Introduction

1. The Freedom of Information Act 2000 (‘the Act') and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (‘the EIR') have created a small number of cases that have made significant jurisprudence creating onerous new requirements for Local Government.

2. The full provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force for all Public Authorities in January 2005. Local Government has been preparing for full implementation for a number of years – certainly as long ago as February 2003 when Public Authorities were required to make information available through their "Publication Schemes". However, full implementation and making assessments as to how the Act and its provisions should be interpreted, has brought with it a whole host of potential legal pitfalls.

3. Two codes of practice have been created under the Act which will be of help to public authorities in meeting their new responsibilities. It will be important to follow both the letter and spirit of the statutory codes of practice pursuant to sections 45 and 46 of the Act so as to avoid costly litigation before the Information Commissioner and/or the Information Tribunal.

4. The Access Code gives the skeletal framework for compliance, but in an area of law that is largely untested in the English courts, making sensible and informed decisions will be of paramount importance.

5. Exemptions from disclosing information include certain information relating to national security, information that would prejudice international relations, commercially sensitive information, and confidential information. Commercially sensitive information has already cause litigation in the early stages of implementation of the Act. This will affect Local Authorities' ability to tender for work.

Important cases

6. In John Connor Press Associates v Information Commissioner EA/2005/0005 (25 January 2006) a request was made by John Connor Press Associates to the National Maritime Museum in relation to payments made to an artist for work commissioned by the museum. The Commissioner held that:

• the museum was involved in active negotiations with another artist that the premature release of the details of the financial arrangements between the museum and the artist would prejudice the museum's bargaining position in these negotiations. • the commercial interests exemption (s.43(2)) applied. • that the public interest in withholding the information at the time outweighed the public interest in disclosing it.

7. The decision was appealed to the Information Tribunal. The Tribunal considered the ambit of "likely to prejudice" in s.43(2) and held that:

"The question we have to answer in relation to the first ground of appeal is whether disclosure of the particular information withheld . . . would have been "likely" to cause such prejudice to the [museum]. We interpret the expression "likely to prejudice" as meaning that the chance of prejudice being suffered should be more than a hypothetical or remote possibility; there must have been a real and significant risk. We draw support for that view from the words of Mr Justice Munby in R (on the application of Lord) v Secretary of State for the Home Office [2003] EWHC 2073 (Admin), a case in which the same expression fell to be construed under the Data Protection Act 1998.

You've bought all your cleaning supplies and equipment, told everyone you know that you have started a cleaning business and now you are ready to start bidding on jobs and getting down to work. So your next step is to meet with potential clients and put together a bid for their cleaning services. But how do you know what to charge for cleaning your potential client's building?

Start off by remembering that you are in business to make a profit and earn a living. Sometimes the tendency is to price our services low in order to get our foot in the door. Pricing your services too low may mean you will end up working for very little per hour. And more importantly, will have little left over to reinvest in the growth of your company. There are cleaning companies that charge more than others and have all the work they can handle and there are companies that have lower fees yet are struggling to find work! Don't sell yourself short or you will not be able to earn a living off your cleaning business.

The rates for commercial cleaning vary widely depending upon the area you live. Hourly rates are anywhere from $15 to $40 per hour depending on the type of services that you provide, whether or not you're doing the work yourself, and your company's overhead and expenses. Monthly square footage rates could run anywhere from $.05 to $.20 per square foot depending on the type of building you are cleaning and the frequency of cleaning. You'll be able to bid a higher square footage price for medical facilities versus office buildings due to more specialized cleaning needs. You'll likely bid a lower square footage price for large buildings versus small buildings. For example, you may bid $.08 per square foot for a 50,000 square foot building versus $.12 per square foot for an 8,000 square foot building.

You will most likely be charging your customers a monthly price and you will need to figure that price by estimating how long it will take to perform the services that your client has requested. The more productive you or your employees are, the higher the hourly production rate. If you're able to clean 3,500 square feet per hour, your profit will be higher than if you're only able to clean 2,500 square feet per hour, so adjust your price accordingly.

