Value Advice

Friday
Aug 19,2011

Uniform4Kids is the first and last London schoolwear supplier you need to look for to meet all your school clothes requirements. This business knows that purchasing school uniforms can test one’s patience: children often have different ideas from their parents as to what they want to wear, whether the conflict arises from a preference over the length of a school skirt or the colour of a pair of P.E socks. The family-run supplier has plenty of experience in settling these sorts of conflicts. They have also forged strong links with a range of schools over the years, so know exactly how their pupils should be presented.

First of all then, they concern ourselves with ensuring that your child gets the right uniform so they fit in with other classmates and avoids getting into any needless trouble with teachers: well presented child will feel comfortable in what they are wearing and will be more likely to aim for success. They even supply stationery from Helix and Casio, and hair accessories and name tags, so parents can be assured their children get all they need for lessons in one go.

The fact that they can supply all you need in terms of school uniforms and more, means that the service is a real hit amongst working mums and dads whose lives are already hectic and who therefore appreciate saving time. But time is not all that is saved – money can be economised on too because of the very affordable prices. And, if your children participate in extra-curricular pursuits it’s well worth knowing that the product range extends to sportswear appropriate for physical pursuits practised outside of school, as well as uniforms for clubs such as Brownies, Beavers, Cubs, Guides and Scouts. Budding ballet enthusiasts can even get their ballet slippers and tutus here – it’s all covered!

Altogether, they’re unbeatable as a London schoolwear supplier. Buying school uniforms has long been associated with stress, tantrums and fallings-out but you can put an end to these negative connotations: school clothes shopping in London can now be an easy affair, especially as they deliver direct to over 75 schools in the UK.

Please visit http://www.uniform4kids.com/ for further information about this topic.

http://www.uniform4kids.com/

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  • Thursday
    Aug 18,2011

    As websites and the internet have increased the speed of communication, it seems that the ability to be in several places at once without leaving your office will be the only way to get ahead in business.  Video conferencing allows us to do exactly that.  audio visual conferencing is a very good driver for productivity, allowing us to keep in closer contact with colleagues.  The new closeness brought by telepresence video conferencing is likely to lead to new ideas on how to speed up the development of new products and services.

    During a videoconference call, all participants are able to see the facial expressions and body language of all conference participants.  These crucial features of communication are lost with a standard telephone call.  Moreover, if this technology is used for customer service and sales, it has important implications for improving customer relations.  If customers with an inquiry or a complaint can effectively meet internal employees by using telepresence video conferencing, your business relationship with customers could be significantly improved.

    Furthermore, video conferencing offers a great opportunity to minimise travel expenses – a real winner in today’s economy.  While many people still like to get out of the office and meet clients and associates in person, there are several situations where it is possible to save large amounts of money on airfare and hotel costs, as well as the loss of productivity that results from being out of the office.  Although shaking hands with somebody can never really be replaced, video conferencing allows us to ask ourselves whether the cost of that handshake is really necessary in every case.

    With video conferencing, you can easily assemble a meeting of various people from different locations, to discuss whatever it is that unites them.  Whether they are at different ends of the same county or opposite sides of the globe, communication is just as easy.  Many of us feel we can express more through facial expressions than through the tired clichés of business speak, which is why a live video call is often much more effective than a telephone call.  In addition, if anything technical needs to be explained, the visual element is extremely valuable in facilitating an easily understandable demonstration.

    Video conferencing is not just a new technology that might be worth getting used to, it is the future of communication.  With telepresence video conferencing, participants genuinely feel as if they are sharing a room with fellow conference participants.  audio visual conferencing is there to make our lives easier – we would be foolish not to take advantage of it.

