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Content Matters

Writing for Business: helping you write better business English

Posted on October 9, 2017 by in Content Matters

Business writing skills have never been more in demand.

Almost everyone in their daily work needs to write clear, accurate business English.

Whether this is in the form of emails, letters, reports, minutes, digital copy, marketing materials, technical manuals or other formats.

Even tweets are increasingly a marketing tool for both business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) communications.

Yet not everyone is confident that their business writing skills are up to the standard they would like. Many people working in communications departments, HR or marketing teams, regardless of their native language, strive to write refined and polished business copy.

People working in IT or quantitative fields are often less comfortable writing business English than they are dealing with code or numbers. Many see the need to obtain specific training in business writing skills, to help them reach an even better standard of written English.

Finance Matters
BOEPrism

Risk & Regulation Round-up December 2016 to September 2017

Posted on October 1, 2017 by in Finance Matters

In this blog we go back to our regular round-up of key announcements and developments in UK financial risk and regulation.

We haven’t done this for a while, so this edition covers a longer period than usual – 1st December 2016 to 30th September 2017.

We expect to resume more frequent updates going forward, and sincerely thank our readers for their patience during the gap so far this year. Given the long time period in view, the coverage is deliberately even more summarised and simplified than usual. In particular we pay only scant attention to Brexit.

Brexit contingency planning is well under way at all firms, under the watchful eye of the regulators. But, for the purposes of this blog, Brexit remains, just about, an environmental factor rather than a driver of actual rule changes. So – as before – we focus more on concrete developments that have occurred than on future Brexit-related changes whose detail and timing is not yet certain.

Links to underlying source stories or documents are contained in individual articles in this blog.

*** Note: The articles in this blog do not constitute advice, but please contact Prism-Clarity for further information, including where to get the best advice. ***

Content Matters
Stepped Wall Cloud Sky

Linnets, laughter, learning: #SfEP2017 conference highlights

Posted on September 26, 2017 by in Content Matters

Last year I was not very organised and managed to arrange a holiday exactly coinciding with #SfEP2016. Never again. This year I got it right. Holiday just before, no real thinking about ‘work’ or the day-to-day anxieties of life, just get on and do it.

And it did not disappoint. It was one of the most useful, enjoyable and professionally run events of my entire working life. I feel I made lifelong professional friends, learned lots, had some assumptions challenged and others reinforced. It was intensive but never grinding, enlightening but familiar, comfortable but new, jokey but serious.

And I got to sing with The Linnets, how rewarding is that?

Here are some of the highlights.

Finance Matters

In Business or In Employment? Freelancers and IR35

Posted on July 3, 2017 by in Finance Matters

This blog goes slightly off the beaten track compared to my other finance-related blogs. But IR35, the so-called ‘intermediaries legislation’, is an important topic for freelancers. It doesn’t seem to go away, and influences the way we do business.

The idea is to present this freelancer’s understanding of the contentious HMRC rule.

To illustrate it in practice, I reveal the defences I would put up if, hypothetically, the HMRC were to argue that Prism-Clarity should be within the IR35 net.

Not much of this is original. It borrows heavily from other sources including a helpful account at freelancesupermarket.com. The only truly original material in this blog is the illustrative defence relating to Prism-Clarity.

Please note: this blog does not represent advice. This is a contentious topic. If in any doubt, consult your accountant or a professional Human Resources adviser.