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Organisations are predicted to spend an increasing share of their marketing budgets on search engine optimisation in 2009. But what are the new themes and issues that will tax organisations in their efforts to make the most of search?

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Book retailer Borders has become the latest retailer to use social media marketing. New Media Knowledge spoke to industry players about how this sector can gain from a conversational approach.

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Business Briefing: How to Sell on the Web

Being able to compete online is a major area which small and medium-sized businesses in particular need advice. New Media Knowledge interviewed sales specialist Sean McPheat for some words of wisdom.

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Related Articles

• Stress in Business

  Charles Helliwell believes that managing the perfomance of any business is direct consequence of the personality it projects to its staff, customers, partners and shareholders. more

Reducing the Cost of Stress

With millions of working days lost in the UK each year, stress costs British businesses billions annually. To make matters worse, a landmark court case recently ruled that employers can be held liable for the effects of workplace stress on employees' health.

Experts believe that besides leading to falling productivity rates, stress also greatly increases the risk of personal injury.

Two of the principal causes of stress are bullying by managers and people being put in jobs they are not suited to. Businesses can begin to tackle the problem by introducing simple personality assessments, job rotation, and regular management reviews.

Causal factors

Taking a broader view, a number of causal factors can be identified:

• A general increase in the pace and complexity of working life brought about by the rapid growth in information technology
• The erosion of personal space and time resulting from developments in communications technology
• Increased workloads resulting from staff cutbacks, etc
• Increasingly informed and demanding customers and clients
• Lack of job security
• The stresses involved in commuting to and from work, travelling on the job etc.

Some of these factors are out of the hands of business owners, but others can be addressed - especially when it comes to IT-induced stress.

Computer rage

Research has shown that many people working with computers feel frustrated or stressed because of IT problems. The majority of computer users have seen colleagues hurling abuse at their PCs, and admit to swearing at their own computers!

The results of this new menace of 'computer rage' are not only higher stress levels, but also measurable costs to the business - deadlines are missed, contracts are lost, and customers angered. Clearly this is an area where the business owner is in a position to improve matters.

About Stern and Company: We provide a wide range of business support services to an extensive range of organisations and individuals, throughout the Greater London area. Our close relationship with our clients provides an insight into a far wider range of business situations than is traditionally associated with an accountancy practice. As a result we seek to ensure that clients are kept abreast of the new opportunities which arise in the business world. For more information go to www.stern.co.uk