The search for exceptional customer engagement: breaking down barriers between the front, middle and back offices

As the battle for competitive advantage becomes fiercer, maintaining positive customer engagement is crucial to any organisation worth its salt.

Award-Winning Social Enterprise from GLL

GLL is the leading leisure charitable social enterprise in the UK. They are an employee-owned business that works as a charity to deliver social change and social values through charitable activities.

New Business Winners - The Green Energy Advice Bureau

The Green Energy Advice Bureau is a commercial energy advice and supply service that helps businesses save money while becoming more environmentally friendly.

Winner Focus: RHP Group - Not for Profit & Charity

RHP Group is a housing association with a strong social purpose. Formed back in 2000 after a transfer of stock from Richmond Council, the group is a not-for-profit organisation with a purpose of providing quality and affordable housing options to people unable to rent or buy in the local private housing market.

SGN – Award-Winning Innovation Worth ‘Piping Up’ About

SGN is one of the country’s leading utility companies with over 3,800 employees distributing gas through over 74,000km of pipes. SGN delivers heat and energy to 5.9 million homes and businesses across three distinct network areas that include South London, Scotland and the Hebrides, and the west of Northern Ireland.

Patron Capital - Financial Services Winners

Patron Capital is a Western European private equity real estate fund based in London. The company owns Optimum Credit, one of the leading second-charge mortgage lenders in the UK.

Award-winning Retail from Blue Whale Spa

Blue Whale Spa is a Nottingham based company and a leading manufacturer of acrylic shell hot tubs in the UK. The company is the only one that makes the journey from concept and design right through to installation at the home of the customer.

Five million households to 'save £115 a year' under new safeguard energy tariff

Energy watchdog Ofgem said it had extended its safeguard tariff to almost one million vulnerable customers, taking the total number of households protected on the tariff to more than five million.

Octoly data leak: Personal details of 12,000 social media influencers exposed in cloud storage error

The data was inadvertently leaked by Octoly, a Paris-based marketing agency that supplies social media stars with merchandise and products from top brands.

Elon Musk's Roadster Launched into Space

US entrepreneur Elon Musk has launched his new rocket, the Falcon Heavy, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Workers under 50 face tax rise to pay for state pensions

Workers under the age of 50 face a tax rise because the state pension fund will run out in 2035, Government advisers have warned.

Kodak Stock Exploding Another 64% After It Leaps into Current Blockchain Craze

Kodak shares look set to rise nearly 200% in just two days after the former titan of global photography said it will issue its own digital currency backed by blockchain technology.

Here are the top 10 billionaires of the world

Bloomberg recently updated its Billionaires Index where techies continue to top the charts. Here are the top 10 billionaires in the world as of today.

UK employment falls for second month, pay edges up

The number of people in work in Britain fell again, suggesting employers are turning more cautious as Brexit nears, and while pay growth quickened slightly, it remained lower than inflation, official data showed on Wednesday.

Climate Change May Take Some of the Air Out of Wind Power

Rising temperatures are projected to calm winds across the Northern Hemisphere’s middle latitudes, including the American Midwest, where wind energy accounts for a double-digit share of electricity generation in some states.

European shares open on a cautious note ahead of Fed meeting

European bourses opened on a cautious note on Wednesday despite gains on Wall Street and in Asia as investors await a U.S. Federal reserve meeting and assess the political implications of Donald Trump’s setback in a bitter Senate election in Alabama

UK regulator’s new strategy to ensure “fairer” gambling market

UK gambling operators have been given fresh warnings to up their responsibility game or face the wrath of UK gambling regulators.

Zimbabweans turn to bitcoin for survival

HARARE – For most investors around the world, bitcoin is a volatile and highly speculative bet. For Zimbabweans, however, the cryptocurrency seems to offer rare protection from the onset of hyperinflation and financial implosion.

Go Compare rejects £460m Zoopla-owner bid

ZPG made unsolicited approaches to buy the aggregator which were “unanimously and unequivocally rejected” by the board according to a statement from Go Compare.

Traffic jams: UK's worst motorway disruption revealed

The worst traffic jams in the UK left drivers facing up to 15 hours of disruption and tailbacks.

Sainsbury Cuts Jobs as Brexit Puts Online Retailers Off U.K.

The U.K. retail industry’s Brexit-linked turmoil deepened as J Sainsbury Plc said it would cut as many as 2,000 jobs

Shell Launches Fast-Charging Service for Electric Vehicles

Shell already offers electric-vehicle charging through a partner scheme in Norway and earlier this year opened a hydrogen refuelling station in Britain.

The Top 5 Reasons Sales Training Fails - and How to Avoid Them!

Just like top athlete’s train-insaneto stay ahead of the competition, the same is true for top sales teams.Whilst any investment in people development should be applauded, unfortunately most of it will prove to be a waste of money as it won’t deliver the necessary behaviour change and improved business performance needed.

How VMware on AWS compares to Microsoft Azure Stack

VMware on AWS and Microsoft Azure Stack target the same enterprises but different use cases. Understand the value of each of these transforming technologies.

Dara Khosrowshahi is officially Uber's new CEO

Dara Khosrowshahi has accepted the position of Uber CEO after he was selected by the company's board on Sunday.

Dunelm's John Browett Steps Down for 'personal reasons'

Homewares retailer Dunelm Group announced on Wednesday that John Browett will be stepping down as chief executive for personal reasons, with immediate effect.

