A Trade Mission to Dubai to help small firms make trade links with the fourth largest export market outside the EU takes place from 26th Nov, and Human Capital Department are invited.
According to the British Chamber of Commerce the regions market is worth $197.5 billion for the UK with the Arabic economy still growing at 3.4%, it is the eleventh biggest market in the world with an emerging SME market.
I gabbed the opportunity to join the trade mission having lived and worked in the region for ten years and so understand the cultural differences – first time visitors and tourists can be seduced into thinking its like home only with sunshire but it’s not. Similarly businesses can come unstuck – often consultants and trainers are parachuted in with little knowledege or understanding of the company and country culture.
The first research of its kind into modern methods of construction (MMC) provides new insights into ways its use could help solve the current UK housing crisis. It also reveals that industry perceptions need to change for MMC to be viewed as a strategic, innovative process rather than a technical solution.
The UK is facing a chronic housing shortage – 98% of local councils are unable to meet demand, while the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors estimate 1.8 million new homes will be needed by 2025.
As a result, Flagship Group led a partnership of housing associations from across the East of England (Cross Keys Homes, Freebridge Community Housing, Havebury Housing Partnership, Longhurst Group, Saffron Housing Trust and Victory Housing Trust) to commission research into MMC and its effect on HAs.
The main objectives of the research were to:
– Provide an overview of UK and international approaches to MMC in housing and identify gaps in knowledge.
– Provide new insight into the process of developing MMC housing drawing on four case studies.
– Provide recommendations for the consortium of HAs to consider as the housing sector explores MMC as an option.
In addition to looking at current literature, the University of the West of England (UWE) carried out in-depth interviews with participants from four leading architecture firms who have completed MMC projects. There has been a noticeable change to the way housing is delivered in the UK in recent years as more houses are urgently needed to meet demand. The move is to deliver houses more quickly and architects play a vital role in this context and were therefore selected to take part in the study.
The primary research, which is not available anywhere else, provided a valuable insight enabling HAs to consider MMC approaches as a viable housing option now.
Public Affairs Advisor at Flagship, Jack Weaver said: “Modern methods of construction (MMC) have potential to revolutionise the way we build and regenerate homes and can make a genuine contribution to solving the housing crisis. This research has brought together experts in the field with some of our most creative and ambitious partners. It joins together many different aspects of MMC in a way not done before in social housing. It also demonstrates our desire to innovate and shows the government we are serious about driving forward innovative ways of delivering new homes.”
Key findings included:
– Existing literature largely overlooks customer satisfaction – there have been studies focusing on customers’ views about MMC but not their experience of it. As attitudes have changed significantly over recent years, more studies need to be carried out.
– Studies suggest there is no or little perceived difference in MMC housing regarding maintenance needs. Build quality is largely seen to be the same as traditional building however, there are suggestions issues could arise between offsite manufacture and onsite assembly.
– From inception to completion of a project, the sharing of information between partners through Building Information Management (BIM) was found as key to successful installation and maintenance of MMC.
– MMC needs to be reviewed against sustainable design requirements concerning climate change predictions.
Dr Sonja Oliveira and James Burch from the University of the West of England said: “There is a clear need for post occupancy evaluation in MMC delivered housing to better understand resident experiences and needs in terms of spatial and environmental quality. The case studies identified enable new insights into architects’ views of delivery methods, and approaches to designing for diverse residents- areas often overlooked in surveys carried out to date in the UK.”
Key recommendations of the research include:
– A clear business case is initially developed. This would outline the need for investment, likely volume, market as well as the type of houses.
– Gaining an evidence base of knowledge from built examples including visits to international/national leading projects, gaining feedback from residents as well as manufacturers and designers.
– A pilot project is procured to test and develop capabilities to enable better decision making regarding choice of material, mode of delivery, finance and partnership model.
