Britain’s smallest companies have scaled back plans to invest in their businesses, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Business in Britain research. Companies with a turnover of less than £1 million expect to invest an average of £21,690 in their businesses in the next six months – a fall of 74% since July, when firms…
UK CEOs are lagging behind the rest of the world in addressing how artificial intelligence (AI) and automation will impact their business, according to PwC research. PwC’s 20th CEO Survey, published at the World Economic Forum in Davos, reveals that nearly half (47%) of UK CEOs say they are not currently addressing the impact of…
UK business were, on average, subject to almost 230,000 cyber attacks each during 2016. According to research by internet provider, Beaming, the volume of attacks hitting individual firewalls exceeded 1,000 per day, on average, in November of last year. While a third of attacks attempted to access company databases in the first quarter of 2016,…
New research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) suggests half (52%) of small firms have been stung by unfair contract terms with suppliers, costing nearly £4 billion in the last three years. Suppliers are failing to make auto-rollover clauses clear up front (24%), tying businesses into lengthy notice periods (22%), charging high early termination…
Paying tax should become less burdensome for British businesses under plans for a new tax system set out by HMRC. Six consultation documents which seek views on its Making Tax Digital programme have been unveiled setting out the benefits as follows: •cash-basis accounting so that thousands more will be able to pay tax based simply…
The Enterprise Act is now on the statute book, affecting the UK’s 5.4 million businesses. According to the Government, the Act will help it deliver on many of its commitments, from cutting red tape and tackling late payment to boosting the quality and quantity of apprenticeships. It includes measures to: •establish a Small Business Commissioner…