin your professional tune-up? A good place is with the attitude called “respect” and a person must start by respecting himself.

At Devatas International we believe in using the right professional team crafted to your project requirements prevent wasted costs and minimise risks. We source the right professional companies and service providers from our pre-approved affiliate network to ensure our clients projects are always delivered by reliable, trustworthy professionals with the right skills, experience and attitude to work as a team to ensure your project is delivered to your brief.

If you like what you have read above and would like to find out more about our services, please contact us at info@devatasinternational.com or telephone on 020 7199 4810

At one time I worked with a very successful company that had one response to implementing new initiatives – “get a guy”. (Sometimes they “got a girl” but let’s take “guy” in its generic form. That guy/girl thing is a topic for another day’s blog.)   This champion model worked sometimes, and sometimes it didn’t.  The challenges were that every “guy” had a different process, the definition of success was interpreted differently by each champion, and the team was selected frequently based on prior working relationships not expertise.  So effectively the project approach was a reflection of that champion’s sphere of personal influence and personal integrity in delivering an outcome.  Sometimes there were projects which were winners and sometimes there were disappointments.  Sometimes there were disasters of large investments with no return.

The champion process worked best when the selected guy had a proven process, prior experience and a good network of qualified experts to bring on to the team.  It worked when the outcomes were clearly defined.  And it worked when the project leader was transparent about the challenges they were facing and asked for help.  Reflecting back, that didn’t happen very often.

Why would a company with otherwise mature processes and excellent management take a “roll the dice” approach to launching and investing in important new initiatives?

I think companies who have good processes in other areas struggle with the “how” of launching new programs.  These initiatives are typically critical important to the company’s strategic direction and represent significant investment outlay.   I suspect that executives are still struggling with project strategy because they are not aware yet that they have other options.

Over the past 20 years, the emergence of outsourcing providers in technology areas has changed the way organisations run.  Outsourcers have emerged in many categories who spend their day – all day, every day – doing just one thing and building their expertise, processes and quality.  For example, companies used to manage all their computers in-house.  Today, most companies use outsourced computer hosting environments which provide a level of performance, quality and security enterprise organisations can’t afford to build on their own.  Human Resources, benefits administration and financial systems and processes are outsourced to organisations that live and die by the quality of their service model.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to outsource big, important, corporate initiatives in the same professional way – instead of just “getting a guy”?  Today, organisations really can outsource their new initiatives –but I’m not sure that they know this yet.   Like computer hosting, project management for new initiatives can be outsourced to specialists.  These specialists have proven processes, prior experience and extensive networks of qualified experts selected for their specific knowledge to bring on to the team.  The SLA (service level agreement) can be clearly defined.  And companies can expect their outsourcer to be fully transparent about the challenges they face and ask for help in regular, structured update discussions.

So how do we communicate this outsourcing option?  Well, naming the category would be a great help.  We could call it “Rent-a-Guy”.  How about calling it “Project Leader in a Box”?  Let me know what you’d call a specialized project initiative offer and we’ll talk about it next week.  Till then, cheers.