    Please visit http://www.edgevision.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.edgevision.co.uk/

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  • Sunday
    May 22,2011

    Instant loan approval is just what it sounds like. You send an online application and, literally within minutes (often less), the site’s software provides the required credit checks and approves your request. The cash is paid into your account then and there (it can take three days for BACS to clear, but for an additional charge you can opt for immediate transfer). The cash advance is generally repayable on a short-term basis such as a month – the point behind such a short term loan being that you use it to address your immediate money issues rather than as a permanent strategy. It’s therefore quite different to the consolidation loans you’ll have seen advertised.

    One of the biggest differences – other than the time frame – is the cost. You can usually borrow from £75 to £750 (so it’s not right for major debt consolidation anyway), and the fee runs to 30 percent for the month. If your maths is any good, you’ll soon realise that this is not a good long-term option, since that works out as an APR (annual rate) of about 2,330 percent a year (that is, borrow £100 and you’ll have to pay back £130 after a month but £2,330 after a year). But the company is not designed to be used this way. It’s still expensive – far more than other options that may or may not be available to you – and so you need to be careful. The benefits are firstly, that it’s instant – if you have to have the money, you can have it within minutes. Secondly, it may be suitable for people who would not qualify for other forms of loan, such as from a high street bank, or even a credit card.

    One way of looking at this is to figure out whether you’ll be better off if you opt for a short term loan, and if the downsides of not taking it are more expensive. Another way is to think of a cash advance like a hotel. You pay by the night, not the year; £50 a night might be good value for a week or so, but when you think of it as £18,000 a year, you’d never stay in it! Instant loan approval is similar in that it’s never meant to be for the long term. Most important of all, however, is to ensure that you use the time it gives you to set your finances in order so that you don’t need another one.

    Please visit http://www.cashgenieloans.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

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  • Saturday
    May 21,2011

    Starting to apply for graduate jobs is a challenging time for most undergraduates.  If you are not one of the lucky ones who decided at the age of seven that you wanted to be a doctor or a vet,  even deciding when to start can present all sorts of difficulties.  Even for those who know the direction they want to go in, it is not always obvious how best to go about it.  Will a graduate scheme be the only way to get a foot on your chosen career ladder?  Or should you start trying to find internship positions to gain experience and make contacts?
    University careers centres can be very helpful with these kind of things, but turning up with no sense of what you want from your future, and asking them to wave a magic wand and come up with all the answers is unlikely to yield results.  These careers professionals are very well informed about the paths into most graduate careers, but are less likely to have a strong grasp of your skills, interests and background.  So it is probably not worth going to careers advisers until you have at least some idea of what they might be able to help you with, and the sector or field you are interested in.  This can be as vague as ‘media’, ‘health’ or ‘consultancy’, as the careers advisors will be able to tell you more about the different roles and graduate jobs that are available in each sector.

    It is good to decide as early on as possible what the best route in your chosen career might be.  The reason for this is simple – applications for graduate schemes and internship positions can open as early as September in your final year of university.  For those who need to be interning in order to gain experience in their chosen area, it is often worthwhile to start applying for internships in your first year, so that you can gain experience in every university break.  Graduates considering law, journalism and advertising will thank themselves later if they have invested this time in gaining contacts and skills during their holidays.  Those interested in more corporate jobs such as accounting and finance will often find that a graduate scheme is the best way in, but your application to one of these is much more likely to be successful if you have completed an internship prior to your application.

    Graduate jobs need not be a headache if you invest in a little bit of preparation.  Whether it is internship positions or a graduate scheme that will help you achieve your goals, all you need to do is decide what they are as soon as possible, and you should find yourself on a smooth path to success.

    Please visit http://www.careerplayer.com/ for further information about this topic.

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  • Friday
    May 20,2011

    If you’re working for a large firm then you are probably already paid by BACS. In fact, most or all of the accounts will be settled this way, since bacs payments are speedy, secure and simple. The word stands for Bankers Automated Clearing System, and just means electronic payments. When you log in to online banking and send money to someone else, or pay a bill, this is usually done by BACS (a variation is SWIFT, which is the same except that the cash goes through on the same day rather than in three working days; it does, however, cost more). Many medium and small businesses do not use BACS software for their accounts, preferring to work with cash and chequebooks. It may simply be that the company was started before BACS became common, and the accounts department never updated their software. Either way, upgrading can be a smart way to streamline your finance department.

