Research can provide surprising insight into your competitors, consumers, and your business practices. It can help you predict how the economic climate will affect you, or whether you’re really getting the best priced stock. It can uncover strengths and weaknesses you may not even have considered.

Having a strong business strategy helps your business go in the direction you want it to. If your employees always have the big picture in mind, alongside the task at hand, they can always be moving your business towards that end goal – whether that be a worldwide customer base, unrivalled service, or carbon-neutrality – whatever you see for your company’s future.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Graham Bell Associates specialises in research into Scottish economic, business and social issues with an emphasis on original, insightful outcomes that deliver real advantages to the client. Capabilities include:

• Public policy development and public affairs advice
• Economic and market research
• Business analysis and financial modelling
• Management consultancy
• Social attitudes research
• Analysis of economic and government data and policy announcements

We can help you work out your goals and/or strategy; and how to implement them effectively. Just get in touch using the details in the sidebar.

For an interesting take on an all-pervading business goal, learn a little about Microsoft’s ‘Blue Monster’.

Business Planning in a bottle:

Business is like sailing – because if the winds of change are blowing, you’ll veer off course.  And in business, just like at sea, things are always changing – you have to have enough assets to get you back to dry land, even if the worst happens. 

Are your crew good enough? Is your ship well enough designed, is it being properly maintained? Is it robust – do the boards flex in harsh weather or snap under pressure? Is the whole exercise worth it at all?

Of course in business we are talking about product, service, pricing, suppliers, competition, risk management, team building, cash flow, profit and loss.  Business is an immensely complicated system, and you’d better know how to read your compass.

We can help you find true North, and stay on course, because in the past our boats have hit icebergs, mutinied, made deals with Davey Jones – and had fair weather sailing laden with bounty too!