Image via Wikipedia I noticed last night that HSBC in Malta has decided to start levying a charge for it’s customers to use their Internet banking facility.I normally have no problem for paying for a service, but this just feels totally wrong. Let’s examine how Internet banking came about. It was born of a necessity to drive down costs for banks by reducing the number of interactions that required a staff member to process them. Staff costs are the largest…
So, the official word is out, the UK is in recession for the first time since 1991. The technical definition of recession is when the economy shrinks for 2 successive quarters, and that’s just what happened. Last quarter the economy deflated by 0.6% and in the last 3 months, the economy slowed by another 1.5%. Considering that happened over Christmas, which is supposed to be one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. Granted, the rest of the economy…
I was reading an article in Computer Weekly by Robina Chatham where she talks about the rise .. and fall (!) of IT representation on company boards. It talks about some research she has done into the subject and also includes a set of key messages which I wanted to share with my readers. Here’s what she recommends: Sort out your service and project delivery. Recruit first-rate people beneath you who are team players; then delegate and let go Nurture…
Interesting post about how simple measures to keep your customers engaged can work wonders for your business. Here are some options to keep in mind: Actively promote recommendations Promote your business through networking Build ‘host relationships’ Create a newsletter These are all relatively cheap options that can help you give your business a boost in the time it needs it. Remember, you don’t need anything sophisticated like live video streaming solutions to get people interested in what you do. All…
Interesting post today on Richard Branson’s blog by one of his colleagues who talks about how innovation was the key component behind making the Virgin brand so successful. My favourite line is right at the bottom: One of the key things I have learnt from Richard over the past 15 years or so is always challenge. Challenge your business to innovate by asking the unaskable, challenge industry norms and always ask, why? And then more importantly, why not? I concur…
It’s interesting to note how many academic subjects end up being used in practical applications without most people being aware of what they’re actually doing. For example, you can look at subjects like mechanical engineering for example; where people who drive cars have no idea what’s going on beneath the bonnet. Another similar subject, is finance, particularly in the world of insurance. Insurance is really all about managing some sort of risk. The formal disciple, called risk management, has evolved…