M+A Partners is pleased to launch its third annual Owner Managed Business (OMB) Survey. The aim of our annual OMB Survey is to canvass the opinion and sentiment of leaders and directors from owner managed businesses across the Eastern Region. We would like to thank the many businesses that contributed to last year’s survey and we hope that you will take part this year. Your opinion and the voice of the sector that you operate within is important to us. The survey will take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and will close on Wednesday, 13 December 2017. Click hereto take the Owner Managed Business Survey 2018
Residents in Stalham now have a new playground on Allen Meale Way thanks to positive partnership working between Flagship Group and North Norfolk District Council.
Local Housing Officer for Flagship Christine Fox and North Norfolk District Council submitted an application to the Tesco Bags of Help appeal to improve the old play equipment, promote physical activity, and increase social interaction among the local community.
After an overwhelming response to the petition which formed part of the submission to Tesco, the cause for a new playground received the greatest number of coin votes from the three potential appeals in the Stalham store.
Mum Abbe Cooper who lives on Allen Meale Way said it was fantastic that they were chosen: “It’s great that the children now have somewhere safe to play and be together. Children of all ages from lots of families now use the new play equipment and look after each other. There’s a real sense of community.”
Mum Lisa Cave who also lives on Allen Meale Way added: “The equipment before was old, especially the bench and so wasn’t used much. I hoped we would be successful as we had such great support when we took the petition to people’s houses and also on Facebook. It’s great for the community as dozens of families now benefit.”
The improved play provision appeal received £10,000 from Tesco, Flagship contributed £260 raised by their customers at a local fun day and NNDC paid for the installation of the equipment and will pick up the ongoing maintenance.
Christine Fox said: “We were really pleased to receive so many votes which proves how valuable the area is to so many people. The playground has made a huge difference to our customers and other members of the community as children and parents meet there and socialise.”
Cllr Maggie Prior, North Norfolk District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure said: “It’s great that we were able to support the new play equipment bid and get the community behind the project.”
Cllr Pauline Grove-Jones, a Ward Councillor for Stalham and Sutton said: “I am delighted that the play area is now so well used and appreciated by the local children and parents. Thanks to Tesco and Flagship for their valuable contributions and to NNDC for overseeing the purchase and installation of the equipment.”
We were overjoyed when the client passed on the fantastic news that we had been awarded “Best Stand” at the BCI World Conference and Exhibition in London recently.
Awards don’t come along every day and the accolade isn’t offered by many B2B trade show organisers nowadays, so it’s really rewarding when they do. It’s a great feeling for the client, reassurance knowing that they made the right choice in choosing us as their event partner and reaffirmed confidence for us for using the term “award winning” in our marketing. Over the years we have been fortunate to have won many awards at many major events; London Motor Show, GLEE, Baby Shows and Grand Designs to mention just a few. However in each case the awards have been purely incidental, the focus for us has always been presenting the client’s product or service effectively and getting them to market at events successfully.
BCI World is the “must attend” event for the business continuity and resilience professional. This year’s keynote speaker being, until recently, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police who had national responsibilities which included leading counter terrorism policing throughout the UK and protecting the government. The stand we provided for SUNGARD focused on “Disaster Recovery” of IT systems in the event of a variety of threats or issues set against a corporate themed mountain landscape. We chose an interactive 4wd challenge which featured an authentic scaled model of a Land Rover Defender tackling a number of “themed” obstacles, each highlighting a particular threat to company IT and business continuity. Visitors attempted the course against the clock in an attempt to walk away with the awesome prize of the remote controlled Land Rover used on the stand. Needless to say quite apart from winning best stand award the interaction made the client the most popular at the event!
Whilst shooting on location we’ve received many perplexed looks from folks passing by. In September JMS Group’s crew travelled to Ipswich to film the University of Suffolk’s new TV & cinema campaign. Confused stares reached a new high!
