Stella wins The Apprentice

So Stella English the corporate PA finally won The Apprentice 2010.



In the end it wasn't very close as Chris did his best but he was knocked for six by Stella's one true flash of genius.



The task was to design, create and promote a new spirit. Chris went for a very startling looking bottle and called his 3 mixture Prism. So far so good except the colour was pinkish - more suitable for women.



Stella made a slight variation on bourbon and called it Urbon - which was inspired and to be honest I think that won her the task there and then.



Chris did a better job presenting than earlier in the competition as both he and Stella had been accused of being wooden.



Stella was the consumate professional in her entire performance, though she did have a go at Chris in the boardroom which Chris said he would not go down that route. He had done so at an earlier juncture against Alex and others.



Overall for once the right person won but it would have been a better contest if Liz had reached the final.



Next up is the Junior Apprentice and then the new one will start again sometime soon.



I just hope we get to see the original and best Apprentice with The Donald in the meantime.



Congratulations Stella!

Brands and Own Brands

A brand is the identity of a specific product or service. A brand can take many forms, including a name, sign, symbol or slogan. It is a trademark and registered under copyright.

Nike is a brand and the famous Nike swoosh is their logo. The slogan 'just do it' is also synonomous with Nike.

Brands attempt to create a positive image in the minds of customers. Levi's jeans claim they are of higher quality than their rivals even though this is disputed. Levi sells their higher priced jeans on the image of being cool and being aspirational - their advertising has long traded on Levi being rebellious yet cool.

Brands can charge premium prices and aim for customer loyalty. If Brands provide quality products and services over time then customers will come back again and again. It aslo makes it easier for Brands to launch similar products creating a family of products.

Brands take time to create and develop, and are fragile. If bad press affects a product it can damage the whole product range and the company (in the same way one franchisee's behaviour can ruin the reputation of the entire franchise).

Own Brands are sold by retailers such as the large supermarkets Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury's. Own Brands often imitate the colours and shapes of the more expensive Brand.

Dorito's Salsa dip is roughly £1.38. Whereas Tesco's own dip is 96p.

Sometimes the Brand sell their goods to the retailer who repackage the product as their own brand in order to maximise profits.

Normally customers view own brands as cheaper and of lower quality.

In the USA own brands are called Private Label Brands. The generic term is Store Brands, however in the UK we call them Own Brands.

Examples of Own Brands

Asda (Smart Price, George)

Tesco (Florence & Fred)

Morrison's (The Best, Eat Smart, Wholefoods)

Higher Business Management - Kanban Card

An often asked question is... what is Kanban?

A Kanban is a card which helps a firm monitor and gain information on the flow of materials, stock and components through their production line.

Kanban cards contain information on where the component came from (the previous stage) and where it is headed (the next stage. It may include the quantity in the order or components, and it may contain information about the final customer.

Kanban cards now use barcodes enabling customers to phone up about the status of their order and find out exactly where it is.

Kanban cards are also used to signal components are running low or being depleted and need to be re-ordered.

It is used in Just-in-time aka Lean Production.

You can find out more about JIT, Lean Production and Kanban in my slideshow about Toyota: http://www.slideshare.net/Marcus9000/toyota-supermarket-for-cars

Higher Business Management - What you should be studying

Ok so we can't be in school but thanks to the wonders of modern technology you can still revise and look at topics.

As you know our second NAB will be coming up very soon - so the final two topics for you to look at in Operations are:

• Methods of Production
• Quality

I will post some questions for you very soon for you to attempt - but also go over to my forum for more interactive questions at www.mrmcgowan.proboards.com

Remember the weather will not be taken into account when you sit your exams in May!

Weather

Made it home safely yesterday after a rather hazardous journey from the school to my home. 6 hours of gridlock, but by all accounts I was one of the lucky ones.

Some friends were stranded on the M8 for 12 hours and some unlucky colleagues spent the night in Hamilton Grammar - though I see only Hamilton College made it on national TV!

On a business note, perhaps pupils can actually problem solve and think of ways our infrastructure could cope better with such issues.

Everytime a city or a nation wins a World Cup bid or Olympic bid one of the factors mentioned is improved infrastructure. What benefits could that bring to Scotland?

A larger and more improved motorway network?

A better and more integrated public transport system for the trains, buses and subways?

It is all very interesting as my relations in Minnesota are iced up for basically 6 months of the year and yet they still get to work and go to school no problem. Mind you my cousin's husband is actually a school caretaker who is in at 5am and drives the snowplough to unblock the car park. American cars are so much hardier than ours!

Joe - I salute you!

Do we stifle creativity?

Here is an interesting video clip and article by Sir Ken Robinson who talks about how traditional forms of Education may in fact be killing creativity among our young people.

http://www.theadclass.com/education/sir-ken-robinson-do-schools-kill-creativity-ted-conference-2006

Food for thought!

World Cup Winners!

Well now we know.

2018 Fifa World Cup will be hosted by Russia, who surprised everyone by beating what was considered a superior bid by England.

2022 Fifa World Cup will go to Qatar - who beat Korea, Australia and the USA.

RUSSIA 2018

The vastness of the world's largest country could pose a few problems for travellers and fans.

Moscow 4 stadiums:

Luzhniki Stadium (Final)

Dynamo

Spartak

Stadium Moscow

Sochi (2014 Olympic Winter Games)

St Petersburg

Kazan

Kalinigrad

Nizhny Novogorod

Saransk

Krasnodar

Rostov-on-Don

Samara

Yaroslavi

Volgograd

Yekaterinburg

So a few interesting names to try and get used to before 2018.

QATAR

The success of Formula 1 may have something to do with the first hosting of the World Cup in the Middle East.

The venues we know of so far are:

Lusail

Doha (2 stadiums)

Al Khor

Ash-Shamal

Al Wakrah

Part of Qatar's bid was a brilliant plan to build and then take apart brick by brick new stadia and deliver them to other countries.

