Chancellor Alistair Darling will look for ways to address the UK budget deficit without damaging the fragile recovery in the economy when he delivers his pre-election Budget on March 24 - even if there is a question over whether or not there will be time before polling day for all of the measures he will announce to reach the statute book.
'Extreme Managerial Guidance' … could be a television show following my working days.
This suggested title pays homage to childcare expert, Jo Frost's fascinating Channel 4 series 'Extreme Parental Guidance'.
Any successful business will keep a close eye on its costs and budgets, to make sure it's on track to meet goals and ambitions for growth.
But financial reporting alone cannot indicate whether your business has prosperity ahead.
I have many memories of Robin Hood.
My first memory is of one of my Ladybird books, 'The Silver Arrow', then that of the actor Richard Greene who played the character in the 60s TV series.
Last week I tutored a workshop at the University of East Anglia on customer loyalty as a route to profit.
We discussed some of the ways in which that loyalty can be earned, many of which revolved around making your customers feel special.
Is farming a business or a way of life?
Should it get coverage in these business pages or the lifestyle section?
The story is told of the farmer who won the lottery and was asked what he would do with the winnings - "keep on farming until it is all gone" was his reply.
As John Terry reflects on his shattered dreams of captaining his country in the World Cup, he probably feels that the past couple of weeks have been as bad a public relations disaster as you might find.
Last month I asked you: "Does your organisation encourage staff to achieve a specified level of continuing professional development (CPD) every year?
"If not, why not? You will expect professional standards from accountants, solicitors, trainers and so on.
It has taken me 14 years to bring my architects' practice to Norwich since moving home to Norfolk in 1996.
Already, I know I should have done it earlier.
It has taken me 14 years to bring my architects' practice to Norwich since moving home to Norfolk in 1996.
Already, I know I should have done it earlier.
It's a new year and a good time, therefore, to think about the 12 months ahead.
What is likely to happen in your marketplace in the coming months? What do you want your business to achieve? What could get in the way of realising those ambitions, and what actions can you take to improve your chances of success?
Indeed, what will set apart successful enterprises from those who struggle? I think the answer to the last question could be relatively simple.
Climate change, war, economic meltdown, political uncertainty, MPs expenses, duck houses, banker's bonuses; that was 2009. Soon we will have a general election, and 2010 may be a defining year for the new decade, with the run up to the election giving everyone a 'trailer' of what we might expect in the years ahead, including the administration of the medicine for the ills of the past.
I have just spent two days locked away in Churchill College, Cambridge on an organised retreat. Following the experience, I felt compelled to put virtual pen to virtual paper once again.
Is leadership important or can you just batten down the hatches and 'manage' your way through a recession?
True leadership - dealing with the tough stuff that nobody wants to do - is what will help a business trade through.
So here we are dear readers, a new decade starts but this time without all the bangs and whistles of the start of the last 10 years.
For my first column of the new decade I thought I would provide you with my own musings on things that may or may not happen in the media 2010.
"Retailer beware, we have a New Year" - there can be no doubt that although the worst of the rough ride is probably over for retailers, 2010 will bring some stiff challenges along with it.
Say you're the owner of a successful local business. A hotel perhaps.
And one day you're alerted to the fact that one of your guests has been using Twitter to criticise the disgusting state of your bathrooms.
By the time you read this, the world will already know which of Olly, Stacey or Joe is the latest winner of the X Factor.
Whoever won on Sunday will be filling the tabloids for the next few weeks and will have a guaranteed Christmas number one in the singles charts.