UK Business Barometer

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Thursday, August 1st, 2002

The July survey sought views on the recent fall in share prices, corporate fraud, direct marketing, the use of CCTV, the use of consultants and issues around sustainability and the environment. Results are summarised here. For the latest results please visit results.

• About the respondents

  127 respondents were drawn with the following population characteristics:

  Sector
  Production & Manufacturing	Distribution	Services	Total
  37.8%	11.0%	51.2%	100.0%

  
  
  

  Turnover (£)
  < 1 M	1M-3M	>3M	Total
  58.3%	21.3%	20.5%	100.0%

  
  
  

  Number of Full-time Employees
  1-10	11-20	21-50	51-100	100+	unknown	Grand Total
  40.2%	35.4%	8.7%	4.7%	6.3%	4.7%	100.0%

  
  
  

• The recent dramatic falls in the value of the London Stock Exchange shares prompted us to ask if our panellists were thinking of changing their plans for investing in plant or equipment. Only 17% feel affected by share behaviour, with a third of those now actually considering raising their planned investment expenditure. Over two thirds of panellists do not believe that trading with countries in which corporate fraud has been discovered will be permanently damaged:
  
  

• Is direct marketing to individual businesses or consumers increasing? 79% of our respondents say it is, most of the remainder think it is staying at previous levels. A third of panellists say they do not respond readily to letter, email or telemarketing approaches, but of these three possible means of contact email and letter came out far ahead of telemarketing, which had the support of only 6% of the panel.
  
  
  

• CCTV coverage has seen rapid growth recently both for pubic and private security use. Police have attributed drops in crime in City centres to the presence of CCTV and we found that nearly 40% of respondents are covered by their own or a local system. Nearly a further 20% would like to have it. Of those who do have CCTV, just over half have experienced a decrease in incidences of crime or vandalism.
  
  

• Putting their marketing in the hands of an external company is something that half of those surveyed have never done. Of the other half, who have, 41% have only tried it once:
  
  

  

• 86% of panellists have only ever used an outside consultant either once or not at all:
  
  

  

  The hassle factor for many companies includes providing information for government enquiries - this affects over two thirds of our panellists' businesses to varying degrees, with 13% being highly affected.

  

  
  
  

• The last three questions in the July Survey concerned the impact on the environment. Over 80% now consider to some degree the question of environmental sustainability when sourcing new suppliers or offering new products or services. 27% consider that their business is beneficial to the environment while 58% consider their business to be neutral environmentally. Only 13% find that environmental issues do not feature at all in their business decisions:
  
  

  

  
  
  

  

  
  
  

  

  
  
  

Views expressed are those of individual panellists and may not represent those of the University.

Business Services

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