It's a delicate situation. The person in charge of your pay checks and any potential promotions has invited you after work for a couple of casual pints, and of course you have to say yes because he's your boss, and you want to be appealing and liked by him as he is the person who will be able to push you higher up the corporate ladder, but you have to remember that it's never really casual and that it's a minefield of possible disasters. Here are some things to look out for.

When it comes to settling the cheque, while you know that your superiors earn a considerable more than you do and you're possibly down to your last few dollars to last you the rest of the week, offer to pay. Your boss will most likely decline your offer of payment, but it will leave a positive impression. By tipping the bar staff you will also imply that you are a generous and kind person.

Be careful with your intake. Your boss may peer pressure you into drinking copious amounts, and while he or she may be disappointed that you cannot keep up, they will be even more disappointed if you become embarrassingly drunk. Be careful to control your consumption, even when somebody else is paying - you have to be in control of your actions and your words to ensure you leave them with the correct impression.

Try not to talk about work. This is a chance to get to know your superior on a personal level and to appeal to his more intimate and less professional self. Also, by talking about work you can possibly slide into back chatting or gossiping over employees in the company which your boss might not see eye to eye on.

Make sure not to linger too long, especially if the boss is paying. This will show that you don't want to be an expensive inconvenience and that you're not taking advantage of their generous offer, but also the longer you stay and the more alcohol you consume, the more likely you are to bring up something in conversation that you will later regret. While this is a casual and intimate environment, you still need to be perceived as a professional to be able to impress your boss.

By consistently refusing the offer to go to the bar, you could be perceived as a negative person who is not open to suggestion, adaptation or new ideas, and it can also suggest you are an anti-social person. You do not have to drink alcoholic drinks to be in attendance, and a non alcoholic drink allows you to keep your wits about you and ensures that you are still bonding with your employees and not purposely missing the opportunity. Nobody will judge you negatively for not drinking something alcoholic.

And above all, remember that the reason for attending is networking, and not to get drunk and party. The drinking is merely the setting, the purpose is to create stronger connections.

Almost everybody owns a smart phone which connects to the internet these days. Whereas before, online data could only be accessed through a computer terminal, now emails and communications are available 24/7 at the touch of a button. These advancements in technology have had several effects on business and business continuation.

Workers now possess more flexibility as they are able to catch up with their business on the go with much more ease. Even when travelling to and from the office, or while you are away on business trips or even on holiday, as long as you have access to a 3G network you are able to continuously communicate with your clients without the need for a computer or laptop. Smartphones often come with smart software that allow you to update your schedules and calendars on all your devices at once, so even adjusting these isn't problematic from your cellar device, and having a cellular device on you at all times also has the added ability of reminding you of important dates and events in your schedule through push notifications, alarms and reminders that you are guaranteed to see, regardless of your location.

Employees have a greater ability to be able to take their work home with them. Even without a computer or laptop, people are able to write and send emails, adjust and send documents, amend schedules and access the internet which means that when you have approaching deadlines that put pressures on you that regular office hours simply don't suffice for, tasks can still be completed outside of the office and on the move. With the ability to access anything from anywhere, working on the move is becoming more and more popular.

With the ability to conduct teleconferences and Skype interviews from your mobile device, international hour differences are less of a problem as you can conduct these from anywhere where you have access to a network or wifi connection. This means that this is no longer restricted to office hours.

Smartphones are multitasking devices which allow you to complete several tasks at the same time through multiple applications which leave each other uninterrupted. Often these apps can communicate with each other so that you can transfer files and data between them. With such a simple interface, often it is easier to control several applications at once through your smartphone than on your computer device.

Smartphones give you immediate access to your bank accounts and you can manage, make and receive payments at your fingertips from anywhere. You also have instant access to platforms such as Facebook and Instagram which can be used to promote your business within seconds, as well as quick and easy access to stock reports and essential business data.

The biggest disadvantage to this development in technology is that where people used to just leave the office and switch off, now they are more likely to take their work with them all the time. This can lead to an increase in stress levels, a more agitated sleep pattern and more disruption to their private lives, however, overall, smartphones have had a very positive impact to businesses all over the world.

