Why Cash Flow Management is Vital
Last week the Office for National Statistics (ONS) stated that the UK’s rate of inflation dropped to 7.9% in the year to June, which means the rate of price rises in the UK has slowed more than expected, down from 8.7% in May – although it still remains high. Falling fuel prices contributed to the…
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Customer Services and Why It Matters
According to the Institute of Customer Service’s (ICS) most recent UK Customer Satisfaction Index more companies have declined in service than improved. In 2021 and 2022, customer satisfaction with complaint handling showed a steady improvement but this has now stalled and other areas of customer satisfaction that are predictive of business performance, such as measures…
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What is a “Sustainable” business?
After some of the hottest temperatures seen on record last month we have been reminded about global warming and how small businesses could help the drive towards net zero. Smaller businesses have recently been affected by the pandemic, higher interest and inflation, and increased energy costs, so it is worth discussing the viability of a…
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The closer you are to retirement, the more planning you need to do.
The closer you are to retirement, the more important your retirement planning becomes. The last five years of work may be some of the most critical of all. If your plans are in place and your pension pot has grown to a level that can provide the income you need in your retirement, you may be…
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Protect Your Retirement Income
The Bank of England (BOE) raised interest rates by half a point to 5 per cent last week, with increasing calls for tougher action to fight persistent high inflation. Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, said that the Bank thinks inflation – the rate at which prices are rising – will fall…
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Challeging Times
Recently we have seen increasing interest rates, the largest monthly house price fall for nearly 14 years by 3.4%, and businesses and individuals paying the highest tax burden since the 1960’s. Times are likely to remain challenging for many businesses, however history shows us that that when things are difficult, genuine quality always rises to…
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How high could interest rates rise?
Earlier this month the Bank of England (BOE) raised interest rates for a 12th consecutive time as the rate of rising prices remains high. The Bank rate has gone up from 4.25% to 4.5%. The BOE has been under pressure to put rates up because it has a target to keep inflation at 2%, but…
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Artificial Intelligence – Can it work for your business?
With the new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, there’s an opportunity to automate many routine or administrative tasks and improve the overall efficiency of your business. One AI tool that has gained significant attention recently is ChatGPT. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an advanced language model that can understand and generate human-like text. This…
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Recruitment tips in a changing environment
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the UK economy is predicted to shrink for the remainder of 2023 and then grow by only 1% in 2024. Interest rates continue to rise as pressure grows on the Bank Of England to call time on its aggressive monetary tightening campaign. There remains uncertainty in the Banking…
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What Really Important
What’s really important? With the constant news surrounding the economy, interest rate uncertainty, and high inflation, its difficult not to worry about these issues and lose sight of what’s really important – the health and welfare of you and your loved ones. The issue we all face is a potent mix of inflation, recession, high…
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