Corruption rampant around the world

Corruption around the worldIn its latest international poll, Gallup has ranked the Portuguese government as one of the most corrupt in the world based on the perceptions of the Portuguese people.

Of the 129 countries surveyed, Portugal is up there with the worst - though not quite as bad as the Czech Republic where 94% of respondents think corruption is widespread in their government, followed by Lithuania with 90%.

Portuguese Chamber of Commerce UK leads the way in Algarve networking

BPCC - British-Portuguese Chamber of CommerceThe  'Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the UK' networking lunch in Albufeira last week shows that networking is not dead, in fact it is more important than ever.
This was a true networking event at the Varanda restaurant at Balaia Golf village with members and guests keen to meet new faces and chat before sitting down to lunch.

How to become an Amazon Best Seller overnight

Become an Amazon Best SellerIt is said we all have a book in us.  That's great but is your book going to be a best seller .. and will you ever write it? A few weeks ago I completed my latest book.  In the past I've written, or contributed, to some fairly heavy titles and they have done fairly well within their restricted specialist field. But this time I'd written a book that had wider appeal ... or so I hoped.
My latest book is called "Advertising Secrets: Essential Advertising Tips That Advertising Sales Reps Prefer You NOT To Know".  It is a composite of my 30+ years of experience buying advertising space; I've had responsibility for a £5.5million annual spend in a previous life and I still write and place a lot of ads even now.

Bad to worse, yet another crisis looms

The end in sight?In the swings and roundabouts of public life in Portugal, the on-going economic crisis has produced another political one.

Innovation means Small Businesses can outcompete Multinationals

Questions and Answers made easy by PubbleSmall businesses no longer need a level playing field; the playing field is now sloped in their favour. A tie up between Eire based Pubble and Stefan Drew Associates means small businesses now have competitive advantage and outcompete their biggest business rivals. 

For years large businesses, with huge budgets, customer service centres and large IT teams have had the upper hand when it comes to answering customers questions. This has particularly been the situation where website visitors have been able to pose questions online via expensive software systems that have been integrated into company websites.

Urgent IRS submission news for self-employed

IRS returns 2013The Portuguese media yesterday highlighted an issue which affects self-employed people when they submit their IRS return this year, the deadline for which is 31st May. We have looked into the reports and have the following information for those people who are sole traders and work on the ‘green receipt’ system.

With the alteration of the Portuguese Social Security Contributive Code, it became mandatory to present a declaration that the majority of the taxpayers may not be aware of.

Portugal - all bank deposits are at risk

Remove cash nowThere is a golden rule in politics: Don't believe anything until it has been officially denied.

Three or four months ago I issued a warning to my clients that bank deposits were now fair game, and I quoted the sources.

One thing was missing: an official denial. In fact there was quite the opposite. All spokesmen agreed that depositors' money was fair game. Finally, the denial we have all been waiting for has come, from the Portuguese finance minister.

EDP's spoiling tactic over DECO discount energy deal

EDP with spoiling tacticEDP did not join in the recent electricity supply auction as it did not want to "pay commissions to third parties."

In response to DECO’s recent auction, which resulted in the Endesa company being selected as the chosen supplier for 600,000 registered customers, EDP has now launched a campaign of its own with discounted energy costs to spoil and disrupt the work that DECO has done.

EDP's new campaigns, "Casa Total Click" and "Casa Click" offer a discount offer of 10% on gas and 5% for electricity.