Business and Economics

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  Next-generation betting exchange Smarkets has reached the one billion pound traded milestone. A strong response to the Cheltenham Festival and record-breaking interest in the Grand National built on momentum from 2014 pushing the company over the £1 billion mark. Cheltenham saw trading volume grow by 320 per cent year-on-year, whereas the response to the Grand National smashed the company’s one-day record for GBP volume traded, recording a revenue increase of 359 per cent. Revenue has snowballed in the...

By Steve Taggart According to new research small business owners believe that having technology tools such as mobile apps makes them look good to their customers. The survey by build-your-own app provider Appsme.com has revealed that improved customer perception is seen as the biggest overall benefit when it comes to investing in app marketing. Restaurants, cafes and coffee bars feel their app has the biggest impact on customer perception (89%), followed by three quarters (75%) of hair and beauty businesses and 79% of...

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent  For the 11th consecutive year, China has been identified as one of the world’s top destinations for international business re-location.  The Chinese rate of development continues to draw in foreign investors from around the world. China is one of the world’s fastest-expanding major economies displaying growth rates of roughly ten per cent over the past three decades. This, combined with the fact that China now boasts the world’s second largest economy, has transformed the country...

 By Anand Ramdeo of Planned Departure - https://www.planneddeparture.com According to Government figures there are more than 160,000 registered charities in England and Wales. Fundraising is a key source of income generation for many and, for some, the only source of income. In this digital era, new opportunities for income generation are opening up to charities. Online, mobile and digital legacy are three areas where charities should be concentrating their efforts. As is well-known, the social media network is vast. But just how vast?...

By Richard Harris Everybody wants to be successful but, in today’s society, everybody wants it now. Impossible? Well actually, no! Whether you’re looking to achieve success in your personal life, career, family life or education, success is a lot easier to achieve than you’d think. The first mistake people make is over thinking the higher details and end goal. The first thing you need to do is break your goal down into two key stages: 1) what is your end...

By Jules Coleman, acting CEO and co-founder of Hassle.com Jules looks at how the UK can help start-ups build on their potential and scale up to the next level. British business is presently treading a fruitful path. Financial figures from the US reveal that the UK economy - with 2.6% GDP growth in 2014 to the US’s 2.4% - is now the fastest growing amongst developed nations. A key driver for this growth is the rise of the UK tech...

By Paul Arnold, Director at change management experts, Able and How In our relentless search for new techniques to revolutionise and streamline the way we do things, technology has taken centre stage in actively disrupting the corporate landscape. This type of disruption offers a multitude of opportunities for organisations to gain competitive advantages, however, frustratingly, the value identified in these strategic decisions is all too often being eroded at the point of implementation.  A key reason for this is the...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Who would you want as a boss? A car enthusiast with a decent right hook? Well, it appears Generation Y would love him to be their leader. The BBC’s loss is Generation Y’s potential gain. New research by social job referral site GigPlug reveals that 19 per cent of Generation Y and 10 per cent of baby-boomers ranked Clarkson as their ideal boss. The other two main competitors in the list are Mark Zuckerberg with...

The cost of desk space in serviced offices has grown by double figures across the UK in the past year, as the sector continues its expansion, according to research from the industry’s leading broker. The number of serviced offices across the country has risen by 3.6 per cent, in addition to an 11.4 per cent increase in desk rates.  Growth in the number of such spaces across Central London is as high as 17 per cent in Southbank and 11...