Over the past six months UK small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have grown on average by six per cent despite the broader UK economy struggling, according to the latest SMB Index from HP.
HP’s survey of 1,000 SMBs, with between 1 and 50 employees shows that, compared to that of the previous six months, growth for UK SMBs has slowed slightly but optimism is still strong, with SMBs expecting to grow by up to 13 per cent over the next year. Optimism in the economy is also strong, with 66 per cent of SMBs optimistic about the year ahead. SMBs in Financial Services have grown the most (13 per cent), followed by Manufacturing (10 per cent). SMBs in Retail (4 per cent) and Professional Services (1 per cent) have seen the least growth. Nearly half of UK SMBs (48 per cent) are turning to social media to help grow their business and reach new audiences, with 56 per cent of sole traders recognising its value the most. However, although SMBs are finding social media beneficial for networking purposes (83 per cent), and as a mechanism for advertising (57 per cent), many SMBs are underestimating its true potential for business growth and lead generation.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/hp/48901/
An information technology degree from Kaplan University could be the first step towards a potential information technology career.* Earning an IT degree online can seem like a daunting task, but Kaplan University faculty and staff are available to students through email, instant messaging, and phone calls as well as weekly online seminars.
Kaplan University students who have completed their online information technology degrees have gone on to work at major corporations including Microsoft and Ticketmaster. The IT degree program offered by Kaplan University presents students with real-world scenarios and offers the support to learn in an interactive environment. Constant communication and extensive resources positions Kaplan University among the top online universities.
Completing a university degree online allows the student to continue working full time while being able to take classes that fit into their busy schedules. Even in a difficult economy, a degree from Kaplan University is an investment in your future. Technological advances are not slowing down and those who can manage information technology and all that an IT degree encompasses could have a relevant career ahead of them.
* Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional training or certification may be required.
“The Information Systems and Technology programs at Kaplan [University] are very real-world and very relevant. Kaplan [University] teaches its students skills that are really necessary in today’s work place. One of the things we do for an incoming student at Kaplan [University] is we provide them very early on with some diagnostic testing that helps them identify not only their academic strengths and opportunities for learning, but also helps them identify their areas of interest and their strengths outside of the academic setting. From the first day the student virtually steps on to the campus they’re empowered to be successful.
Every day our faculty talk with students and help them think about how they can accomplish what they need to accomplish in order to be successful at school. They want to make sure that the students are comfortable in their environment and students will tell you that they can get a hold of anybody just about any time.
All of the faculty members have instant messaging and email capabilities and they have office hours where you can contact them or you can email them and they’ll always get back to you.
I have well over 300 students on my messenger list so there’s still a lot of that personalization and we try to get in there and really help the students succeed.
The support I got from my teachers and advisors was tremendous. They were caring and they seemed like they were really interested in what was going on.
We’re very serious about our work so that our students are learning and growing and when they graduate they’re prepared for what they’re doing. In the classroom we’re relaxed and we talk to each other.
I was very surprised; I actually met a lot of wonderful people online and I’ve made lifelong friends with them.
We have a seminar every week online where you meet with the instructor and all the students; it’s like a chat room. It involves an audio feature so they can hear the instructor speak. It allows for much more interactive questioning and dialogue so the student gets much more out of the seminar experience. We want to connect talent to success, to career and job success.
Now, with my education, I’ll be able to make better money which means better opportunities for my kids, my family and a better quality of life. The quality of education that I received at Kaplan University was superb. It was far beyond anything I could have imagined.
One of my former students has al
Despite sluggish recovery by the nation’s economy, the restaurant industry is projected to expand in 2012, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast released today. Total restaurant industry sales are expected to reach a record high of $632 billion in 2012 – a 3.5 percent increase over 2011, marking the second consecutive year that industry sales have topped $600 billion.
In addition, the restaurant industry will continue to fuel U.S. employment in the year ahead as the nation’s second largest private sector employer. Overall restaurant industry employment will reach 12.9 million in 2012, representing 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/52982-national-restaurant-association-2012-restaurant-industry-forecast
The University of Cambridge was voted the best for research quality, as selected by over 15,000 academics around the world. Although Harvard was the most popular among the 5,007 employers polled globally, Cambridge edged ahead overall.
