Coronavirus hits hospitality: The industry needs your help April 19, 2020 Yes, you know the drill: The best thing you can do right now is to stay on the sofa, watching Netflix. But that’s all going to change. Radically. In a few weeks’ time, when the experts and our government pronounce it safe, one of the best things you can do to support an entire industry [...]
Coronavirus: Could crisis be a tipping point for compliance and ‘RegTech’? April 17, 2020 We are living in unprecedented times. Due to the human disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a financial downturn is upon us. Against this difficult backdrop, it is my belief that ‘Regtech’, regulatory technology, is very well positioned to weather the storm. Regtech does what it says on the tin: it uses new technology, often [...]
Coronavirus: The economy is in trouble, and there seems no plan to fix it April 17, 2020 As a rule, it is always helpful to question the usefulness of government plans—often as they are late, over-budget, over-promised and under-delivered. But when the alternative is an empty void and the government promising no light at all to what will be possible, never mind when, just an inkling of a suggestion that someone is [...]
Coronavirus: SMEs will need more than a slow-moving loan scheme to recover April 17, 2020 Britain was once disparagingly described as a nation of shopkeepers and now, over two centuries later, small, and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the British economy. According to the Federation of Small Businesses, SMEs account for the vast majority of the UK business population; three fifths of employment and around half of the UK’s [...]
Compassionate capitalism can underpin our coronavirus recovery April 17, 2020 This Covid-19 coronavirus crisis could all be over by autumn. Or by this time next year. We simply do not know. What we do know, however, is that we will need to think carefully and radically about how this country is going to recover from the devastation left behind by the coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic [...]
Coronavirus: The state is strong where it should be weak, and weak where it should be strong April 16, 2020 After politicians in countries all around the world – including political leaders in the United States and Europe – initially ignored and massively underestimated the dangers associated with the coronavirus, it is now clear that huge numbers of people will sooner or later become infected. Even with decisive action, hundreds of thousands will die worldwide. [...]
Coronavirus: Keeping company culture a top priority will pay off April 16, 2020 Small business owners across the nation are, understandably, concerned right now. Daily news reports show the economy coming to a halt, businesses shutting up shop and an ever increasing death toll. SMEs, arguably more than any other group, are equipped to weather this storm. Our connected economy and cloud-based services enable us to continue – in [...]
Coronavirus: The Mayor must do more to protect London’s key workers April 16, 2020 In the last month, 26 staff from London’s transport network died. Most were bus workers. And instead of taking action himself, the Mayor says he needs more international collaboration Don’t get me wrong. There’s a place for international collaboration. After all, London is a global city. But right now, the people who need the Mayor [...]
Coronavirus: Landlords will show pragmatism to save businesses April 15, 2020 Once the Covid-19 pandemic has abated and the UK retail property market returns to some semblance of normality, the way in which landlords reacted to the crisis will be forensically assessed by retailers. The hard lessons learnt by both sides will reshape the landlord-tenant relationship and people will have long memories with regard to how [...]
Coronavirus: Businesses must seize the chance to be altruistic April 15, 2020 We recently interviewed the Manufacturing Director of a large company who told us that in response to the COVID-19 pandemic he had gathered all his suppliers and told them frankly: “We’ll face this together. We share everything.” This leader could easily have placed the entire burden of plummeting demand on the shoulders of suppliers by [...]