Category Archives: Coronavirus

Coronavirus, Industry News, Logistics, Retail

How the Delivery and E-Commerce Sectors are Responding to the Global Pandemic

Matthew Robertson, Co-CEO, NetDespatch, discusses the multiple challenges for e-commerce and logistics operators during the global Covid-19 pandemic

As COVID-19 grips the nation and indeed countries around the globe, there is a degree of trepidation in the air with most of us locked down in our homes remote-working, apart from the essential key workers.

This has meant that many stores around the country have been forced to close and have seen their spring sales completely disrupted.  However, where supermarkets and convenience stores are concerned, these have boomed, with Tesco reporting a 30% uplift in sales.  We’ve also seen some real innovation across the industry, for example Morrisons creating pop-ups in hospital car parks to serve our amazing NHS workers.

Similar to what is happening in supermarkets online retail sales have risen dramatically in March, with a 74% growth in average transaction volumes compared with the same period last year, according to data from ACI Worldwide. The analysis, of hundreds of millions of transactions from global online retailers, demonstrates the extent to which people’s shopping habits have changed as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

As you can imagine, this rise in eCommerce sales has been particularly profound in products related to staying indoors, such as home products and furnishings, DIY, electronics and garden essentials. Likewise, the food and beverage industry has seen a dramatic increase in online purchases.   I know from my own experience that trying to get a slot for an online delivery with any of the major supermarkets has proved somewhat difficult with slots all taken for the next few weeks.  Categories which witnessed a decline in transaction volume in this same period included ticketing by 60%, travel by 44%, and online dating by 8.9%.  I guess if you are self-isolating you can’t really meet up with anyone new and with travel severely restricted that market was always going to experience a decline.

Having reached the Easter holidays, this quarantine is set to continue for the foreseeable future which will be tough on the retail stores, who might not be able to quickly convert in-store sales to online.  Many have in fact closed their online operations as they simply don’t have the resources and manpower to run these from a logistics perspective.

To compound the above, any organisations that wish to take advantage of growing ecommerce opportunities also need to be mindful of the security landscape that this pandemic presents. In particular, the increase in online sales has led to an increase in fraud activity. According to Forter, the leader in ecommerce fraud prevention, fraudsters are exploiting confusion and uncertainty caused by government and corporate policies.  As people adjust to working from home, Forter sees a marked increase in social engineering fraud, associated with fake emails purporting to be from HR and corporate addresses. Here fraudsters invite people to click for more information, instead taking victims to malicious sites.

Likewise, with a shift to online shopping in apparel and accessories, Forter sees an increase in gift card purchases. While a higher number of legitimate buyers usually means that fraud rates drop, gift card fraud rates have not. Fraudsters have noticed an increased demand for the completely virtual merchandise that is easy to monetise.

The COVID-19 pandemic is also putting pressure on deliveries and local logistics.  I have heard some talk in the industry about the possibility of autonomous vehicles (AVs) helping to alleviate the strain on existing delivery services while reducing the risk of exposure for citizens.  However, there are significant regulatory hurdles to overcome before AVs can be deployed at scale.

The World Economic Forum recently published a report on “The Future of the Last-Mile Ecosystem,” where it anticipates that demand for e-commerce delivery will result in 36% more delivery vehicles in inner cities by 2030.  Again, COVID-19 has caused a huge increase in demand, as people around the world are self-isolating, quarantining or working from home for extended periods, suddenly increasing the need for food, groceries, household items and even medical supplies to be delivered to the homes of millions of people.  But using AVs for deliveries will require some work on the regulatory front.

Broadly speaking,  in order to trial an automated vehicle designed to operate without an occupant on the public roads, the AV developer must petition the regulator to make an exemption from the existing vehicle safety standards, which require human-operable controls and mirrors, for example.

Although it may be too late to ease the burden attributed to the current pandemic, I would urge regulators to consider the opportunities to streamline these processes for the future while upholding standards for safety and look at a new generation of agile regulation. This will enable trials of these technologies to help maintain the delivery ecosystem in future difficult times.

Out of adversity, comes innovation, and I’ve certainly seen plenty of that in the last few weeks.  Also, communities coming together and supporting each other as well as our NHS workers, who are doing a tremendous job.  Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone knows how long this pandemic will continue but I am sure we will come out of this stronger as a result.

To everyone reading this article – keep safe.

