Is Barack Obama preparing for a career in TV? The US President loves a high-profile interview November 18, 2015 Move over Parkinson – it looks like Barack Obama is getting into TV. The US President took time off at an Asia-Pacific summit on Wednesday for a less conventional errand: putting questions to Chinese internet billionaire Jack Ma and a young Filipina entrepreneur on government-business ties during a panel discussion. Obama joked with the eccentric founder and chairman of e-commerce firm Alibaba, probing Ma on how [...]
Premier League economic impact: Competition contributed £3.4bn to UK GDP according to EY report November 18, 2015 Premier League football kicked £6.2bn into the UK economy in a single season, according to a new study from Ernst & Young (EY). In a study commissioned by the league, EY estimate that English football's top tier division contributed £3.4bn to UK GDP in the 2013/14 season, paid £2.4bn in taxes to the Exchequer and [...]
Autumn Statement 2015 wishlist: Business owners want George Osborne to address business rates, apprenticeships, funding and the EU referendum November 18, 2015 Dear George, A combination of events in Paris and signs of a slowdown in GDP growth signals a sombre setting for next week’s Autumn Statement. So what can we SMEs – the powerhouse of the UK economy – realistically ask you to deliver? It won’t surprise you to hear that bad news notwithstanding, we won’t be lowering our [...]
Mix it up: Sip cocktails with an older, wiser crowd at The Goring Hotel November 17, 2015 It must be a sign of age but I'm increasingly uneasy hanging around youngsters on a night out. It's probably because I've been there, done that and made the same "mistakes" already. They were awful the first time so I’d would rather not relive them (not even vicariously). Perhaps that’s why I found myself propped [...]
Ditching traditional employment for portfolio careers is making people happier, says MBA & Co November 17, 2015 Quitting your job may be the best career choice you ever make. A new survey of over 750 freelance consultants showed that a massive 91 per cent of them were satisfied with their new lifestyle. Pay and working hours are better, too, the figures released today by on-demand labour specialist MBA & Co show. Two thirds [...]
Britain’s ageing population could be an opportunity – not just a disaster November 16, 2015 In the next four decades, the number of people aged over 60 globally is set to jump from 800m to 2bn. This huge increase will pose enormous economic, political and health-related challenges. But for those countries that adequately prepare, the increase will also present opportunities. Britain faces a particularly daunting challenge. The country will see [...]
Property firm Knight Frank launches Tech team to target London’s booming digital sector November 16, 2015 Knight Frank has created a Tech team to tap into growing demand from digital firms looking for office space in the capital. The property advisory company said it has poached industry veteran James Nicholson from rival firm JLL to lead a new central London Tech and Creative team and build the company’s profile in the [...]
London’s Silicon Roundabout is losing its appeal – UHY Hacker Young November 16, 2015 Sky-high rents are beginning to dampen the enthusiasm of would-be tech entrepreneurs looking to set up shop in London’s Silicon Roundabout. The number of start-ups established near the Old Street Roundabout dropped to 10,280 in the 12 months to March, down roughly a third compared with the 12 months to March 2014. The research published [...]
The real rules of engagement: iProspect’s Matt Adams on B2B, game theory and Snapchat November 15, 2015 When marketers discuss the purchasing habits of young consumers, business-to-business (B2B) transactions are seldom mentioned. “It may sound strange, but the grey-haired B2B purchaser in the pin-striped suit isn’t the norm anymore,” says Matt Adams, managing director of digital performance agency iProspect. Last month, the Dentsu Aegis Network shop launched its new global B2B [...]
South Carolina, the home of barbecue, is redefining itself with the help of pulled pork November 13, 2015 London has a growing fascination with the foods of the American South. In recent years we’ve seen an explosion of Blues kitchens, artisanal fried chicken joints and barbecue boutiques. It’s like restaurateurs made a collective decision some time around 2010 that any new restaurant, anywhere in the city, must offer piles of sweet, tangy pulled [...]