Business and Economics

Philip Hammond will present the Budget next week amidst new global figures that show the UK is now bottom of the growth league among major economies in Europe and North America. The data on GDP up to Q3 2017 puts Britain significantly behind its peers, dropping below Belgium, Italy and France. The UK economy expanded by just 0.4 per cent in the third quarter of this year, new early estimates from the Office for National Statistics show, which brings the year-on-year...

Companies with high levels of staff satisfaction perform better financially, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). The study examined the effect of staff satisfaction on corporate performance using employees’ online reviews of where they work. Writing in the journal Economic Letters, the researchers from Norwich Business School say that firms rated highly by their current employees in terms of satisfaction achieve greater financial performance compared to firms characterised by low levels of employee satisfaction. They...

We spend a significant proportion of our lives working, and some of us have the pleasure of landing the job we have wished for all our lives. Working in IT services will possibly never be obsolete, and that’s because these team can focus their energy and time on developing attractive tools that can directly impact and improve the way businesses operate around the world. This quality includes the delivery of impeccable services to customers and having a say in building...

According to the Tradie Rich List 2017, plumbing is the highest paid tradie in Australia, 2017. The list, which was published on 27th of October 2017, presents hourly rates as charged per industry and location, and is based on more than 50,000 price quotes submitted to the price-comparison site ServiceSeeking.com.au. Plumbers in Victoria top the list with 91,2 Australian dollars per hour, which corresponds to 53,5 British pounds per hour, or 60,4 Euros per hour. Plumbing may not be the sexiest profession...

Shanker Singham an acclaimed financial analyst wrote an op-ed for The Times in which he extolled the virtues of a Brexit vis-à-vis the UK’s trading possibilities with the rest of the world. The rising problems associated with regulation in the global economy are having far-reaching implications on trading activity. The Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016 did not precipitate the decline in global economic activity – it was a symptom of it. The global financial crisis of 2008/2009 was associated...

No one in Britain voted for their jobs, public and health services, employment and environmental protections to be sold down the river to the lowest bidder, says union GMB, the UK’s general union, says claims Brexit means 'taking back control' have been exposed as a myth by the Government’s new trade white paper. Liam Fox’s paper, released on the eve of the next round of Brexit talks which begin tomorrow, exposes the Conservative’s obsession with deregulation and failed neoliberal proposals...

The office can sometimes seem like the last place you want to be. Especially when the weather is nice or if it’s already been a long week. But there’s also a feeling of accomplishment that can be garnered from a productive day’s work that can overcome any of that angst. The key is to find ways to improve productivity so that you can walk out the office at the end of every day. Complete with that high from knowing you...

Fears of Britain's exit from the EU is introducing a worrying investment setback as companies and investors keep stalling on investment plans so as not to be caught up in the uncertainty that continues to loom over the economy since the referendum, studies have revealed. Firms, manufacturers, and both domestic and international investors are either pulling back or pressing the pause button on already laid out investment plans. Some businesses are holding back on planning at all until the uncertainties...

Even in an uncertain economic climate brought on by the Brexit tumult, it seems like it’s a good time to own a small business in the UK. With statistics showing how much the region relies upon and caters to small and medium-sized businesses, it seems clear that it is a boom time for budding entrepreneurs. And it doesn’t show any signs of letting up anytime soon. That doesn’t mean that it’s an easy undertaking to fire up a business from...