Innovation Diary: Why designing the right marketing strategy could ultimately cut costs September 22, 2013 WHILE the digital economy has vastly increased the ability of startups to upscale in a cost-efficient way, attracting customers has not necessarily become any easier. In research published in the Sloan Management Review last year, for instance, David Bell, Jeonghye Choi, and Leonard Lodish noted that, although internet firms theoretically have “‘unlimited’ trading areas”, and [...]
Innovation Diary: Three things we can learn from the high growth small business gazelles September 15, 2013 OVER 350,000 new firms have been launched in the UK this year, and confidence is rising. Aldermore Bank research, released on Friday, saw small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) confidence in the economy climb for the fourth consecutive quarter. Yet this tells us little about what it takes to succeed as a UK startup. As Mark [...]
High Jinx can land Doncaster Cup glory on wet Town Moor September 12, 2013 THE WEATHER up at Doncaster has completely changed the complexion of the Ladbrokes St Leger meeting and, as we’ve seen over the last couple of days, it generally pays to stick with horses proven on a slower surface. We were hit with a raft of non-runners yesterday but today’s feature, the Group Two Doncaster Cup [...]
Self-driving pods and 3D printing will be the real challenge for Royal Mail September 12, 2013 TWENTY years ago, as the web came into existence, it was obvious that Royal Mail would be carrying fewer personal and business letters by now, that there would be a vast rise in junk mail and another huge increase in parcel deliveries thanks to online buying. All of those expectations have come true. After a [...]
What the other papers say this morning – 12 September 2013 September 11, 2013 FINANCIAL TIMES Libor control to remain in London Brussels has ditched its plan to put the scandal-mired Libor lending rate under the direct control of a European supervisor in Paris, in a concession that removes a serious political nuisance for Britain. Early drafts of the European Commission regulation, which is to be unveiled next week, [...]
Banks’ savings account tactics in the spotlight September 9, 2013 BONUS interest rates on savings accounts could be scrapped or face extra rules under a review launched yesterday by City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Top regulator Martin Wheatley said he is studying competition in the trillion-pound cash savings market to see if customers are getting a fair deal. At the start of the [...]
FCA to study cash savings as part of programme on competition across financial services markets September 9, 2013 Regulators have today announced plans to carry out a market study to assess whether competition is in the interests of consumers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) will focus on cash savings accounts, and how frequently the 80% of adults in the UK with such accounts switch between providers. The FCA comments: The cash savings study [...]
Monte Paschi doubles plans for capital hike September 8, 2013 ITALY’S Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena will seek €2.5bn (£2.13bn) in extra capital from investors, more than double its original plan, under a revised bailout to shore up the loss-making bank, the economy ministry said last night. The revised plan is the latest measure in a painful recovery process for Italy’s number three bank, [...]
The startup spicing up Britain’s wealth management industry September 8, 2013 Annabel Palmer meets Nick Hungerford, who switched the Valley for Vauxhall to found the online investment management firm Nutmeg THE British public has long been accustomed to depositing their earnings in a bank account, or investing through an established stockbroker. But Nick Hungerford wants to disrupt the centuries-old wealth management industry, in precisely the same [...]
Britain slips two places in global race league table September 4, 2013 THE UK has become less competitive in the last year compared to its peer countries, according to a detailed global report published yesterday by the World Economic Forum. Despite the government’s frequently cited pledge to improve Britain’s standing in the so-called global race, the UK slipped from eighth place in 2012 to 10th place in this [...]