Despite investing financially in social media, to the tune of over £1m, fewer than 12 per cent of the companies surveyed have full time social media teams in place and those that do are not backing this up with clear strategies to their staff on how to use it.
Sean Mahdi, director in PwC’s digtal transformation group, says that B2B companies should follow the example of B2C companies, which are using social media much more effectively and profitably.
"The results of our survey demonstrate that, although B2B is investing in social media, they appear to be doing so with limited strategies that don’t fully exploit social media in the way that B2C is doing, There is evidence that sectors you might expect to be proficient in this area such as Technology and Entertainment and Media have much better tools and processes in place, but the majority of B2B organisations have much work to do to effectively use this 'new' medium to interact with their clients and customers."
The report also discusses how social media can be used not only to drive sales but also to create brand loyalty and a two-way channel of communication between the business and its customers.
"As embracing social media represents a significant change to the way in which many organisations interact with their customers, a social media strategy is essential. Becoming a social business requires insight ... about your customers, about what your brand stands for; and about the additional value that you can provide your customers through social media engagement," Mahdi added.
However, some of the more cautious business advisers criticise the use of social media as a strategy to drive sales because of its lack of accountability.
For more information, please contact Glazers, Chartered Accountants London or visit www.glazers.co.uk
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( 3 / 126 )In a speech to the Conservative conference, Chancellor George Osborne said solving the eurozone crisis remains the most important aspect of restoring growth in the UK economy.
Mr Osborne has been under pressure from Labour to cut VAT in order to put some money back into the economy, and senior Conservative figures are urging him to axe the 50p top rate of income tax.
However, the Chancellor said it would be wrong to borrow money to fund temporary tax cuts or to increase public spending.
In his speech, Mr Osborne said he had explored “every single option” to boost economic growth in the UK but said that "borrowing too much is the cause of Britain's problems, not the solution".
He said: "We would be risking our nation's credit rating for a few billion pounds more, when that amount is dwarfed by the scale and power of the daily flows of money in the international bond markets, swirling around ready to pick off the next country.
"We will not take that risk. We are in a debt crisis, it is not like a normal recovery. You can't borrow your way out of debt."
Mr Osborne said that UK finances were still tight and that he would be sticking with his deficit reduction plan.
In his speech, he also announced the Treasury would undertake “credit easing”, which would see the cost of borrowing being cut for struggling businesses, and improving access to loans.
He said the Government is helping businesses by keeping interest rates low, which he described as being "the most powerful stimulus that exists".
However, the Chancellor has found £805 million to enable council tax to be freezed in England from 2012-13. This will save £72 a year for UK households.
He said: "I'm a believer in tax cuts - permanent tax cuts paid for by sound public finances.
"Right now, temporary tax cuts or more spending are two sides of exactly the same coin, a coin that has to be borrowed - more debt that has to be paid off."
"For more information, please contact Glazers, Chartered Accountants London or visit www.glazers.co.uk
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( 3 / 150 )New legislation coming into force on Saturday will see agency workers gaining additional rights in pay and benefits.
Agency workers will be entitled to similar rights to permanent staff, as of October 1, after they have completed 12 weeks of service in a temporary job role.
These include pay, overtime, shift allowances, holiday pay and bonuses attributable to individual performance, as well as maternity rights.
The rules are being brought in after long negotiations between unions and the Government.
Stefan Martin, an employment lawyer with law firm Allen & Overy, said: "It won't give them equal rights in terms of protection from dismissal."
"What it is going to give them is equal rights in relation to pay and other basic employment rights.
"It's going to be extra basic pay, [and] extra shift allowances potentially, where those workers are not paid at the same level as the equivalent permanent employee.”
Various legal protections are already in place for agency workers, which include the minimum wage and basic holiday rights. However, under the new European rules, agency workers will also be entitled to the use of the same facilities as staff.
From the first day of employment, they can use a creche, canteen or transport services. They will also be entitled to information about internal vacancies at the company they are working for, and to be given the opportunity to apply for them.
Business groups suggest the new rules will cost firms up to £2bn a year, with concern that the new legislation will lead to more red tape for already struggling small firms who depend on agency workers.
There have also been fears that some agency workers will simply be laid-off after 11 weeks so they do not benefit from the increased rights.
Agency workers, however, will not be entitled to all the same benefits, such as occupational sick pay, redundancy pay and health insurance.
"For more information, please contact Glazers, Chartered Accountants London or visit www.glazers.co.uk
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( 3 / 223 )The Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee (FPC), the financial sector’s new super-regulator, yesterday advised banks to cut their dividends and bonuses in order to strengthen their balance sheets.
Following its second quarterly meeting, the FPC, which is due to take over from the Financial Services Authority, released the statement yesterday which also warned about the eurozone crisis being a risk to the financial stability of the UK.
The minutes from the FPC meeting recommended that banks "strengthen their levels of capital and liquidity so as to increase their capacity to absorb flexibly any future shocks, without constraining lending to the wider economy." It also stated that these efforts should include "ensuring that discretionary distributions reflected any reduction in profits".
The FPC also advised that banks should allow their capital ratios to run down in the event of an overseas financial shock, rather than attempt to protect their buffers by cutting lending.
However the Bank of England’s quarterly Credit Conditions Survey showed signs that the squeeze on domestic UK borrowers continues.
The survey said that the supply of secured credit to households increased slightly in the three months to September, however, lending to businesses remained low. And the findings also led the Bank of England to warn that “adverse wholesale funding conditions” might restrict future lending to the British economy.
In its statement, the FPC also suggested that it will need regulatory tools to carry out its works on ensuring financial stability in the UK. These would include powers to set maximum leverage ratios for banks and the authority to dictate maximum loan-to-value ratios on mortgage lending.
The FPC, which is chaired by the Bank of England's Governor, Sir Mervyn King, is currently an advisory body but it will gain formal powers once legislation, presently before Parliament, is passed.
"For more information, please contact Glazers, Chartered Accountants London or visit www.glazers.co.uk
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( 3 / 199 )A financial tax has been proposed by the European Commission, but the UK has said it will “resist” the financial transaction tax on EU members.
Under the proposals, the financial tax would be levied at a rate of 0.1 percent on all transactions between institutions when at least one party is based in the EU. The tax would raise about 57 billion euros a year and would begin from the start of 2014.
A spokesman for the UK Treasury said it would “absolutely resist” any tax that was not introduced globally.
“We would not do anything that is not in the UK's interests," the spokesman said.
In order to be implemented across the EU, the tax would need to be approved by the UK. But the commission said if the UK did not give the tax approval then it would look to having it implemented across the eurozone instead.
Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said Europe was facing its “greatest challenge” and banks must "make a contribution".
The commission said the tax was “to ensure that the financial sector makes a fair contribution at a time of fiscal consolidation in the member states".
It also said that financial firms were “under-taxed” compared with other sectors, and that they had played a role in the current “economic crisis”.
The commission also stated that the "significant additional revenue" raised would contribute to public finances.
City of London officials have said that about 80 percent of the revenues of any Europe-wide financial tax would come from London.
"For more information, please contact Glazers, Chartered Accountants London or visit www.glazers.co.uk
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