In an age where the internet dominates our lives and people spend the vast majority of their time scrolling through a news feed, advertising has had to adapt to capture attention even quicker than before. The use of visuals in advertising have become even more important as often a potential consumer's eyes will only glance over the advert for a fraction of a second as they scroll past it on their screen.

If you think about it, Instagram is a very strong media platform because it says so much with so few words. People simply don't have the time to sit and to read through pages of information and they want quick, easy access to mass content with quick and easy responses to show their support or appreciation for what is on display.

So how can we apply this to advertising? What visual features make you stand out from an endless stream of mediocrity?

Colour is a very important tool. Your reaction to certain colours is very personal and emotional and can completely change your mood. As an advertiser, you have to decide which mood you want to inflict upon your target audience that would be most effective to persuade them to buy your product. Bold and bright colours will make you stand out from other advertisements and media, but may not portray the message or the mood that you wish to deliver.

Creating a brand and a strong image for yourself is important. If you can reach the stage where a small logo or a simple typeface is immediately recognised as your brand, such as the Apple logo or the purple used in Cadbury's advertising, then you have really implanted your company and your product into people's subconscious. This can be achieved through repetition and ensuring that you have a strong brand and logo. Just be careful not to over stimulate with repetition that they decide to block out your advertising campaigns.

The people in your advertisements obviously play vital roles. Consider the body language of the people in the pictures. Do they look confident? Do they look happy? Viewers of your adverts will automatically assume that your product will have the effect on them that it has on the people in your images.

You have to be careful not to overcrowd your imagery. The use of negative space is very effective as it promotes simplicity and draws focus very quickly to a particular point on the advert. Also when composing your image, consider using the rule of thirds for maximum impact, or to be really direct with potential customers, central composition can also be really effective. Patterns are visually satisfying to consumers and can have a very positive effect.

People remember about 80% of what they see and only 20% of what they read. The way to truly speak to somebody on a personal level is through their eyes and not through words. Imagery is a language that transcends all language barriers, although it can be interpreted differently by different cultures. Especially in today's markets where people simply don't have the motivation to read large amounts of text, it is the quickest and most effective way to promote your product.

After water, coffee is the most consumed drink in the world. From your humble cup of nescafe gold instant all the way to a single origin dark roast barista crafted flat white in a modern independent cafe, with so many formats enjoyed by a bullion people worldwide there is something to satisfy every palette and it is easy to see how it has become such a big and important business in todays society.

On average, an American spends $14.40 a week on coffee from cafes. On average, Americans drink 3 cups each every day. The average net profit on a cup of coffee is between 400% and 500%, with roughly 80c spent on labour and materials and the average cup costing $3.50. There are 25 billion small producers relying on coffee for a living. Around 30 million coffee brewing machines have been sold in the US every year since 2010. 45 hours are spent every year on Americans waiting for coffee, compared to the 48 hours they spend in the shower. 46% of coffee drinkers visit a cafe more than three times a week, and 56% percent of these people will buy a pastry with their drink. Needless to say, the market is massive.

The majority of coffee is consumed at home, however the three companies boasting the largest sales in coffee are McDonalds, Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts. There is however a trend developing which is complicating the art of coffee. The daily consumption of espresso based beverages in the US has tripled since 2008, and a lot of this growth has been seen in the younger generations. The coffee industry remained largely unaffected by the 2008 recession as millennials proved that it had become a staple that they were willing to pay for, even in trying times, who also tend to spend money on products from companies that reflect their personal values more than previous generations. This is seeing an increase in fair-trade and organic products.

There is a rise in consumption out of home and in a social environment, with consumers expecting to have their coffee served precisely as they wish. This is boosting business in smaller, independent cafes and also creating more competition amongst these companies as they all try to bend and adapt to an ever changing market as well as provide something unique.

Apps are changing the way that people buy coffee. These days, you can order your coffee from your phone and so you don't have to wait in line to acquire it. This also opens a potential stream of information which, whilst before was largely unappreciated, today is expected, so that consumers can find out where their coffee beans are sourced, how they are roasted, and the best ways to have it prepared for their particular taste.

The rise in app usage comes alongside a rise in interest in technology. More consumers are looking to buy coffee related gadgets so that they are able to produce high quality beverages in their own home, and the market for this is sharply inclining.