We’ve been collaborating with the University of Suffolk (UOS) and their Ipswich neighbours Firebrand Creative to spread the university’s message: Be fearless, not faceless. At the UOS you can be yourself, not an anonymous cog in the machine of a giant university.
The campaign began with a 10-second teaser to advertise the UOS’ fictional nemesis. At the large and impersonal ‘University of Sheep’ individuality is discouraged – the students wear identical sheep masks and are referred to only by number. We were inspired by hacktivist network Anonymous and the cult TV series Mr Robot. We gave the University of Sheep a dystopian feel by shooting at a suburban bus stop and washing out the colours.
Several days after the release of the 10-second teaser, a 30-second ‘reveal’ commercial joined the campaign. In the thirty, one of the ‘sheep’ waiting at the bus stop removes their mask. They break free from the bland anonymity of the University of Sheep, and stride towards the bright and lively UOS campus.
The campaign aired on Sky AdSmart and was also shown in Odeon cinemas across East Anglia.
To bring life to your next TV campaign contact the team on 01603 811855 or email francesca.deLacey@jms-group.com.
Over many years visiting Norfolk homes and offices and helping customers choose the fabrics for their handmade blinds, local people have been asking for countryside themed blinds. Although Norwich Sunblinds source fabric from a wide range of suppliers, they felt that their customers wanted more choice. And what better way to do this than to commission a local artist to produce some bespoke designs.
Talented local artist, Mandy Clarke, has created two exclusive designs for Norwich Sunblids, which are available as limited edition fabrics.
The design is printed onto the fabric, which is then made into bespoke blinds. The fabric is water-resistent and wipeable, which makes it ideal for kitchen windows.
There will be only 100 of each blind, and the lucky owners will receive a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist.
Fiona Garwood, Director of Norwich Sunblinds says:
“We wanted some cheerful floral countryside type fabrics, which would sit well on kitchen windows, and particularly wanted a poppy design, as lots of clients have poppy designs on their mugs and dinner plates.
The bramble fabric has some nice colours to blend with lots of colour schemes, and brings the outside in on a dull winters day.”
These fabric designs are exclusive to Norwich Sunblinds and can be viewed in either of the Norfolk Showrooms or you can book an in-home appointment:
The new website creates a stronger online presence for the school, along with a greatly improved navigation system to allow parents to find the information they need quickly and easily.
You can see more about this project on our website.
Why it pays for employers to understand mental health at work By Marina Glasgow, Deputy Director, Acas East of England 1. Did you know? 2. 5 common signs of workplace stress 3. Stress at work: an employer’s checklist 4. Minimising stress and maximising production 5. The first steps to stress-free working
In an increasingly competitive 24/7 economy, companies are facing unprecedented pressure to perform. Longer hours and heavier workloads are having a significant impact on employee health. And poor management could be to blame. A study by CV Library shows that workplace stress is on the rise with over half of employees saying they were dealing with stress at work on a daily basis. Worse still, almost two thirds of the people questioned believed that they received little or no support from their managers. Stress and anxiety in the workplace are not just bad news for your workforce; they can also have a negative impact on performance, productivity, recruitment and your ability to retain staff. So it makes sense to spot the signs, establish a healthy work/life balance and introduce measures that effectively manage work-related stress.
Did you know? • Mental health problems cost UK employers £30 billion a year through lost production, recruitment and absence. • Over half of the nation’s workers (53%) are dealing with stress at work. • 89% of professionals believe being susceptible to stress at work can have an impact on career progression. • Two thirds (67%) admit that they feel stress can negatively affect performance.
