Saturday 12th December has been dubbed “Out of Stock Saturday” by logistics analysts Clear Returns, as it will be the day when the largest number of UK retailers’ stock will be tied up in the returns loop and unavailable to buy.  They know this as it happens every year.  So does Christmas!  Yet peak, seasonal

The title of this post is one of those things our parents taught us when we were kids. It was suggested that we should prioritise our support towards those who were already attempting their own recovery from a problem. Well, if you still subscribe to that philosophy, I urge you to contribute to the current

Do you read the wise words of the business gurus, the management thought leaders? No, me neither. Of course these guys (for they usually are guys) must have done something right to get to where they are - to achieve their fame/notoriety. But that doesn't mean they can necessarily create simple, pithy messages of use

The third Albion Growth Report, designed to shed light on the factors that both create and impede growth among over 1,000 UK SMEs, highlights significant regional differences in tackling the productivity gap: 54 per cent of business owners in the South West said they will increase productivity over the next two years followed by 52 per cent of those in Yorkshire,

The World Productivity Congress is proving to be very interesting. Just before the event I read an article by Robert Gordon about the state of US productivity, the gist of which was that the major innovations of the period 1870-1970 fuelled productivity growth but now we have 'used them up' and productivity is stagnating, compounded

I am in Halifax (Nova Scotia) for the World Productivity Congress (being held in partnership with the Big Data Conference). This gives me 2 (well, at least 2) opportunities. Firstly, I can meet up with old friends and contacts and find out about developments in the field of productivity across the globe.  This is always

The World Confederation of Productivity Science promotes the concept of SEE - Social, Environmental & Economic Productivities - suggesting that long-term business sustainability and success  comes from  addressing all three.  Some have claimed that this is another 'take' on the concept of corporate social responsibility but the WCPS ' view is that CSR is an

I was browsing some 'productivity blogs' earlier this week - I use the inverted commas because many of them use the word 'hack - or lifehacks - only using the word 'productivity in the strapline or description. One of them offered to remind me when to breathe to maintain my zen-like state - but I've

Japan has a new government initiative to boost the adoption of intelligent machines and robots - as part of a drive to improve industrial productivity.  However, this has other benefits as well. Mechanised workplaces are generally more suitable for female workers and for workers with disabilities - so improving automation supports greater workforce diversity ..

Companies have long used music to set rhythm for production lines - and to boost morale of employees.  Now a new study by the University of Illinois confirms that people do respond - positively in productivity terms - to music They suggest however that instrumentals are best - words can  interfere with language "tasks" which are part