Coronavirus, Healthcare News, News, PPE

200 Degrees Coffee donates materials for the protection of QMC workers

200 Degrees Coffee and members of the public have donated acetate to the Queens Medical Centre hospital (QMC) in Nottingham, to help alleviate the shortage of protective visors for NHS staff working on the front-line of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the NHS under huge pressure and limited resources of personal protective equipment (PPE), specialist medical designers in the Orthotics department at QMC turned their attentions from insole production for foot conditions, to the production of vital protective equipment. Acetate forms a large part of the visors which are worn by NHS staff as part of their PPE.

200 Degrees Coffee initially bought 1,000 acetate sheets and put out a plea to the public for further donations. The people of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire stepped-up; bringing the total to approximately 10,000 acetate sheets which were collated at 200 Degrees’ roast house on Meadow Lane, before delivery to the QMC.

Co-founder of 200 Degrees Coffee, Rob Darby, said: “In the current COVID-19 crisis the NHS are working at the coalface and all efforts are being made to limit the spread, and to help support our NHS and the capacity at its hospitals.

“The NHS is doing an incredible job of looking after us all during this pandemic and when we heard that they had limited resources on PPE, we wanted to help. The team at our local hospital, QMC, are doing an amazing job to create these visors in-house and we hope our donation can make a real difference in the effort to save lives.

“A big thank you to all those who supported us and donated acetate sheets, it was brilliant to see such a huge response from other people who just want to help anyway they can.”

The specialist coffee roasters and self-proclaimed coffee geeks also delivered 50 cafetieres – each with a kilo of freshly ground coffee – to the Nottingham Hospitals Charity, which are now being distributed between NHS staff rooms at QMC and City Hospital in Nottingham.

Nigel Gregory, director of development at Nottingham Hospitals Charity, said: “Boosting the morale of our front-line staff is a hugely important job for us at the charity, so we are absolutely delighted to be able to provide teams across the hospital with these donations of 200 Degrees coffee and cafetieres. We love the fact that local companies are helping their local hospitals. The ability to quickly and easily make some great coffee will do wonders for our hardworking staff. Thanks to all involved.”

It’s a team-wide approach at 200 Degrees with finance director, Stephen Fern, working with his team mates at football club Bingham FC and the local community to raise £6,000. The significant sum was raised over the course of just four days and it has been used to purchase 4,200 protective visors for the QMC and other healthcare providers across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

Coronavirus, Law, News

Conexus Law offers latest guidance for companies concerned about contract obligations

“Life and business has got a lot more difficult and complicated since the classification of COVID-19 as a pandemic. As a result, all businesses are or will be looking at their financial and logistical obligations to third parties.”

This is according to Ian Timlin from Conexus Law, the specialist advisory firm that provides legal and commercial advice to clients who work in sectors where the built environment, technology, engineering and people converge.

In the latest free guidance sheet that can be found on the company’s website, he is advising companies that as a first step they should check their written contracts to see if they contain any terms can help clarify things. These may include force majeure, material adverse change clauses and general break clauses.

“Companies may also want to look to see if the counterparty to the contract is going to find it difficult or impossible to perform its own obligations now or in the future (particularly in the short term). That may give them scope to negotiate sensible variations all round,” suggests Ian.

To access Conexus Law’s range of guidance sheets free of charge please click here:

https://www.conexuslaw.com/post/fact-sheet-struggling-to-meet-your-contractual-obligations-what-are-the-issues-and-options

Coronavirus, Marketing, PR and SEO, News

NHS Driver Volunteer Support Programme from Adverttu

Adverttu has launched its new NHS Driver Volunteer Support Programme in response to COVID-19. Through the programme, businesses and brands can support Adverttu’s drivers working across gig economy delivery services, healthcare, the military and in the public sector, as well as those who have become NHS Volunteers.

Adverttu has pivoted its transit media platform and adapted the logistics it uses for out of home on-car advertising to create these support packages. Adopting a package delivers direct monthly financial support, especially with fuel costs, to those who are helping all of us over the next few months.

The package also helps identify vehicles as Volunteers during lockdown via an easy-to-apply, self-fit vinyl denoting who the supporting brand is and the fact they are helping to keep the individual on the road for their critical role or task.

Many Adverttu drivers already use their cars for front line healthcare and community care, medicine and food delivery, private transportation, and other essential roles, and these key workers within Adverttu’s 16,000+ driver community have been joined by hundreds of NHS Volunteers – 8% in total – in recent weeks.

