A monthly business magazine which will provide practical advice for growing companies as well as tackling workplace-related issues will be launched next week. The magazine, Business Plus, is aiming for a 12,000 monthly circulation target in its first year.

Business Plus will also include humour, fashion, travel and motoring. Its design style, with widespread use of illustrations is novel for business media in Ireland and is aimed at giving the magazine a more contemporary feel than its competitors, according to its promoters.

The publisher of Business Plus is Nick Mulcahy, formerly news editor of the Sunday Business Post. He joined that newspaper at its inception and previously worked with Phoenix magazine.

He says existing business media are largely driven by a news agenda. "Though Business Plus will be topical, it will also provide articles and comment from which readers can learn something practical for their business or personal life," he says.

The marketing director of the new magazine is another former Sunday Business Post journalist and a former National Media Awards winner, Ms Siobhan O'Connell.

She says the magazine's target readers include people who own or manage small and medium firms, middle managers in bigger companies and professionals seeking advice on where to invest their money.