For successful businesses, failure is not an option – it’s a requirement February 14, 2017 Urgent memo to executives everywhere: please stop saying things like “failure is not an option”. You’re engaging stakeholders – not saving Private Ryan. And if you are fostering a fear of failure among your people, you probably aren’t winning either. Let’s look at winning in today’s world, where it is increasingly crucial to spark emotional [...]
Industry groups call on chancellor Philip Hammond to cut businesses some slack in the Spring Budget next month February 6, 2017 Businesses large and small are calling on chancellor Philip Hammond to ease the mounting burden on firms in next month's Budget. Business rates, the apprenticeship levy, the national living wage and pensions auto-enrolment are some of the rising costs highlighted by two influential business groups today. In its submission to the Treasury ahead of the Budget [...]
UK firms could face £2,600 in additional employment costs, warns Federation of Small Businesses February 6, 2017 UK small businesses could face £2,600 in additional employment costs, the Federation of Small Businesses has warned. The business lobby group called on UK chancellor Philip Hammond to use the upcoming budget to help small businesses tackle soaring employment costs. In its submission to Hammond ahead of the 8 March budget, the FSB has urged action [...]
The full transcript of Donald Trump’s inaugural address speech January 20, 2017 Donald Trump has been sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Here's what he said. "Chief Justice Roberts, President Carter, President Clinton, President Bush, President Obama, fellow Americans and people of the world, thank you. "We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country [...]
Make 2017 a year of celebration – not the suffocation of London’s Night Time Economy January 5, 2017 We live in interesting times. This term, actually a Chinese curse, reflects all the hope, possibility and opportunity of a period – as well as the worst that we can imagine from it. What has been “interesting” recently is the overwhelming cultural and political view that the British public is a nasty species that requires [...]
B&M side-steps clouds gathering over retail stocks January 4, 2017 B&M has side-stepped the overall gloom surrounding retail stocks this morning, rising over seven per cent in morning trading after a strong trading update. Other retail stocks – including Marks and Spencer's, Debenhams' and Associated British Foods' – have taken a hit today after Next tumbled 11 per cent at the open. Read more: Next [...]
From public sector pensions to social care, the government is scarily ill-prepared for major demographic change December 13, 2016 The gap between private and public sector pensions in the UK is the worst in the developed world, according to the OECD. New civil servants can expect to receive a 6 per cent pay rise when they reach retirement, while private sector workers can expect a cut of nearly 50 per cent. Mounting pressures on social [...]
Mark Carney is right; the robots are coming – but that doesn’t mean we should fear them December 9, 2016 On Tuesday governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, warned that up to 15m British jobs could be replaced by robots amid a merciless technological revolution. Unsurprisingly, the announcement sent headline writers into delirium and administrative staff up and down the country into a state of pre-Christmas anxiety rivaled only by that of a [...]
Aerobike X-Ride review: This affordable e-bike puts in a decent performance December 2, 2016 Electric bikes still feel like an insane kind of magic. Start to pedal and an intelligent motor in the wheel hub kicks in to help you accelerate, zooming you up to an EU-mandated speed limit of 15mph. The sensation is similar to being pushed along by your dad, except now your dad is invisible and [...]
How to prepare your portfolio for inflation December 2, 2016 Concerns about inflation were already on the rise. Donald Trump’s victory in the US election has further stoked expectations that price pressure, absent in most Western economies since the financial crisis, may make a return in 2017 and beyond. The basics Inflation is a measure of how fast the prices of goods and services [...]