Artjom Jekimtsev, CEO and founder of Adverttu, said: “Our community has risen to this unique challenge. Many of our drivers hold critical roles in healthcare, the gig economy and online e-commerce services. They are out there, putting themselves at risk to protect our loved ones and to keep us all safe. We wanted to develop a powerful way for brands, agencies and other businesses to directly support the people who deliver their advertising in normal times.”

Beyond the cars of the everyday public, Adverttu’s fleet also includes courier and delivery vans, HGVs keeping supply chains running, and other vehicles used for last mile delivery such as e-cargo bikes. The company’s transit advertising is operating alongside its NHS Driver Volunteer Support Programme.

To adopt a Driver Volunteer Support package, visit www.adverttu.com/volunteer.

Coronavirus, HR News, News

ServiceNow Makes No Layoff Pledge for 2020

ServiceNow (NYSE: NOW), the leading digital workflow company that makes work, work better for people, is committing to protect the jobs of its 11,000-plus global workforce through 2020 despite the economic uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company also expects to keep hiring for new jobs worldwide this year. In addition, ServiceNow expects to continue to protect the jobs and salaries of several hundred support staff and contractors who are not working while ServiceNow’s offices remain closed.

“We want our employees focused on supporting our customers, not worried about their own jobs,” said Bill McDermott, ServiceNow’s CEO. “We are committed to no layoffs for 2020. We are continuing to hire worldwide.”

“We are grateful to be in this position.” McDermott continued. “Keeping our company strong means we can help our customers succeed. Supporting our customers, we can help get the U.S. and global economy working again. More than ever, companies see that creating great workflow-designed experiences help protect revenue and growth, provide business continuity and drive productivity. These are the priorities for every company now. We are all in this together.”

ServiceNow has continued to hire and onboard new employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The company expects to create and fill more than 1,000 new jobs in the U.S., and more worldwide, by the end of 2020. Additionally, this summer the company will welcome approximately 360 college interns from around the world to work across its business. As a digital workflow company, ServiceNow has been able to quickly pivot to a digital internship program, maintaining the ability to provide college interns valuable career experience, even if employees continue to operate in a work-from-home environment. ServiceNow’s employees worldwide have been working from home since mid-March and expect to continue to do so until June 1.

Caroline Parkinson, a 2021 expected graduate of the University of Michigan who will join ServiceNow’s internship program this summer, said: “ServiceNow saved my summer. Without their digital intern program, I would have had to scramble to find a new summer job. Knowing that ServiceNow is determined to make my internship as enriching as possible during this uncertain time reaffirms my decision to join this company.”

Additionally, ServiceNow, along with Accenture, Lincoln Financial Group, and Verizon, this week announced People+Work Connect, a collaborative online employer-to employer initiative that will bring together companies with workforces laid off or furloughed due to COVID-19 with those in urgent need of workers. More than 800 ServiceNow jobs will be posted through this collaborative effort. At no charge for employers to join and participate, the initiative is intended to help shorten the complex, lengthy cycle of finding new employment. For more information, visit: https://peopleworkconnect.accenture.com/welcome.

Charity & CSR, Construction, Coronavirus

South West hospitals receive protective equipment from builders merchant

With people and companies across the country pulling together to support NHS staff working hard during the Covid-19 crisis, South West-based RGB Building Supplies has donated personal protective equipment to Royal Cornwall Hospital and North Devon District Hospital.

RGB’s Bodmin branch gave 12 boxes of gloves and 2 boxes of face masks to be used by Royal Cornwall Hospital staff working in the Emergency Department.

The builders merchant’s Barnstaple branch, together with product suppliers RODO Ltd and Toolbank Exeter, was able to donate more than 1,000 goggles, face shields, masks, and full face visors to North Devon NHS staff.

Lee Kift, Branch Manager at RGB Barnstaple, commented: “People and companies across the region have been working together to do all they can to help each other, so a huge thank you to RODO Ltd and Toolbank Exeter for responding so quickly and helping us donate protective equipment.”

Steve Best, Branch Manager at RGB Bodmin, added: “It really is times like these that bring out the best in people and we’re happy to join others in our area by doing what we can to support our local NHS employees.”

Coronavirus, News, Pets

Pets helping owners adjust to new ways of work during pandemic

Pets up and down the country are helping their owners with stressful situations, but are also causing a delightful distraction, according to new research from National Accident Helpline.

