Pearson sales slump amid Covid-19 closures of schools and test centres October 14, 2020 Educational publisher Pearson (PSON) has suffered a drop in sales since the beginning of the year after the coronavirus pandemic forced test centres and schools to close. Group sales in the nine months to 30 September fell 14 per cent, reflecting the continued impact of the Covid-19 crisis. The company said its online learning sales [...]
PM to launch ‘Office for Investment’ in a bid to lure foreign investors October 12, 2020 The Prime Minister will reportedly launch a new Downing Street operation to secure foreign investment for infrastructure projects amid the UK’s economic recovery. Number 10 is working on a new “Office for Investment” which will be tasked with identifying and coordinating major infrastructure initiatives, according to Sky News. Chief among these projects will be delivering [...]
Silver linings: How IBM’s reinvention highlights the rise of the cloud October 9, 2020 International Business Machines (IBM) shares rose almost six per cent yesterday after the tech firm announced plans to split its business into two public companies. IBM, which is one of the world’s oldest computer companies, will spin off its legacy IT infrastructure business by the end of next year and double down its efforts on [...]
Top five tips for preventing burnout October 6, 2020 Are you struggling to focus? Lacking motivation? Maybe just feeling a bit overwhelmed? These are just some things to look out for that might be signs of burnout. And they’re worth thinking about: 36 per cent of us have experienced burnout in our careers. That’s according to our new research — and it’s even more [...]
Worst September on record for new car registrations October 5, 2020 New car registration fell to their lowest level since records began in September in a further blow for the battered auto industry. Just 328,041 cars were registered last month, down 4.4 per cent lower year-on-year, new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed. That’s the weakest performance since the introduction of [...]
Businesses plan long-term return to office despite home working boom October 5, 2020 Most businesses will resume using their offices after the coronavirus crisis, despite a shift towards home working, according to a survey of company directors. The research found that 74 per cent of directors said they would keep increased home working arrangements, and half said they would reduce their long-term use of the office following the [...]
City powerhouses will need to adjust to the “new normal” October 4, 2020 In the past week, London’s leading financial services companies have quickly had to reassess their plans to get employees back to the office. While many industry leaders will have come to a painful realisation that arriving at a “new normal” will be a more iterative process than previously imagined, they should take stock in the [...]
Could decarbonisation be the mega-trend of the next decade? September 28, 2020 US equities have led global stock markets higher over the past decade. In the last ten years, US equities have returned a stellar 292%, compared to just 73% for global equities (as measured by the MSCI USA Index and MSCI AC World ex US Index respectively, in US dollar terms, as at 31 August 2020). [...]
Deutsche Bank to change work-from-home policies permanently in bid to reduce office costs September 25, 2020 Deutsche Bank is set to make flexible working policies permanent to allow staff to work from home on a set number of days per week. Like other lenders, Deutsche Bank has discovered during the pandemic that reducing office space could be a viable way to lower costs. Chief executive officer Christian Sewing said the board [...]
London is a great city – and much of it could be on your doorstep September 25, 2020 We live in cities because we want to be in the heart of the action. We are often willing to overlook the daily downfalls — expensive rent and overpriced pints to name a few — simply because there is no better place in the world to work, socialise and embrace opportunities than in this city. [...]