Features

From Millennials to Gen Alpha: Lessons in workplace evolution and leadership

Generation Alpha are the first generation to be categorised entirely in the new millennium. Born between 2010 and 2025, this generation is widely defined by the birth – and use – of the iPad. Often the offspring of Millennial parents, there’s current discourse on Gen Alpha surrounding their behaviour, inattentive nature, and technology obsession. But...

12 December, 2023

HMV’s third act: The return to Oxford Street

Opened by The Gramophone Company on London’s Oxford Street in 1921, HMV has had a long-standing history as a high street brand. With the famous trademarked image from a painting by Francis Barraud titled His Master’s Voice acquired from the artist in 1899, Nipper (the dog in the painting) and the Gramophone became symbolic of...

11 December, 2023

The remarkable legacy of the Enterprise Allowance Scheme and the case to bring it back

During the 1980s, in the midst of surging unemployment, Margaret Thatcher’s government rolled out the Enterprise Allowance Scheme (EAS), an initiative which provided a weekly allowance for unemployed people of working age with entrepreneurial ambitions. Although it had its critics, the ESA left a remarkable legacy. Rolled out nationwide in 1983, the Enterprise Allowance Scheme...

5 December, 2023

Collection of images showing the history of an ice cream

How the history of ice cream highlights the importance of IP protection

The year is 1920, in a small sweetshop in Iowa, a young boy stares at a shelf with a frustrated look. He asks the store’s owner for an ice cream, then changes his mind and asks for a chocolate bar instead. The owner asked the boy why he didn’t buy both. The boy exclaims, “I...

1 December, 2023

Terry Venables: A masterclass in communication, preparation, and flexibility

Terry Venables, the former football manager who led England to the semi-finals of Euro 96, sadly passed away over the weekend. Tributes have poured in for the former Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, and Barcelona manager, revealing some remarkable lessons from a man who left an indelible mark on the world of football. Recognising individual differences...

27 November, 2023

The leader behind Pearl & Dean’s workplace culture revolution

“Empathy, listening skills, calmness, energy.” These are the four characteristics Kathryn Jacob, CEO of cinema advertising company Pearl & Dean, attributes to a great business leader. Displayed as the “conductor of the very fine musicians and experts,” Kathryn Jacob is the “oil between the wheels” of the company. Founded by Charles and Ernest Pearl and...

27 November, 2023

Disrupting the disruptors: Lessons from 5 businesses that failed to adapt to change

A cautionary look at five once-great businesses that failed to adapt – and the lessons they leave behind

24 November, 2023

The Sam Altman/OpenAI rollercoaster: Lessons from leadership turmoil

The CEO of one of the world’s most talked about tech companies has been sacked, employed elsewhere, and returned to OpenAI in less than a week. While the precise details remain unclear surrounding the dismissal of Sam Altman, who steered the $90bn (£71.7bn) company behind ChatGPT, what can businesses learn from the rollercoaster that is...

21 November, 2023

Patricia Cullen

Figurines of a man, woman, child and shopping trolley on a tablet

Meet Ovuvu: The latest e-commerce store tackling high prices

In the minefield of being bombarded with ads and things to buy on Instagram and TikTok, one start-up has set out to change the perception of e-commerce and transparency in online shopping. Ovuvu, a start-up that launched last year and runs out of its warehouse in North London, offers a range of exciting products for...

17 November, 2023

Autumn Statement 2023: What to expect

With the Autumn Statement taking place tomorrow, Jeremy Hunt will set out the government’s latest plans for tax and public spending. Ahead of tomorrow’s address, the chancellor has said, “I will focus on how we boost business investment and get people back into work to deliver the growth our country needs.” We’ve collated everything that’s...

16 November, 2023

The decline of Marvel Studios? What your business can learn

With audience fatigue, declining quality and an oversaturated market, is Marvel’s once-unshakable formula reaching its breaking point?

11 November, 2023

Has Booths signalled the beginning of the end for self-service checkouts?

Booths, the supermarket chain described as the “northern Waitrose”, has axed nearly all its self-service, becoming the first in the UK to return to fully staffed checkouts. The firm said that of its 28 stores, just two (Keswick and Windermere in Cumbria) will see staff return to checkouts. Booths said they took the decision because...

10 November, 2023

$Girl math$

Girl math: Economic genius or generational fad?

Do you ever find yourself justifying a coffee purchase at lunch or spending a bit extra on your online order to get free delivery? If you have, you may be guilty of partaking in the social media trend of “girl math.” Spearheaded by female creators and originally from New Zealand, girl math is a set...

9 November, 2023

Jake Humphrey sitting with his hands together

Redefining high performance in life and business

High performance. The buzz term du jour on LinkedIn and in the business community. The man who literally has a podcast on the topic has his doubts about whether people actually know its true meaning. Jake Humphrey is a former BBC and BT Sport presenter and the Founder of the Whisper Group, a multi-award-winning company...

8 November, 2023

Who are the UK’s top manufacturing stars to watch out for?

The manufacturing industry is vast and whilst we often praise the industry’s makers, the suppliers do not tend to be as well celebrated. But who are the companies behind the brands, what are they up to, and are they really as successful as they claim to be? For our latest Top 32 list, we looked...

6 November, 2023

Concerns grow about apprenticeship levy

The number of apprentices starting in small businesses has plummeted 49% since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017. That stark figure from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development was included in a new report that also revealed a fall in employer investment in training and apprenticeships, despite labour shortages in many UK...

3 November, 2023

Is space a viable industry for UK businesses to pursue?

Space – a fantasy for many children and cause for existentialism for many adults. But it is also now an opportunity for exploration and advancement. The UK space industry income grew 5.1% to £17.5bn in 2021, according to research. A seemingly niche industry is getting bigger and spacetech looks an increasingly exciting and accessible...

2 November, 2023

Unlocking the potential of the silver workforce

More than half of the UK workforce will be 50 years old or above by 2035. That compares to just over a third in 2019. This demographic shift poses significant challenges for the labour market and businesses. Currently 1.3 million workers between 50 and 64 years old cannot work because of chronic illness according to...

2 November, 2023

Patricia Cullen

South Africa's team celebrates from a bus with supporters during the Springboks Champions trophy tour in Cape Town on November 3, 2023

What leaders can learn from the 2023 Rugby World Cup champions

Led by Siya Kolisi and shaped by Rassie Erasmus, the Springbok squad defied quotas once seen as obstacles to success, instead showcasing a powerful model of leadership, resilience and unity

30 October, 2023

Unlocking the power of DE&I: A guide for SMEs

In this guest article, Amanda Cusdin, chief people officer at Sage, provides actionable steps on how SMEs can drive DE&I initiatives. The past three years have been a whirlwind for DE&I work: we’ve seen lots of big businesses sharing their DE&I plans in response to everything from George Floyd’s murder and the Covid-19 pandemic to...

27 October, 2023

Creating a buzz: Leading the push for diversity in financial services

In this guest article, Romi Savova, CEO at PensionBee, discusses the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It’s no secret that the financial services industry has a history of inadequate diversity. To this day, it remains dominated by men, with minority groups only in a small fraction of top positions. While the setting...

20 October, 2023

Tablet showing internet connection on screen

Navigating corporate transformation in a rapidly changing world

In this guest article, Jean-Philippe Grosmaitre, partner at L.E.K. Consulting, discusses how businesses can implement better digital innovation strategies. There is no escaping the fact that we have entered a new, more volatile, business environment in recent years. In times of uncertainty, businesses want to be as adaptable as they can be, and so conversations...

16 October, 2023