The study, which polled 2,000 British residents, asked the public how much they rely on their furry friends to keep them calm during stressful situations, but also shows that their cuteness can become a distraction when owners need to focus on other tasks around the home.

With the country facing an unprecedented period of social lockdown, many Brits are looking to their furry friends as a calming solace to help with the stress of the situation, with many non-pet owners even looking to add a pet to their household according to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

The research from National Accident Helpline shows that a pet is an ideal companion during any period of stress, with 87% of pet-owner respondents agreeing that their pet helps them destress during difficult moments. Only 2% of those surveyed stated their pets were not a calming influence during stressful moments.

Dennis Relojo-Howell, founder of psychology website Psychreg, explains:

“Research have shown that pets, especially dogs and cats, can help us adapt to stressful events. Take for instance, the current crisis that we’re going through – if you have a pet, this can provide you with an opportunity to relax and calm your mind. Our interactions with our pets can soften the effects of adverse events and can decrease our stress.”

When it comes to choosing which animal would make the perfect pet to help keep the country calm during moments of stress, the research shows that Labrador Retrievers top the list, beating all other breeds for the crown of UK’s favourite dog. In second place, Brits revealed just how much they love Cockapoos – not only are they extremely affectionate, they hardly shed, meaning less cleaning. Coming in third was the Springer Spaniel breed, who love to socialise and have an abundance of energy.

UK’s Favourite Dog Breed
Dog BreedRank
Labrador Retriever1
Cockapoo2
Springer Spaniel3
Boxer4
Cocker Spaniel5
Staffordshire Bull Terrier6
Border Collie7
Golden Retriever8
German Shepherd9
Labradoodle10
Boston Terrier11
Beagle12
Dachshund13
Jack Russell14
Pug15

When it comes to feline friends, the placid British Shorthair was ranked as the number one cat to own, with the beautiful Bengal breed coming in at close second. At number three was the Persian cat, known for its thick, glossy fur and kitten-like bursts of energy.

UK’s Favourite Cat Breed
Cat BreedRank
British Shorthair1
Bengal2
Persian3
Siamese4
Ragdoll5
Russian Blue6
Scottish Fold7
Savannah Cat8
Burmese Cat9
British Longhair10
Sphynx Cat11
Himalayan12
Munchkin13
Chartreux14
Birman15

However, whilst living with a pet can help people deal with stress, they can also sometimes provide an unwanted distraction when looking to focus on other things. Especially for those currently required to work from home, pets can sometimes be distracting at inappropriate times.

The survey data shows that over two thirds of respondents (69%) find their pets an ongoing distraction when trying to concentrate on other tasks around the home, whilst only 13% stated they don’t find their pets a distraction and are able to continue to concentrate on tasks such as working from home.

It seems that pet owners in Bristol are they most likely to struggle to get things done, with 84% of pet owners saying they get drawn away from what they’re doing by their pets. Sheffield residents are the most resilient to their pet’s distracting antics – but with 55% of them still admitting to being engrossed in what their animals are doing, that’s still over half of pet owners that are preoccupied on a regular basis.

The results also indicated that the younger generation are in fact better at staying focused despite the balls of energy that may be charging around the home. Over half (59%) of 18-24-year-olds found themselves becoming consistently distracted by their pets, compared to 82% of 45-54-year-olds who find themselves being dragged away by their animals.

More information can be found here: https://www.national-accident-helpline.co.uk/news/post/pets-home

Commenting on the research, Tom Fitzgerald, Managing Director of National Accident Helpline said: 

“Whilst we obviously love our pets, it is great to see the research indicate that they are also helping keep the country calm during this stressful time.

Coronavirus, News, Science

Help required! Public appeal to help development of COVID-19 antibody test

Offering their support to the Government and NHS to help get the nation tested for coronavirus, a leading health and wellness company has made a breakthrough in its development of a COVID-19 IgG antibody test and is seeking more blood samples to expedite the validation of this test.

YorkTest Laboratories, who has 38 years scientific expertise in the development and provision of home to laboratory finger-prick blood testing services, is using their expertise in IgG testing and existing laboratory facilities to develop a COVID-19 IgG antibody test as a priority for both healthcare staff on the frontline and the general public.

