The key to getting British business back on track
LONDON, Mar. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Britain's executives are being urged to honour the people who make the most crucial contribution to their businesses: their staff. Workers in thousands of firms all over the UK are currently giving their all to support companies through the recession. By acknowledging their efforts, bosses can create an upswing in staff confidence that will be passed on in turn to customers, sending them a powerful message that the business is strong, able to deliver and here to stay.
In spite of the negative headlines on employment, a surprising seven in ten firms say the spirit of their staff has not been dampened by the current economic climate, according to recent research that polled 1200 business leaders and entrepreneurs at The National Business Awards.
The research shows that the majority of firms believe that the quality of the nation's workforce is the reason why UK plc will survive the recession. With that in mind, bosses are being encouraged to acknowledge the contribution of their employees by entering the 2009 National Business Awards Regional Programme, sponsored by Orange.
In a period of economic uncertainty, it is vital that businesses do all they can to reinstate consumer and staff confidence. While winning an award or reaching the finals is highly prestigious, just entering can be enough to inspire those around you.
Mike Faulkner, Group Director, The National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange said: "In the current economic climate there has never been such a heightened need to instil confidence in consumers. There is no better way for a business to send a positive message to its customers than gaining recognition in The National Business Awards. We expect 2009 to be a bumper year for entries and look forward to a robust and hard fought contest across the UK."
Paul Tollet, Vice President of Orange Business, UK added: "Orange is proud to be sponsoring The National Business Awards for an eighth consecutive year and recognising the resilience and adaptability of British business. In spite of this difficult economic climate, those organisations that are truly exceptional will buck the market trends and remain successful."
In order to make entering The Awards as straight forward as possible, new for 2009, is the ability to complete the entries entirely digitally at www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk/regionals. The Regional Awards programme is now open for registrations and the closing date for submission of entry forms is Tuesday 7th April 2009.
Made up of nine categories, shortlisted finalists will be announced on 6th May 2009, before preparing to make their presentations in person before an independent, expert judging panel in June. Winners will be unveiled at glittering gala award dinners throughout July. Scotland and regional winners will then advance to The National Business Awards finals competing with public and private organisations from all over the country culminating in The National Business Awards gala dinner in November.
To obtain further information or to enter the 2009 programme visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk, telephone 020 7234 8753 or email nbapressoffice@ubm.com
*Photography is available upon request
For further information please contact:
The National Business Awards
Henriette Svensen, PR Manager
Telephone: 020 7234 8753/0750 091 7628
Email: henriette.svensen@ubm.com
Visit: www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk
Editors Notes:
THE NATIONAL BUSINESS AWARDS - REGIONAL PROGRAMME 2009
The 1200 business leaders polled at The National Business Awards also concluded that:
- Businesses believe that the most important thing organisations need to do to make UK Plc more successful long term is:
- 51% - Invest In Skills and Training
- 34% - Support innovation
- 8% - Encourage more relaxed governance
- 7% - Invest in greener business practices
- Asked how well prepared they thought the UK economy is to weather the storm compared to other world economies, businesses said:
- 30% - Better
- 32% - The same
- 37% - Less
- Businesses think the best attribute that the UK can offer successful business is:
- 51% - Great talent pool from which to recruit
- 21% - Its reputation as a world superpower in business
- 28% - Its geography and language
The National Business Awards, sponsored by Orange, has considerable success in embedding its reputation for managing and delivering a robust and rigorous process delivering the United Kingdom's most respected business recognition platform, with its particular emphasis on success, innovation and ethical business.
The 2009 Awards categories now open for entries are:
- The Orange Best Use of Technology in Business Award
- The Health Work Well-being Award for Small Business
- The 3i Growth Strategy of the Year Award
- The Business Innovation of the Year Award
- The Badenoch & Clark Business of the Year Award
- The Customer Focus Award
- The Employer of the Year Award
- The Entrepreneur of the Year Award
- The Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award
About United Business Media
The National Business Awards is owned by United Business Media the leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 5,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.unitedbusinessmedia.com.