QS World University Rankings® measure university research quality, graduate employability, teaching commitment and international commitment. QS rankings use a combination of global surveys and audited data including citation counts from Scopus, the world’s largest database of academic publishing.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/qstopuniversities/44212/
Jewelry Television®, the nation’s largest shopping network dedicated exclusively to fine jewelry and gemstones, has announced its most spectacular holiday shopping event ever — Black Friday Week. The deals began Monday, Nov. 21 and emerge daily and hourly through Sunday, Nov. 27. To help make shopping easier, shoppers can plan purchases ahead to avoid possible sell outs.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/jewelrytelevision/46422/
This is a new song by Me and You and a Bunch of Naked girls. We dont have a real video for it yet.. so if any girls are out there that wanna bounce their butt to it.. go ahead.. just give us credit for the music.
All of our songs are available on Itunes and AmazonMP3
Beginning this Earth Day (April 22), Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) will no longer carry red-rated, wild-caught fish in its seafood departments. The move, which comes one year ahead of the company’s self-imposed deadline of Earth Day 2013, makes Whole Foods Market the first national grocer to stop selling red-rated seafood.
A red rating indicates that a species is suffering from overfishing or that current fishing methods harm other marine life or habitats; the ratings are determined by nonprofit research organizations Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay Aquarium’s green or “Best Choice” ratings mean species are abundant and are caught in environmentally friendly ways; yellow or “Good Alternative” ratings indicate some concerns with the species’ status or catch methods.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/49713-sustainable-seafood-whole-foods-eliminates-red-rated-wild-caught-fish
WebMD Health Corp. (Nasdaq: WBMD), the leading source of health information announced today its new WebMD Baby App for iPhone and iPod touch, a free mobile application for parents of infants and toddlers. WebMD Baby gives new parents quick and reliable access to pediatrician-approved baby health and wellness information anywhere, anytime. WebMD Baby content was created exclusively for the app and is personalized for a baby’s specific age, helping to ensure new parents are one step ahead of their baby’s growth and development.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://www.multivu.com/mnr/54138-webmd-baby-app-iphone-ipod
Invacare Corporation (NYSE:IVC), the global leader in home and long-term care medical products, today is launching “Real Life,” a new campaign dedicated to raising awareness of the everyday struggles and achievements of those living with disabilities, ailments or advancing age. For these individuals, even “ordinary” tasks like getting dressed, preparing for the day ahead, caring for children, driving a car or going to work can require extraordinary effort — yet few people are aware of these everyday struggles and achievements. Invacare has created this awareness campaign and platform so that people can share their ‘real life’ stories — or the story of someone who inspires them — for a chance to win cash prizes for themselves and the charity of their choice.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/invacare/49159/
GDF SUEZ Energy Resources NA, one of the largest competitive retail electricity providers to commercial, industrial, and institutional customers in the country, announced the launch of a complimentary, mobile-optimized application designed to give energy buyers direct access to historical electricity pricing data through smartphones and similar devices.
The app, which is available for download at www.gdfsuezapps.com, provides users with easy access to data that can help them make more informed energy management decisions by instantly delivering a wide range of historical pricing. By entering a specific territory or zone, buyers can view daily, weekly, and monthly historical pricing trends for both real-time and day-ahead energy for PJM, NYISO, ERCOT, MISO, and ISO-New England.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/gdfsuezenergyresources/50486/
Walmart today announced the results of the “Walmart Class of 2012 Back-to-School Survey,” which revealed that 76 percent of moms with children in kindergarten to 12th grade consider back-to-school a time for a fresh start over Jan. 1 – in fact, nine out of ten moms make back-to-school “resolutions” in preparation for the year ahead. With 78 percent of moms planning to get organized this new school year, Walmart today launched Classrooms by Walmart, an online compilation of thousands of classroom supply lists representing schools in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., making it easier for moms to get their back-to-school supplies online and in Walmart stores.
To view Multimedia News Release, go to https://www.multivu.com/mnr/57202-walmart-back-to-school-survey-online-supply-list-classrooms-moms