“We already have a laboratory enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactions to foods. We know that the methods and formulations that we use for this are very robust and scalable, so we already have a great foundation and the expertise in our laboratory for developing the COVID-19 IgG antibody test,” said Dr Gill Hart, Scientific Director at YorkTest Laboratories.

“Our core business provision of home-to-laboratory testing is well established with all the equipment, certifications (CE, IVD, ISO), and procedures are already in place to be able to deliver a COVID-19 antibody test solution once development is completed.

“Following an appeal to our customer base last week, we have now reached a major milestone as to the feasibility of our COVID-19 IgG antibody test, as we received a number of tested positive for COVID-19 blood samples. Using these samples has enabled us to successfully assess the initial feasibility of our own COVID-19 IgG antibody test.” said Dr Gill.

What YorkTest needs now, however, to expedite the development timeline is many more tested positive COVID-19 blood samples. The company is making an urgent appeal to the general public who have been affected by coronavirus to respond with their help.

“It’s important that our test is accurate and can distinguish between those individuals that definitely have had the virus, and those that haven’t. We need more samples confirmed positive and negative using the swab test for completion of the development.

“We also need to demonstrate that the test is reproducible and is able to detect the low levels of antibodies that are present at the start of the infection”. said Dr Gill.

YorkTest already has an established home-to-laboratory finger-prick blood collection kit, enabling people to safely and responsibly take a tiny blood sample from the comfort of their own home. 

“Once the antibody test has been developed and validated, we could potentially support many individuals, including healthcare workers and businesses with a means to determine whether or not they have been exposed to COVID-19. Our laboratory and team of lab technicians have the capacity to be able to provide over 100,000 COVID-19 antibody tests per week. 

“We are also working on an IgM antibody test, which when performed alongside the IgG antibody test, may provide even more information about that person’s phase of recovery from the coronavirus.” added Dr Gill.

“YorkTest are keen to collaborate with the Government, NHS England or other private operations that are doing the same; we want to help in the fight against coronavirus.” commented Richard Dawson, Managing Director at YorkTest Laboratories.

To get in touch, and most importantly to provide a positive tested COVID-19 blood sample to help in the fight against coronavirus, please contact YorkTest at client.support@yorktest.com or call 01904 410 410. For more information, visit https://www.yorktest.com/coronavirus/

Coronavirus, FInance, Research

Savanta makes daily insights free for all during Coronavirus crisis

Market insight specialist, Savanta, is committing to providing comprehensive daily customer behaviour data for free during the entirety of the Coronavirus crisis. Hosted on a dedicated hub on its website, insights are updated each working day, by 12pm, and include the latest insights and analysis, with a complimentary 90-page PowerPoint presentation that businesses are welcome to download and use.

Savanta has multiple audience based Coronavirus Data Trackers, which cover insights into customer feeling, attitude and behaviour during the international health crisis, on a day-to-day basis. Trackers offer deep dives including data on UK, US and international consumers UK, US and international businesses and UK, US and Chinese millionaires. The data is designed to help brands and businesses stay informed and take action.

Today’s responses show that 50% of people didn’t leave the house yesterday, 43% have seen income decrease and 59% saying that they’ve now switched to working from home.

The Savanta trackers used are as follows:

Coronavirus Data Tracker: UK Daily gives a day-to-day view of how the UK population is responding to Coronavirus including their attitudes, opinions and behaviour towards measures such as:
· In-store and online purchasing and consumption; media and news consumption
· Attitudes towards the Coronavirus, behaviour changes and self-diagnosis
· Response to the Prime Minister’s daily press conference and trust levels of business and individuals
· Impact on disposable income
· Feelings about support for airlines, insurance, the NHS, supermarkets, small businesses, cinema, theatre and pubs

Meanwhile, the Coronavirus Data Tracker: Weekly UK & US consumers, tracks seven set questions:
1. How near do you feel to Coronavirus?
2. How worried are you?
3. What is the impact on your income?
4. What is the impact on your outgoings? (by category)
5. Who do you trust for information?
6. How long do you think the Coronavirus crisis will go on for?
7. How do you foresee life after Coronavirus?

Coronavirus Data Tracker: UK Businesses offers businesses the opportunity to access and understand the current opinions, attitudes and behaviours of UK business owners and decision makers towards COVID-19, together with plans for how they will adapt their businesses going forward to mitigate the impact of any future crises.

Five key topic areas are covered: business operations, service demand, confidence, budgets, and future strategies. A series of questions on each of these areas are covered bi-weekly, presenting businesses with an up-to-date picture of this ever-changing situation.