    BACS has a number of benefits over the old-fashioned way of doing things. For starters, it means you don’t have to keep a lot of cash on the premises, since on payday the money automatically goes to workers’ bank accounts. If you’ve been working by cheque, this is a step in the right direction, but it is still subject to error and other glitches – not to mention the trouble of making out a separate cheque for the correct amount to every employee. BACS software can be merged with your accounts software, so the right amounts are calculated for you. This can save a vast amount of time, and avoids most errors you might make – as well as delays. Even if a cheque takes no longer to clear (which is not always the case – BACS varies and some payments can go through very quickly), people still have to pay them into the bank. If you’re pushed for time, a cheque can sit around for days or weeks before you get around to it.

    There have been loads of news stories in recent years about the disappearance of the chequebook, as cards become more and more normal. Like cards, BACS is fast and secure – another reason to expect that the cheque will one day become a thing of the past. BACS software therefore has a number of advantages over the alternatives and is well worth looking into if you don’t have it already. bacs payments have well established themselves over recent years for good reason.

    Please visit http://www.bottomline.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.bottomline.co.uk/

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  • Monday
    May 16,2011

    Many people have heard about kickboxing, and think of it as something they might be interested in taking part in, but don’t quite know where to do it.  There are many clubs and leisure centres which offer kickboxing London, but the variety of styles and approaches can be a little confusing for the first time kickboxer. Locating a kickboxing club should not be too much of a headache, though, as long as you have some idea if what you are looking for.

    One style of kickboxing is Zen-Do, which translated from the Japanese means ‘all paths’ and originates from the traditional Karate style of Wado-Ryu and Mu-Gen-Do fighting system.  Sensei Hironori Ohtsuka started the Japanese martial art of Wado-Ryu Karate in 1934, after studying another form of karate called Kiu-jitsu.  The full name of this style means ‘way of peace’, which highlights that the intention was to use it as a means of solving disputes in a non-violent way.  Karate-Do means ‘way of the empty hand’, as karate is practised without the use of weapons.

    Karate took off in Britain in the 1970s, when the first few instructors pioneered Wado-Ryu karate in the UK.  Meiji Suzuki came over  to teach at the Tonbridge Club in London’s King’s Cross. Whilst he was here he decided to expand his martial arts knowledge by thinking beyond  the strict training system he was accustomed to.  He travelled to Yugoslavia and trained with the national team coach there, who was an expert in kick-boxing.  He then devised  a system called ‘the unlimited way’, so called because it remains open to new ideas and techniques.  The focus of this style of fighting is arriving at the most intelligent and correct answer to the problem of a fight.  If a combatant loses, he will look to his mind, body and technique in order to assess what might have gone wrong.  As Zen-Do is not bound by tradition, like some martial arts, it is constantly evolving.  Another reason for its popularity is that it is not just physical in nature, but it represents the development of the mind, body and spirit in a continuous cycle.

    If you are looking for a kickboxing club in London and are interested in a form of kickboxing that allows for some creativity and expression of individuality, then it might well be that Zen-Do is for you.  But if you are of the opinion that you might be better suited to a more rigid discipline, the present kickboxing London scene is sophisticated enough that there will certainly be a club out there to suit your demands.

    Please visit http://www.zendokickboxing.com/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.zendokickboxing.com/

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  • Saturday
    May 14,2011

    Social worker jobs can put those who do them through higher than average stress and burnout.  As local authorities are forced to cut spending, increasingly high caseloads in a job with strong emotional demands are placing more pressure on our social workers than ever before.  Researchers in Calgary, Canada have attempted to discover the key to happiness for those in social services jobs, in the hope that policy makers will make use of their findings to make social worker jobs more attractive.  The study, by John Graham, a professor of social work at the University of Calgary, was interested in what makes these professionals happy, rather than concentrating on the well documented causes of stress.  His findings will be of interest to all those who want to make sure they keep hold of their valued employees.