The oil-rich state will have everyone watching! It promises to be even more interesting than in Russia as temperatures can hit 50!

The Apprentice Hots Up

Last night high drama during the infamous purchasing task!

The boys team only got 7 out of the 10 difficult to find items while the girls, led by Liz, got all 10. However the girls were late back to the Boardroom but when the totals were added up they had been beaten by the boys - despite the lads' high fines.

The secret of the boys success? Negotiating.

Liz took Laura and Stella in for a catfight and in the end Laura was sent packing by Lord Sugar. However Liz really tried to bury her biggest rival Stella. She even kept it going when back at the house. Liz so far has been pretty brilliant, but perhaps her halo is slipping. I also think the accusations of Stella being 'wooden' and 'too corporate' are a bit harsh on her. I think Stella is professional and a great role model for women in business. I hope she wins.

Stuart Baggs was pretty quite this week - but next week promises a bit of hilarity and conflict.

I think this is one of the UK Apprentice's best ever seasons. But - you know what I am going to say - it is a pale imitation of the now legendary original US version starring everyone's favourite billionaire... Donald Trump.

Trump had two TV shows on in the UK this week. One was about his Aberdeen golf course and the people who are against him, and the other was a profile of the controversial tycoon. Trump is Trump: brash, loud, egotistical, but still charming and as we have seen over the years in The Apprentice, he is actually very fair. He fires people for underperforming not because of their lack of entertainment value. This is a lesson Lord Sugar should take on board. After all, he can only dream of having a net worth like The Donald!

The UK Apprentice 2010

Last night's episode was a corker!

The task was to create a personal DVD experience for customers held in a London shopping mall, Westfields I think it was called.

Sandeesh was project manager up against Stuart Baggs - The Brand!

After much running about and changing of ideas, price, product and presentation, Stuart's team limped home by £40!

Stuart's DVD experience was a toy car being raced around Brands Hatch. Baggs even found time for a jolly by driving the real car around for the footage that was needed.

Sandeesh was in the Board Room with Liz and Chris but she could not beat them in the argument and sadly she was fired.

I am convinced unless there is a major faux pas by one of them it will be a Stella v Liz grand finale. Or Sugar may even throw a curveball and have a 3 person final.

Liz and Stella seem to be the only ones with common sense - which often means a business brain!

Higher Business Management - Methods of Market Research

Remember divide market research into:

Field Research

Desk Research

Now...

Examples of Field Research include:

1. Personal Interviews
2. Telephone Surveys
3. Postal Surveys
4. Observations
5. Online Surveys
6. Consumer Panels
7. Hall Tests
8. Focus Groups

Now for each one you will need to be able to describe the process in a sentence or so, and then give some advantages and disadvantages.

It is important to be able to write about these methods under the following criteria:

• COST
• RESPONSE RATE
• REACH

i.e. Telephone Survey is a questionnaire conducted by phone. Telephone surveys are cheaper than using a personal interviewer, but the response rate is lower than a personal interview. However a major advantage is that you can reach a wide geographic audience.

Higher Business Management - Wholesalers

A Wholesaler buys from manaufacturers (producers) and sells on to retailers. CostCo, Booker and Makro are well known examples of Wholesalers.

They buy goods in bulk from the producers and then sell them off in smaller batches to retailers who then sell to the end user.

Q. What are the advantages of Wholesalers?

SBEA Conference 2010

Yesterday I attended the SBEA conference held in Inveralmond Community High School in Livingston.

The number of delegates was incredible! It is comforting to know that so many people care about our subject and are willing to give up their free Saturday (some even pay for the conference out of their own pocket and not through departmental budgets) to come to the national conference.

Strangely enough a pupil asked me on Friday "Why would you give up your Saturday if you're not getting paid".

Perhaps if more pupils, parents, politicians and (news)papers - our very own 4 Ps! - realised just how many teachers in general give up their own free time either preparing or marking or attending CPD events etc then we would perhaps be viewed in a different light at times.

I thought the conference went really well and there was a good choice of options for delegates to choose from. It was a worthwhile Saturday - even if some do not view it as so.

Higher Business Management - AOK Learning

On Monday I attended a very valuable CPD course on Higher Business Management delivered by AOK Learning and a well known figure in Business Education nationally Anne Bradley.

The course covered many aspects that are helpful to new teachers or new to Higher, plus there were great insights into some areas that even teachers who had taught the Higher over several years could take away and think about.

Everything was covered: from the actual syllabus itself and a discussion on the order of teaching the course, to preparation for NABs, creating and editing Prelims, and how to get pupils to answer the Case Study question a bit better than perhaps they do.

Oh and we spent some time on the dreaded Command Words! Dreaded because sometimes no matter how many times we highlight it to pupils, they get nervous in the exam and just write everything they know!

It was a worthwhile course and was very thorough.

China's answer to traffic gridlock

What is this new fangled train?

It isn't a train. It is a bus. In fact a bus that cars can driver under in traffic! Ingenious!

It is called the 3D Express Coach and is reckoned to reduce traffic jams by up to 30%.

Special lines or rails will have to be built but at a fraction of the cost of a new subway system. This latest Chinese invention was unveiled way back in May at a Chinese Business Expo, but it really is so incredible that it is worth a closer look.

The 15 foot high bus is designed to use solar power (I can feel a lot of you switching off already as your dream fades!) and can hit top speeds of 37 mph.

Could this really be the future of mass transit travel? It has been designed to carry 1400 passengers in one go (mind you how feasible would that be as in how many stops would it make to keep everyone happy?).

A pilot scheme is being constructed in an area of Beijing currently. China are taking transport very seriously and if projects like this come off - added to their impressive and world leading investment in High Speed Rail - they could end up being exporters of skills and expertise which could help grow their technology economy further.

The 21st Century looks to belong to China!

Perhaps in sprawling metropolises like LA, Beijing and Shanghai this could work. But I doubt it will ever catch on in Glasgow or Edinburgh!

