Eid Mubarak
Eid Mubarak to all our Muslim friends and clients.
COMMUNICATIONS HUB
Engagement
We seek to engage at a personal level with clients to understand your unique, bespoke requirements.
Enable and Empower
We seek to enable and empower clients, at both corporate and personal levels.
Enrichment
Whether you require corporate or personal services, we look to enrich clients’ lives.
Latest News
Seeking Agents and Local Business Partners
David Carruthers Associates are seeking ambassadors, agents and local business partners to support us and our business development, capture and delivery across MENA and GCC, Europe, Asia and Africa, in particular countries such as India, China, Malaysia, Singapore and Saudi Arabia.
We would be delighted to hear from interested parties, so please do contact us and let’s start a conversation.
Bespoke Mobile and Power Apps Software Development
For clients of all shapes and sizes internationally who are seeking bespoke and tailored solutions to enhanced performance, productivity and effectiveness through using AI, machine learning and power productivity apps, we are delighted to be able to offer specialist mobile and productivity app / software development services through our primary ICT strategic and collaborative partner.
If we can be of service, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Media and Resources
Articles, Blog, News, Papers and Publications
ARTICLES
Please browse our selection of articles,
which we hope will prove informative and useful.
CORPORATE BROCHURES
Please browse our selection of corporate brochures
which we hope will prove informative and useful.
Insight and Analysis – External
A selection of external organisations and bodies’ UK and International economic, business and entrepreneurial insight and analysis resources which we hope will prove informative and useful.
Business and Economic Insight and Intelligence
Two premier British organisations we always strongly recommend to our readers on business and economic, as well as wider affairs, are The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and Institute of Financial Studies (IFS).
The following articles may be of interest to our readers:
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)
https://iea.org.uk/media/uk-india-trade-deal-would-bring-endless-opportunities/
https://iea.org.uk/publications/eastern-promise-assessing-the-future-of-uk-india-trade/
https://iea.org.uk/publications/economic-affairs-vol-41-1/
https://iea.org.uk/publications/who-regulates-the-regulators-the-financial-ombudsman-service/
Institute of Financial Studies (IFS)
https://ifs.org.uk/publications/15408
https://www.ifs.org.uk/research/47
https://www.ifs.org.uk/research/24
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Latest Government Borrowing
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that HMG’s borrowing reached over £300 Bn in the year to March 2021, the highest levels of debt and deficit since the ned of Word War Two.
With tumbling tax receipts and NI contributions contributing towards public sector debt, borrowing rose by another £28 Bn in March 2021. These figures now represent 14.5% of GDP, again the highest levels since 1946 when they reached 15.2% of GDP. Parallel to this the deficit has risen by £57 Bn since March 2020.
This now leaves public sector debt at a staggering £2,141.7 billion, equivalent to 97.7% of GDP, which is the biggest proportion of debt to GDP since the early 1960s.
Trusted Sources of Economic Analysis and Insight
We have always been big fans of the following three organisations, which we would thoroughly recommend if our readers seek trusted sources of economic, financial and business analsyis and insight.
Institute of Economic Affairs – https://iea.org.uk/
Tax Payers’ Alliance – https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/
Institue for Fiscal Studies – https://www.ifs.org.uk/
Our readers should also keep on eye on:
The Office for Budget Resposibility – https://obr.uk/
The Office For National Statistics – https://www.ons.gov.uk/https://www.ons.gov.uk/
The Institute For Fiscal Studies (IFS)
Spring Budge 2021
Good analysis of 2021 Spring Budget by IFS.
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)
Public Debt and Borrowing
For those who are interested in levels of public debt and borrowing, this IEA publication is worth a read.
https://iea.org.uk/publications/a-briefing-on-the-public-finances-how-deep-a-hole-are-we-in/
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA)
Paying For COVID-19
An interesting article from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) on paying for COVID-19 and taxation, which we would strongly recommend is worth a read.
https://iea.org.uk/why-we-dont-need-tax-rises-to-pay-for-covid/
The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS)
2020 Spending Review Analysis
This IFS analysis is worth a watch for those interested in an analysis of The Chancellor’s Novermber 2020 SR.
PUBLICATIONS & GUIDES
Please browse our selection of publications and professional guides,
which we hope will prove informative and useful.
OUR BLOG
Net Zero Target Support for SME’s
With the government’s determination to achieve net zero targets as part of their climate change and environmental agenda, SME’s are being provided with dedicated support to hep them achieve this as part of the wider picture. A report - entitled “Small business advice...
