Raconteur Media

ENERGY POLICY Government reform of the electricity market has been broadly welcomed, writes Mike Scott, but there are fears that the pace of change is too slow

Fresh from his appearance at recent MediaTel seminar on 'The Future of National Newspapers', Freddie Ossberg from Raconteur Media provides his analysis and suggestions.

Newspapers are not the most popular kid in class right now. In fact...

INTERVIEW Multi-millionaire entrepreneur Peter Jones tells Liz Lightfoot how he wants to boost business with new-style apprenticeships

Students come in at 16, often with mediocre GCSE results and lacklustre school reports. After two years they are beating Oxbridge graduates...

BEST PRACTICE Establishing an apprenticeship scheme can be a daunting prospect, particularly for smaller employers, but there is help at hand, as Azadeh Khalilizadeh discovers

Greater investment, additional numbers and extra support signal a new era for apprenticeships. But...

EYE CARE Knowing what to expect from eye care professionals depends on good communication which can empower and reassure patients, as Liz Bestic discovers

A recent report by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), entitled Preventing Avoidable Sight Loss, touched on a lack of communication...

GLOBAL WARMING Warming of the Earth's climate system and related increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses are causing some eye disorders, writes Maria Anguita.

Two years ago, retired teacher Vera started experiencing eye discomfort, irritation and crusting of the eyelids. She was prescribed a short course of antibiotics for what her...

Identifying fraud committed by members of staff is far from straightforward but, as Guy Clapperton discovers, there may be tell-tale signs of dishonesty.

EMPLOYEE FRAUD

The thing about fraud is that 'good' people do it too. That's according to Charlotte Haslam, of RGL Forensics, who says attempts...

The growing threat of cybercrime, from inside an organisation as well as outside, calls for robust counter-measures. Jessica Twentyman investigates crime online.

Forget what you think you know about the cybercriminals who prowl corporate networks looking for customer data and intellectual property to steal. These days, they're less...

A customer loyalty programme is a major boost if it works, but an expensive price-reduction exercise if it doesn't, as Chris Jacobs discovers.

Customer loyalty programmes need to make a profit.

They are a long-term investment and achieve their return from retaining profitable customers and increasing their...

Almost two million people in the UK are living with sight loss, yet one in three of us fail to get our eyes checked regularly, writes Peter Archer.

An ageing population and unhealthy lifestyles mean the nation's eyesight is in decline. Medical and technological advances are welcome...

From in-store sat navs to reward apps, technical innovations are transforming marketing and loyalty programmes, as James Silver reports.

At a branch of Tesco Extra at the unpromisingly named Gallows Corner, in Romford, Essex, an unusual experiment has taken place. Customers owning smartphones installed with Android OS 2.2...

There's no denying that commodities are shaping up to be the asset class du jour, with gold, oil and copper proving particularly attractive. Fiona Bond discovers how to make the best return.

Geopolitical tensions have sent the oil price soaring while gold is up 14 per cent this...

A pensions shake-up is about to hit employers throughout the UK. Stephanie Hawthorne examines the legal requirements and asks are employers ready to join the revolution?

In the most far-reaching pensions reforms since the introduction of the state pension in 1909, all employers will by law have to...

Despite pioneering multichannel adoption, UK retailers still have some way to go, finds Miya Knights.

UK consumers have embraced the choice and convenience of shopping online, spending more than in any other European country. According to a report by the Centre for Retail Research, commissioned by shopping comparison website Kelkoo,...

Josh Sims brushes off his best suit, polishes his business figures and knocks on the bank manager's door.

Meeting the bank manager to discuss a loan? Wear a suit. And never cancel. "We all like to think the professional bank manager is concerned with the merits of your...

Two leading figures in the luxury sector argue the case for and against embracing technology and online selling, writes Clare Gascoigne

"There's been a change in the mindset of the consumer in the past ten to fifteen years," says Mr Louit. "High fashion brands have changed the way women buy;...

Gathering data for tailored one-to-one messaging and smart marketing is rebooting retail on and offline, writes James Silver.

In the light-filled atrium of the Village, the high-end section of Westfield shopping centre in west London, a young family lingers at a...

Banks are no longer the only game in town. A host of new firms have sprung up offering small businesses an alternative route to finance. Kate Bassett looks at six of them.

CrowdCube
Think of Crowdcube as an online version of TV's Dragons' Den. Budding entrepreneurs upload their pitch...

Yasmin Arrigo discovers that the best way to engage with staff and customers is face-to-face

In tough economic conditions, stripping back communications to a digital core of emails and Twitter feeds can often seem the best thing to do. But it may not be...

As the UK economic outlook remains gloomy, retailers are venturing further afield to develop international markets. But what is the impact of going global on the UK high street? Miya Knights finds out.

Where domestic retail sales are stagnating, it is easy...