Business News Round Up (05/12/19)
Scottish businesses invest in cyber but digital skills holding them back, survey finds
Scottish businesses have increased their protection against cyber threats in 2019 but lack essential digital skills, according to a Bank of Scotland Report. The annual Business Digital Index (BDI) found that companies protecting themselves from cybersecurity attacks has increased from 18 points to 50, with an index reading of zero indicates a lack of online cybersecurity capabilities while 100 shows robust defensive measures are in place. However, a lack of essential digital skills could be impeding opportunities to boost sales or productivity as 41% of companies lacking the full range of skills compared to the national average (44%).
Black Friday brings UK retailers ‘welcome’ boost
Barclaycard reported that sales volumes increased as a result of Black Friday promotions, offering a boost to a troubled retail sector. Barclaycard reported that sales volumes from November 25 to December 2 increased by 7.1 per cent compared to the same period in 2018, with sales value also up by 16.5 per cent.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-50644138
Scotland ends decade with highest number of businesses
New figures released by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has revealed that Scotland has more registered businesses per head of population, its highest level in ten years with 396 registered businesses per 10,000 adults.
https://dailybusinessgroup.co.uk/2019/12/scotland-ends-decade-with-highest-number-of-businesses/
Manchester tops list of the most innovative cities in the UK
Geomiq, a British engineering and manufacturing firm, has ranked Manchester as one of the most innovative cities in the UK in a new report. Geomiq interrogated more than 48,000 data points over the last two years to find which cities in the UK requested the most prototypes for inventions across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Manchester placed first, with 13,695 requests for prototypes in the last two years. London and Bristol complete the top three, with 9,301 and 7,712 requests in each city since 2017, respectively.
https://techround.co.uk/news/manchester-tops-list-of-the-most-innovative-cities-in-the-uk/