    He was motivated by trying to keep people in social services jobs, after recent statistics showed that eight percent of teachers and 15 per cent of social workers leave their jobs annually.  Graham’s team sent a survey to 2,500 registered social workers in Alberta, and received 700 replies.  They chose the 13 ‘happiest’ social workers of those who had replied and focussed their investigation on their lives, through job shadowing and in depth interviews.

    They reported that the most satisfied social workers reported higher levels of fulfilment when they had flexible work schedules, work life balance and support in their jobs.  Graham highlighted that social workers, by their nature, are caring, sociable people.  When they experience high caseloads they need good support in order to do their jobs well.  One of the trends reported commonly by the happiest social workers was having a high degree of freedom built into their jobs, particularly having enough flexibility to balance the demands of heir jobs with their personal lives.

    From victims of abuse to neglected children, people in social work jobs find themselves in a variety of challenging circumstances every day.  This makes social services jobs demanding, but also fulfilling, as long as social workers receive enough support.  These findings have interesting implications beyond the remit of social worker jobs, as other employers might be encouraged to look at what makes their employees happy rather than tackling what makes them stressed.  As the researchers point out, everyone performs better in their role when they can find satisfaction and happiness in what they do.  The best way to ensure your employees achieve this is to develop organizational cultures that reinforce these principles.

    Please visit http://www.sanctuarypersonnel.com/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.sanctuarypersonnel.com/

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  • Friday
    Mar 4,2011

    Isn’t it a pain the way the summer holidays always disrupt one’s careful budgeting?  People who have been planning their finances properly all year are tempted by offers of sun-soaked beach resorts and flights to paradisical places.  When flights, hotels and spending money are all factored in, a summer holiday can double or triple our outgoings for a given month.  For those who find themselves in real difficulties, Cash Genie is here to offer short term payday loans to tide you over.  You may not end up needing this, though, if you read the following money saving suggestions from Cash Genie.

    If you want to find cheap flights, timing is crucial.  Unlike package holidays, it is worth looking for flights as far in advance as possible.  Because business travellers will pay high costs at the last minute, airlines will only increase them as time goes on.  The budget airlines will tend to offer the cheapest flights, but it is important to be aware of any ‘extras’ they charge.  If you are informed about the charge for extra carry-on luggage or boarding card printing, you can avoid those little extras that can end up adding unexpected extras to your flight costs.

    It may be that looking for cheap flights is not the best way to get the top deal on your holiday.  If you are going away for a week or 14 days to a popular holiday destination, then package holidays can be very cost-effective.  Package holidays bring other positives too.  The tour operator provides flights, connections and accommodation for one price, leaving you with little to worry about.  Most of the package operators are ATOL protected, so you are more likely to be protected if the company goes bust or something goes wrong.  If you do opt for a package holiday, you will find better deals if you can leave booking as late as possible, but this will deprive you of some choice.  Because tour operators have chartered the planes and reserved the hotel rooms, companies who have not sold all their holidays will need to sell them at the last minute to avoid losing money.

    Hopefully, if you take this Cash Genie advice and plan your holiday carefully, you will not need an extra loan to deal with the cost of your summer holiday.  Saving money in this context is all about knowing what best meets your needs.

    Please visit http://www.cashgenieblog.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.cashgenieblog.co.uk/

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  • Sunday
    Feb 27,2011

    It’s always comforting when good looks and practicality go together. Whether it’s a pair of well-fitting jeans, a carefully chosen antique fruit bowl or a hip yet functional family car, most people would tend to combine beauty with function wherever possible. This holds just as true for buildings, even more so when many aspects of function are non-negotiable due to energy-conscious building regulations. From this need has grown the burgeoning market for the brise soleil, aluminium curtains and external louvres. You may not be familiar with these terms but you will have seen them numerous times, probably without registering that they were anything more than a stylish flourish to finish off a building in need of an identity. Not so.

