Read the magazine in full by clicking here
Or buy today's print edition of the Herald on Sunday for the full, free 124-page glossy magazine to enjoy at your leisure.
-----------------------------------------------------------
By Ian McConnell, Herald Business Editor
FEW will disagree that this has been a year of poor decisions from the UK Government on the economic front.
Major mistakes have been made in addressing the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly on the unemployment front. And the Government has continued full tilt with its drive to leave the European single market even amid the crisis.
The sad reality is that so many jobs will have been lost because of the Government’s repeated refusals – eventually reversed – to extend its coronavirus job retention scheme. That this was extended until March came as a relief but whether this is long enough certainly remains to be seen.
However, it is what it is, and we must look ahead with as much optimism as we can muster. The best news of all, of course, is that the rollout of Covid-19 vaccination has begun.
However, the hope this offers is in stark contrast to what the Brexit shambles will bring. The next few months will be tough for all of us but it is not all doom and gloom – there are some bright spots on the horizon for those businesses in the right sectors and in positions to seek out new opportunities.
Ian McConnell
Business Editor, The Herald
Read the full magazine by clicking here
----------------------------------
CONTENTS:
6 Ian McConnell
The Herald’s Business Editor says we must face Brexit challenges head on
9 Year in focus
Our team looks back on some of the year’s highlights in sectors including renewables, oil and gas, tourism, finance and technology
13 A future in hydrogen?
We shine a spotlight on hydrogen and the UK Government’s plans for a green industrial revolution
30 Meet the makers
Ciorstaidh Monk and Ruth Mitchell use quality materials and contemporary design to produce their luxury sleepwear range
42 Technology for good
The Edinburgh company on a mission to regenerate Brazil’s Cerrado ecosystem by using images uploaded by tourists
52 City lights Real estate experts are confident that firms will remain attracted to city centres
63 Faking it
Fake goods have come to the fore during Covid so listen to Rachel Jones when it comes to securing your IP
70 New approach to homes
The modular model is catching on and a Ayrshire-based firm is blazing a trail
79 Climate For Change
How Scotland is targeting Net Zero as COP26 arrives in Scotland next year
84 Taking flight
Learn all about Sacha Dench’s incredible 3,000-mile flight – thanks to a green electricity-powered paramotor
99 A nation of entrerpreneurs
Making Scotland the most entrepreneurial society in the world is the lofty aim for a new project in partnership with world-leading US business institution Babson College
103 The Future Of Education
A special 18-page focus on The Herald’s new campaign, which engages with learning institutions and public bodies to strategise, discuss and shape lasting change within our education system
Meet the highly-creative Scots entrepreneurs who won’t let the difficulties of a pandemic stand in their way
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here