CCGs Open Up NHS Contracts To Offshore Companies

The NHS is always in the news given its financial situation being on the brink of collapse. One of the other issues that are not widely covered by the media is the contracts put out to tender, which are scrutinised by some as a backdoor to privatisation.

Whether public or private, there’s always going to be a need to put contracts out to tender. It opens up competition and when that’s there, there’s competitive pricing and certainly no comfort blanket once a contract is awarded. If it’s awarded and breached, - or in the case of Leicester NHS trust, which saw a £300M contract terminated early due to being outdated and inappropriate - contracts can be ended early and other options considered. 

What is baffling to read is the chaotic way in which the procurement process of the NHS contracts is being handled. A few years back, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) announced clauses to NHS contracts put out to tender disallowing the award of contracts to private companies based offshore. Its purpose was to ensure that all contracts awarded by the public body to the private sector would have tax coming back into the economy to further invest into the NHS.

Now though, CCGs are looking to withdraw that clause and open up contracts to include companies based offshore, such as in the Netherlands and the British Virgin Islands, which are known to be tax havens for corporations.

The move comes from the possibility of the NHS being legally challenged over discrimination, as it is argued that tax avoidance is not illegal. Tax evasion is but not avoidance.

Virgin Care is one private corporation reported to have been awarded £1BN in NHS contracts, but doesn’t pay tax on those because they claim to be operating at a loss, and not because they are based in the British Virgin Islands.

This latest announcement from CCGs about the legal issues surrounding how contracts are awarded puts emphasis on the tax issues and not so much legal as it would certainly cost a lot in legal expenses to defend the stance of discriminating based on where a corporate head office is located. 

What can other businesses take from the debate?

The argument to be had is not so much about legalities but more about the ethical issues and something every procurement process should perhaps include. How ethical are other companies an organisation partners with?

That’s not limited to the public sector but for every company around the nation. It’s the only way to affect change. Change how you do business, with who you do business with and why.

·         Does your copier supplier have a toner recycling program?

·         Does your stationery provider use recycled material?

·         Are your company vehicles of the lowest CO2 emissions?

There’s a lot to be said about business partners and the contracts put out to tender. Get the partners wrong and company policies, mission statements and ethical standards could all be compromised.

Perhaps a way to move forward with change in mind is to include ethics expected when making the business case for whatever service or product is needed within the organisation.

Set clear guidelines on who your ideal business partner will be to be awarded contracts. Of course, there’s always going to be legalities surrounding such contracts, especially in the public sector, and since that’s where most procurement guidelines are set from, it’s going to be interesting to see how the tax situation with outsourced NHS services pan out in the long-term. It’s bound to have an impact on industry guidelines further down the line.

Image courtesy of gponline.com. 

The Evolution Of Technology

Where money flows, it goes or grows. Technology helps businesses make sure it’s the latter.

It doesn’t need understood to be used. In today’s age, our newly educated and graduated - who are the developers of the world - put their knowledge of technology into the development to better what already exists. They enable the wiser business chiefs with the life experience to know nothing more than how to work the new creations.

A path from hardware to software to into the cloud

The MFP (Multifunctional Printer)

It’s been in use for years and will continue to be for many more to come. The modern printer is a computer. They have hard drives, memory, wireless capabilities and they’re also connectable.

MFPs, just like the computer can have software added to them to give them more power. They scale to become whatever a business requires.

If it gets complex, costly, or too time consuming, there’s always managed print services (MPS) available, which could be a cost efficient solution. Tread carefully with the contracts though.

The MFP is the hardware. That’s enhanced with software making the following possible:

·         Document management (Scalable to Enterprise Level)

·         Back office transaction processing

·         Workflow automation

·         Accounts outsourcing

·         Collaboration

Is it possible for an office copier to be more efficient than the desktop PC?

Perhaps…

Throw wireless compatibility into the mix and things get more interesting.

