The coalition government's Emergency Budget announcements came as no surprise to most of us as in true political tradition the big measures had been leaked well beforehand. However, it's worthwhile us taking a look at this budget's implications on the foodservice channel and suggest some actions and choices that need to be made.

By the time you read this we will all know which country won the World Cup, and while our own country's performance will continue to be analysed and debated will we truly understand if it was worth it for the retailers, foodservice operators and manufacturers which have invested heavily to ensure a great business result?

So the talking is over. After six weeks of campaigning the first past the post election process we have known for hundreds of years did exactly what the pollsters predicted and delivered a hung parliament. The horse-trading between the Tories and the Lib Dems started and as all good negotiators will tell you, always concede on items that are of low value to you and high value to the other party. And so they each traded anything in their manifestos that was of low value to them and likely to cause problems at a later date.

Over the past two months we have looked in these articles at the creation of Vision and Mission statements as part of defining where your business wants to get to, and the purpose for it being in existence. We will now turn to creating a Strategy, designed specifically to support the long-term development and success of your business.

In the March issue of Wholesale News we illustrated the value of having a Vision Statement in your business and we identified that this statement should be seen in the minds of all those concerned throughout your business, as a bridge from the present to the future.