My pension funds probably invest in at least some of these companies, so I declare a vested interest in Google et al maximising their profits. But it occurs to me that dealing with negative PR by paying more tax could actually increase future profits through better PR. The £120million covers a number of years; the recurring cost will be much lower.
I've been using VOIP for a while and for person-to-person calls outside the office it's fine. However, if you have conference calls with more than one of your staff involved the digitisation delay can be an issue; the person next to you speaks, you hear the voice "live", then the voice pops up on the call nearly a second later. Most disconcerting.
I agree that waiting this long for a return on cash spent is not the preferred way to run a business, but to call this "a disastrous liquidity situation" seems to ignore the fact that the business seems to be trading and seems to have been doing so for some time.
There is, of course, a cost to having money tied up in a business. But provided that the cost is being met (plus a return) and the supply of cash is sufficient then surely there is nothing wrong with this business model?
Indeed, there can be benefits. If the early payments to suppliers are pushed by the business rather than demanded by the suppliers then this could be part of a beneficial relationship that gives preferential treatment at times of stress.
This strategy might actually be the saving of the business one day. Accountants can advise on the implications of a business choice and the law, but ultimately it is for the owner to run the business according to their methods to achieve their objectives.
...office spec laptops are relatively cheap (though a colleague is contemplating buying a £1,500 laptop, she wants to play top-end video games on it). That means that the premium for buying one from PC World or other showroom retailer is small in absolute terms. I would go and spend a while trying out models in your price range; keyboards are a personal thing and you want to see how much the display will reflect light sources. A reflective screen is more of a pain that a matt finish. Check the display size; the smallest that's usable is good for portability if that's important. Weight is important, too.
I suggest you'll want a few USB ports. That will allow you to attach a decent keyboard and mouse if you need to establish a portable office somewhere. A port to drive an external monitor can be useful, too; I'm using my laptop to write this with an external screen, keyboard and mouse that I bought when circumstances dictated, about two years after I bought the laptop.
Coming to this thread a bit late, my view is no storage mechanism is totally reliable. So, I diversify how I store data. I do this by using Network Attached Storage (NAS), and off-the-shelf crate with two drives in RAID formation. If either drive dies, I'm covered. If the box dies, the data is safe on two drives and I can get another box to put them in. Then I back up the NAS to the cloud. I'm only at risk if the cloud supplier goes bust at the same time as my premises burn down. Rob
Online banking that allows CSV downloads (between dates you specify if you want) as well as statements. A branch that's always been responsive to me and dealt with issues promptly. Charges that have been reasonable and good advice on how to hold money to minimise the overall cost.
On the down side, who knows who will buy them. At least the Santander deal has fallen through.
My answers
Shareholder's interests
My pension funds probably invest in at least some of these companies, so I declare a vested interest in Google et al maximising their profits. But it occurs to me that dealing with negative PR by paying more tax could actually increase future profits through better PR. The £120million covers a number of years; the recurring cost will be much lower.
Bob.
A "delayed" note of caution
I've been using VOIP for a while and for person-to-person calls outside the office it's fine. However, if you have conference calls with more than one of your staff involved the digitisation delay can be an issue; the person next to you speaks, you hear the voice "live", then the voice pops up on the call nearly a second later. Most disconcerting.
Disastrous? Maybe not.
I agree that waiting this long for a return on cash spent is not the preferred way to run a business, but to call this "a disastrous liquidity situation" seems to ignore the fact that the business seems to be trading and seems to have been doing so for some time.
There is, of course, a cost to having money tied up in a business. But provided that the cost is being met (plus a return) and the supply of cash is sufficient then surely there is nothing wrong with this business model?
Indeed, there can be benefits. If the early payments to suppliers are pushed by the business rather than demanded by the suppliers then this could be part of a beneficial relationship that gives preferential treatment at times of stress.
This strategy might actually be the saving of the business one day. Accountants can advise on the implications of a business choice and the law, but ultimately it is for the owner to run the business according to their methods to achieve their objectives.
Rob
These days...
...office spec laptops are relatively cheap (though a colleague is contemplating buying a £1,500 laptop, she wants to play top-end video games on it). That means that the premium for buying one from PC World or other showroom retailer is small in absolute terms. I would go and spend a while trying out models in your price range; keyboards are a personal thing and you want to see how much the display will reflect light sources. A reflective screen is more of a pain that a matt finish. Check the display size; the smallest that's usable is good for portability if that's important. Weight is important, too.
I suggest you'll want a few USB ports. That will allow you to attach a decent keyboard and mouse if you need to establish a portable office somewhere. A port to drive an external monitor can be useful, too; I'm using my laptop to write this with an external screen, keyboard and mouse that I bought when circumstances dictated, about two years after I bought the laptop.
Secure storage
Coming to this thread a bit late, my view is no storage mechanism is totally reliable. So, I diversify how I store data. I do this by using Network Attached Storage (NAS), and off-the-shelf crate with two drives in RAID formation. If either drive dies, I'm covered. If the box dies, the data is safe on two drives and I can get another box to put them in. Then I back up the NAS to the cloud. I'm only at risk if the cloud supplier goes bust at the same time as my premises burn down. Rob
RBS
Online banking that allows CSV downloads (between dates you specify if you want) as well as statements. A branch that's always been responsive to me and dealt with issues promptly. Charges that have been reasonable and good advice on how to hold money to minimise the overall cost.
On the down side, who knows who will buy them. At least the Santander deal has fallen through.
Bob.