Now a photo can be taken of receipts and with a smooth swipe of a screen, it’s sent into the cloud and the contents captured through OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

Receipt bank and Shoeboxed are two service examples

This is SaaS (Software as a Service) at its finest. Every business knows the importance of tracking expenses. Expense tracking services get it and give you the tools to capture receipts digitally or the ability to directly upload them. Once uploaded, OCR technology captures the data, eliminating data entry.

That can then be linked to…

Cloud accounting software

Accounts – love them, loathe them, we all have to get along with them. This software makes that part much easier. Finance departments can take care of all the accounting practices, while your sales force can create draft invoices for approval while there in the field. Speed up the invoicing process and in turn speed up incoming revenues.

Manual invoice processing can be time consuming, not to mention the fact that it takes longer to collect the payments without it being done electronically.

·         Payroll

·         Invoices

·         VAT

·         And tax

All of the above can be completed in cloud applications.

As part of the HMRC Digital Strategy, cloud accounting will be the only way forward… and it’s for the best.

Cloud connects software together and lets businesses tailor solutions to their every need.

Forecasting, reporting, budgeting, and when the time comes – managing treasury functions.

Apple Inc marketed the perfect slogan back in 2010 with “There’s an app for that”. They were right to Trademark it, because all forms of computing hardware is now enhanced with software and those come in the form of app marketplaces. 

Copiers, phones, tablets, and even watches are being powered by software applications. When harnessed to the fullest in business, the right hardware paired with the right software can make the world of difference to the bottom line of any business.

Why are oil prices damaging the stock market?

The topic of oil prices continue to make daily headlines, but are leaving consumers with some basic questions unanswered. Stocks are having a poor start to the year, in fact the worst in recorded history. And this could be partly due to the plunge in oil prices.

Already we have experienced a 28% reduction in crude oil prices, pulling the overall index down by 9%. These low oil prices and fuel prices have been warmly welcomed by many consumers and businesses. However, they have also been faced with criticism, with experts concerned about the low prices. If we look back to 2007-08, ironically these experts were concerned about the prices being too high.

What is the reasoning for the low prices?The answer is simple, because we are extracting so much of it.  The previous long-running high prices enabled drillers to develop and test new techniques and search for new locations, in which they succeeded. These improved oil drilling techniques increased the amount of oil available on the global market due to a higher amount of extraction.  US production remains at a steady level, despite the low prices and lifting of international sanctions. Therefore, the US stockpiles have hit their highest levels in almost 80 years. Following this, experts have predicted that global oil supply could outstrip demand by 1.5m barrels a day.

How do low prices affect the stock market?These low prices has meant that oil companies profits are rapidly plummeting, along with their shares and therefore dragging the whole market down. Large investors are also selling off shares of companies that may be affiliated with the oil industry, like certain well-known banks. Financial experts are also worried that global economic growth will be much weaker than expected as a result of the oil prices.

Are lowers prices good for the economy?Lower oil prices aren’t always a good thing, it depends on the reason why they have been lowered. If it is because new supplies have been found, then this can have a positive effect on the wider economy. The best case scenario for the economy would be for oil prices to stay positive through transferring income from the oil producer to the oil consumers. However the latest reduction in oil prices shows that global growth is slowing down as businesses and consumers in many developing countries make cutbacks on spending.  Consumers are becoming more cautious about how they are spending their money and concentrating on saving more.

What would be the ideal situation?

Experts suggest that the best price would be one that is high enough for the producers to remain in business whilst still low enough to provide real benefits to the incomes of consumers. It has also been anticipated that the oil prices will level out by the end of next year as oil companies cut back on exploration and excessive production.

Why is 'big data' a big deal?

It is common knowledge that the world has become more digitally complex over the recent years. The advanced nature of digitalisation has increased interconnectivity between people and businesses alike. Defined networks now make up the infrastructure of our technical, social and working environments. As technology grows more and more powerful, its partnership with mathematics has opened the door for ‘big data’.

