If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
C'mon bankers. Re-invent banking. This is a big opportunity. Then you'll find your customers will come up with a more, ahem, grown up and positive sobriquet.
With continuing instability in the Eurozone and uncertainty surrounding Britain's own economic situation, it has been tough for British businesses to navigate the changing global trading landscape with confidence.
The problem for Miliband, and indeed anyone else looking to crack down on corporate tax avoidance, is that the world has changed. On this issue, the politicians are chasing the rampant forces of capitalism, and they appear powerless at the foot of the economic tornado.
Just as the sun seems to have finally arrived in 2013, the mood of SMEs has visibly lifted in recent months.
In most circumstances today's IMF report would be taken as a pretty damning indictment of the state of the economy and our prospects for recovery. However, because the IMF has stopped short of openly calling for a "plan B" the Chancellor's allies appear to be classifying this as a victory.
Why is American marketing speak considered to be so much more grown up than ours, and why are we so intent on attributing half-baked phrases to a language that seems embarrassed about laying claims to them in the first place?
So, it's started again. For the next three months the viewing public will be treated to and will lap up a 'fly on the wall' vision of what makes an entrepreneur - except we won't and it isn't. But many people, who aren't in the know, will think it's meant to be this way.
As Arsenal players recover from their season's nailbiting finale, the club's shareholders find themselves embroiled in a burgeoning scandal over their links to one of Asia's most notorious companies.
While I do believe that it is vital that we modernise and push ourselves forward in business, I actually believe that goes hand-in-hand with being part of a trade body (and all the benefits that brings), rather than being at odds with it.
Sitting on ginormous cash piles, multinational corporations should certainly be willing to contribute their fair share during times of austerity. According to recent estimates, tax avoidance in Britain could be costing the taxpayer as much as £5.5 billion each year. That's £183 per taxpayer, or 21 days funding for the entire NHS.
Sadly, thousands of the young people we help at The Prince's Trust do not grow up surrounded by positive role models. Many have had difficult childhoods, or grown up in workless households, with no one to turn to for advice about how to apply for a job or do well in an interview. They may look up to successful people they see in the media, but without the right support, they feel that their own dreams are out of reach. At The Prince's Trust, however, we are determined to prove them wrong.
In an ideal world, Google should be paying more in tax, but don't hold your breath when international agreement is the only state-based solution. Instead, public pressure is the strongest force to persuade companies that it is in their interests to make a 'moral' contribution in tax.
Recent statistics suggest that 82% of people think it's acceptable to watch pirated TV shows, and the growing piracy rates back this up: the season premiere of Game of Thrones was watched illegally over one million times, compared to just over four million legitimate views, with foreign interest in the series being a large cause.
Whilst there is, of course, no way to guarantee SME success, with the right investor, a niche of your own and real desire to integrate with the sector you serve, your chances will undoubtedly increase.
How did David Beckham become such a successful global icon? And why aren't more British brands as successful as he is? You have to look to France fo...
One in 10 British workers is working fewer hours than they'd like to. Forced casualisation is a reality for millions. The 'underemployment rate' for 16-24-year-olds is 30%. Retail workers are being offered 12-hour weeks, at a level that puts them below the national insurance payment threshold.
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