It's also a good idea to find out what the "going rates" are in your area. A few phone calls to competitors may be necessary to get an idea of the basic charges in your area. Use a script when you call so you can compare apples to apples. So what do you say when you call? Try something like, "Hi, I have a small business office that I would like cleaned once a week. It is 3000 square feet and has two small restrooms. Can you give me a rough estimate of what you what you charge per month?" The person may or may not give you an estimate. Most contractors will insist on walking through the building, but it is worth a few phone calls so you have a ballpark figure on what cleaning companies in the area are charging.

The catalogs are often called manuals or booklets. They are very effective in increasing the sales of your business. Why are there so many business persons who use catalogs for marketing? Well, it’s because when you distribute catalogs, you’re able to present your products and services in a way that is very clear and comprehensible to your potential customers.

Usually the catalogs are produced in full color for the reason that full color is more enticing to look at than the plain catalog print. Another great thing about catalog is that they’re great as handouts or direct mail items. Using them in promoting your business can really result in great return on investment for your company.

You see the catalogs today are available in various colors and sizes. If what you need is an eye-catching catalog print, pot for full color catalog. A full color printed catalog has the highest custom response rate. If you’re looking for something that is compelling and affordable, the catalog is the key. You can eliminate high cost of production on catalog by printing the catalogs in 2 colors.

Printing the catalogs in its most beautiful form can really obtain more positive response from target customers. In view of that, marketers who use catalogs are advised to give consideration to the overall look of catalogs before distributing them to the prospective customers. Planning the design as well as the printing aspect of the catalog is important. Careful consideration on catalog printing should be done in order to come up with the winning catalog.

There are numerous catalog printingcompanies out there that can accommodate your catalog printing needs. The printing services that they offer usually range from black and white to full color print options. Several printing methods are optimized to produce the catalogs. These include digital printing, offset printing and web-based printing.

Today the majority of printing firms take into service an expert catalog designer to assist customers with their specific needs. The catalog designers are proficient in making catalogs that catch the customer’s eyes. Customers are given the freedom to choose whether they would print their catalogs in a simple four-page or book-size.

Overall catalog printing can be very advantageous to your business. No matter what kind of catalog it is, it does not erase the fact that the catalog has a great potential in boosting one’s marketing plan. When you use catalogs, you’ll see that there will be an increase in number of reorders. And if there’s reorders there will be more chances of making it to the top of the competition.

Are you eyeing for a prospective customer? Do you want to organize the documents and promotional materials you need for your trade show presentation? If you want to accomplish these things perfectly, then you must use presentation folders. These folders usually include images that have something to with your business objectives. The main function of these folders is to keep information intended for the customers.

As you can see there are so many business firms who use presentation folders for the nice presentation of their business proposals. Why do they use folders? It’s because presentation folders are nice to look at. They feature a professional appearance that seems to tell the customer that “you should keep me.”

Commonly used during business meetings, the presentation folders are said to be the best sales tools that you can distribute to your potential clients or customers. For this reason, they are considered as one of the greatest advertising tools ever made. They are very important in conferences for they carry the vital information all about the business meeting. Since they hold precious information, it is just right that they ought to be printed in a very nice and corporate manner.

The folders are printed in different sizes. The folders can be produced with some well-designed pockets inside. There are also other options on how you can make your presentation folder look more attractive and elegant. The options include full color printing, foil stamping and embossing.

When you’re looking for a good presentation folder to be used for your business, you have to keep in mind some important things that are vital to the success of your business.

Firstly, look for the folder that is professional-looking. The color of the folder should be considered thoroughly. It should not be something that causes distraction. Use formal colors such as black, white, gray or beige. The size is also important. It should not be too small or too big. It should be just enough to hold the important papers inside.

Secondly, think about the theme of presentation. You can customize the folder in order that it will match the theme of the whole project. Know what do you want and link it with the general theme of the business meeting.

Thirdly, when you label the folders you must do it smartly and accurately. The font that you should use for the label should be something that is clear and visible to the eye. A personalized print of folder is also ideal to use.

Business meetings are very important in attracting new prospects to your business. Thus, you must make sure that everything that you present or distribute to your clients or customers are professional-looking and extraordinary. Presentation folders can only be printed in its most beautiful form when quality printing services are utilized.