Big data has been defined as “extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions.” Big data can become a popular and seductive concept for procurement leaders, providing them with beneficial analysis and the answers to many burning questions. Queries around to how to reduce costs, increase competitiveness and heighten profits can all be answered with the help of big data. However, leaders are still apprehensive that a computer can present such answers to crucial decisions. Therefore, in order to get the most out of big data, the users need to be educated and confident about how complex and accurate this data can be.

The ability to apply tailored tools and options allows us to create a much more complex purchasing environment and therefore aiding better outcomes. The collaboration with globalisation and technology also provides businesses with information on specialists markets and cultural differences, aiding supply chain relations. This complex marketplace analysis does not only outline purchasing behaviours but also anticipates the future strategic challenges and potential new opportunities.

In order to successfully evaluate business scenarios, it is recommended that you should focus on planning on how to execute your new procurement strategy. Having the ability to effectively comprehend and focus on complexity has provided procurement with the opportunity to enable cost-effective growth for many businesses. This successful understanding has had outstanding results for many procurement departments, making them able to quickly move into expanding markets, reduce cultural barriers and allowing for a greater overall competitive advantage.

Gaining data surrounding global market intelligence also allows leaders to identify potential procurement hot-spots and enables better decision-making to be carried out. This in-depth thinking can dramatically affect procurement, putting it at the top of its game. The results should show a positive and genuine ROI. In contemporary procurement departments, having the ability to read and analyse these complex data sets is a highly sort after skill. Partner this with the ability to visualise and outline the road ahead will be the biggest advantage for successful future procurement.

Top 5 biggest threats to the world right now

Everyday we are faced with headlines containing the word ‘threat’ or ‘crisis’, but what actually are the biggest threats that today’s world is facing?  

Prior to the World Economic Forum next week, results have been released following a review of the biggest issues that could affect the world over the next 10 years. The same analysis from last year’s survey listed state conflict and water security high up the list of global issues. However this year’s report, carried out by over 750 experts, identified all the significant environmental, geographical, political and economic threats that may worsen in the next decade.

Here is a list of the greatest risks found following the World Economic Forums research: 

1. Unemployment

Although economic issues feature far less prominently, unemployment still remains an important issue. A slow but steady economic growth reduces the likelihood of another financial crisis happening any time soon, but the likelihood of unemployment still remains high.  Consistent joblessness keeps inequality within society and causes a lot of social tension.  Yet again, the opportunity for global prosperity remains out of reach. Vast technological advancements and a slow economic growth also mean that unemployment is set to be a long term issue.

2. Migration

Headlines of the large scale migration crisis reach us on a daily basis, but this issue will expand further over the next 18 months. This involuntary but necessary mass movement of people in the past year is set to continue, overtaking other potential global risks. Records show that over 60 million refugees fled from their homes in the previous 12 months. The government and policy makers have to prioritise this crisis and support those in need.

3. Climate change

Even though migration has the greatest likelihood of persisting, climate change looks to have the greatest overall impact on the world.  The inability to confront the issue of the temperature rising means that climate change has now been classified as a Global Risk. This was outlined before the 2015 Climate Change conference in Paris. However, dealing with the effects of climate change can prove a much more complex task when compared to other issues,

4. State Conflict

The results from the survey also revealed that one of the biggest threats to affect the world in the next 10 years will be from political tensions. Such crises including that in Ukraine, Middle-East, Russia, China are all suffering from strained relations and strategic power struggles. Although these struggles are not directly violence related, these issues can cause global instability in both the present and the future.

5. Oil Prices

Oil prices have dropped to the lowest prices since 2004. This reduction in price has come as a positive shock for the global economy and has helped from consumer spending. The recent results shown that petrol may even become cheaper than bottled water in the UK. However, experts say that the quicker the price reduces the faster it will rebound. These potential higher prices could squeeze consumers and increase global inflation.

