About this blog
KPMG’s leadership blog brings you insight, opinion and debate from our senior partners and industry experts. We’ll be discussing the issues that matter to your business and the trends that could shape your future decision making. Feel free to post your own comments on any of the topics discussed and further the debate.
United Kingdom
Workforce analytics – old wine in new bottles?
By Robert Bolton, KPMG Management Consulting
Last year Google published the result of Project Oxygen, a data-driven investigation of the factors that differentiated the best managers from the rest. As a result, Google’s HR analytics team was hailed as the ‘next big thing’ for HR – a demonstration of the shift in skill set required by HR professionals. But is this approach really so radically different to what came before?
2013 Economic Outlook: another disappointment or the start of a sustained recovery?
By Andrew Smith, chief economist, KPMG in the UK
2012 proved disappointing for most advanced economies as unemployment remained stubbornly high and output wavered between expansion and contraction. Any improvement in 2013 will depend as much on political considerations as economic fundamentals.
Business can take the lead on carbon
By Tony Cates, Head of Audit at KPMG in the UK
As KPMG’s sponsoring partner for our firm’s carbon footprint – and as Head of Audit where many clients are increasingly prioritising carbon and sustainability as a business issue – I followed events at the recent Doha climate summit with great interest.
Are you paying your supplier, or a fraudster?
By Priya Giuliani, Director, KPMG Forensic
Think of a financial fraud and the vast majority of people will assume the con-artist scrupulously plans a highly sophisticated attack. They may be right – but not all the time. Some frauds are so simple they are impossible to detect until it is too late.
Austerity means what it says on the tin
By Andrew Smith, Chief Economist, KPMG in the UK
The government’s strategy is to combine deficit reduction with economic recovery, but at the moment we are not getting much of either. The Chancellor confirmed that output is undershooting and government borrowing overshooting even the March Budget’s modest expectations. Growth forecasts have been downgraded, the austerity programme extended to 2018 and the debt rule is a dead duck. Just because this was broadly as expected doesn’t mean it’s not bad news.
Turning Big Data into Valuable Analytics
By Eddie Short, Head of Business Intelligence, KPMG in the UK
Everywhere I go, people want to talk about Big Data. And rightfully so: thanks to the latest digital developments, businesses can now capture, store and manage massive volumes of data from a wide range of internal and external sources. This offers companies much easier access to a rich set of information about customers, suppliers and competitors, than ever before.
Regional newspapers need to change their business models and they need to do so quickly
By David Elms, head of media at KPMG in the UK
The long expected consolidation of the UK’s regional newspaper market might finally be on its way. Last month, Yattendon, the media and property group, confirmed it is in talks with the DMGT to acquire its regional newspaper division Northcliffe.
Exporting offers SMEs route for growth
By Richard Reid, Head of KPMG’s High Growth Markets practice
With the UK limping out of double dip recession, a lot of businesses, especially in the SME sector are searching for ways to grow and exporting, particularly to new markets in the fast growing economies, could be an answer.
Broken links in the supply chain
By Andrew Underwood, UK Head of Supply Chain
At first glance, little seems to have changed over the past twelve months. Yes, the economy in the UK is picking up – but look at the global picture and it quickly becomes clear that some countries are still stumbling through the economic crisis. It’s a scenario which means questions must be asked about whether the interdependence that knits partnering organisations together is at a high enough level to help business prosper today, and in the long-term.
Coming together to address the issue of mental health
By Tony Cates, Head of Audit at KPMG
There is no doubt that mental health and well-being has become a growing issue for business. The protracted economic downturn has increased the pressure on both companies and individuals, and the problem of stress and depression has therefore become more prevalent. It has been estimated that mental health issues cost business some £30bn a year in absence and lost productivity. One in seven people in the working population can be expected to be affected by mental health issues during their careers.
Subscribe to RSS feed