5 common signs of workplace stress Employees who are suffering from stress may exhibit unusual behaviours, or sudden mood changes. Knowing what to look for may help employers to tackle the problem at an early stage. 1. An increase in unexplained absence or sick leave 2. Poor performance or time-keeping 3. Poor decision-making 4. A lack of energy 5. Uncommunicative or moody behaviour
Stress at work: an employer’s checklist Stress can hit employees at any level and in any role. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has identified six common causes of stress at work. These provide a clear check-list for employers. • Unreasonable demands – heavy workloads can place heavy demands on staff. It is also important to consider the working environment • A lack of control – employees may feel that they have little or no say over their schedules • A lack of support – staff may believe that that they are left to tackle problems without the support of line managers or other colleagues • Poor working relationships – a lack of trust, or the wrong culture, can cause stress and anxiety • Uncertain roles – unclear or ill-defined roles can lead to conflict and leave employees feeling confused • Unexpected change – sudden organisational changes can make employees feel isolated and uncertain
Minimising stress and maximising production While mental health is complex, there are a number of things managers can do to help their employees cope with work-related stress. The Centre for Mental Health charity estimates that employers could cut the cost of mental health – in lost production and replacing staff – by a third – just by improving their management of mental health at work. The key is to focus on the factors that are within your control. The HSE has developed a suite of management standards, which help organisations to tackle the key causes of stress and anxiety at work. These offer guidance in the following areas: • Demands – ensuring employees can cope with the demands of their workload, work patterns and working environment • Control – allowing employees to have more of a say in the way they approach their work • Support – providing encouragement, sponsorship and resources to address employee issues and concerns • Relationships – promoting positive working to avoid conflict and responding quickly to unacceptable behaviour • Role – defining roles and responsibilities to remove ambiguity and responding to concerns • Change – liaising with employees to minimise the impact of organisational changes and upheaval It is important for employers to compare their current workplace culture with these standards and continually evolve their working practices to eliminate stressful situations. These simple steps, alongside our top tips for employers, can help to influence employees’ workplace wellbeing and performance.
The first steps to stress-free working Employers don’t have to be qualified counsellors to make a difference to their staff’s wellbeing. Encouraging employees to talk and being a good listener can provide the perfect opportunity for people to discuss problems at home, or other factors that may be affecting their performance at work. It is also important for employers to keep an open mind. There are many misconceptions about people with mental health. And the more line managers understand about mental health issues, the more they can do to help their staff cope with the challenges the modern workplace poses. There is lots more information about managing mental health including stress at www.acas.org.uk/mentalhealth Marina will be hosting Acas mental health and wellbeing conference: Shining a Light on Mental Health and Wellbeing at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford on 23 January 2018 with Sir Brendan Barber and Francoise Woolley of Acas, Andy Woodcock and Audrey Clark of Brentwood Community Print and mental health ambassador Rachel Kelly. Come along and find out more about managing health, wellbeing and stress to improve resilience, the impact of our own mental health and wellbeing, initiatives for support and the legal implications of discrimination and mental health.
We believe employing young people brings a wide range of benefits, such as;
· More diverse and creative approaches to problem solving
· Energises the workplace with increased adaptability to change
· Cost-effective way to grow a workforce
· Encourages shared values and good practice
· Insight into changing markets
· Increased loyalty and reduced staff turnover
On Track is a new service, which aims to remove barriers to employment for some of Norfolk’s most vulnerable young people. It is focused on maximising the opportunities of 16 to 24 year olds furthest from the labour market, to access the skills, qualifications and the self-confidence needed to secure and sustain employment.
It provides a package of short training courses tailored to personal needs with a systematic focus on getting participants training, education and work ready. It is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and European Social Fund as part of Building Better Opportunities programme. It is led byThe Matthew Project in partnership with YMCA, ACE, GYROS, NANSA and The Princess Trust.
On Track provides free support and training for employers of On Track participants. We train work-based mentors and offer training to staff to raise awareness of issues such as mental health in the work place.
Find out how you and your organisation can get involved by joining us at our launch event on Thursday 23rd November 08.30 – 11.00 at Kings Centre, Kings Street Norwich, NR1 1PH.
