Rich in industrial and cultural heritage, the north east of England has undergone a radical transformation over the last three decades to emerge as a major manufacturing and technology centre, and County Durham lies at the heart of this process of change.
A Company establishing a new business base in the UK or mainland Europe has a whole range of factors to consider. Typically, first thoughts are about products and markets, and how the commercial potential can best be realised.
The need for a flexible and internationally mobile workforce is ever more pressing. As a result, organisations have recognised the need to regularly review their people management policies and practices in order to recruit, develop and retain the employees who will really impact on organisational performance. The CBI has responded to the needs of member organisations by developing specific benchmarking tools as well as providing ongoing information on some of the external factors which can impact on the way companies manage their global workforce.
Leeds is the business capital of Yorkshire and the Humber, one of the largest economic regions in the UK.
When the winds of economic change are brought to bear on a business it often results in the need to relocate. Sometimes the winds are warm and the business needs to expand, sometimes the winds are cold and it needs to re-trench and shrink. In this new millennium business leaders are much more likely to have to face up to the need to relocate. The pace of change - particularly in technology and in key market sectors is getting faster and faster.
The Yorkshire borough of Rotherham, with its reputation built on steel and coal, might seem an odd choice of location for companies whose innovation and IT skills are shaping the future of the British economy.