Global turbulence to rock UK: Trouble in the Eurozone, Fed rate hikes and a Chinese slowdown could hit markets June 8, 2015 Yesterday, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) revised its UK economic growth forecasts to 2.4 per cent and 2.5 per cent for 2015 and 2016 respectively, down from 2.7 per cent and 2.6 per cent. It wasn’t troubles at home that concerned the business organisation. The CBI cited economic instability in Greece, a sluggish Eurozone, [...]
How to really make money from Bitcoin – CNBC Comment June 8, 2015 Are you putting all your life savings into Bitcoin, expecting the price to rally higher? Or are you taking bets on a price plunge using complex derivatives? Either way, I have a little tip for you. There’s another way to trade the controversial cryptocurrency and it involves new regulation from New York which was finalised [...]
Why the New Zealand dollar could bounce this week – DailyFX Tips & Picks June 8, 2015 With euro-dollar now turning a little stale, it’s worth shifting our focus onto the New Zealand dollar. Heading into the Reserve Bank of New Zealand interest rate meeting this week, New Zealand dollar-dollar is down by roughly 8.5 per cent since its April high. The backdrop for this decline has been expectations of a rate [...]
The secrets to having a highly engaged team June 8, 2015 Use internal talent to train and don’t forget old-fashioned thank yous. Only A third of UK employees are highly engaged at work. That’s according to our recent report, Employee Engagement: How British business measures up. It also revealed that line managers are the key to how engaged staff are at work. We all know [...]
How to become a good manager as you climb the career ladder June 7, 2015 Get it wrong, and it’ll irrevocably damage your reputation as you climb the career ladder. It's tough at the top, and even harder to get there. But before you plant a flag and celebrate your successful climb, pause and think how you would feel if your reputation and your value to the organisation had [...]
What the Tories mean for employees: From fewer strikes to more free childcare June 4, 2015 In the run-up to the Queen’s Speech, the suggested repeal of the Human Rights Act dominated the headlines. But now, it’s worth giving the government’s proposals for workers more time. The coalition made great play of reducing the number of costly, time-consuming and unwarranted employment claims that businesses were forced to deal with. Now, [...]
Is there a role for leadership in flat organisations? June 3, 2015 Time-sensitive and strategic decisions are best left in expert hands. For some time now, companies like Google and online retailer Zappos have championed flat organisational structures – where authority is widely distributed, everyone works together in a large space, and employees are encouraged to collaborate. This has certainly transformed leadership and management styles, [...]
DVLA changes to complicate car hire rules: Counterpart driving licences are being abolished and renters must register online June 2, 2015 Hiring a car abroad can be a hassle – with costs, paperwork, forward planning and strange roads to be taken into consideration. But alongside cutting costs, drivers should also be aware of the DVLA’s changes around driving licences. The burden of carrying a paper counterpart driving licence when hiring a car abroad will be [...]
Can you cultivate business genius? June 2, 2015 You can identify and learn the “innate” qualities of history’s great successes. We might not all possess the Midas touch of Sir Richard Branson, Arianna Huffington, or JP Morgan, but each of us is perfectly capable of coming up with smarter ideas and smarter solutions to business problems. With this in mind, if you [...]
Greek crisis complacency has big risks – CNBC Comment June 1, 2015 Would you believe that 14 weeks have already passed since the Greek bailout extension deal was agreed? That’s about 2,352 hours of twists and turns, reform talks, rumours and misinformation. No wonder most analysts and investors admit to being bored. But is that boredom breeding complacency, and can investors dare to hope that this week [...]