Business is not the enemy

Business and the public Back in 2013, Sir Mike Rake, who was president of CBI at the time, declared whilst business may suffer crises in public confidence, the public should not see business as ‘the enemy’.

Business and the public

• Three years on, Sir Rake’s point is still valid.

• More recent crises such as the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the tax dodging of huge corporates such as Google have knocked down public faith in the private sector once again.

The UK still has one of the world’s healthiest economies...

• Businesses are actually saving our economy and creating jobs.

• The majority of businesses are operated by well-meaning citizens who care about the wider economy and society, not just themselves

So what are the advantages of privately-

owned businesses?

Improved efficiency and cost-cutting

• Private companies have a profit incentive to cut costs and be more efficient.

• More pressure from shareholders also pushes increased productivity and efficiency.

More competition

• Competition between big business spurs on improvement.

• This means better prices for customers.

They are always trying to outdo each other

with special offers and deals to entice

customers in and gain their loyalty.

Look at the big supermarkets, for example…

Lack of political interference

• Privately owned businesses have more freedom as they are not ruled entirely on government policies.

• The public sector is often motivated by political pressures rather than sound economic and business sense.

There is no doubt that big business contributes greatly

to the wider economy…

But are there individual benefits for you if you are

employed by a huge corporate?

Greater opportunities

• As business grows, so does employment.

• Positions regularly open up for people of all levels to join corporates.

• If you work for a big business, there is more opportunity to move between roles and to get promoted.

Greater opportunities

Commercial organisations tend to invest in the learning and development of employees who show potential, so there is a better chance of moving into a position of seniority.

Gain a variety of experience

• There’s chance to gain more varied experience at big businesses.

• Moving around departments, or even from one corporate to another, provides a dynamic and exciting career complete with learning plenty of new skills along the way.

When the economy is growing, it’s driven by private sector enterprise:

Don’t let a few bad eggs give private enterprise a bad name.

• Growing • Employing • Training • Investing

I’d be keen to hear others’ thoughts on this polarising topic.

Twitter: @pathwaygroup LinkedIn: The Pathway Group (Workforce Solutions)

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