How long can a company survive?
The past few years have seen previously unthinkable corporate failures - from financial firms such as Lehman Brothers to iconic car manufacturers such as Saab, and lets not forget Woolworths, all felled by economic turmoil or by unforgiving customers and tough rivals.
Many then didn’t quite know what to do with it, tweeted a few random things and then decided it wasn’t right for their business and didn’t seem that useful.
Maybe it was more for celebs to tell the world about what they are up to.
Some decided that it was all about people who thought the world wanted to know their opinions on things the whole time *yawn*.
However, other businesses have been using it a lot.
Where have all the good guys gone? Norman Burden, Chief Executive of True North Human Capital, the Human Capital Management Consultancy poses the question 'Where have all the good guys gone?' and why has the service culture evaporated? Wanted – alternatives to sport and challenge-based charity sponsorship For years now, raising money for charity by taking part in a sport-related event or challenge has been de rigeur.
I think it’s time for change. We should look to the business world for inspiration on how to raise money for charity by giving people who sponsor something back.
The feel-good factor that comes from sponsoring people doesn’t really cut it in a time of recession when we’re all watching the pennies.
If people sponsor something, they should get something in return, even if it’s having their car washed or their lawn mowed or receiving some baked treats. I think it’s time to re-think the current charity sponsorship model. Government's failure to understand innovation is damaging the economy Coalition policy is failing to deliver the public sector innovation that could dramatically boost value for money and benefit the economy beyond the public sector, argues a recent report published by The Work Foundation. Should small businesses be exempt from paying for parental leave?
In the run-up to the Budget George Osborne announced potential changes to current maternity regulations which would have made small businesses exempt from paying for maternity leave.
As the owner of a small- to medium-sized business, l was pleasantly surprised, but as it turns out the proposals weren't followed through.
The UK Parliament – engaging with the needs of SMEs There is much criticism that politicians are out of touch with people who run small and medium sized business across the UK. We asked Lord McFall of Alcluith, who was the Member of Parliament for Dumbarton and the West Dunbartonshire between 11 June 1987 and 12 April 2010 to explain how the UK Parliament is engaging with SMEs to learn from them and offer them as much help and support as they can to help then grow. Taking that leap of faith Life’s scary. Think about those things that are scaring you right now. Is “losing my job” or “starting a business” one of those? Then face them now! Start Up Britain launch receives disappointingly lukewarm reception It is not often that private sector business initiatives have a keynote address by the Prime Minister, are attended by some of the UK's leading business entrepreneurs and also receive the backing and support from Sir Richard Branson, the man who many regard as the UK's best entrepreneur. So surely nothing could go wrong... If even the Olympic Stadium will be ‘recycled’, why is there still so much waste in business?
Even though the Olympics haven’t taken place and construction of the Olympic Stadium isn’t yet finished, the flagship stadium has already been allocated to West Ham Football Club for use after London 2012.
I for one am relieved that West Ham won the bid. Not because l’m a die-hard ‘Hammer’ but because they appear to be wasting a lot less of the stadium by keeping the athletics track than the other hopeful club, Tottenham, would have done by re-building it as a football-only venue.
How much does a web start-up really cost? In 1884 Thomas Marks opened his first market stall in Leeds. Over the next few years he opened 20 other stalls around the UK. In 1894, Thomas Spencer invested in the business and retail chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) was born.
From humble beginnings, M&S became one of the UK’s biggest success stories and was the first retailer to make a pre-tax profit of over £1 billion.
Companies like WH Smith, Woolworth’s and AMSTRAD all started the same way, so it would seem that in order to make it big, you should start small. Can the same thing be said of the web? Andy Budd, managing director at Clearleft investigates. Having an entrepreneurial mindset will stimulate growth What does Britain need to do to stimulate economic growth? That is the question taxing so many Ministers in Whitehall. But according to Sahar Hashemi, the founder of the Coffee Republic and bestselling business author, they need to start thinking outside the box. Embrace the long hours and work hard Working hard is the only way you can really 'make it', so why do so many people think working long hours is a bad thing? Are degrees preparing students for the workplace or are they about indulgent self fulfilment? Think hard about why you want to study - real experience in a company can be a far better way to learn skills and get on in your career.