1GB Broadband for South Korea

I was watching BBC's excellent programme Click the other day on BBC News and it reported that South Korea is the world's most wired-up nation with incredible existing speeds of 100 MB per second for broadband.

In the report it talked of how wi-fi is expected in South Korea and how the current government are spending £19 billion on upgrading the network.

The dream for South Korea is for 1GB per second speeds! They are aiming not for 2020 or some far off date but 2012!

What does this say about how some countries are speculating and investing in their countries future and infrastructure, while at present our coalition are looking for ways to slash public spending.

Investing in technology is the way James Dyson - the millionnaire inventor of the bagless vaccum cleaner - believes we have to take on the Asian Tiger Economies in the 21st Century. We can't compete on price of labour or manufacturing, but we can compete in the service sector and in technology. But we have to spend in research and development... and spend training our young people.

If we are not growing and developing our skills as a nation, then we are set for a very difficult next 20 years, regardless who is in power in Westminster or Holyrood for that matter!

Read the full article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/click_online/9093991.stm

Bye bye Delhi 2010... hello Glasgow 2014

After a pretty eventful Commonwealth Games in Delhi 2010, the flag has been passed to Glasgow.

Delhi suffered from many construction and planning problems as reports on the Athletes Village were highly detrimental and would have wounded Indian pride.

The Games recovered well though, and I am sure the Delhi Games will be remembered as being a good experience for everyone involved.

What lessons will Glasgow learn from Delhi?

Preparation of events and facilities must be 100%. Not only Glasgow, but Scotland and the Commonwealth Games' future and reputation is at stake.

An atmosphere has to be created in the venues. Delhi did have some empty seats early on, but that was then tackled.

Attracting the big names is another concern. Not to have Usain Bolt at the flagship 100 metres final was a massive blow. How can Glasgow ensure they attract the big stars?

So although four years may seem a long time, the planning and building is underway... and so is the countdown to Scotland's biggest ever sporting event!

In the News...

ARK ROYAL AXED

The Royal Navy's flagship, the aircraft carrier Ark Royal, is to be scrapped early as part of the government's defence review.

The UK's Harrier jump jets will be axed, the money saved going towards the cost of two new aircraft carriers.

It means that, until at least 2019, Britain will not have the ability to launch fighter jets at sea.
David Cameron is due to unveil more details of the first strategic defence and security review in 12 years.

HOUSING BUDGET SLASHED

The social housing budget in England is to be cut by more than 50% in the Spending Review.
Council housing "for life" will also be phased out, with the needs of new council tenants assessed over time.

Despite the cuts, ministers are likely to set a target of building 150,000 affordable homes, changing the way councils charge rent to finance them.

Tenants will be charged nearer the going market rate, to release cash for the building programme.

GERMAN CHUNNEL LINK

German train operator Deutsche Bahn says it will run direct services from London to Frankfurt and Amsterdam from 2013.

A train similar to the ones to be used will be displayed at London St Pancras station on Tuesday.
Three services will run daily, and will also serve Brussels, Cologne and Rotterdam.

DB must get approval for its trains from safety authorities before services can run but is confident of doing so.

FRANCE IN NEW STRIKES

France is braced for new disruption as a sixth national day of protest begins over plans to reform the country's pension system.

Strikes and mass marches will coincide with an ongoing blockade of oil refineries that hit supplies.

The government wants to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 and the full state pension age from 65 to 67.

President Nicolas Sarkozy insists he will press ahead with pension reforms despite the growing strike movement.


Source: BBC Business News

Rescue of Chilean Miners

The dramatic story of the miners of San Jose Mine in the remote Atacama desert has been most remarkable.

First, 'Los 33' were trapped for 17 days without anyone still thinking they were alive. Then after being found, NASA and psychologists were called in as the men looked like remaining underground for months. The mental and physical demands looked to be insufferable.

However, President Sebastian Pinero - a billionnaire - spent millions to rescue the trapped men after an incredible 69 days underground. The story had echoes of the Billy Wilder classic movie 'Ace in the Hole' as the media descended onto Camp Hope - a temporary trailer park of family, media and rescuers.

I reckon as well as trying to ensure the safety of the men, Pinero realised this was an opportunity for Santiago to shine. And to be fair, they did.

Now the 33 men have been rescued to safety, what will follow? Book deals? Public appearances? Statues and plaques? A museum? As you may have guessed, Hollywood scriptwriters are already writing a movie.

What looks certain is the men won't go back underground again anytime soon.

As for President Pinero, he has made the most of the goodwill capital he and Chile have received as he hopes to dispel the memories of the Chilean coup d'etat which ousted Salvadore Allende and the military junta took over.

Chile has a personal touch for me. I remember at school being picked to go to the mock United Nations and my friend and I got drawn out as Chile!

No doubt Chile's tourism and economy may well take a boost from this incredible story, and for once a story of hope, heroism and cheer!

In the News...

PRIUS SALES DOWN

Japanese sales of the Toyota Prius have fallen for the first time in almost a year-and-a-half after a government subsidy for buying more eco-friendly cars expired, industry figures suggest.
The hybrid remains the country's most popular car, with 27,249 sold in September, according the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

But this was 14% lower than the same month a year ago - the first year-on-year fall in 17 months.

Honda's Fit was the second best-seller.

EASYJET MAKE A PROFIT

Shares in airline Easyjet have soared 10% after it said its full-year profits would be ahead of earlier expectations.

After stronger than predicted passenger numbers last month, it now expects its pre-tax profit for the 12 months to 30 September to surpass £150m.

This compares with its earlier guidance of between £100m and £150m.

VODAFONE JOBS LOST

Four hundred jobs are to go at a customer relations centre for mobile phone giant Vodafone in Oxfordshire.

The centre at Banbury Business Park in Adderbury will close in 2011.

Two hundred of the posts will move to other Vodafone sites at Newark in Nottinghamshire, Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire and Didsbury, Manchester.

