We live in an age of global crises, from the climate emergency to spiralling income inequality. We can no longer ignore that established ways of doing business pose real existential threats to humankind and that businesses have been major contributors to the problems we face. While we cannot change what has happened, we can change how we do things from now on and business leaders today are well placed to effect positive changes. So, what can businesses do to shift from being makers of goods to being a force for good? In his new book, Radical Business, award-winning academic and…
Author: sme-admin
Tom Marsden from MediaCom, talks to SMEToday about how Blockchain can benefit the media and advertising sector. There are over 6,500 different cryptocurrencies, all varying in size of market capitalisation, which have different followings and trading volumes. Some of these are meme coins that have a supporting business model flimsier than a house of cards. But the vast majority are new technologies being created that will disrupt practically everything we know and do in the digital space, as web 3.0, the next iteration of the world wide web, comes to the fore driven by cloud computing, AI (Artificial Intelligence) and decentralised data networks. There’s a plethora of blockchain-based companies and…
Network Central, the new home of 4Networking, the national business networking organisation with groups in Bridgwater, Taunton & Bristol founded by motivational speaker and entrepreneur Brad Burton back in 2006, has won the National Champions in Crisis 2022 Award at Canary Wharf’s East Wintergardens on Wednesday 23rd March. It won the award for its resilience and quick thinking when its core face to face operations were decimated by the Covid-19 outbreak. 4Networking’s turnover went from £2m to £0 overnight as its 5,000 nationwide meetings each year were immediately cancelled as a result of restrictions and lockdown. Moving fast, meetings were moved…
With the recent launch of Apple’s Tap to Pay, its new system to allow contactless payments to be collected from an iPhone or iOS-powered handset, Delia Pedersoli, COO at MultiPay Global Solutions discusses what this means for retailers and the future of their payment systems. Apple’s launch of Tap to Pay comes at a pivotal moment for the payment industry. For a start, as illustrated by the recent negotiations between Amazon and Visa, the monopoly that card providers once had, is beginning to disappear. While the two companies have now reached an agreement, the fact that Amazon was willing to…
Large scale in-person events are back with a bang, with hundreds of thousands of people gathering in-person for conferences, summits and tradeshows across the world. But is ‘in-person’ always necessary? The thought of being responsible for holding a successful, organised call between both virtual attendees with in-person participants is enough to send shivers down anyone’s spine. Ensuring productivity during physical meetings can be difficult enough, those totally online can be even tricker, but mixing the two? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But hybrid meetings don’t have to descend into chaos, And, if a blend of remote and in-person is…
Caunce O’Hara, April 7th, 2022: Caunce O’Hara, the specialist insurance broker for freelancers and small businesses, have released the results of their survey on the impact of April 2021 IR35 reforms on contractors. The survey looked at whether contractors felt the reforms were of benefit, whether the reforms had impacted their earnings, whether they had seen an increase or decrease in work opportunities since the reforms, and whether there had been any change to their work-life balance. With the first year anniversary of the Private Sector IR35 reforms approaching, the research has revealed 60% of contractors reported their income had…
According to a recent report into the value of professional qualifications from the team at CoursesOnline, approximately one-third (33%) of British professionals do not believe that studying for professional qualifications within their respective industries is worth the effort. Meanwhile, two-thirds (67%) believed that putting in such time and effort to gain these qualifications is a worthy endeavour. In terms of employment sectors, the sectors that felt that the qualifications were most worthwhile were as follows: Social Work – 90% of respondents felt that professional qualifications were worth the effort Teaching & Education – 87% of respondents felt that professional qualifications…
Allica Bank, the SME-focussed challenger bank, is growing its specialist care home commercial mortgage banking team with the appointment of Brian Bovell, as Specialist Relationship Manager. Brian will spearhead the bank’s expansion into Scotland and the north of England’s elderly care sectors. This appointment follows the bank’s launch of a specialist care home team at the end of last year, designed to specifically support independent or small group operators as the market readjusts from the pandemic. In March, Allica also announced it was doubling its maximum commercial mortgage customer exposure for care home customers to £10 million, intended to enable more…
A new study by Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has found that over four-fifths (82%) of UK finance leaders believes the industry needs a new breed of CFO. “The Redefined CFO” study investigates how finance leaders today take a more holistic approach with a reliance on data to engage with the wider strategic priorities of organisations. Stepping out from the shadow of the CEO, the CFO has become a hub of business information – diversifying their expertise, recruiting the right talent, and ensuring they implement emerging technologies and purpose-driven programmes…
Online retailers can sometimes expect a fall in sales, especially following busy periods such as Christmas. To maintain momentum and business profits, they must think tactically about the different ways they can attract customers and boost sales in the quieter months. Businesses are faced with a great deal of uncertainty and pressure at the moment, with costs of living rising dramatically, consumers will need to cut back on spending and this presents greater problems for regular and guaranteed sales. Despite this, there are many marketing tactics available on hand and in this feature, Emjay Lofts, Head of Marketing at TextAnywhere…