Owned-social networks are replacing Facebook as a way for brands to market to their communities November 27, 2018 Two months ago, I helped Blewbury in Oxfordshire become the first village in the UK to launch its own social network. We were inspired by the MP Matt Hancock, who during his tenure as digital minister launched a social network for his constituency. His decision to call it “Matt Hancock” attracted much media attention. But [...]
RewardStyle founder Amber Venz Box talks influencer marketing and fashion November 26, 2018 Fashion retail is a risky business. Like many sectors, it has been disrupted by the rise of the internet, as consumers increasingly shop on their phones rather than on the high street. So with fewer people browsing in shops, there’s a question of how best to advertise a new dress or a trendy handbag. Traditional [...]
MPs and businesses urged to boycott Google and Facebook over alleged failure to tackle UK terror November 22, 2018 Tech firms such as Google and Facebook have come under fire from the UK's parliamentary security committee, as a report published today urged businesses to boycott the social media platforms until they do more to tackle extremism. The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) said continuous appeals to social media firms to stop their systems from being [...]
How emerging markets have changed over the past 20 years November 8, 2018 The transformation of emerging markets has been remarkable. The countries and companies that dominated 20 years ago have changed dramatically, influenced by the major geopolitical, economic and demographic changes that have taken place over this time. Navigating these changes can be complex, but these developments underline the importance of taking a flexible, active approach and [...]
It’s time to go with the flow: The UK needs to accept global economic competition and come out on top November 4, 2018 UK 1-1 Rest of the world. So reads the scoreboard from two recent corporate stories: Dyson’s decision to produce its electric cars in Singapore and Unilever’s to stay put in London. With Brexit beckoning, there is more focus than ever in Britain on its place in the world, and how that can be affected by [...]
Business can use its unique power to help people in crisis October 25, 2018 At last month’s UN General Assembly, world leaders met to take stock of progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015. The ambitious targets – which include reducing poverty, ending hunger, and promoting decent work and sustainable economic growth – are the right ones, but progress towards them is not moving quickly enough. [...]
iPhone maker Apple named the UK’s top employer October 22, 2018 US tech giant Apple has been named the UK’s best employer by recruitment website, Indeed. The rankings assessed factors including career progression, flexible working opportunities and salary across millions of reviews. Read more: Apple finds a coffee cup that will track your caffeine intake Apple was commended by its employees for its good pay, positive [...]
Unilever hikes dividend by eight per cent with €6bn share buyback programme kicking off in May October 22, 2018 Unilever said this morning it will be hiking its dividend by eight per cent with a share buyback of up to €6bn starting next month, as it looks to keep investors on side. The consumer goods giant, which owns brands from Dove to Marmite, reported underlying sales growth – excluding its spreads business – of [...]
FTSE round up: Unilever boosts index as Easyjet sinks October 19, 2018 The FTSE 100 closed up 0.8 per cent for the week on after climbing to 7,051.41 today on the back of strong performances from consumer goods companies Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever. Unilever’s shares were up 3.11 per cent, reversing yesterday’s losses which followed it delivering a solid, but slightly underwhelming set of third quarter results. [...]
Unilever’s underlying sales growth accelerates in third quarter as it stays put in London HQ October 18, 2018 Anglo-Dutch consumer titan Unilever boosted underlying sales growth by 3.8 per cent in the third quarter as all three of its major divisions performed strongly. Turnover fell 4.5 per cent compared to the same quarter the previous year to €12.5bn (£11bn), however the company said this was largely due to disposals, including the £6bn sale [...]