A spokeswoman said the Banbury centre had a lot of little teams carrying out different tasks, but that Vodafone wanted "bigger, more specialist teams".

RYDER CUP 2014 SCOTS TOURISM BOOST

The 2014 Ryder Cup could raise more than £100m for Scotland's economy, organisers have said.

VisitScotland said the tournament was a chance to capitalise on what was sport's third biggest event in terms of TV and media coverage.

About 45,000 spectators are expected to attend each day of the six-day challenge at Gleneagles in Perthshire.

It will mark the first time in more than 40 years that the tournament has been played on Scottish soil.

Mike Cantlay, VisitScotland chairman, said: "The Ryder Cup will undoubtedly be a huge opportunity for Scotland to capitalise on an event that will showcase Scotland to a global audience and contribute many millions to both the local and national economy."

DELHI EMPTY SEATS CRISIS

Organisers of the Commonwealth Games in India are handing out free tickets to fill empty arenas.

TV pictures beamed around the world have shown competitors in virtually empty venues in Delhi.

Organisers told a news conference in the capital they hoped to increase attendance through a ticket giveaway to children and the underprivileged.

The vacant venues problem is the latest to hit the Delhi Games, preparations for which were plagued by setbacks.

Correspondents say the lack of spectators may be because it is not easy to buy tickets, although heavy security at the stadiums has also been a deterrent.

CARD FRAUD AT 10 YEAR LOW

Card fraud losses in the first six months of the year were at their lowest level for 10 years, at just £187m, the banking industry says.

Online banking fraud was 36% lower than in the first half of last year, at £25m, said the UK Cards Association.

Phone banking fraud was up 9% to £6m, but cheque fraud losses fell 13% to £14m.

The half-year figures follow the 28% drop in card fraud reported for the whole of 2009.

Source: BBC Business

Higher and Int 2 Business Homework

If you have mislaid your homework sheet, please download it and print it off from:

www.higherbm.blogspot.com

The iPad

The iPad has been the first successful Tablet PC after Microsoft's failed attempt some years back.

Apple's powerful brand image and style has been a key selling point, with customers willing to spend well over £400 for the iPad.

Tablet PC's are in the no man's land between a smart phone and a laptop or indeed a laptop and a PC. That was Microsoft's problem. Many people just didn't need one.

Apple have sold in excess of 3.5 million iPads since the launch in April.

However it still is not compatible with Macromedia Flash - meaning many internet applications cannot be utilised properly.

The competition is starting to take note of what Apple did well and producing imitations such as the Samsung Galaxy Tablet PC which has many of the features of the iPad, but it can make calls and has two cameras. The Galaxy is crucially nearly £100 cheaper!

So what will be the future of the iPad and the Tablet PC?

Higher / Int 2 Business NAB

A date for your diaries...

Tuesday the 19th October is the date I have set aside for the Business Enterprise NAB.

Remember this will contain topics from:

• Business in Contemporary Society
• Business Information and ICT
• Decision Making

You will have to read your notes and generate possible answers to likely questions.

Also, please ensure you understand the Command Words!

The Ryder Cup 2010 - Celtic Manor

On Friday morning at 0745 the Ryder Cup tees off.

What was once a challenge match between the professional golfers of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States is now a multi-million advertising and sponsorship bonanza!

The Europe v USA battle will be watched by millions on TV and by thousands paying top dollar at the Welsh course, near Newport.

Indeed many Wales Tourism adverts have sprouted up as Newport and Wales hope to have added benefits long after the Ryder Cup leave.

So be ready for high octane golf, amazing excitement, and possibly a very narrow winning margin.

But also look out for the sponsors. And the advert spots on Sky TV.

As for the match? I am going against the trend and I predict a USA victor 14 1/2 to 13 1/2.

I hope I am wrong, but I just have this feeling Monty and Europe are underestimating Corey Pavin's men and one Mr Eldrick Woods in particular.

Virgin Galactic: Space Ship Two

Ever since Richard Branson first announced his Virgin brand were going into the Final Frontier people laughed.

However some six years later and Space Ship Two is in testing.

Above is an artists impression of the sub-orbital spacecraft.

Richard Branson has a dream to commercialise space travel for the ordinary man and woman, after being inspired by fellow millionaire, Dennis Tito who went into Space as the world's first space tourist as a cosmonaut in 2001.

Star Trek's William Shatner was invited to be aboard the inaugural flight, but the TV legend politely declined saying: "At my age I need the guarantee of coming back down."

Travel Industry

The Problems

Terrorism

Recession

SARS virus

Strikes

Icelandic ash cloud

The World's Most Revolutionary Car?

F1 designer Professor Gordon Murray has designed a new car called the T.25 which may well revolutionise the future of urban transport.

The car is made from glass fibre, recycled plastic bottles and steel tubes. It uses just a fifth of materials to construct regular cars.

The T.25 is a 3 seater, can hit a top speed of 100mph and will retail at around £6,000.

The space saving car has doors that open from the engine and windscreen out as opposed to doors opening at the side - a tremendous space saver. Also the driver sits in the middle at the front, with two passengers at the rear.

The Professor intends to use his new technological lightweight advances to apply it to larger vehicles such as buses!

The method of production is called iStream which uses complex software to allow the makers to modify the size or shape or colour of the frames or body panels. This offers tremendous flexibility for manufacturers including the ability to change oroduction of the engine from petrol or diesel or even electric cells.

Because because fewer parts are being used (and cheaper, lightweight ones at that), massive production savings will come into play and hopefully be passed on to the consumer - just like Henry Ford did with his legendary Model T-Ford.

Professor Murray also says that due to less capital being invested at the start-up of the i-Stream production process, more entrepreneurs and investors are likely to get on board as there is less risk.

The result is a car which for once - unlike the much heralded Electric Car or the Hybrids - may actually change the world we live in for the better.

Think of the impact such lightweight, tiny cars can have on congested megacities or China and India who are becoming more industrialised and urbanised every day.

