Business and Economics

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  The internet has given birth to a new generation of consumer power. Whatever the product or service the web has become a platform upon which open letters of praise or grumble can be voiced, which means for better or for worse, there's no hiding from the wrath of public opinion. There was once a time when a recommendation or word of caution from a friend or family member would be enough to sway your evenings plans....

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  Boom and bust seems like a primitive economic state, but few would argue today that the harsh cyclical nature of the economy has seen its day. If anything, they've become more severe. Soviet economist Nikolai Kondratiev theorised in the early 20th century that the economy works in waves that range from forty to sixty years, with high sectoral growth leading to intervals of relatively slow growth. In 1939 Joseph Schumpeter suggested naming...

By Seb Dean from The Imaginaire Web Design. When it comes to running a business, especially in the early stages, you’re likely to be absolutely swamped with trying to stay in control of all areas of the business. Covering sales, fulfilment of orders, working with suppliers, billing and all of the other areas is commonplace and just thinking about it is enough to give you a headache! Luckily, those clever tech kids have been hard at work to help automate...

The London Economic has launched a new blog competition with a first place prize of £50 and a runner-up prize of £25. As a blog sharing platform TLE is looking to discover the best talent in the market, which is why we've launched this competition to give bloggers a chance of winning two cash prizes and get their work seen by tens of thousands of people. All entrants will have the chance to get their post featured on The London...

By Catherine Filmer We understand that when it comes to business, it’s always survival of the fittest. Implementing the right business software and your own business fitness regime will give you a competitive edge in 7 different ways. 7-a-day regime for business fitness Know what’s coming up - keep an eye on your order pipeline. Use software that allows you to manage diaries, workflows, dashboard reporting, and anticipate payment patterns. Access for everyone Having a ‘self-serve’ environment easily managed by...

By Jack Peat, Editor of The London Economic  There are very few big industries in existence today that are not overrun by big companies. Take a minute to count how many rail operators there are in the UK or mobile phone companies, banks or electricity firms and you’ll struggle to move past your first five fingers. In a world where corporate capitalism is allowed to run riot, understanding how to keep big firms in check has become of paramount importance....

The general public is becoming increasingly conscious of business ethics. Look at the front pages of newspapers, Twitter feeds, the placards of street protesters and it’s clear that ethics and particularly the green aspect of business ethics is something that consumers are particularly keen to see businesses addressing, and not just with false promises. While greener business practices undoubtedly help the planet, do CEOs really take this into consideration when deciding on their company’s eco policy? In the black and white,...

 By Anand Ramdeo, founder of Planned Departure www.planneddeparture.com Only a decade ago most of us would never have even considered that our digital lives would eventually have real financial, not to mention emotional value.  Yet recent research by PwC revealed that the sum of unclaimed digital assets in the UK amounts to £29 billion. This same research points to the fact that 32% of consumers still keep paper copies to store their information, which only goes to show how much more rapidly...

By Steve Taggart As the winter draws closer and the darker evenings creep in, we are reminded of how the UK weather really can pack a punch. This forces us to question how prepared we really are for the upcoming cold temperatures, flooding and snow that is already being predicted this year. With the extra rainfall that fell last year and the series of horrendous floods that followed up and down the country, it is not just our homes but...