As the refugee crisis continues, and Cameron’s renegotiation rumbles on, is the balance tipping towards Brexit? October 11, 2015 Brian Monteith, communications director of Global Britain, says Yes. The Prime Minister’s commitment to an EU referendum started as a tactical ploy to kill off Ukip and keep his party united. It has failed. He had already broken his promise to have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty and badly needed to recover credibility with [...]
Optimal climate for success: House of Kaizen’s David Shiell talks Australian luddism and CRO October 11, 2015 Over the last few years, conversion rate optimisation (CRO) has been seen as a silver bullet for a company wanting to leverage existing web traffic and increase revenues, at a relatively low price. CRO is about maximising an audience’s engagement with an advert, but the process itself is exceedingly complex, as David Shiell, chief executive [...]
Apple allowing in-app ad-blockers establish worrying precedent October 11, 2015 Apple caused a storm a month ago when it released its iOS 9 software update, and not just because it caused many users’ mobiles to crash. The new operating system permits ad blocking technology, allowing users to screen adverts out of content, and a number of apps which block adverts in Safari have rocketed up [...]
Nick Hewer on Uber, Jack Whitehall, true entrepreneurship and the dream of a Labour Party coup October 11, 2015 I’m very wobbly. I feel homeless – it’s a huge hole,” says Nick Hewer who, after nine years and 10 series as Alan Sugar’s right-hand man, has left The Apprentice. But the 71 year-old businessman isn’t talking about leaving the show; he’s describing what it feels like to have voted Labour since 1964 and now [...]
Don’t overlook the blossoming UK mid-market – Investec Comment October 11, 2015 Germany's Mittelstand is a point of national pride, but Britain’s mid-market companies are often unfairly overlooked. While the largest firms gain attention by virtue of their size, and smaller businesses are regularly prioritised by government, mid-sized companies – broadly, those with an annual turnover of between £10m and £200m – don’t get the attention they [...]
Why merit is key to more diversity in the workplace: Inclusive leadership is not a Stalinist labour market intervention October 11, 2015 Let’s start with a point that nearly everyone can agree on: organisations in competitive markets need the very best talent. And we should recruit, promote and retain that talent on the basis of merit, and merit alone. We can generally agree that, if someone is selected or promoted on the basis of their identity, rather [...]
Bank’s decision to hold rates helps FTSE rise – London Report October 9, 2015 THE BANK of England’s decision yesterday to keep interest rates at record low levels contributed to rises in the blue-chip FTSE 100 index. A continuing surge in energy and mining shares also helped the index to maintain a run of rises. The FTSE 100 ended 0.6 per cent stronger at 6,374.82 points, outperforming major European [...]
Best of the Brokers for 09 October 2015 October 9, 2015 To appear in Best of the Brokers, email your research to notes@cityam.com BREWIN DOLPHIN Canaccord Genuity expect that the FTSE 250 investment fund Brewin Dolphin’s fourth quarter revenues will be hit by a downturn in the markets. The broker has maintained its “buy” rating, but lowered its target price from 357p to 309p as it [...]
Professional and partisan: Should firms do politics? Be wary of taking a line on social issues outside your sector October 9, 2015 Businesses have always needed politicians to understand their concerns. But excessive interference by companies in politics may threaten their neutrality, long considered key to appealing to the broadest customer base possible. But in today’s fight for market share, businesses have more than just the dividend to think about. Indeed, the pressure on firms to [...]
Pipe’s Low Key approach will pay off in Ces October 9, 2015 Finding the winner of tomorrow’s 34-runner Cesarewitch (3.50pm) is no easy task when you consider that in the last seven years alone we have had two 66/1 winners and a 50/1 shot thrown in for good measure. National Hunt trainers have saddled seven of the last 15 winners and the Pipe family have been [...]
