Low-cost, easy to use audio and web conferencing blog

Many businesspeople are still unclear on the issue of environmental responsibility or do not factor it into decision-making, according to monthly internet surveys by The University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation (UNIEI).

Almost half the responders to a pair of business surveys thought that the concept of a carbon footprint was ‘of little or no help’ in clarifying the nature of environmental impact.

The findings, which come on the back of public acknowledgement of green issues among major corporations such as Marks & Spencer, suggest many small and medium-sized businesses are not keeping pace with larger organisations in terms of awareness of green issues.Among those responding to the latest UK Business Barometer (UKBB) and its sister survey the UK Business Adviser Barometer (UKBAB), only 21 per cent deemed the impact of their business on the environment to be a significant factor in their strategic decision-making.

By contrast, 48 per cent said the environment is slightly or ‘not at all’ significant in their strategic decision-making. The surveys also found that a significant proportion of businesses are not prepared for all that the UK environment can throw at them. Of the businesspeople questioned, 59 per cent said they had no clear plans for how they would continue trading in the face of ‘Acts of God’ such as the storms which battered Britain in January 2007. And 61 per cent of responders to the survey said they had no specific insurance to cover loss of earnings through such events.

Other findings of the latest survey point to increase use of electronic communication in place of face-to-face meetings. Some 42 per cent of UKBB respondents thought their importance had diminished in the face of email and the internet, while only 17 per cent thought their importance had increased.

Face-to-face meetings are still reckoned to be important by 43 per cent of UKBAB respondents, and 23 per cent think their importance has increased. Businesses contributing to the parallel UKBB survey returned a similar response.

Participants were also asked if they could see any scope for substituting alternatives for face-to-face meetings, such as teleconferencing, videoconferencing and extended email interaction — 73 per cent of businesses and 84 per cent of advisers said that they could.

The growth of email and the internet has also meant that businesspeople are spending less time on the road, the survey suggests. Some 44 per cent said they were travelling less than five years ago, compared to just 14 per cent travelling more.The UKBB and UKBAB are run by The University of Nottingham and operate over the web to generate very rapid results. The surveys have unique software that enables results to be processed and posted on their respective websites immediately they arrive. The survey results are published monthly and more information, including a press pack, can be found on the web at http://www.ukbb.ac/UI/home.aspx and http://www.ukbab.ac/UI/home.aspx Businesses and advisers wishing to contribute as panellists on the project should visit the appropriate Business Barometer website to register.

So it looks like we are backing the “open skies” aviation deal which will liberalise transatlantic air travel. Well, hip hip hooray!

Whilst this will is undoubtedly be seen as good news for those in the travel industry and should lead to cheaper (at least in cash terms) airfares, I wonder what the implications will be for the environment both in terms of emissions and the quality of life for people leaving near and travelling to and from airports.

According to the BBC website, officials said the agreement could generate 26 million more airline passengers over the next 5 years.

Forgive me for not opening up the champagne.

Brown continues to “Nickle & Dime” the public with increased petrol duty (up 2p per litre from October) and increases in road tax but why didn’t he tackle another source of pollution - air travel.

Depending upon which reports you read, air travel is set to rise by 31% or 35% by 2010. Which ever figures you believe, that’s a LOT of extra travel and that’s a LOT of extra carbon.

The airlines would argue, with some justification, that air travel’s contribution to carbon emissions are often exaggerated, but it doesn’t take a genius to work out that more flying isn’t a good thing for the planet.

Surely even a small tax on kerosene would raise send that message that air travel is unrealistically cheap whilst raising welcome revenues for the treasury.

Here’s a link to an interesting video showing what others think of the budget’s green implications.

As an avid listener to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme I increasing find myself shouting “WHY DON’T YOU GET IT YOU FOOLS?” though my cornflakes as politicians try to ‘out green’ each other on transport policy.

Surely the best way to minimise the environmental impact of travelling is not to travel in the first place.

Rather than debate the ins and outs of alternative fuels and arbitrary tax increases, concentrate on removing the problem at source. Stay were you are, meet by web and phone instead. It’s the archetypal “no brainer” isn’t it?

Think about it. No carbon emissions, no road congestion, less wasted time between meetings, better work-life balance and IT’S CHEAPER. Hard to see the downside really.

So why isn’t the use of technology to allow remote working not spoken about more often?

Meetings held by phone and web will never be able to replace all face to face meetings, but they can replace a large proportion of them. I know because I meet this way several times a day.

Of course, as the CEO of an audio and web conferencing company, “I would say that, wouldn’t I”, but the reason I got into this business in the first place is because I used similar services in previous jobs and couldn’t see how I could have worked without them.

I can easily attend 6 virtual meetings a day and I am home when I put the phone down after the last of them.

Armed with an increasingly expensive travel card, I am lucky if I can do half as many face to face meetings in and around London - and I am in a foul mood when I get home late due some unforeseen but inevitable problem on public transport.

Peter Bennett - CEO Ozone Conferencing.