Business Reporter

Following on from Sir Richard Branson’s comments to boot out under-performing train companies, we look at what needs to be done in order to improve our country’s ailing train services.

Heed the high-profile horror stories of times past and focus on culture, leadership and integration to ensure your merger marriage stays strong When Daimler-Benz struck a deal to acquire fellow automotive manufacturer Chrysler, it ended up costing around $110bn (£68bn) in losses within the first three years – more than double the deal’s initial value [...]

More than ever it’s about what you know, not who you know. Bonnie Gardiner finds out what the best MBAs can offer In today’s fast-paced technological world, leadership is often born from innovation and entrepreneurial skills rather than degrees. However, for many young people who want to make it in the world of business, there [...]

After a successful leader leaves after making their mark within a company, how does a business put the pieces back together and move forward? Earlier this year in the wake of the media inquiry by Lord Justice Leveson, media mogul Rupert Murdoch announced plans to resign as director of News International, as part of a [...]

As the CFO role evolves from just accountancy to true C-suite leadership with the CEO or MD, Business Reporter speaks to Steve Nelson of 4Projects. Twenty years ago, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) was often just a quiet accountant – good with figures, and an eye for risk, but not expected to run the company. [...]

The charismatic former Dragons’ Den star on how he’s breathing fire into fledgling firms. “Step into my office,” quips celebrity entrepreneur and former Dragons’ Den star Doug Richard as he motions toward a pair of leather sofas, slap bang in the middle of Bristol’s Colston Hall events venue. Looking every bit the outspoken Californian businessman [...]

Companies need to engage their workforce by using effective management – or face losing out to their competitors The employee engagement revelation Executive leaders and HR practitioners are more frequently recognising the importance of an engaged workforce, its potential to drive business performance and impact the bottom line. Engaged employees are highly motivated and committed [...]

Businesses are slowly coming to realise there is a direct link between engaged employees and productivity, but many still have much to do The need for real cultural change in Britain’s workplaces is more pressing than ever. Figures released in June suggest the long-standing productivity gap between the UK and other developed economies remains stubbornly [...]

Getting a CEO to agree to an engagement survey can be hard – especially when your business case isn’t good enough. So how can you build a convincing one? First, it needs to go beyond engagement (engagement is an enabler, not an end in itself) and focus on the links between engagement and key performance [...]

Technology is no substitute for real conversations – if you want to inspire your colleagues, you need to connect personally In order to keep pace with market demands, companies are increasingly turning to technology to enable the business to communicate 24/7. We’ve enabled our employees to be super-connected, but are we communicating with the right [...]