The Hidden Law That Could Be Undermining Your Business

Do you walk the walk, or talk the talk? You can’t do both, so which is the most effective for your business?

An interesting perspective from 'Yes, Minister' helps us to open our eyes to a hidden corporate culture. In the initial chapter, we are introduced to the Open Government white paper. This document provides proof that they intend to help the minister implement his stated policy goals. However, as times goes on it is revealed that this document is actually a prime example of the Law of Inverse Relevance.

"The less you intend to do about something,

the more you have to keep talking about it."

Understanding the Law of Inverse Relevance, might seem far away from what you considered the business environment to be like. However, once you surpass the confusion, it all become clears.

For example, you are scouring through a global conglomerates website and come across their well scripted mission statement.  In relation to the Law of Inverse Relevance, this statement is merely a piece of text that they want people to believe that represents their company and what they do. However this representation isn't what they’re actually doing.  Simply writing a good quality mission statement isn't enough - don’t just talk the talk.

This law provides explanation of why you are more likely to get ripped off at “Honest Harry's Hardware Store” than a basic hardware shop. Another good example is an MD stating that his workforce is “one big happy family” when the reality is it is a group of dissatisfied, unhappy workers. The Law of Inverse Relevance also explain why companies employ Ethics Officers, Diversity Policies, CSR and Environmental Standards departments. It is a purely for perception.

But don’t panic, all this talk is actually saving you money! Because it's keeping you from getting things done.

This law has brought to light some interesting revelations, including:

• Some of the most successful businesses don't have mission statements, because they know what they are aiming for.
• The top innovative businesses rely on their customers to decide whether their new products are good.
• Socially responsible businesses act responsibly from personal interest rather than for a good perceived reputation.
• The best leaders portray great leadership rather than spending time and effort claiming to be excellent leaders.

The principle is simple you either "talk the talk" or you "walk the walk."

2016: An expensive year for employers

The government's new national minimum wage rules look to set back employers over £1 billion in the year to come. The new £7.20 minimum wage, agreed by George Osborne, will start as of April 2016.

This change looks to affect around 1.7 million UK workers, totalling over £650 million of wages to be paid by private employers.

This increase in the national minimum wage has also forced employers to raise wages for those working over the NMW to create wage differentials between employees. This helps to sustain the hierarchy and offer the opportunity for a pay rise or promotion. This increase has been called the “wage spillover” costs and will create a further expense for employers. Research by the RPC suggest that this cost will total around £230 million.

These new government changes are eligible for employees over the age of 25 in which their employer must pay them at least £7.20 per hour. George Osborne aims that this hourly rate will eventually increase to £9 by 2020. So the costs for private companies is likely to keep increasing.

As with an governmental change, there has been a fair share of criticism. Large UK employers argued that this increase could lead to their stores closing down. Alongside this, research from 1000 employers shows that 15% of companies would have to make redundancies to cope with the NMW increase (Resolution Foundation). Many economists have suggested that substantial increases, even if pursued over a few years, would need to be made incrementally and with a great deal of caution if they were to be effective.

Overall, the consensus from the majority of UK employers seems to be positive and they are supportive of the new wage changes. A recent study has shown that 93% of companies think this increase in national minimum wage is a “good idea”.

In addition to this the government has also been criticised for not planning far enough into the future when it comes to calculating the national minimum wage. They have only set plans for the first year and have not calculated what the yearly increases could amount to by 2020.

Times Are Changing: The Future of Supply Chains

“For time and the world do not stand still. Change is the law of life. Those who only look to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.” - John F. Kennedy

In order to develop a tactical procurement team that will add value to your business, you need to learn to adapt. Procurement has been done in the same way by contingent workforce leaders for years. However, the world of sourcing and contingent workforce management is transforming. Traditional sources dominate in contingent workforce management. While staffing suppliers, agencies and personal networks source most contingent talent today. But that is likely to change quickly.