Coronavirus Data Tracker: US Businesses. Within the US market a weekly tracker is measuring the business impact of COVID-19 among decision makers in organisations of all sizes and industries. The report tracks the perceptions on the economy as well as organisation specific impacts including sales, employee outlook, productivity and performance. The report also specifically explores the utilisation and impact of remote workplaces and how companies are adapting.

MillionaireVue: MillionaireVue, a new quarterly-run omnibus focused on millionaires, covers three of the world’s main wealth markets – the UK, United States and China – offering access to and understanding of millionaires across the globe. In light of coronavirus, the most recent wave looks at how concerned millionaires are about the pandemic and how it is affecting their lives across several key areas: travel, socialising, finance and business strategy.

Julian Dailly, EVP Consumer for Savanta commented:

“Whether you want to stay informed on attitudes and behaviours, or want to use data to enable decision making, we are committing to providing it, fast and for free. The Coronavirus Data Trackers offer brands and businesses daily and weekly insights into consumer and business opinions and behaviours towards Coronavirus, to actively and quickly support their vital decisions.”

More information on the Coronavirus Data Tracker can be found here: https://info.savanta.com/covid-19-survey-tracker

Business Research, Coronavirus, North of England

Almost a third of businesses in Northern England at high risk due to COVID-19

Almost a third of businesses in the Midlands and the North of England are at high risk of collapse due to COVID-19 impacting on their supply chain, according to a recent report from Durham University Business School.

The report reviewed over 1.7 million businesses in these geographical areas, spread across 99 different sectors, and found that 29% of these are at high risk due to how their supply chains operate. The report also shows that around 35% of the firms are either at low or medium risk due to the potential impact of Covid19.

This report, ‘Covid19 and Supply Chains in the United Kingdom: Impact & Mitigation’, was co-authored by Professor Kiran Fernandes and Drs Atanu Chaudhuri and Manish Shukla alongside other professors from the business school’s Centre for Technology and Innovation Management (CITM).

The researchers analysed data of over 1,739,669 companies in 28 different regions across the Midlands and North of England to calculate the potential impact of the COVID-19 on the supply chains. While, many of these companies operate through global supply chains, the impact of such an external shock is felt at a local level. This was due to a number of factors like, complexity of supply chains in the region, supply chain configuration, internal and external resilience characteristics of companies, agility in managerial decision-making capability and the adoption and use of technologies.

This study reports findings on the potential impact of COVID-19 to supply chains in the North of England and mitigation and resilience strategies that can be adopted by companies to overcome impact of COVID19.

The report also provides insight into the specific sectors that are most likely to be impacted on due to COVID-19. The researchers found that industries that were at the highest risk included, real estate, food & beverage, personal services and the construction sector. Whilst companies who were less likely to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic included, computer programming companies, management consulting, architectural and parts of the retail food sector (e.g. production and distribution of baked produce).

Professor Kiran Fernandes, Professor of Operations Management at Durham University Business School , says,

“Most companies in our region had never experienced such an external shock and therefore were not prepared with mitigation strategies for their complex global supply chains. Analysing a large number of companies using a big data approach has allowed us to better understand supply chain configurations and more importantly allowed us to identify and suggest mitigation strategies that can be adopted by supply chains across all a large number of sectors”.

Experts from the business school also reviewed a number of supply chain mitigation and resilience strategies that companies could utilise to overcome this negative impact too. In the report, six separate mitigation strategies were reviewed by professors who then identified and assigned a specific, tailored strategy for each of the 99 different sectors, in order to provide advice on how managers and business owners can navigate their company in this time of crisis.

Durham University Business School are now offering free or charge consultations for businesses with key international experts from the business school’s Centre for Technology and Innovation Management (CITM). These experts all have vast, global experience in consulting organisations in the area of operations, innovation and supply chain management.

Professor Kiran Fernandes also says,

“The Durham University Business School is part of our region’s ecosystem. It is critical and timely that we work with our regional businesses and ecosystems to ensure that our expertise can be used to make them develop both short term and long term resilience strategies that can help them not only survive but compete in the post Covid19 environment.”

If you’re interested in being put in contact with an expert from Durham University Business School for personal, tailored advice on mitigation strategies for your company, please contact the email address: Business.externalrelations@durham.ac.uk – where you will be put in touch with an expert for a free consultation.