Life after lockdown: Business as unusual

What will be your ‘new normal’? How will you adapt to ‘business as unusual’? Read on for some hints and tips from the experts at Imperial to help you make your business a success post lockdown.

Workplace 2020 and beyond

During lockdown, plenty of organisations have demonstrated that remote working works for large numbers of their staff. Obviously, one benefit has been less congestion (cars and commuters) and cleaner air. But what are the challenges of a workforce working from home? And, what will the ‘new normal’ workplace look like?

Whatever your workplace or however you are planning for the future, our experts can offer a range of insights as well as working with you to shape and design your spaces, such as with the user-centric Interaction Foundry from the Dyson School of Design Engineering.

Embrace the change

How can businesses adapt to the new normal without access to facilities, a full workforce or face to face meetings – and with consumers shifting spending even further online? Read more from our experts below.

New technologies emerge

Mobiles and AI are playing an ever increasing part in everyday lives – and never more-so than during lockdown.

Virtual networking

Here are some ideas for new networking habits we should develop to enable us to continue contributing to each other’s work in organic and spontaneous ways, which will remain valuable even when things return to normal.

The return of the expert

Experts like Imperial College London’s Neil Ferguson, and Peter Piot from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine are now central advisors to government and the profiles of experts are the material of front-page stories. With the arrival of a global pandemic, experts are back with a vengeance!

Leading during a crisis

Our legacies are determined by the sum of the decisions we make. Some of our decisions are more important than others. The decisions we make today, tomorrow, and in the coming few weeks will be heavily overweighted in how we are remembered, to ourselves, by others, and by history.

Find out how Imperial can help you with your specific needs be they immediate or a longer term goal.

Coronavirus and consumer behaviour

Lockdown saw searches for holiday destinations plummet – as did digital ad revenue, and consumers were buying board games, yeast and home office furniture. After these short-term spikes, dips, and peculiarities, what will be the long-term effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on consumer behaviour?

Connect with your customers

Consumers are changing the way they are spending – and what they want from brands has shifted. Businesses must rise to the challenge of communicating with their customers in a way that reflects the times in which we live, and adapt this strategy as the crisis plays out.

Importance of marketing

One of the first questions business leaders tend to ask themselves during the early stages of an economic slump is where to make cuts. Inevitably, though misguidedly, marketing is often first on the chopping block. Here’s three ways to optimise your spending during the pandemic and flourish in a post-COVID-19 world.

Save your startup

By adapting the revolutionary ‘lean startup methodology’ adopted by many entrepreneurs, you can still succeed despite the crisis. Finding customers virtually, spending downtime on design – and considering a different or digital path all considered. Read how.

Breeding social unicorns

In these challenging times the world needs a new type of unicorn: social unicorns. These will be businesses that do not just maximise their narrow financial valuations but maximise broad societal resilience. The entrepreneurs who start them will not be celebrated for reaching a one-billion-dollar valuation but for succeeding in improving one billion lives.  

Healthcare on a blockchain 

A single source of reliable information accessed by design makers and suppliers would be extremely helpful when responding to an international healthcare crisis. Storing and sharing patient information on blockchain ledgers can provide more personalised healthcare. Plus, analysing large volumes of patient data on a blockchain, using machine learning techniques, could reveal trends not seen before.

Latest news

Imaging and management of complex MCDA pregnancy – 26 August

Imaging and management of complex MCDA pregnancy – 26 August

Live, ISUOG approved interactive session by European and Asian experts on the latest research on managing complex MCDA twins. For fetal medicine experts, radiologists, obstetricians, sonographers, specialist midwives, neonatologists and trainees in these fields. Starts 12 noon (UK) read more

Energy tech helping UK meet net zero emissions

Energy tech helping UK meet net zero emissions

Studies by Imperial's academics for energy companies Drax and SSE Renewables offer expert insight into the energy technologies that could help the UK meet its target of net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. read more

Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson appears in primetime BBC One health programme

Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson appears in primetime BBC One health programme

“Long Live Britain”, which was broadcast on Monday 5th August 2013 at 9pm on BBC One, documented a record-breaking health screening aimed at challenging the way that we tackle three of Britain’s most dominant preventable diseases. read more

Related case studies

Energising Britain Report

Energising Britain Report

Dr Iain Staffell, Dr Malte Jansen and consultants from e4Tech were commissioned by Drax Group to look into the progress, impacts and outlook for transforming Britain’s energy system. read more

Freshwater control system

Freshwater control system

Expertise in hydrological modelling helped PyTerra demonstrate the potential of new smart technology to reduce downstream flooding. read more

Meta study-environmental impact of diamond mining

Meta study-environmental impact of diamond mining

Skydiamonds commissioned a review of academic, industrial and grey literature on diamond production methods to provide them with a better understanding of the environmental impacts. read more