During the 2000s, a few factors combined to cause additional changes in purchasing. Corporate social responsibility became critical due in part to the Internet, easier access to data, strategic sourcing and partnership working. Collaboration between procurement teams, colleagues and suppliers became more frequent. Professionals began to think deeper than cost and how to add value onto overall enterprise. Not to mention the rapid increase of outsourcing and global sourcing requires much greater levels of service contracting management.

It’s evident technology has affected procurement considerably. There has been progression from a focus on physical supply to much broader questions around value. We see, links between procurements effects inside and outside organisations, which developed from understanding both are important for procurement success. Although the world we work in has become much more complex and unpredictable, the internet provides more than enough assistance, to help us make sense of it.

The key to preparing for changes is anticipation, preparation, and the appropriate adjustments. Procurement is changing, so be prepared with these four ways to get ready.

1. Share your knowledge: The most transformative objective to achieve will be making every member of the team better at procurement. Team performance will have a direct impact on your organisation's bottom line. When you build a “procurement mentality” in your staff, you can increase compliance, reduce risk and create more cost savings.
2. Be strategic: Procurement must move away from the presiding focus on unit cost reduction that is still the primary focus in many organisations. You need to play a wider and more fundamental role in the organisation.
3. Expand spend visibility: Spend visibility is an important part to all changes in procurement. If you want to control supply effectively, you need to manage spend. Spend is what you pay and supply is what you get. To manage spend you have to see it.
4. Be prepared to use technology: The speed of technological development is only going to get faster going into the future.. Procurement professionals need to be familiar with technology and know how to use it to manage supply chains and get great business results.

“The Times They Are a-Changin” - Bob Dylan

Predicting The Business Landscape for 2016

2015 has been the year of the entrepreneur with new business models and start-ups constantly popping up. This is due, in part, to innovative use of technology, social media and extremely low-interest rates. 2015 indeed, is a great time to start a business. However, as 2015 is coming to a close you may wonder what the future holds for 2016. 

What technology trends will create unique new business opportunities and change the worldwide business landscape for better or worse. Although we cannot predict the future, we’re going to share with you my predictions for three important changes that should be taken into account before setting up a business in the new year. 

3-D Printing

3D printing makes it possible to create an object simply by creating a digital file through computer aided design (CAD). The software then sends it to the 3D printer where the image is split into 2-dimensional representations, these are then fed through the printer that builds the object layer by layer. A rise in popularity in 3-D printing has the potential to totally revolutionize the global business landscape. Basically, 3-D printing means that anyone anywhere in the world can produce an object they want or need pretty much on demand.

Global shipments of 3D printers were forecasted to grow an astonishing 98% by the end of 2015. In 2016, these sales are expected to double. Over the next several years, it is expected that the price of 3-D printers will decline while means of use will continue to expand. 

Big Data

For the most part, Big Data has mainly been used by larger organisations in order to get a grasp of consumer behaviour. However, this is changing, relatively quickly in fact. Digital marketers and many start-ups collect distinct information about customers, then this data is used to improve their strategy. All the while collection strategy and analysis techniques are improving so many organisations are becoming better at collecting and analysing data.

In the past, companies had so much data they actually struggled to mine it for the useful information. Now, enhanced analytics means that big data is a completely different ballgame. Big data is helping organisations meet their goals and objectives. It’s being used to help retailers predict their customer's future purchases, for pre-targeting in advertising which generates additional traffic and incremental sales by targeting new customers. This only scratches the surface of how increasingly crucial and useful big data is becoming. 

Smartphone Resale Market

Smartphones are expensive. Yet consumers want their hands on new smartphones with exclusive features, without having to pay the large retail price. This has generated vast business opportunities. This is breathing new life in the mobile phone resale market, especially in markets emerging throughout South-east Asia and China. Additionally, businesses that offer services to help users unlock their iPhone iCloud accounts on second-hand phones are becoming increasingly popular. As the smartphone resale market continues to expand, business opportunities like this will continue to emerge.

