23
Nov
CBI sees recession as a catalyst for new business era
The recession has become the catalyst for a new era in business,
according to a report by the CBI.
The study by the employers' group identifies four key areas of
UK business where new ways of working could develop because of the
downturn.
They include more flexible workforces, greater collaborations
among businesses and wider financing options.
"The Shape of Business - The Next 10 Years" is being launched
ahead of the CBI annual conference in London later.
'Flexiforce'
The recession has raised concerns about commercial models,
supply chains and finance that will reshape business behaviour well
into the next decade, according to the CBI, which represents
240,000 UK businesses.
Its study suggests:
Businesses look to alternatives to protect investment and
innovation
Companies look at their approach to working with partners and even
competitors to stop future "domino effect" of supply-chain
failures
Sustainability and ethics could become more integrated into the
business model. Firms should seek to improve accountability to
attract and retain customers and staff
A more flexible workforce should evolve with some firms that might
mean a smaller core workforce and a larger, so-called
flexiforce.
Richard Lambert, director general of the CBI, said the UK may be
poised at the edge of a new era for business.
"Attitudes to finance and to corporate leadership are changed
for a generation by the shock of the past two years," he said.
"What we now need is a more balanced, less risky pathway to
growth - one in which the short-term returns may be lower, but the
long-term rewards for management success will be a lot more
sustainable and secure."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown is expected to call for an
"outward-facing Britain, attracting inward investment and
sustaining high-value-added jobs", when he attends the
conference.
He will stress the importance that business links with Europe
hold for Britain.
The government says more than three million British jobs depend
on Europe.
source: www.bbc.co.uk/news Monday 23rd
November 2009