Vaccine Rollout and SME Business Confidence
A mixed but somewhat worrying picture has emerged from the most recent SME business confidence research. Whilst the vaccine rollout has encouraged immediate confidence, almost 25% of SME’s do not expect to survive 2021. The vaccine rollout has had a significant impact...
AI and ML Adoption in Business and Organisations
With the ever growing importance of AI , machine learning and data management to successful organisational and business performance, productivity and profitability, and its corollary growing adoption by organisations, enterprise sand business of all shapes and sizes,...
Organisational Health
Recent research suggests that only 20% of firms have in place rounded, robust and rigorous employee wellbeing strategies and frameworks, which could potentially hinder an organisation’s ability to full their fullest potential performance, productivity and...
Global Britain and An Asian Orientation
The UK’s Prime Minister has made a clear statement of intent with respect to China and international trade, seeking and preferring to expand them and see Britain as a destination of Chinese investment as part of his preferred Indo-Pacific ‘tilt’. The UK’s Integrated...
Economic Offset Initiatives and Free Trade Zones
Whatever your views on Brexit are or were, they are immaterial. As they say, we are where we are, and so we now need to focus on making the situation we find ourselves in as successful as possible. For those of us who have extensive international expertise and...
UK Debt, Deficit and PS Borrowing
The current state of the UK economy and finances is deeply worrying, especially over the long-term and when seen against the potential catastrophic consequences of any changes in borrowing rates. Whilst currently rates allow borrowing to be relatively easily managed,...
Commitment To Entrepreneurship
SME’s are the backbone of The UK economy and the courage, commitment and tenacity required to be successful too often goes unrecognised. Recent research suggests that UK SME business owners have invested an average of £7,000 of their own savings to keep their...
A Call for Earlier Lockdown Lifting
With 95% of people aged 65 and over, 9 out of 10 of clinically highly vulnerable people and more than 25 million people in the UK having received their first COVID-10 vaccinations, it is time for HMG to seriously rethink the lockdown timetable. We are particularly...
SEISS – 4th Round Grants
With sole-traders, micro and SME’s facing perhaps their toughest business and financial challenges veer as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS) grant offers those who are eligible a continued lifeline and some hope,...
OF INTEREST
Seeking Ambassadors, Agents and Local Business Partners
We are seeking ambassadors, agents and local business partners to support us and our business development, capture and delivery in Europe, Asia and Africa, in particular countries such as India, China, Malaysia, Singapore, MENA and GCC.
We are particularly keen on promoting and selling our Minerva Academy executive and professional training, learning and development and School of Executive and Business English programmes, courses and services; our strategic and advisory services, our operational consulting services; and our private client, professional and specialist SME services.
We would like our potential ambassadors, agents and local business partners to be passionately pro-British, proactive, believe in service and have an unequivocal commitment to the highest professional and personal standards; in supporting and delivering excellence, quality and innovation; and able to genuinely open top level doors, provide access to excellent senor level networks and make business happen.
We do not treat our potential ambassadors, agents and local business partners like ‘10% agents’, but rather we like to develop deep, sustainable, intimate and long-term professional, personal and business partnerships, working together for mutual benefit and reward, as well as the benefit of the regions, countries, communities we work in, and all our stakeholders.
Any interested parties should please explore Carruthers Associates’ website at www.carruthersassociates.org.uk and The Minerva International Group website at www.minervainternational.org and contact us from there.
We would be delighted to talk to any interested parties internationally for an initial exploratory chat and look forward to hearing from you.
Businesses in Trouble
Perhaps as a foil to some of our other more positive posts, it is sad to hear from Mazars accounting firm that some 135,000 businesses may be in trouble (a tripling of pre pandemic levels) and that we are currently in the calm before the storm of further bad news concerning SME’s survival as the impact of the COVID-19 crisis and the accompanying business and social restrictions.
The great fear is that as HMG withdraws support systems like furlough, so businesses will feel the full impact of the COVID-19 and business restrictions’ impact. Interestingly, just over 25% of businesses in distress are in London, followed by those in the South East.
HMRC Refunds fir SME’s Proposed By MP’s
We were greatly encouraged by and support the news that The Treasury Select Committee, headed by Mel Stride MP, has proposed that SME’s and self-employed should get an HMRC tax rebate to help cover COVID-19 crisis trading losses.
Their proposed “loss carry-back” scheme would see any limited company or sole trader reimbursed for Covid losses, providing they paid tax in The UK for three years prior to the COVID-19 crisis.
