The future of education finance is here – enter new crowdfunding platform EdAid October 8, 2015 There is a new alternative lending platform on the scene, and it’s called EdAid. While we’re familiar with those crowdfunding and peer-to-peer platforms that offer loans to businesses, equity stakes in startups and invoice trading opportunities, EdAid is doing something a bit different: it’s creating a competitor to the government’s Student Loans Company, and giving [...]
Mundane meetings: Making a getaway – don’t hit ‘accept’ too hastily and bag a seat by the door October 8, 2015 Meetings are like a box of chocolates, but not in a good way. Occasionally informative and thought-provoking, all too often they are time consuming, irrelevant and poorly planned. Worst of all, you don’t know what you’re getting until you’re inside the meeting room, having put off other potentially important commitments. Many meetings are a [...]
Four actionable tips for starting up a business in 2015 October 8, 2015 We have put together seven actionable tips for SMEs and people thinking of starting up a new business in 2015. As the Chinese proverb says: ‘the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.’ With the right business idea, planning, marketing and execution it is [...]
Why mobile ad blocking is good for the advertising industry October 7, 2015 Over the last few weeks it has been impossible to read any trade publications without encountering an article on ad blockers. With the introduction of iOS 9 last month, mobile ad blocking risks rising, as users receive the opportunity to opt out of advertising. Rather than descend into a blind panic about ad blockers and [...]
Google AMP: “Instant Articles”-style mobile news plans unveiled – an open source standard for publishers’ content to be immediately in search October 7, 2015 Google has unveiled ambitious plans for the mobile web which will show readers news articles from the world's top publishers in an instant. The search giant said it wants to "make the web great again" with an open source project called AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) that will bring together publishers and technology companies to collaborate on [...]
Foreign firms prey on British companies to exploit attractive investment environment October 6, 2015 Foreign firms have had UK companies in their sights this year as the robust British economy presents them with rare opportunities for growth in a weaker global economy. The value of inbound merger and acquisition (M&A) deals – foreign firms taking over British ones – reached $191.8bn (£126.6) in the year to the end of [...]
Safe Harbour data transfer deal between EU and US ruled invalid by European courts October 6, 2015 A deal between Europe and the US, which allows people's personal online data from sites such as Facebook and Google to be transferred between the two countries, has been ruled invalid by EU courts. The Safe Harbour agreement, introduced 15 years ago, allows thousands of US companies to process the data of EU citizens with [...]
Conservative party conference 2015: Why the Tories’ infrastructure plans won’t cut the mustard October 5, 2015 Party conference season is in full swing, and infrastructure is at the top of the agenda for good reason. The announcement to restart the electrification of the two key railway lines last week, coupled with the chancellor’s four-point infrastructure plan announced at the opening of the Conservative party conference, show this government’s commitment to overhauling [...]
Corporate tax is changing – but new rules will only work if there is worldwide cooperation October 5, 2015 Pressure on governments around the world to tackle corporate tax avoidance and make sure multinationals pay their “fair share” is mounting. The OECD’s Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) proposals, announced this week and set to be presented to G20 finance ministers on Thursday, have been specifically designed to combat this. In the making [...]
First female president of Institute of Engineering and Technology Naomi Climer demands quotas to boost UK’s low number of female engineers October 5, 2015 The first female president of the Institute of Engineering and Technology is calling for quotas to boost the UK’s flailing female engineers. Naomi Climer was appointed president of the IET last week, the first woman to hold the position in the institution’s 144-year-history. One of Climer’s first initiatives as president is now to demand quotas [...]