Good Energy invests in tidal power May 7, 2014 Good Energy Group, the Aim-listed renewable electricity supplier, yesterday said it plans to acquire an option for 10 per cent of the output from the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project, in a deal that includes a £500,400 equity stake in the project. The tidal lagoon is expected to start generating electricity in 2018. Once fully [...]
City Moves for 08 May 2014 | Who’s switching jobs May 7, 2014 PwC The professional services firm has announced the appointment of Will Brown as a director in its enterprise resilience practice. He was most recently at KPMG, where he ran its business continuity team. Simmons & Simmons The law firm has appointed Mahrie Webb to its funds practice. She has over 12 years’ experience advising fund management [...]
Best of the Brokers for 08 May 2014 May 7, 2014 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BALFOUR BEATTY UBS has upgraded the infrastructure firm from “sell” to “neutral” but cut its target from 260p to 225p following this week’s profit warning and the departure of boss Andrew McNaughton. The broker continues to harbour doubts about Balfour’s plan to refocus [...]
London Report: FTSE led down by Experian and HSBC first quarter results May 7, 2014 BRITAIN’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 2.12 points at 6,796.44 points yesterday, hindered by a drop in HSBC and credit data firm Experian. HSBC’s 1.3 per cent fall trimmed the most points off of the FTSE. The bank said its 20 per cent drop in first-quarter profits resulted from muted customer activity in [...]
New York Report: Alibaba filing knocks Yahoo May 7, 2014 US STOCKS climbed mainly higher yesterday as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen signaled continued support for the economy and Russian President Vladimir Putin called for a delay in an eastern Ukraine succession vote. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 117.52 points to close at 16,518.54 after Yellen said the US economy was still in need [...]
How SMEs can drive growth from connected customers May 7, 2014 Small businesses must embrace new technology or risk being left behind RECENT technological advances, while enabling companies to be constantly connected to their customers and suppliers across a range of channels (driving both cost and productivity benefits), have also radically changed how consumers view firms. In one of the more obvious manifestations of the trend, [...]
At the frontline: Responding to customer needs May 7, 2014 Jane Sunley, chief executive of online training provider Purple Cubed, talks to Annabel Palmer about the need for smaller companies to engage with clients at all levels of the customer journey JANE Sunley founded Purple Cubed in 2001 to offer businesses – including Thomas Pink and Pizza Express – advice on developing and retaining talent. [...]
Supplier’s dilemma: How to build scale May 7, 2014 FOR HIGH-GROWTH businesses, a key challenge comes in maintaining quality service as the company develops and the customer base expands. Many struggle to effectively navigate client demand. But for Bearmach, the world’s largest distributor of Land Rover parts and accessories, the last two years have seen radical improvements in customer care. It can now deliver [...]
Business advice: How to apply for the government’s Growth Voucher scheme May 7, 2014 SMALL firms by their nature rely on their wits, while strategic advice allows them to stand back and plan for the future with expert help.” Emma Jones, founder of Enterprise Nation, speaks with authority on this. According to a recent study by the Department for Business, advice can increase productivity, drive sales and improve a [...]
Customer service versus customer experience: How small businesses can break down the barriers May 7, 2014 THE IMPORTANCE of customer service in business barely needs restating. We’re all more likely to go back to the barista who remembers our name, who serves our coffee with a smile, than the one who slams it down on the counter, moving swiftly on to the next customer. Indeed, a recent survey of 800 people [...]