SME’s Forecast Growth
New research from Barclaycard suggests that almost 40% of SME’s in The UK are forecasting 8.1% growth over 2021 post COVID-19, which is very encouraging for future business prospects, and some 30% are already preparing for post lockdown.
24% say that output has returned to or surpassed pre pandemic levels of January 2020, although many are braced for short term losses in Q1 of 2021.
Conversely, and sadly, only just under 30% of businesses believe that COVID-19 business restrictions will be fully done by the end of Q1 2021, with just under 50% believing that business restrictions will be completed by Q2 2021.
Reducing Card processing Fees
Another interesting new fintech service similar to BOPP above are the Account information services (AIS) and Payment initiation services (PIS) offered by Yolt Technology Services – to be found at
Using open banking technologies again, Yolt’s PIS and AIS services can especially help SME’s reduce costs and enable cash flow amongst other business and customer benefits.
New Customer Clearance Platform
Another innovative tech stat-up which may be of interest to readers, especially with respect to Brexit and issues of customs clearance is KlearNow –
The platforms aims to simplify customs clearance and document management for importers, exporters, customs agents, brokers, freight forwarders and hauliers.
The platform is designed to help modernise and boost value and supply chains with a focus on customs clearance efficiency, effectiveness, cost effectiveness and simplicity, using Ai and a 100% digital technology.
Ghana and UK Sign Trade Deal
But Kenya Fires a Warning
Good and positive news that The UK and Ghana have signed a trade deal worth $1.6 billion. This now brings the total number of post Brexit bilateral traded deals signed to 65 with non-EU countries, worth a total of slightly over £200 billion, as of 2019. This accounts for 97% of the value of trade deals with non-EU countries targeted as part of the post Brexit trade continuity strategy.
Readers who wish to explore the UK deals in greater detail can visit
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/uk-trade-agreements-with-non-eu-countries
Against this backdrop, the situation in Kenya surrounding the recently signed UK-Kenyan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) is very worrying. A growing number of Kenyan lawmakers have opposed the deals’ ratification calling it illegal; whilst simultaneously and a collective of farmers are filing a court case demanding that quotas and tariffs are not lifted for British exporters into Kenya, worried about competition and market disruption.
Saudi Oil Attack
Saudi Arabia is once again in the news, this time for attacks on the Ras Tanura terminal and Dhahran by drones and missiles. Fortunately, both attacks were intercepted, but there was a resultant impact on oil prices, rising to $71 a barrel.
The attack on the Ras Tanura terminal is the most serious since 2019, when production was disrupted for a couple of days.
Is This The Way Forward?
Intersting article that BP has decided that its people will be wokring from home two days a week. Will many others follow where the big boy’s lead?
Business Statistics for March 2021
Anyone intersted in the lastest ONS business statistics for March 2021 should look at the link below. There is some interesting reading here.
UK Corporate Tax Levels
Are we heading in the wrong direction? Interesting, and perhaps worrying, article by Tax Payers Alliance on UK possibly having the highest effective corporate tax rates in the G7
https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/briefing_uk_set_for_highest_effective_corporate_tax_rate_in_the_g7
Positive news, that HM Treasury is to discuss a COVID-19 grant for company directors.
https://smallbusiness.co.uk/covid-19-grant-company-directors-2551775-2551775/
An excellent introduction to entrepreneurship and its importance by Dr. Eamonn Butler and IEA.
https://iea.org.uk/publications/an-introduction-to-entrepreneurship/
Another strongly recommended watch from the IEA, a discussion on free trade with Tony Abbot.
https://iea.org.uk/films/the-future-of-uk-free-trade-with-tony-abbott/
An interesting conversation on entrepreneurship and why it is needed. Worth a watch.
https://iea.org.uk/films/entrepreneurship-why-its-needed-and-how-we-can-encourage-it/
An interesting and important article on how to create new jobs by Professor Len Shackleton
A quick article on the importance of strategy, leadership, management and technology in developing effective resilience in times of crisis and using them as a catalyst for change for SME’s.
https://smallbusiness.co.uk/3-steps-to-improve-productivity-during-the-pandemic-2551686/
An interesting short piece on the commonalities between martial arts and entrepreneurship.
https://www.sme-news.co.uk/what-brazilian-jiu-jitsu-can-teach-an-entrepreneur/
For anyone interested in strategic and operational security, resilience, risk, crisis and emergency response management, we would strongly recommend that you have a look at our strategic partner and respected colleague, David Rubens’ Institute of Strategic Risk Management (ISRM).
For a taste of the ISRM’s events, go to https://www.theisrm.org/en/events
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