Act Now: Priorities under pressure - the hidden cost of haste

As UK businesses increasingly focus on addressing short-term pressures, this can be at the expense of priorities for longer term growth. To strengthen your position, look to invest in the areas that will deliver sustained competitive advantage.

#ActNow, #ActNowToGrow

55%

of businesses are prioritising short-term operational improvements over long-term solutions
74%

of investors say they still assess ESG when extending finance
52%

say keeping pace with technological change is their main concern over the longer term

As organisations grapple with urgent challenges around soaring inflation, rising costs and geopolitical events, the impact of these on the supply chain is felt by UK businesses. To understand how the current market is affecting business priorities and why businesses view supply chain issues as their main challenge, we surveyed 400 UK business leaders who are juggling these pressures with the need to stabilise and grow in the longer term.

Key survey findings

UK businesses see supply chain shortages and failure as the main challenge to business growth now and in the long-term. Yet, many businesses have done minimal to no preparation to deal with supply chain issues and 33% lack sufficient data to understand supply chain risks.
While the value and importance of ESG and Net Zero targets is widely understood, organisations are concentrating on firefighting current operational challenges.
Our research shows that a skills shortage is, for many businesses, a primary concern over the medium-term with businesses finding it harder to recruit the talent they need compared to a year ago.