The Open University

No Royal Wedding bank holiday: Why that’s probably a good thing

28 November 2017

With the feel-good factor of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement, many of us were crossing our fingers that we’d get an extra bank holiday in the Spring of 2018 to help them celebrate. But on average, a bank holiday costs the UK economy £2.3billion in lost economic output – so maybe we’ll all be […]

Budget 2017: The expert’s view – investment in technology

23 November 2017

The UK chancellor of the exchequer, Philip Hammond, has delivered his budget stating that the government will “invest over £500m in a range of initiatives from Artificial Intelligence, to 5G and full fibre broadband”. OU business expert Peter Bloom delivers his verdict on what, if any, impact this will have on innovation for UK business. […]

11 top tips to become a financially savvy teen

3 November 2017

According to research from by the OU’s True Potential Centre for the Public Understanding of Finance (PUFin) a staggering one in seven 18 year olds is already in debt. Almost two-thirds (60%) of them admit they owe money to payday loan companies – £168 each on average. Excluding more traditional student borrowing, the research found that these […]

Open University Business School Student and Alumni Awards 2017

OU Business School Awards 2017 – student and alumni winners

21 June 2017

The OU Business School’s top students and alumni were celebrated at a special ceremony for the School’s annual award ceremony, held in Milton Keynes on Wednesday 21 June 2016. The awards celebrate the Business School’s highest achieving students, and the alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to an organisation or to society. Among this […]

Why Emmanuel Macron is bad news for Britain’s finance industry

10 May 2017

The election of the globalist and EU-champion, Emmanuel Macron, to the French presidency poses a threat to the UK’s financial sector and its economy more broadly. A potted history of the sector shows how important its outward-looking nature has been to its success. This could just as easily be undone, if the British government embarks […]

Want to be the master of your money in 2018? Here are 11 ways you can be

17 November 2016

Two experts in personal finance from the OU offer top tips on how you can manage your money effectively. Why shouldn’t you make financial decisions on a Friday, and why should you figure our your ‘essential non-essentials’? 1) Check your credit rating and your credit file This can be done at no cost and you may find there is […]

Banking ‘shake-up’ relies too much on customers shopping around

10 August 2016

A report that was billed to transform the UK’s retail banking industry has been criticised for not doing enough to protect customers. The Competition and Markets Authority report was two years in the making and is geared towards improving competition and the products on offer for individuals and small businesses. But the government watchdog puts […]

Business woman resting her head on her desk. Image credit: Thinkstock

Is the productivity drive hurting employers as well as employees?

23 June 2016

Productivity is supposedly at the heart of any successful enterprise. We are told that we are in a global race to grab our share of the 21st century marketplace. Countries, nations and even individuals all must constantly enhance their performance if they are going to survive, let alone prosper. It is not without its cost. […]

Britain for sale? OU academics contribute to foreign ownership debate

24 May 2016

Do ‘clever financing arrangements’ benefit UK citizens or the private sector? Two OU academics comment on a new report which looks at pros and cons of foreign investment in the UK. Dr Michael Pryke and Professor John Allen have contributed to a Smith Institute report, ‘Britain for Sale?’, released on 23rd May, which examines the […]

Work life balance signpost. Image credit: Thinkstock

How do we manage work-life boundaries and whose responsibility is it?

6 May 2016

With digital tools and technologies making it all too easy for us to switch between home and work life with the touch of an app or the ping of an inbox, how do we manage the boundaries? And whose responsibility is it? Transferring from home to work life and back again was a longer process […]

OU News

Category: Business