Businesses in the North West which can demonstrate that their green measures have improved their profits have been called on to enter the Northwest Business Environment Awards.

The awards are hosted by the North West Regional Development Agency and environmental business support group

Farmers are now among the business owners who can access dedicated support from Business Link, following the launch of a farming section on the BusinessLink.gov.uk website.

The new guidance on the site includes advice for farmers on securing funding, managing their operations and

A third of small firms expect the majority of their revenue to come from online sales over the next five years, research from PayPoint has revealed.

The Powering Small Business Britain survey of 800 small firms found that 35 per cent expect to rely on online trading to generate most of

Employers can find out how to prepare for changes to VAT payments, PAYE and corporation tax, following the launch of a "Super Podcast" by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

The podcast, which covers four key areas rather than the usual one, includes important VAT changes which come into

Stressed-out British employees who refuse to turn off their mobile phone and stop checking emails outside work are putting in an extra ten days' of work a year, research has found.

A failure to switch off after hours and during weekends means that workers never get a break and are

Business groups have called on small firms to sign an online petition demanding that the Government scraps its planned National Insurance Contributions (NICs) rise in April 2011.

As part of its efforts to shrink the large public spending deficit, the Government intends to raise NICs by 1

Businesses used the mandatory retirement age as an easy alternative to making redundancies last year, according to charity Age Concern, which found that the number of employees forced to retire more than doubled in 2009.

Research from Age Concern found that 100,000 workers aged 65 and

More than half of UK employees are not expecting a pay rise this year, research from YouGov has found.

The poll of 4,235 adults found that 57 per cent - which equates to 16 million people - believed they were unlikely to get a pay rise from their employer during 2010. A further nine

Outstanding small and medium-sized businesses are being invited to enter the National Business Awards 2010 so they can have their achievements recognised.

Sponsored by Orange, the awards are now in their ninth year and are open to businesses of all sizes in any industry sector. Twelve

A fifth of small-business owners are concerned that they do not understand their employment law obligations, research from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has revealed.

The survey of 300 small-business owners found that 32 per cent had a firm grasp of employment

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has published a free guide explaining how the new "fit note" will affect employers when it replaces the traditional sick note on 6 April 2010.

The Statement of Fitness for Work: A guide for employers is available to download from the DWP

Cashflow, marketing and record-keeping - these are just three of the topics that will be under scrutiny when Channel Five's television reality series The Business Inspector starts on 10 March.

The four-part series will feature founder of successful pallet distribution firm Pall-Ex, Hilary