Pure Executive brings region’s Finance Directors together to discuss gender pay reporting and GDPR
Senior finance professionals from across the East of England have come together to discuss topical regulation updates including gender pay reporting and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) at the Autumn series of Finance Director (FD) Breakfast Clubs.
The quarterly FD Breakfast Clubs are organised by accountancy firm Grant Thornton in association with executive recruitment consultants Pure Executive to provide forums for the region’s finance leaders to come together and discuss topical issues likely to impact on businesses and the local economy.
Five Autumn breakfast sessions were held in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough, Ipswich and Norwich between 16 October and 2 November and were attended by over 130 finance professionals. The interactive sessions provided a combination of technical updates and strategic thinking around gender pay gap reporting, changes to GDPR regulations and best practice on tax governance.
Tom Earl, Director at Pure Executive, said: “The continued introduction of new reporting requirements such as gender pay and GDPR brings an element of both internal and external financial and reputational risk to all organisations. Our latest FD breakfast clubs focussed on managing this risk by providing practical support and information to help ensure organisations are compliant and that they understand how some of these requirements will impact businesses on a practical level.”
The FD Breakfast Clubs were first launched in 2014 by Pure Executive and Grant Thornton to help support the local business community and to grow the regional economy. Subjects covered at previous sessions have included Corporate Governance, Apprenticeship Levy, Cyber Security and Data Protection and the impact of Brexit.
The FD Breakfast Clubs are open to all senior finance professionals. For more information about future events email Lucy Plumb: lucy.plumb@pureexecutive.com
Having succeeded in a number of hugely competitive industries online including payday and guarantor loans, bridging finance and construction, we were approached by the team at Perfect Funeral Plans who are growing their company, offering and brand. With the price of the average funeral in the UK having risen by more than 100% in the last 12 years, Perfect Funeral Plans have set up to establish a service that allows customers to afford funeral plans for the future.
Although not something most people wish to think about, funeral plans are important as set up and in place, loved ones will not need to foot the expensive bill of burial or cremation at a very distressing time. These plans cover costs including the burial or cremation, funeral director costs and other costs associated with saying goodbye to a loved one. Allowing the applicant to pay in monthly instalments as opposed to a lump sum up front, these plans are increasing in popularity and Perfect Funeral Plans have seen the need to rank strongly online to offer an important service to consumers.
What we Have Done
Perfect Funeral Plans have a WordPress website which has allowed our Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) the necessary flexibility to get into the heart of the website and its functioning. Initially, we had an in-depth consultation with the client to discuss their needs and aims for their brand. From here we established a clear online strategy encompassing SEO and pay per click (PPC) advertising on Google.
Then, we have implemented SEO-friendly meta data (titles and descriptions) for the site to allow Google and other search engines to efficiently and accurately read and rank the website online. Furthermore, we have produced various landing pages, information and guide resources to engage users and to capture the longer tail searches around their industry that exist online and this has already seen the site rank for a few very good terms that are moving up Google day by day.
In addition, we have moved the website to a secure server to protect user data and information and have paid special attention to the user journey and the speed of the website. This I s to ensure maximum engagement of the customer on the website, something Google give more importance than ever. We will shortly be moving into the mobile user experience on the site, with Google’s new, mobile-first algorithm being fully rolled out shortly.
What is to Come
In order to maximise effectiveness online and to capitalise on the work already carried out to great success, we will be undertaking a strong and clean backlink and online PR strategy. This is to ensure that Perfect Funeral Plans only receive l inks and referral traffic from the highest quality sources and websites. Moreover, we are expanding the offering of Perfect Funeral Plans to allow for other websites to share the content produced by Perfect Funeral Plans to enable the natural acquisition of links from reputable and trusted online sources and websites. We will also be producing additional landing pages, guides and informative content for the website to increase its offering and expand upon the progress made thus far.
We look forward to building further upon the progress already made with the exciting team at Perfect Funeral Plans and are excited for what the future holds for this truly exciting brand and online offering.