As the UK gears up for the Labour Government’s first Budget, research from innovation incentives specialist ForrestBrown reveals the key policy changes business leaders want from the new Government. Data from 500 senior business leaders across the nation found widespread support for targeted policy changes in three key areas: closer ties with the European Union (EU), tax stability, and increased R&D funding. While the Government ruled out rejoining the EU’s single market and customs union, it has promised to tear down ‘unnecessary barriers to trade’ – which the survey suggests would be welcomed by many business leaders. According to the data1, 22%…
Author: sme-admin
Fiona Scott, SMEToday feature writer, recently interviewed Deborah Meaden who is currently working with the team at Nestle Professional as part of their Nescafe B2B project, ‘Let’s Partner Up For Good’. The aim of the project is to provide advice and guidance to small business owners. Seven lucky winners were selected to meet Deborah face to face alongside Katya Simmons, managing director at Nescafe by Nestle Professional. The sessions were filmed to provide wider impact and support to other SMEs as common themes were discussed. The first set of videos were released last month. For more information visit https://bit.ly/489BG6q A…
Public bodies are being urged to use their purchasing power to tackle poverty and inequality within local communities and create a good jobs industry in the UK in a new report ‘Public Good Procurement’ issued on behalf of the grassroots #BetterForUs campaign run by award-winning community enterprise, Aspire Community Works. Drawing on its own lived experience of the procurement process in the grounds maintenance and open spaces industry, the report argues that all too often public procurement pushes wages down, fails to address deep-rooted inequalities and puts pressure on the public purse through subsidising low paying employers who offer bad…
Odoo is the most captivating AI powered tool online, with an average visit duration of 18 minutes and 18 seconds (1,098 seconds). JanitorAI is second, with an average visit of 14 minutes 10 seconds, and Replit is third, with 13 minutes 42 seconds. ChatGPT is twentieth, with an average visit of 6 minutes 16 seconds, and has the largest total visit duration per month, with 10.66 million days spent on the site overall. eDiscovery experts Reveal assembled a list of AI-powered tools from online directories and then ranked them by average visit duration to see which users spend the longest time on.…
Almost half of British businesses (41%) do not have a documented AI policy, with some believing that AI is a fad that won’t impact their business, a survey has revealed. With AI now firmly in the mainstream, accelerated by generative AI, law firm Ashfords spoke to 250 British businesses about their use of and attitude towards AI. It found a worrying lack of preparedness: of the 41% who said they didn’t have an AI policy, 12% didn’t even know they needed one and only 14% had plans to implement one. Over half of respondents (54%) described themselves as cautious adopters…
In an increasingly digital world, having an online presence is a non-negotiable for businesses in any industry, but as a small business or sole trader, keeping up or even getting started, can be a challenge. Recent IONOS research revealed the digitalisation barriers facing small businesses, including cost, lack of time and lack of know-how. From identifying your target audience to stocking an e-commerce store, not forgetting designing the website itself, there are so many factors to consider when taking the steps to set up online. With this, comes common mistakes and stumbling blocks. Patrick Schaudel, VP at IONOS, discusses how…
In a major move to tackle the ongoing blood shortage in England, leading commercial organisations, ranging from The Co-operative Bank, ITV (office-based colleagues), Hargreaves Lansdown, Gatenby Sanderson through to Basketball England, Millwall FC and Alton Towers Resort, have pledged to give employees ‘Donate Breaks’ – dedicated time off to donate blood during their working day. With a critical need to boost blood stocks, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is urging more companies to do the same and help save more lives this winter. The new Donate Breaks initiative will be formally launched with an event at Alton Towers on Friday…
Humour can play a pivotal role in sales and marketing because it allows the salesperson to connect with their potential customer, making it an effective tool for closing deals. According to a global industry report, more than three-quarters (77%) of people are more likely to buy from a salesperson that’s funny. Despite this, only one in six business leaders (16%) use humour to sell. Fears about incorporating humour in prospecting could be due to outdated beliefs about how businesses need to communicate with customers. The report – which includes insights from more than 12,000 consumers and business leaders across 14 countries – also revealed…
The winners of the Sheffield Business Awards 2024 were revealed at a glitzy event at the Octagon Centre last week, attended by over 440 guests. The prestigious event, which took place on Thursday 17 October, honoured the brightest organisations, individuals, collaborators, and not-for-profits making an impact in Sheffield right now. Building on the success of last year’s event, which saw the dress code return to black-tie, the introduction of several new awards and an ambitious overhaul of the judging system, this year’s event was bigger and better still. Organised by Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and supported by Chamber Patron and…
The number of registered company insolvencies across the UK has reached 1,973, reflecting an increase of 2% compared to August 2024. Oliver Collinge, Director at restructuring and insolvency firm PKF Littlejohn Advisory Ltd, believes the surge in insolvencies this quarter indicates that more businesses are running out of options. “Many business owners remain concerned about soft customer demand, continuing cost pressures in some sectors, and the wider state of the economy. High interest rates also continue to be a problem, affecting the cost of existing borrowing, as well as access to funding. The budget will be a significant moment:…