Scottish Business Buzz (16.11.16)

SMEs on course to deliver £217bn to economy by 2020.

The findings of research delivered by the Centre for Economics and Business Research in collaboration with Hampshire Trust Bank says the £217n represents an 11% increase on the current contribution delivered by the SME sector.

Mark Sismey-Durrant, chief executive at Hampshire Trust Bank, said: “Our report demonstrates the critical importance of SMEs as the engine room of the economy. Their sizeable contribution to the fortunes of the UK economy – growing to 27% of total business contribution by 2020 – cannot be ignored. Our research with CEBR should be a source of optimism for the government and for employers as the strong future growth predicted suggests significant opportunity for investors, business owners and their employees.

Glasgow and Edinburgh feature as two of the top 10 cities by SME contribution to the UK economy. Edinburgh is expected to grow from £4bn (2015) to £5bn by 2020.

Bid to turn Arran into first Living Wage island

Arranshand Business Develop Services Ltd is trying to encourage all the companies on the island to pay the living wage.

Many of them are already paying near or above this level but just need an extra push to become accredited Scottish living wage employers, according to Derek Shand, managing director of Arranshand.

The main contractor on Arran for the provision of Business Gateway services on behalf of North Ayrshire Council, Arranshand looks after every business on the island.

This involves making sure all of them are aware of new legislation and being on hand to give business advice when required. Arranshand also delivers courses to make sure the island businesses stay ahead of the game.

Since it was launched in April 2014, more than 600 organisations in Scotland have signed up to the scheme to become accredited as official living wage employers, giving their workers at least £8.45 per hour.

Scotland’s airports achieve busiest ever October

Edinburgh airport celebrated the seventh consecutive month where passenger numbers have exceed one million, numbers being up 12.5% on October 2015.

The increase was driven by a 23.6 per cent year-on-year jump in international passenger numbers, to 676,397 last month.

Edinburgh Airport yesterday highlighted its success in winning a raft of new international routes.

It noted Jet2 had launched 11 new routes from Edinburgh in 2016 including Kefalonia, Rhodes, Larnaca, Zakynthos, and Vienna. Among other new services, Finnair launched Helsinki flights in April.

Glasgow airport is also expected to have achieved its busiest October on record this year.

Atlantis generates first power from MeyGen tidal turbine off Caithness

Tidal power giant Atlantis Resources has generated first-power from its MeyGen project in the Pentland Firth, off Caithness.

The turbine is the first of four 1.5MW tidal stream turbines to become operational at the site for the first 6MW phase of a total build out of almost 400MW. Construction for the next 6MW phase, which benefits from a €17 million grant from the EC’s NER300 fund, is due to commence next year.

During this programme, the project is exporting electricity for the first time, using only the tidally driven water flows which rush through the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth. This follows an extensive onshore turbine testing and commissioning regime prior to final deployment.

Tim Cornelius, Chief Executive, Atlantis Resources, commented: “The success of this first phase is a foundation for the tidal industry to build upon to ensure we develop a new energy sector which can deliver clean, predictable and affordable power from the UK’s own abundant resources. When it comes to energy, we think consumers should be asking for the moon, and we know how to harness it.”

Mark Tiffney, of Dynamic Core Studios Clydebank is here to help us lose weight, but not as a quick fix…

Lose Weight Fast – Why all 3 of these words are wrong – Part 2

In our continued analysis of how 3 little words can be so wrong, today we are going to focus on the word ‘Weight’.

Even if it were not an issue to be focused on what you don’t want (and if you missed part 1 explaining why that’s a bad idea you can check it out) saying you want to lose weight is not what you truly want.

We are so conditioned by the language of the media that we become oblivious to the difference in what we say and what we mean.

If you truly wanted to lose weight, you can do it immediately.

It’s easy.

Grab a hacksaw and remove a limb!

You’ll weigh less. But something tells me that’s not the result you were looking for.

What most people mean when they say they want to lose weight is they want to lose fat. There is a huge difference here. Weight is generally meaningless. It’s a number on a machine. You don’t walk around with a badge telling others what you weight. But again, the media puts such an emphasis on weight that it becomes engrained as much more important than it is.

Weight is a combination of everything. Bone density, skin, water content and muscle mass, as well as fat. But it is only the last one that you care about in the context of the original phrase.

Unless you are a jockey, a boxer or have some other reason to have to fit into a weight class, that number is meaningless.

Having stronger bones is better for your health and well-being, but it will make you weight more.

Having stronger muscles, tendons and ligaments will make your body more efficient, but it will make you weight more.

Don’t let the media put words in your mouth. Break your chains from the bathroom scales. It’s an addiction you don’t need in your life.

In fact, if you are someone who weighs yourself on a regular basis, I’m going to set you a challenge. Bring your scales to my facility and I’ll give you a sledgehammer. Smashing those things to bits will bring you freedom you never thought possible. If you can’t do it, maybe your ties are more obsessive than you thought?

Until next time, when we finish this analysis by looking at the word “fast”, stay strong, stay focused and keep moving forward.