Business and Economics

Thomson Reuters IP & Science has today revealed that its list of the top 100 most innovative organisations in the world contains no UK companies. The fourth annual Top 100 Global Innovators list has been released today with UK companies nowhere to be seen. The list shows that, while the French economy may have continued its sclerotic performance in 2014, the country is still home to seven of the top 100 innovators, down from 12 in 2013. Germany also outperformed the UK with...

Looking for a new work space, somewhere that is convenient and affordable? Or maybe just somewhere you can put your own stamp on? A converted storage container could be the answer. Space is at a premium in London, and high rents on office space can make it difficult for start-ups and small businesses to find the room they need to grow and thrive. Several organisations in the capital are already using containers to great effect, from Boxpark Shoreditch to the...

This week’s midterm elections in the United States could be decisive for the controversial TTIP, but is Obama running out of time to complete the deal with the European Union? Elsa Buchanan discusses  As voters in the United States flock to the polling stations to define control over the Senate in the mid-term elections, anti-Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) campaigners are holding their breath. A Republican majority win could, counter-intuitively, be a good omen for President Barack Obama’s trade agenda,...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  The platform at Keighley railway station is awash with people. Aromas of sausages, onions and engine steam flavour the crisp autumnal breeze that is atypically mild for this time of year. A new entertainment tent has been erected and an additional bar opened to cater for excessive demand for the town’s beer festival. Here in Yorkshire, like most places across Britain, a beer revolution is under way. I’ve managed to return home...

Ineffective facilities management could be costing UK businesses nearly £1 billion, new research has revealed. A study conducted by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) around 26 per cent of organisations in the UK are still not taking a strategic approach when it comes to facilities management - a business discipline that involves the co-ordination of space, people, resources and property within an organisation. It suggests that those organisations using FM in a strategic capacity could be saving themselves...

While all indicators point to a strong economic recovery in Britain, people still aren’t feeling it. We have paid the price of inequality for recovery with food banks on the rise despite unemployment figures dropping. Simply put, businesses are reluctant to match the cost of living in the UK. Today’s announcement that the Living Wage is set to rise to £7.85 should be a welcomed bit of news, but it’s hard not to feel a little bitter sweet. Although 35,000...

Tesco have been struggling of late. The supermarket that stakes a claim right in the middle of the grocery market has lost out to brands that offer cheaper essential items and competitors that are more appealing for top quality produce. The shift is symbolic of an erosion of the big four supermarket brands - Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - which have all experienced turbulence in one of the most lucrative consumer markets. That's why this year's Global Brand Simplicity Index -...

By Philip O'Meara @philipomeara “Oh, no, you’re not a veggie…” Beyond its inconvenience (inconveniencing a friend or eating another mushroom risotto at an unimaginative restaurant), it’s the implication that being vegetarian is an inherently bad – or at least unhinged  – position which has encouraged me to put down my reasoning in a blog post. Disclaimers Before I go any further, I want to put in some disclaimers. The purpose of this is not to preach or moralise in any way –...

By Steve Taggart The call for nominations have just opened for the 43rd Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award. The award, which counts Dame Marjorie Scardino DBE FRSA, Anya Hindmarch MBE and Dame Zaha Hadid DBE as past winners, celebrates the success of business women worldwide who share the same qualities as Madame Clicquot:  Her enterprising spirit, her courage and the determination necessary to accomplish her aims. It is the first international award created specifically to recognise the contribution that women have made...