Business may be tough but it’s not a jungle out there. Research out today shows that Britain’s SMEs see themselves as the domestic cats and dogs of the business world, rather than corporate hunters.
Business may be tough but it’s not a jungle out there. Research out today shows that Britain’s SMEs see themselves as the domestic cats and dogs of the business world, rather than corporate hunters.
The survey conducted by Holden Pearmain Research on behalf of Norwich Union revealed that nearly one in five companies aligned themselves with the British moggie – independent and shrewd, while a further 17% saw themselves as a reliable and resilient dog.
The research also showed that larger companies were more likely to choose more dynamic animals - SMEs with between 200 – 249 employees tended to describe themselves as a fast moving cheetah. Hard-hitting hunters are thin on the ground however - only 6% of the 500 SMEs surveyed thought of themselves as an aggressive tiger.
Of the 13% choosing a plodding elephant, the majority were in the manufacturing sector, reflecting an enduring sense of pessimism about the future. In contrast, the burgeoning services sector saw themselves mostly as wise owls.
But British business is still proud to be innovative - only 1% of the 500 companies surveyed considered themselves to be a crowd-following sheep.
Debbie Heaney of Norwich Union commented: "Whilst almost half of the SMEs surveyed aligned themselves with cats or dogs, it’s important to remember there are many types of cats and dogs – each business is different".
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For further information, please contact:
Debbie Wells at Staniforth on 0161 274 0100 or
David Ross at Norwich Union on 08703 66 68 65/07786 526350.
Notes to editors:
- The survey was conducted with 500 UK SMEs by Holden Pearmain.
- Norwich Union is the UK's largest insurer with a market share of around 14%
- With a focus on insurance for individuals and small businesses, Norwich Union insures:
- one in five households
- one in seven motor vehicles
- more than 800,000 businesses
- Norwich Union products are available through a variety of distribution channels including brokers, corporate partners such as banks and building societies and Norwich Union Direct.
- Norwich Union’s news releases and a selection of images are available on the Aviva internet press centre at www.aviva.com/media.
- An ISDN facility is available for studio quality broadcast. Call the press office on 08703 66 68 68
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