Could this car be the ultimate in saving the world?

For the full article go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11301831

In the news...

AIRLINES MAKE A PROFIT
The world's airlines are expected to post a profit of $8.9bn (£5.7bn) this year, an industry body has said, in a sharp upgrade of its previous forecast.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) said the industry recovery had been "stronger and faster than anyone predicted".

In June, it had predicted a much smaller profit of $2.5bn. In March, it had expected a loss of $2.8bn. Iata said increasing demand and stable costs were driving the recovery.

US RECESSION LONGEST SINCE WW2
The US recession lasted 18 months and was the most prolonged since World War II, a report has concluded. The National Bureau of Economic Research said the recovery began in June 2009, with recession having begun in 2007.

Its views carry weight in the US, even though there is usually a lag before it reaches a position.
The organisation's figures take in data beyond simply GDP. Income, employment industrial production and wholesale retail sales also form part of the analysis.

The previous longest postwar recessions in 1973-75 and 1981-82 both lasted 16 months, it said.


Source: BBC Business News

Technical Issues

Sorry about the long delay between posts but there has been a technical issue with Slideshare embeds causing a problem when I tried to log in at my school.

Thankfully that has been resolved now and I can get back to blogging!

Back to work!

A very busy holiday period is now over and a very busy time back at school is now on again!

I hope to produce and share more resources online, with an obvious focus on Curriculum for Excellence.

I have to admit that there have been some incredible news stories of late, with the Chilean Miner's Crisis one that everyone prays will have a happy ending.

But the devastating floods in Pakistan, the massive earthquake in Christchurch, the Pakistani Cricketers Scandal, Tony Blair's book launch, end of US military operations in Iraq... an incredible period for news, business and the economic saga.

Also I felt pretty sad at the woman who threw that cat in the bin. Shameful.

World Cup 2010 - South Africa

Well here it is again. The biggest show on Earth is back... and this time on the African continent for the first time.

South Africa may well be a controversial choice with its high crime rate, murderous roads and underlying racial tensions, but the 'Rainbow' nation has triumphed before on and off the field in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Indeed the incredible events of 15 years ago inspired a Clint Eastwood movie called Invictus, which told of Nelson Mandela's inspirational leadership and how he motivated the Springboks.

The money and numbers in the World Cup are truly mind boggling. I intend to investigate the financial impact of the World Cup at a later date with a class. But for now let't sit back and enjoy the FIFA World Cup and savour the unique flavour South Africa will bring.

Spain and Brazil are the favourites, but I have a feeling that Argentina - under the madcap stewardship of Diego Armando Maradona - will emerge triumphant.

In the News...

BP OIL SPILL WORSE THAN EXPECTED
As many as 40,000 barrels (1.7 million gallons) of oil a day may have been gushing out from a blown-out Gulf of Mexico well, doubling many estimates.
The US Geological Survey says that flow rate could have been reached before a cap was put on the well on 3 June.
BP's chairman has been asked to meet Barack Obama next week, amid assurances from the UK and US that bilateral ties will not be affected by the crisis.
UK PM David Cameron and President Obama will discuss the spill at the weekend.
Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.

JAPAN IN DANGER OF COLLAPSE
Japan is at "risk of collapse" under its huge debt mountain, the country's new prime minister has said.
Naoto Kan, in his first major speech since taking over, said Japan needed a financial restructuring to avert a Greece-style crisis.
"Our country's outstanding public debt is huge... our public finances have become the worst of any developed country," he said.
After years of borrowing, Japan's debt is twice its gross domestic product.


DUNDEE MP TRIES TO SAVE JOBS AT DC THOMSON
The MP for Dundee East, Stewart Hosie, is to meet the head of DC Thomson in an attempt to save 350 jobs.
The Dundee-based company, which publishes the Sunday Post, the Beano and the Dandy, is to shed the staff from its production and printing division.
It has said the cuts were necessary to protect the firm's future.
Mr Hosie will meet chief executive Andrew Thomson on Friday afternoon to discuss the proposed cuts.
The proposed closure is at a printing and book-binding centre in the city's Guthrie Street.

BRITONS WORK WITHOUT A BREAK
One in four people in the UK often works all day without taking a break, a survey suggests.
More than half of the 3,000 people polled by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists said they went to work when feeling unwell or stressed.
Staff shortages were cited as a cause of stress and why breaks were skipped.
While work can contribute to people's mental and physical well-being, overworking can lead to health problems, the CSP warned.

O2 SCRAPS UNLIMITED DOWNLOADS
UK phone network O2 has scrapped unlimited data downloads for smartphone customers.
All new and upgrading customers will have their usage capped at between 500 Megabytes (MB) and one gigabyte (GB) depending on their monthly tariff.
Analysts said the move was "inevitable" as more and more consumers switch to data-intensive smartphones that can surf the web and show video.
Other networks are likely to follow O2, they said.
"O2 had become the industry poster-child of the capacity crunch era," said Thomas Wehmeier, principal analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media.
Many customers have complained about poor service, download speeds and network coverage.
"It is a victim of its own success - O2 has had so many people sign up for data intensive phones, like the iPhone," Ben Wood of research firm CCS Insight told BBC News.
"Huge amounts of data are consumed by the minority of people."

Source: BBC News

In the News...

GOODFELLAS RELAUNCH

Northern Foods, which makes Goodfella's pizza, says it hopes a £5m ($7.2m) brand relaunch will lift profits.

Northern, which holds either number one or two position in many of the UK's prepared food markets, also makes Fox's biscuits, as well as ready meals.

Its Fox's biscuit campaign, which features a panda called Vinnie, has helped to push that brand into second place in the country.

Northern says the new pizza campaign will initially raise its costs.

The company added, however, that it was important to continue investing in key brands through what it called "uncertain economic times".


WORLD CUP SPONSORS UNHEALTHY?