What These Changes Mean

It is vital to understand how the business landscape is changing if you are an entrepreneur. Developing an understanding of new technology trends and adopting them before others are key to maximizing your potential earnings, whether you’re trying to figure out uses for big data or are planning to involve 3-D printing in your prototyping process.

Celebrating In The Workplace

Many leaders struggle when faced with a celebration in the workplace, and can be left wondering whether they should or not. The argument arises “why should we celebrate, people are already aware that we are succeeding” after yet another milestone has passed. The best answer is to get an equal balance between celebrating when necessary and not overdoing it. However, more than often celebrating when reaching a goal is forgotten about.

In procurement we regularly talk about how to maximise the effectiveness of your workforce, and this can be done through recognising and rewarding achievements.

Why should we celebrate progress?

There are two clear reasons for celebrating progress and this is to reinforce focus and momentum within your employees. During long and tedious projects, focus can get lost as employees concentrate on reaching an end goal. Employees can become engrossed and can easily miss the progress that they have made. It is very important for leaders to help employees to recognise the progress and rejuvenate their focus and team momentum.

 

How should you do it?

We have identified 7 simple components that will help you when considering and executing a workplace celebration.

1. Base it on milestones.

In order to justify a celebration, you must understand the progress that has been made. Having a completed project plan will be an excellent reference, allowing you to see the milestones that were set and when they were achieved.

2. Get the team involved.

Inform the entire team when a celebration is due and allow them to get involved in the process, from organising when and where its taking place, to selecting a gift. Giving this responsibility to participants who may not have had a direct involvement in the achievement will let them feel meaningful.

3. Don't be shy.

Don’t celebrate half heartedly. Let your employees know how much you appreciate their hard work, commitment and overall progress.

4. Keep the celebration in perspective.

The purpose for the celebration should be clearly outlined. This is not an opportunity to celebrate everyone and everything. Make the individuals involved feel special.

5. Be authentic.

There is little point in holding a celebration if you are unable to give them a genuine congratulations. If you are not feeling it, hold back on doing the celebration. Authenticity is vital.  

6. Make it an event.

It doesn't have to big or extravagant, but it does need to be an event. Spread the word around the office so everyone knows when it is.

7. Consider gifts/rewards  

A gift can be a great surprise to add to any celebration. Why not consider a personalised card, vouchers or something else? This also relies on your office's existing gift-giving culture. Remember that the gift should be appropriate for the specific achievement.

We hope that these suggestions will aid you in your celebration decision-making. When used effectively, celebrations can increase employee motivation, productivity and overall morale.

Is technology the answer to better productivity?

With Britain's economy and employment levels growing much faster than other countries, productivity remains a key topic for improvement for businesses far and wide.   In a recent statement George Osborne expressed the importance of cracking the UK’s productivity puzzle in order to secure future prosperity.  Research has shown that the global financial crisis has had a negative effect on UK productivity levels. While this crisis is gradually improving, we cannot assume that our productivity levels will too.

Statistics show that even though the French shut down business during the summer holidays, they still produce more than the UK who work all year round.  A 2013 Government study provides additional support for this statement, revealing that French workers are operating at a 27% higher productivity rate per hour than UK workers.  This percentage is even higher when compared against Germany and America too.

However the ongoing investment and advancement in technology offers a promising opportunity for the productivity of the UK workforce. For example, the UK’s manufacturing sector has benefited from such technologies, allowing for them to produce 50% more than in 2009. Technology can be hugely advantageous for businesses and start-ups,  helping to reduce costs, provide access to new markets and enhance customer service. Globalisation has meant that local businesses can now be accessed worldwide, thanks to technology. This digital marketplace opens many doors for businesses, enabling them to sell their products nationally and even internationally.

