Competition and Markets Authority to investigate price comparison websites September 29, 2016 The UK's competition watchdog is launching a wholesale review into price comparison websites to investigate how they make their money and whether they really do help consumers get the best deals. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the review this morning – the latest in a long-line of high-profile probes the body has conducted including [...]
Do business leaders need to be likeable to succeed? September 29, 2016 In a pivotal debate during the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton was told that, unlike her opponent Barack Obama, she was “not likeable”. Obama couldn’t resist a cheeky retort. “You’re likeable… enough”, he said. And the rest is history. Eight years on and little has changed – Clinton still has a likeability problem. She is [...]
Preparing for lift-off: How a Kent-based SME became an export powerhouse September 29, 2016 For a small, family-owned firm based in Kent, Cajero certainly punches above its weight. Founded in 1992, it sits at the heart of the supply chains of some of the world’s biggest aerospace companies, its main line of business the design and manufacture of the cutting tools used to construct the parts of airplanes. “In very [...]
The majority of banks plan to use blockchain in the next three years September 28, 2016 The majority of banks plan on using blockchain technology in the next three years, adopting it "dramatically faster than expected", but regulation was named as the biggest barrier by global institutions. Nearly two thirds expect to have blockchain solutions by 2019, while 15 per cent of the 200 banks surveyed by IBM and the Economist Intelligence Unit expect to have something up [...]
Bitcoin still “currency of choice” for cybercriminals… for now September 28, 2016 Bitcoin remains the "currency of choice" for cyber criminals, but they may soon turn to newer digital currencies, Europe's top police agency has said, and even start targeting blockchain, the technology beneath it. The most well-known cryptocurrency is being used across a range of cybercrimes, including as payment on the darknet, and in DDos, phising and ransomware attacks, extorting money [...]
Investors shouldn’t worry about Jeremy Corbyn September 28, 2016 For many of the party’s supporters, Saturday’s result will have been seen as a win for Jeremy Corbyn and a loss for Labour. For them, a resounding endorsement of Corbyn by Labour’s growing membership has cemented the hard left at the heart of the party, and will weaken its appeal to the broader electorate. A [...]
Fundraising is more beneficial to your business than you think September 28, 2016 Fundraising in the workplace is an excellent way to engage staff, build relationships, generate positive PR and boost morale among colleagues. However, the benefits of a proper commitment to corporate fundraising can go further than this, and offer many institutional, HR and commercial benefits. In every business I have run, I place great importance on [...]
Too many young people are wasting their time by studying poor degrees at university September 27, 2016 It’s an exciting time of the year for many young people, with some setting off to university for the first time and others starting to polish their applications for next year. Good news if you have been accepted to read economics at Cambridge, say, or business studies at Oxford. A survey by the Sunday Times shows [...]
London’s the best place in the world for fostering fintech as industry eyes new success measures September 27, 2016 London is the best city in the world for fostering fintech, ahead of New York, Silicon Valley and Hong Kong – but it faces a run for its money from Singapore – as the industry pushes for better measures for assessing its contribution to the economy and the government's new industrial strategy. The two cities were ranked highest based [...]
BMW faces backlash from unions on pension reforms September 27, 2016 Unions have hit back at BMW over proposals to close its UK defined benefit pension schemes, promising to fight the German motor giant's attempts to "salami-slice" retirement incomes. BMW wrote to 5,000 employees yesterday outlining proposals to close its two final salary pension schemes to future accruals from 1 June 2017. "It is clear that our members will be [...]