FIFA has scored an "own goal" by agreeing sponsorship deals for the 2010 World Cup with companies that sell unhealthy products, campaigners say.

The World Cancer Research Fund criticised the governing body for partnering with the likes of Coca Cola, McDonald's and Budweiser.

It said the tournament should be an opportunity to promote active lifestyles.

Advertisers denied the deals would negatively impact children's diets.

The three companies are partners or official sponsors for the World Cup giving them a visible presence inside the stadiums on advertising hoardings and digital displays.


JOB VACANCIES RISE IN THE UK

The number of job vacancies across the UK rose slightly last month, but the pay on offer fell, a report has said.

Employment agency Reed said 1% more jobs were offered by firms through its service in May compared with April.

At the same time, it said the average wage available declined by 4.2% to £31,800 in May, from £33,200 in April.

Job demand rose most in the charity and voluntary sectors, followed by marketing, public relations, legal and secretarial.

Reed said about 90,000 jobs were offered though it in total last month.


EUROZONE UNEMPLOYMENT RISING

Unemployment in the eurozone rose again in April to a fresh all-time high, figures from Europe's statistics office have shown.

Eurostat said unemployment in the 16 nations that use the euro now totals 15.86 million - equivalent to 10.1% of the population.

Spain, Ireland and Slovakia recorded the highest rates of joblessness, with the Spanish rate now close to 20%.

Meanwhile, the euro has hit a four-year low against the dollar.

It was trading as low as $1.2111 at one stage, and was also down to a one-year low against the pound, with one pound buying 1.1935 euros.

Exams over for my classes!

Just to say I enjoyed teaching both my Higher Administration and Higher/Int 2 Business Management pupils and my lovely small cohort of Standard Grade Admin.

I think the papers looked very fair and I hope you all did yourself justice.

I hope you gained knowledge and skills which will help you where you go after school. And please ask me for a reference as I really did enjoy this year.

So I wish you all good luck.

Higher Business Management - Exam Banker Questions

The following topics are ones that regularly come up in exams. There is no guarantee they will ALL come up but I feel they are good questions that are often asked and to be honest you should be maximising these.

So if you have a chance to gain 5 or 6 marks from one of these topics you should be aiming for the full mark.


Product Life Cycle
Stakeholders – Influence
Quality Methods (TQM, Benchmarking etc)
Job, Batch and Flow (Methods of Production)
Stages in Recruitment and Selection
PESTEC Analysis (External Analysis)
Market Research Methods
Ratio Analysis
Structured Decision Making Model – POGADSCIE
Types of Ownership (Ownership, Control, Finance)

Remember, make a note of small things in the book that you are unsure of and at least know what they are. You may be asked a small 3 marker on a very specific topic. It is unrealistic to know everything indepth, but use your common sense and your thinking skills to generate answers.

i.e. TCP = Time, Cost, People. (In other words how does the question affect these factors?)

How competitive is Scotland in today's travel market?

After being away for quite a while and experiencing a bit more of the Pacific area, and reading some excellent books and articles on many such Business and Travel related items, it has really highlighted as I have said before that the future belongs to the Pacific Rim.

In his book Adventure Capitalist, US investor Jim Rogers slates Ireland and Iceland for learning Gaelic and Danish respectively. He says that he would have his children learn Spanish or one of the Chinese languages.

He backed this up when he moved from New York to Singapore and indeed has brought up his kids to be bilingual.

The infrastucture is growing rapidly in Asia. Rome built its empire with roads, Britain relied on her navy for seapower, and the USA liknked her nation through rail then air travel.

Asia seems to be heading towards High Speed Rail. China have ambitious plans to link up the major cities and beyond.

When returning home to Glasgow I checked in for my flights at KL Sentral Railway Station. I got my boarding pass and waved bye to my heavy luggage until some 20-odd hours later I picked them up off the carousel in Glasgow. Then I hopped on to the KLIA Express which took me 28 pain free minutes later to KLIA Airport.

Impressive or what?

And our authorities in Scotland cancelled the GARL (Glasgow Airport Rail Link). Plus they cancelled the 10 lane superhighway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, our two major cities. For an industrialised nation, and one that has given the world so many incredible engineers, I feel we are so far behind the rest of the world that it is embarrassing.

We have to invest in communication and transport or else we are doomed. The M74 extention is 30 years overdue.

The Kingston Bridge is nearly done and do we have another high capacity bridge being built? Or a wider tunnel under the Clyde? No.

In San Francisco, the Oakland Bay Bridge (more impressive in my opinion than the Golden Gate) is being replaced by a new bridge being built side by side. The relief bridge will take traffic going one way and the old bridge the other.

So if Scotland is serious about being a true world class travel destination then we need to improve our infrastructure. It is simple.

And remember what we pay out now will be worth more in the long run, as a pound today will be worth less in 10 years time.

Perhaps the 2014 Commonwealth Games will see the GARL being built and even the 10 lane superhighway. If not then these 'savings' are false economies, in my opinion.

We are light years behind Asia.

Home Sweet Home

Glad to be back in the UK!

Even popped into work this afternoon after a long series of flights, but if you drink enough water, take your shoes off and make sure you get a decent sleep on the plane, you will feel not too bad. I have to keep awake until sundown, so almost there.

A big thank you to everyone who emailed me or texted me looking to see if I was okay.

It was certainly an experience. A trip of a lifetime... well until the next adventure!

My Sky Jump off Sky Tower, Auckland

Here's some pics of me being the first Sky Jumper of the morning of Thursday, 15th April 2010!

It is nerve racking when you are at the egde. I just looked up and shouted "GERONIMO!"

Work for Classes

HIGHER BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

You guys should be working on past papers.
Pay attention to COMMAND WORDS.

There are a few topics I have asked Miss Dunlop to go over:

Ratio Analysis
Pricing Strategies
Distribution
Payment Methods

Remember don't just rote learn this stuff. Think about what they could ask you.

eg. COMPARING pricing strategies could be a good idea.

