news opinion
What do you do when someone smiles at you?
You smile – it’s a spontaneous reaction, if near impossible not to return the gesture. But if someTHING were to smile at you, how would you react? It looks like we’re soon to find out.
Tech company Semcon has developed a smile that lights up on a car’s front when it detects a pedestrian. This is for driverless cars – when eye contact is not an option – to assure them they’ve been seen and the car will stop at a safe distance.
Apple meanwhile – no doubt helped by its savings in corporation tax – is reportedly beavering away at its iCar with features from electric propulsion and gesture control to holographic displays, a level of connectivity as yet unknown to man or car.
As technology and science continue to confound, with an influx of news on supercapacitors and supernovas, in this issue we focus on the superwomen, men and companies of our region.
For starters there’s a colourful account of our Women in Business (see pages 12-17). Judges of this year’s awards said they were blown away by the quality of the nominations – “the bar just gets higher each year”. Each one of our finalists has an energy, passion and inspirational story that make her a worthy role model for all of us in business.
And if you’re in the market for legal services, or in the profession yourself, this month we highlight a number of our leading lawyers and law firms with extracts from The Legal 500 (see pages 20-28).
In the news, there’s been a lot to smile about too – post Brexit in particular. 74% of recruiters report that business is the same or better (APSCo); business activity has returned to growth after post-EU vote contraction (Lloyds); the property market reflects an “annual increase of 9.1% with prices also up 0.5% since July” (Land Registry) ...
You’ll find more of this optimism and renewed business confidence in the pages that follow. We hope you enjoy the read.
Business activity returns to growth after post-EU vote contraction
Business activity in the South East rebounded in August following a brief post-referendum downturn, according to the latest Lloyds Bank Regional PMI.
The South East of England PMI jumped from 45.5 to 54.3 in August. A PMI reading of above 50 signifies growth and below 50 indicates contraction.
Data for August revealed that business output levels increased as a result of a jump in new business wins and bumper order books for firms.
Growth in new business has been accredited to firms launching new products, marketing initiatives and sales staff working extra hours.
The Lloyds Bank Regional PMI, or purchasing managers’ index, is the leading economic health-check of UK regions. It is based on responses from manufacturers and services businesses about the value
of goods and services produced during August compared with a month earlier.
Cost inflation reached a five-year high in August. Local companies reacted to increased import costs due to the exchange rate and higher wage bills by upping their selling prices.
Ian Patterson, regional director for the South East, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “August’s index shows welcome signs that July’s downturn was temporary. All measures of corporate health – output, new orders and employment – returned to above the 50 mark to signal an overall improvement in business conditions.
“It is especially encouraging that companies were able to secure new business wins despite raising their selling prices, and we’re committed to supporting businesses as they continue to navigate the post-EU referendum landscape.”
UK leads G20 nations in cutting red tape for digital entrepreneurs
The UK has been ranked as the top G20 country for the ease of starting a digital business and navigating through the country’s regulatory environment, according to new research released by EY.
The UK scored the highest marks for its digital business environment, which includes regulation, such as recruitment practices, taxation frameworks, time taken to start a business and legal efficiency.
The UK was second, only to the US, for its digital knowledge base and information and communications technology market, which includes access to technology and expertise, as well as the quality of research institutions.
Carry de la Harpe Editor
4
businessmag.co.uk
The EY G20 Digital Entrepreneurship Barometer assesses a country’s performance against five indicators of entrepreneurship to help identify areas of relative strength and opportunities for improvement. The
model is composed of quantitative data to capture entrepreneurial conditions across G20 economies and in addition to the above, also looked at access to finance, digital skills and entrepreneurial culture and education.
Radhika Chadwick, partner for digital government at EY, commented: “It’s great to see the UK leading the way for supporting digital start-ups. Taking the hassle out of getting a business off the ground boosts the creation of innovative and dynamic businesses, which drive economic growth in the UK.
“Although vocal on the digital and start-up agenda, the Government itself cannot be left behind. Bringing the same digital environment into Whitehall will ensure greater savings are delivered for the taxpayer through better use of technology as well as the public reaping the benefits of faster and more efficient public services.”
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH COAST – OCTOBER 2016
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