Although there are a growing amount of success stories of businesses breaking into international markets, this is still not mirrored throughout the UK. Larger businesses think investing in IT and new digital innovations will guarantee them better business, but this is not the case. Businesses need to be more efficient when it comes to optimising these technologies in order to reap the rewards. The mixture of creativity, the right channels and data usage can create future opportunities.

The importance of an effective online presence is also crucial for businesses. However it is shocking to see that less than 30% of UK business have an effective online presence. Cloud-based computer file storage and sharing abilities now allow teams to collaborate across locations, providing much more flexibility. However the majority of businesses and employees understand the importance of the digital marketplace but are merely lacking the skills to take full advantage of these technological advancements.

The Government's Digital Transformation Plan is the strategy we need to transform productivity. The extra focus on the role of digital technologies will be beneficial for the UK economy and help to drive productivity. If executed effectively the potential rewards for the UK are massive.  Future investments in IT systems and training is essential for the strategy to succeed. A change in behaviour and workplace culture is also needed for productivity to improve. There is no better time than now to implement these changes and get all businesses to embrace the technology at their fingertips.

What is the the best way to manage your online reputation?

Back in the 90's before the great internet revolution, much of what we said and did was almost instantly forgotten. Our hobbies were only known by the people we did them with or told about them, not to mention job histories could not be found without references and CV's. These days thanks to Google, social media and the internet in general, what we do is here to stay - without careful reputation management at least.

Whether you've ranted on Facebook after a particularly bad Monday, misspelt Tweets or had unflattering photos of your night out posted by your friends, it can be difficult to manage your online reputation, especially now social media archives it all for posterity. Managing your online reputation isn't just about making sure any past online mishaps are hidden - it's also about making sure you show your best side, coming across knowledgeable, confident, capable and internet-savvy.

Although there are a plethora of companies who will help you clean, protect and build a professional online reputation for a price, in reality you can do it yourself for free, here's how:

1) Google

As with most things on the internet, reputation management starts with Google. The first thing you should do is search for yourself and not just on Google either, use every search engine out there as well as social networks and forums to find out everything there is (good and bad) about you on the internet.

Remember to search for your name, nicknames, maiden name, misspellings of your name - to be honest, it might even be a good idea to search for your first name coupled with some keywords. These should include things such as your hometown, current city, your employer, your university and your current occupation.

It is worth remembering that if a potential employer is going to search for you, they'd only have a limited about of information to go on. This would include your full name, email address, a phone number and possibly your social media handles. So it is important to focus your searches around these terms.

Also remember to make sure you scour through your old social media accounts, blogs and any forums you may have frequented - especially if there may be any damning posts or photos that you forgot about. Also it may be worth checking the Wayback Machine which is a way to see if any of your accounts or forum posts are archived on the internet.

Finally, remember your online persona is not just what you have personally put on the internet. Your friends, family and significant others are likely to have posted about you at some point too and they might not have been so vigilant with your online reputation.

2) Reinforce your Privacy Settings

After you've spent the initial time hunting down all the things on the internet you don't want anyone to see, you need to start the process of getting them removed. The next move is to try and get those links/photos/blog posts taken down, or at the very least made private.

On Facebook, make sure your privacy settings are tightened up, this can easily be done in a few seconds and is an essential step. Limit the audience for statuses and posts you've shared to Friends-only, also click where it says 'Limit Past Posts' so that your past post will also be friends-only. This action cannot be undone, so make sure you don't have a need to do have any of the posts public, however this saves a lot of time over doing it one post at a time.

On Twitter, open up Setting and click Security and Privacy. Here you can make your tweets private and then they can only be viewable by your followers and people you approve to follow you.

A quick word of warning though, employers and other potential online stalkers are smart, so just making your social media accounts private may not be enough. The only way to guarantee no one will see the content you don't want out there is to have it removed or ask the person who uploaded it to take it down. As much as untagging yourself removes it from your profile, the photo still remains visible unless the original uploader takes it down. It also worth noting, you can ask Google to remove personal information from its search results, but this doesn't apply to content you or others have put on the internet.