Also remember that in Section One (Case Study) you need to use the headings given for identifying the problems (10 marks) which hopefully get you off to a good start in the exam.

Finally, also go back to the Types of Ownership (Sole Traders, PLCs etc) and think about each one in terms of OWNERSHIP, CONTROL and FINANCE.



HIGHER ADMINISTRATION

Divide the week into 2 periods theory and 4 periods ICT.

For Theory, work through the past papers on the back shelf. Solutions are online but remember these answers are only bullet point marking schemes. Don't think just by writing what is in that you would gain all the marks!

For the ICT paper, you may have done most of the past papers, if not all, but it is good practice to redo them all. Perhaps start with the 2007 H Admin paper 2 and give yourself 2 periods to do it. Then move on to 2008.

There are some good practice papers in the filing cabinet, which I will do with you when you return.

REMEMBER:

Databases
For any report there will be a query (filtering out the options)
Know how to:
do calculations in queries
do calculations in reports
complicated searches using a query (using *, BETWEEN AND, using NOT etc. You can do the Revision Database book if unsure).
Remember to use the TOOLS - MS OFFICE LINKS - PUBLISH WITH MS WORD option to tidy up queries.

Spreadsheets
Know when a Lookup is going to come up. When you have some information that is repeated in the sheets but you have some part missing in your sheet.

Know how to do a simple If statement.
Know how to do a nested If statement (remember you can copy and paste it and then just change the cells and numbers)

Be aware of what you are calculating. eg when calculating a percentage have you to add the original cell back on (if it is to be a percentage increase) or subtract (if a percentage discount/decrease)?

Remember the Spreadsheet Filter option.

Word Processing
Know how to:
write a proper letter format
Memo format
convert text to tables
calculate in word


Quite a lot to do, but that's why it is one of the most demaning Highers in Scottish Education (FACT!).


S4 STANDARD GRADE ADMINISTRATION

Remember to check your final exam levels. Most of you will be sitting General/Credit.

Work through the past papers, but you can also have a go each period on Hot Potatoes. But please don't spend too long on wasting valuable time messing about on the PC!

Also make sure you know definitions of the key terms. The KU element is always done worse than the PS element, yet it is easier to learn.

(ie know Chain of Command, Span of Control etc)


S3 STANDARD GRADE ADMINISTRATION

You will be given a City to research and investigate.

You will have to create a travel guide, as well as book flights, car hire and hotel accommodation. Depending on time constraints you may also be asked to create a travel itinerary, which there are examples online.

Remember, we are trying to arrange a visit to Glasgow Metropolitan's Travel Centre which has a replica of the inside of an aeroplane, as well as proper Check In desks etc. We cannot take everyone, so only the best presentations will be rewarded with a spot. The trip will either take place in June or August (if everything goes well).

In today's current situation knowing how to arrange a proper itinerary is more important than ever!


S2 ICT

You may be moving on to Web Design, though when I return we will finish off Marketing.


S1 ICT

You will probably be continuing with Podcasting. So make sure you are putting all the equipment away properly and saving your completed files in the correct folders!

RM Shared - Business Education - _Class Folders - YOUR CLASS

Halfway Home

I got a bit of luck when I phoned KLM's local office in Auckland (it was just around the corner but the lift was key operated so I couldn't get to the KLM floor) and they got me a flight to Kuala Lumpur where my friends can put me up, saving me a fortune on hotel bills.

Everyone had to rebook and the earliest I could get was the 27th of April. Every possible combination was taken. Via China, via the Middle East and even a round the world trip via the USA.

Air New Zealand were not the most helpful, though they did give me good advice in not letting me go to Beijing where I would still be stranded inside the airport and with no visa to go outside (and hotels were full anyway).

I am trying to get an earlier flight from KL to Amsterdam to Glasgow, but only if I can get right through. It would be stupid getting to Amsterdam only to sit in an uncomfortable airport for days!

If things get bad I had another escape route planned. KL - Doha - Tuni with Qatar Airways and then the 24hr ferry from Tunis - Marseille (you don't need a visa for Tunisia). From there I'd have to get a train to Calais and wait in line with the others wanting home.

So I shall have to wait it out and I may get another break in that KLM may put on extra flights to get us all home quicker.

S4-S6

For classes starting on Monday...

S4-S6 should all be doing Past Papers.

Good luck in case I don't see you before the exam leave begins!

I am sure Mr MacLeod, Mr Arthur, Mrs Shute, Mr Haggarty and Miss Dunlop will look after you.

I think Mr McAlpine is in the same boat as me!

My Trip so far! - Australia

The above images are some of the adventures I have had in the Australian leg of my holiday.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb

The Sydney Opera House

Bondi Beach

Three Sisters, Blue Mountains National Park

My (now ditched) Escape Route!

If I was granted a Chinese Visa I was planning on trying to book up on the Trans-Siberian Railway which takes 7 days to get from Beijing to Moscow. From Moscow I'd have to get another train to Berlin or if really lucky Paris.

From there I'd have to head for the coast to wait in line for the Ferry or Tunnel.

The main problem was trying to get a Chinese visa, which in future if I am ever even stopping over in China I will make sure I apply for well in advance, because sitting in an airport is no fun.

Tickets can be booked here: http://www.seat61.com/Trans-Siberian.htm

The cost for a one way ticket travelling non-stop from Beijing to Moscow would be 580 GBP (this keyboard does not have a pound sign!).

I am glad that I do not have to resort to such extreme measures now that I have a flight to Kuala Lumpur, but it is amazing how desperate and useless you feel when you are stranded 12,000 miles from home.

Now I know how E.T. felt!

Back to KL!

Air New Zealand were no help at all. They were taking me from Auckland to Beijing, but because I didn't have a Chinese visa I was not allowed to fly. To get a Chinese visa I would have to travel 11 hours by car or 1 hour by plane from Auckland to Wellington to the Chinese Embassy. There it could take 4-6 days for it to be processed.

