It was twenty years ago this week that Charles St George and I had a bright idea and set up a business. In its own small way that decision has transformed the way the development industry goes about getting planning permission.
PPS was that business and our bright idea was to help companies secure planning permission [...]
I have recently come across the notion of ‘hyperbolic discounting’, a concept in behavioural economics that describes the tendency to weigh immediate costs too heavily and ignore long-term benefits. I can’t help noticing it among some of my colleagues.
I have always been a glass half-full type of guy. In behavioural economic terms, I guess I [...]
I cannot remember a worse year for business than 2009. Like everyone else in our game, PPS saw income tumble, projects halt and clients struggle to pay.
And in response we did everything you would expect: we cut costs, froze pay for all staff, cut pay for the senior team, put some on part time working [...]
As the Christmas festivities approach, a small group at PPS is hard at work preparing for their big night. Yes, the PPS House Band, Peter Pan Syndrome, is practising for its next gig, the staff Christmas party.
One of the few regular complaints people have about working here is that every social occasion is marked and [...]
We are big fans of Heston Blumenthal at PPS. He is the inspiration for our in-house quality programme, Operation Heston, and we gave meals at his restaurant, The Fat Duck, as prizes for staff who had delivered work of particularly high quality – at least we did until the recession intervened.
So I really enjoyed watching [...]
I’ve spent a couple of days pulling together some case studies for use in our marketing material. For the most part they are straightforward pieces of writing, but there is one part that we all get embarrassed about – asking clients to give us an endorsement.
When you are sitting on this side of the consultant/client [...]
Being an office manager for a company like PPS can be pretty demanding. Not only am I expected to keep the office running smoothly, I help out with preparing meeting rooms, assist with the press work and am cultivating a reputation as a coffee-making wizard.
However, I’ve also got another career on the go at the [...]
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The tourism industry will need to engage with local communities in order to fit in with the Government’s sustainability agenda, and emerge from the downturn in good shape.
The current downturn is encouraging more people to look at holidaying closer to home, potentially giving the UK tourist industry a much needed boost. And while the Government [...]
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It’s the expenses – stupid !
To misquote the legendary Clinton campaign theme, this month has seen politics dominated by the ongoing fiasco over MPs expenses. A fiasco which has engulfed every political party and is lapping around the Cabinet, Shadow Cabinet, the Liberal Democrat front bench and even the Ulster representatives.
Moats, bath plugs and [...]