3) Change your Name?

This isn't as drastic as it sounds, we don't mean legally changing it or anything that dramatic. But having a work name which is a variation of your full name for professional purposes may be advisable. In the same way people in entertainment have 'stage names', a work name can provide a useful buffer against your personal internet life leaking into your professional internet life.

If your name is very hard to find online because it is quite a common one, like John Smith, choosing a variation to separate yourself from the millions of other more famous Mr Smith's that will come up in a search can be advantageous. Adding a middle name or another initial to your professional can make it easier for future employers to find you and not a John Smith account dedicated to trolling someone they particularly hate on Twitter.

The best way to have a clear distinction between your personal and professional accounts is to changing both the name of your personal accounts and professional accounts. This way they will never get confused, for your personal account you could use a nickname or your first and middle names. For the professional accounts try using your full name, initials of your middle name and surname. This way it is unlikely someone will come across either account by mistake.

4) Online Brand Building

One of the best ways to manage your online reputation is to be proactive with your brand. Suppressing embarrassing content will only get you so far, in a way it is best to concentrate on your future and build new content you would want people to see. By adding new content in the form of new social network accounts, blog posts, articles and forum post, you can improve your professional standing online and even position yourself as a leader in a particular field. This is particularly important because Google looks for new content and weights it as being far more relevant than your university photos.

Here are our top tips for branding yourself online:

 - Start a blog or personal website. This doesn't have to be a professional blog, although that's preferable for your career, it could simply be a blog showing work safe posts about your life. Also consider purchasing the domain name for your name (although John Smith might be hard to aquire).

- Professional Social Media Accounts. Create a separate Facebook for your professional identity, you can then add your boss, co-workers and colleagues, but make sure to post (interesting and work safe) content to this account. It will seem very suspicious if you never post anything to this profile and not to mention they'll think your quite boring. If you're going to join social networks do so under your professional identity, LinkedIn is a good example, as well as review sites like Amazon and Trip Adviser; alumni sites like Friend Reunited; and blogging sites like Tumblr. This lets your potential employer know you're a well rounded person.

 - Be an Expert. As we said above, being an expert in your field can be very beneficial for not only your career but managing your online reputation. Getting placed in industry blogs or magazines can really help you out on both counts. It is particularly valuable to online reputation management as these publications are likely to have a much higher clout on Google and will show up first in search results. As well doing this, you can solidify your position as an expert by posting on industry specific forums, writing a blog as well as doing video blogs and through your social media interactions.

- A Word of Warning. Although you might think completely cleaning your online presence is the best thing to do, a completely blank or sterile presence is not ideal. It will make people suspect that you're hiding something much worse than a few drunken uni pics. It will be obvious to anyone who does this sort of thing as a job that you're cultivating it and they're likely to search much harder. You want to reflect yourself in a way that shows your a professional, but you have a personality too.

5) Stay Vigilant

Finally, it is worth remembering a great online reputation is priceless, but it doesn't take much to fall to pieces. Be on your guard, Google Alerts let you track search terms (such as your name), and be notified immediately when a new search with that term pops up. The Google Alerts page even has a handy "Me on the web" widget, which lets you create alerts for your name and email address.

Have separate email addresses.If you decide to go the route of different names or personal and professional profiles, use two different email addresses. Many social networks let people search users by email address or find users in their contact list (by email address). In fact, if you can, use separate everything for personal and professional accounts: separate phone numbers, separate names etc...

Be diplomatic.This is especially important if you're managing the online reputation of a business: words carry about 10x as much weight, and 5x less humor, especially when they're written down and posted on the Internet. Think before you post, especially if you're responding to someone, and try to err on the side of "overly diplomatic." Think about it this way: you're not going to get in trouble for not tweeting something controversial.