ENTREPRENEURS NEWS | IN BRIEF
ORDERS GROW AT FASTEST RATE IN 16 YEARS
Last quarter the UK’s small and medium-sized manufacturers saw the volume of orders at home and abroad grow at the fastest rate in 16 years, leading to another solid rise in output, said the CBI this week. But the business group warned that smaller firms are being squeezed by intense cost pressures. The CBI’s latest quarterly SME Trends Survey revealed that volumes of domestic and export orders among smaller firms rose at the fastest rate since April 1995.
LONDON BUSINESS SCHOOL CONFERENCE
The London Business School is hosting a conference about entrepreneurship called “Inventing the Future” on Friday. The event focuses on the role that entrepreneurs play for both the economy and society, showcasing how entrepreneurs drive change. It will be held in the Bloomberg auditorium, Finsbury Square, EC2A. Speakers include Luke Johnson, the founder of Pizza Express, Niklas Zennstrom, the founder of Skype and Mike Harris, the founder of Egg. For more information visit www.london.edu.
MOST SMES REGRET RECRUITMENT CHOICES
A whopping 88 per cent of small businesses have regretted hiring a particular individual in the last 12 months, says a survey by the recruitment agency SHL. Respondents explained that this was due to a combination of the individual being “not up to what was required” (33 per cent), a “lack of skills” (47 per cent) or “subsequent poor performance” (35 per cent). The recruitment company said small businesses couldn’t afford to get things wrong and that their services can help.