Business

In a victory for business transparency, a cross-party call for multinationals to make public where they pay tax and in what places they do business, has been given the nod by the Government. There has been increasing pressure from politicians and the wider public to hold these huge companies to account. Many people believe these companies purposefully move revenues across the world to avoid paying taxes where they have made a lot of money. It appears that this might be...

In news that will make rail users across the country angry, but probably not surprised, Southern Rail’s owner announced their profits hit £100m and also received a £20m Government “bailout.” If that wasn’t enough bad, boss David Brown got a pay rise. He will get £2.16 million in 2016, up from £1.96 during 2015. Brown’s bumper pay rise will still go-ahead in spite of being the head of a network that has the worst punctuality record of any franchise in the...

FDI figures that show the UK enjoyed record breaking inward investment have been branded misleading. New figures show that 2,213 inward investment projects were secured in 2015-16 - an 11 per cent increase on the previous year. This led to around 116,000 jobs being created or safeguarded - the second highest number on record, the Department for International Trade said. However Professor Nigel Driffield of Warwick Business School said that in the period that covers these figures the expectation among political commentators...

Over two hundred Scottish schools that have been constructed under PFI (private finance initiative) are in some way owned by investment funds located offshore. This means that 80 per cent that could be at least partly located outside of the UK. PFI schemes have come under criticism recently as schools, hospitals and other large public sector build projects are locked into huge payments over a number of years, that can typically range up to 30. Many public institutions are struggling to...

After months of delays, strikes and negotiations, the London night tube is finally set to run from midnight tonight. Trains will initially run on the Victoria and Central lines on Fridays and Saturdays, before moving to a 24/7 model across Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria lines. According to the BBC, there are also plans to expand the service to parts of the Metropolitan, Circle, District, and Hammersmith & City lines after modernisation and on parts of the London Overground...

There have been many reports and indicators that the UK economy is struggling post-Brexit. It is still early to tell but a Treasury report today does not make great reading. The Independent reports the document indicated that most of the major banking institutions in the capital have cut their growth forecasts for the UK economy in 2017. The figures have been downgraded since the EU referendum vote and the UK’s decision to leave the European project. Many of these banks...

Specsavers has moved to put permanent dibs on the commonly-used verb "should've" after the opticians approached the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) for a trademark. The company used the phrase "should've gone to Specsavers" in it marketing and branding and has become commonly associated with the word, which has given it grounds to apply for exclusive use. If approved, it would mean that other companies will not be able to use "should've" and "shouldve" in their marketing. Despite some commentators demonstrating...

If you've ever dreamed of running your own business but never had the time, money or opportunity then you may be in luck. As it's done in countless industries around the world, IT technology has made it possible for anyone to do almost anything and in 2016 that luxury has been afforded to small business owners. While the advent of modern technology can't quite guarantee your business will blossom, it can help you turn a dream into reality. So why...

Sports Direct has been under increasing pressure from Government and the media due to accusations of unfair and possibly illegal working practices. The focus of most investigations into the organisations have been on the company’s main warehouse Shirebrook. It was discovered employees were being paid below the minimum wage. Alongside that the company’s use of zero-hour contracts has come under a lot of criticism. Now after a series of negotiations a deal has been arranged that will benefit thousands of...