How to play the awards game

Winning awards for your personal and professional achievements is a seriously competitive business. And like any match worth winning, having a game plan will get you so much further than throwing everything together and hoping for the best. Here are my 5 top tips for playing the awards game like a pro. Read these and you too will be beating your industry competitors game, set, and match.

Why the UK Business Awards are like no other

Recent feedback from past winners got us to thinking about just how unique the UK Business Awards are compared to any other national business awards programme. And why the value of entering is about more than raising your profile and gaining credibility.

The UK Sharing Economy Will Grow by 60% in 2017

In 2017, the idea of a sharing – or collaborative – economy (defined as a socio-economic system built around the sharing of human and physical resources) has enveloped society. Some of the best-known platforms of this type are Uber, Airbnb, eBay and Spotify.

Using Audience Insights to Win New Business

Without one platform to import a company’s various data sources, marketers have no way to get a holistic view of their target audience’s interests and behaviours across screens and devices.

Adding Agile to Improve Breakthrough Innovation in Product Development

Business executives have always been under pressure to generate growth, and today’s fast-moving and competitive business environment do not make that any easier.

Interview: Elan Hair Design

Winners in the ‘Sustainability’ category at the UK Business Awards ’16, Elan Hair Design is a family owned hairdressing business based in Scotland that has set the benchmark for sustainability within the industry. Embarking on an ambitious refurbishment plan in 2010, the ultra-modern salon is on target to reduce carbon emissions by 95%.

10 Years After the Smoking Ban – What Has Changed?

The UK now has one of the lowest smoking rates in Europe, but how did that affect public health, who turned the ban into a profit, and who are the biggest losers influenced by the new law?

Five of the Most Common Customer-Centric Developments in UK Business

As one of hottest topics amongst business professionals, customer-centricity is rapidly becoming a number one priority for both global and UK companies. Customers are becoming more aware of outdated marketing techniques and are demanding a more genuine approach from their favourite brands.

Mobile App Performance Remains a Major Problem a Decade After iPhone Launch

On the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone launch, app performance problems remain a major challenge, preventing many from realising their full potential.

Let’s hear it for our social entrepreneurs!

Social entrepreneurship - the use of techniques by start-up companies and other entrepreneurs to develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues.

7 steps to capitalising on your judging experience

Google, the World’s Biggest Online Advertising Company, Will Start Blocking Online Ads Next Year

In an effort to force publishers to rethink the way they deliver ads on their websites, Google will be introducing its own ad blocker in 2018. According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is giving publishers six months to prepare for the new tool, which will block ads on sites with “bad advertising experiences” and will reportedly be turned on by default in both the desktop and mobile versions of Chrome.

One year warning: Why Brexit doesn’t mean the end of GDPR compliance for UK businesses

Legal expert Dan Hyde, partner at Pennington Manches and the founder of CyberCounsel, explains why GDPR compliance is not something that can be ignored by British businesses, just because we're leaving the EU.

A Few Things about Professor Malcolm McDonald and his Exclusive Insight

"I first met Malcolm McDonald in a lecture theatre at Cranfield School of Management, in 2000, and I learned more about marketing from his one hour lecture than I could hope to learn from years of experience." – Neil Skehel, Founder and CEO of Awards International

UK Business Awards – 5 great reasons to enter

You are probably already aware that awards play an important role in rewarding, recognising and promoting your initiatives.

Why Awards Boost Morale

Zircon CEO, Dr Amanda Potter, looks at the positive psychological effects that winning awards can have and what it takes to be a winner.

Winning Business Awards [Infographic]

The process of winning a business award is a great experience for anyone involved, from the employee to the CEO.

Amazon is Expanding Its Presence in Cambridge with A New R&D Lab for 400 Staff

Amazon is opening a new research and developing (R&D) centre in Cambridge this autumn as Silicon Valley continues to capitalise on the city’s highly-educated workforce.

Winning Companies and Market Trends in UK Business

Understanding market and consumer trends is one thing, but being able to adapt and implement changes that would allow you to adapt is a whole different ball game.

7 top tips for writing a winning award entry

Awards are a powerful way of placing your company in the media spotlight and gaining kudos.

Do’s and Don’ts When Talking to Employees

“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.” – Anne M. Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation

Solar Plants, Overall UKBA 2016 Winner – Where are they Now?

We recently caught up with Leanne Farr, the Sales Director at Solar Plants Ltd and asked her a few questions regarding recent developments and the direction of Solar Plants post award. We must say that we’re very proud to have access to such wonderful companies such as Solar Plants and we want to thank Leanne and the whole of Solar Plants for answering our questions.

Gender Issues in Business Awards

MTV’s recent decision to go gender neutral when it comes to their TV and film awards raised a number of questions in the world of show business but also for other award ceremonies. In the world of corporate business and entrepreneurship, women-only awards are gaining popularity and support from many multinational corporations, organisations and political associations. So what is the right way to handle the gender issue? Who is doing the right thing and is business so different from entertainment?

UKBA: A Quick Look at the Leading Consumer and Market Trends for 2017

So in this blog were going to be talking about some of the most recent developments in consumer and market trends to give you an idea of the things you should be on a lookout for. Most of these trends are self-explanatory and many witness them in their everyday lives, but for business owners, it’s important to understand how they impact their companies and general marketing strategies.

Common Features of Award Winning Businesses from the 2016 UK Business Awards

The UK Business Awards in 2016 allowed us to see some incredible initiatives and ideas from a wide range of sectors and industries. Business from all over the UK participated and won their awards for innovation in many different business areas.