    The term ‘brise soleil’ effectively means ‘sun block’ in French and it was a French architect, Le Corbusier, who first popularised their use. Although Le Corbusier was famous for using concrete moulding on his designs to prevent the sun from glaring into rooms, these days it is much more common to use aluminium curtains or external louvres as the 1960’s enthusiasm for concrete has receded. These architectural additions give a lighter, more modern, visual touch but they are far more than simple adornments.

    While in our homes we are likely to think about insulation, in offices with a high number of computers, all pumping out heat, cooling is just as much of a problem and an energy drain, as heating. Add to this the fashion for large windows and the heating effects of the sun are even more pronounced. However, large windows can also be used to improve the building’s energy efficiency by minimising the demand for artificial light and, if the sun’s heat can in some way be captured, can also meet some of its heating needs in winter.

    The most efficient way to achieve this balance is by addressing these issues in the initial design of the building, although retro-fitting is also an option. There are even companies now, such as Maple Sunscreening, who not only manufacture and attach such solutions but who can also analyse either the plans for a new building or an existing structure. They plot the course of the sun not simply over one day but across the whole year, proposing style-conscious solutions which will help to maximise heat retention and light in the winter while preventing over-heating and glare in the summer.

    The ingenious part about these structures is that they are, although usually fixed, able to create different effects at different points in the year through careful angling, blocking out summertime glare but allowing precious winter light to enter. Not only does this increase energy efficiency, it is now common knowledge that employees benefit mentally from natural daylight, especially during the colder months, making them less prone to both poor concentration and depression. So, the next time you walk under a brise soleil as you head into an office or admire the style of an aluminium curtain or external louvres, you will know that you are looking at a building with more than just a pretty face.

    Please visit http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.maplesunscreening.co.uk/

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  • How to use Cash Genie

    Thursday
    Feb 10,2011

    Cash Genie is an online lending company that holds to particular rules when it comes to deciding whether to grant applicants money or not. Their decisions are based on several straightforward principles, which means that it’s relatively easy to figure out whether your application will go through or not. Aside from that, there are a few points to remember, since what you make of the opportunity in the long term is more up to you than any number of rules and restrictions can dictate.

    Informal lending can have a bad reputation – loan sharks and other dodgy lenders charging enormous rates of interest, keeping no paperwork (or hiding the paperwork from you) and ensuring that you never really know when you’re out of debt. In fact, the job of these people is not to keep you out of debt: it’s to keep you in it, always repaying interest but never fully paying off the loan. The saying is apt – you can fleece a sheep many times, but only skin it once. The best companies, on and offline, should act on the principle that they should be trying to make themselves obsolete to each customer: their service is temporary, intended to get the client through a short-term problem – not to keep them in long-term poverty through ongoing and unnecessary repayments.

    That’s why Cash Genie lend only for one month. There are no hidden fees: the rates are 30 percent for the term of the loan. It might seem expensive, but that’s it. It’s a kind of one-off flat-fee, and the arrangement is supposed to end after that. The idea is to get you out of trouble and better keep you there, rather than saddling you with repayments that go on and on for years. The purpose of the loan is to give you the breathing space to look at your finances properly, understanding where you went wrong and putting some measures in place to make sure that you don’t need to keep coming back to instant loan approval companies again in the future (and, incidentally, it is almost instant – the decision is made within minutes or even seconds, everything is automatically checked, and the company uses specially designed software to make sure that you are getting the best amount of money – not more than you need, which is bad practice on both your parts, but not less either).

    Please visit http://www.cashgenie.co.uk/ for further information about this topic.

    http://www.cashgenie.co.uk/

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