I found KLM's local office and went there. I couldn't get in as the lift had keys! I then phoned them and they have wangled a flight via Malaysian Airlines to Kuala Lumpur, where at least I won't have to pay for hotels.

The first flight home is on the 27th of April!!! I hope I will get home before then, but this is a waiting game I think. I'd rather do it at least a bit of the way home than being in Auckland and slipping further and further down the pecking order.

Stranded in Auckland

I am stuck in Auckland as Air New Zealand are not allowing anyone flying to Europe to leave. They did let some go to the stopover points in Asia but have stopped that now as it is causing mayhem there. They have nowhere to go and nowhere to sleep.

This volcano erupted some 200 years ago and did so for 2 years! What will we all do if this is the case? Airlines will go bust, and so will many firms as freight and people are not being 'delivered' so to speak.

I am thinking of doing a Michael Palin in a week's time if things are not any better and try to get to the USA and then a container ship home. I worry that when the European skies are clear it will have moved over to the East and straight into my flight path.

KLM are testing low altitude flights, so fingers crossed that works. It is estimated it would take 9 days to clear everything. So at best I think I am here for a week. Everyday we have to call a number to see what is happening, but it doesn't take Einstein to work out that I can't go anywhere until Glasgow and Amsterdam are clear. I wonder if KLM will pay for my hotel? Or will 'Act of God' be used again?

This just shows how reliant we are on technology and air travel in particular. I wonder what all the Environmentalists will make of this? Close air travel and ruin the world financially?

It is when the money runs out that everyone will be in serious trouble. Roll on pay day!

Kia Ora, G'Day, Bienvenue, Wilkommen etc!

Kia Ora from the other side of the world. I am currently on the last leg of my Antipodean Adventure, in Auckland. And yes, to my S4 class who thought I would chicken out I DID do the Sky Jump off the Auckland Sky Tower. It was incredible.

I even shouted 'GERONIMO!" as I leapt 192 metres above the concrete of the city.

(I hasten to add that is not me! I have full DVD and photographic evidence!)

My travels have taken me from Kuala Lumpur (again - but just a short stop) to Sydney, Australia - a superb place. The waves on Bondi Beach reminded me of my childhood at Machrihanish, near Campbeltown!

Then on to Wellington - where the runway is so short the large airliners don't come in! And that is the capital of New Zealand! Kia Ora means hello in Maori. I thought it was just a fruit drink.

Then up to the hot springs of the thermal areas of Rotorua in central NZ, and now I am in Auckland.

I am coming home via Beijing - but I don't have enough time to get out of the airport. However with all this incredible carry on from the Iceland volcano I do not know what will happen yet. I may have to catch another flight into Southern Europe and then drive home. That would be a laugh!

I am determined to make it home for Monday morning and my reg class, 2D3. Though I am sure even if I travelled the 12,000 or so miles to make it back tired and exhausted they wouldn't crack an eyelid!

I wonder how many other people are stuck all over the world as it seems most of Central and Northern Europe has come to a standstill all because of a volcano. It is quite appropriate considering I am in a country that is still prone to volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and indeed tsunamis. New Zealand is a very young country and is Mother Nature is still violent here.

So the next time back home in the UK we complain about the rain or snow, just remember we live in one of the most stable regions on Earth.

Anyway, I will have to wait and see what happens about my flight home from China!

Mr McGowan's pipe-dream!

If only this were true! And before anyone starts, yes I know I need a haircut. It was sorted last Monday by a visit to the brilliantly named Shears in Hamilton. Though not as good as my regular haunt in Paisley, Getyourdomedone barbers.

The Scottish Golf Festival was pretty entertaining and for any pupil who went was a great example of a trade fair/exhibition.

Not only were golf manufacturers present like Nike, Callaway etc but golf clothing, wetwear, golf holidays, even a dental product!

Golf lessons and clinics were also up for grabs and the magazine Bunkered had a large putting green where people got lessons from a Professional.

I even tried out a new product called the Two Thumb Grip for my putter, which I have to admit was fantastic! So watch out this year!

I really enjoyed the Explanar kit which helps you swing your club on the proper golfing plane.

Staying with the marketing theme, we were asked to fill in questionnaires for feedback about the show and asking what we would like to see next year.

In the News...

SCOTS AIRLINE GOES BUST
A Scottish airline has been placed in administration, it has been announced.

Highland Airways called in PricewaterhouseCoopers on Wednesday night to take over the running of the business, which also operates in Wales.

Most of the company's 100 staff will lose their jobs. All of the airline's Thursday flights have been cancelled.

The Inverness-based airline's problems came to light at the start of the year after severe weather led to cancelled flights and worsening debts.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said operations had been suspended "with immediate effect."

UK RETAIL SALES UP

UK retail sales rose strongly between January and February, official figures show, following a sharp fall a month earlier.

The figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed a 2.1% rise in retail sales volumes.

In January, volumes fell by 3% - a sharp revision down from the 1.8% fall initially reported.
Economists said the rise in sales was expected, following suppressed sales in January due to the poor weather.

"Sales in January had been hurt very badly by the weather and the reintroduction of VAT," said Sarah Hewin, senior economist at Standard Chartered.

GOOGLE v CHINA: CHINA HITS BACK

China Unicom is to stop using Google search on Android handsets.

The second biggest operator in China is believed to be taking the step in reaction to Google's decision to stop offering a censored search service.

Instead of using Google search, handset makers will be able to decide which search service to use on phones that run Google's mobile operating system.

At the same time Google said it would withdraw more of its uncensored search services in China.
The China Unicom deal will first have an impact on Android phones being developed for it by Motorola and Samsung.

The move could be a big blow for Google as China has far more people owning and using mobiles than it does using the net.

MAN UTD FREEZE TICKETS

Manchester United has confirmed it is freezing ticket prices next season.

There has been criticism of the Glazers for price rises since their takeover in 2005, and many fans have joined a green -and-gold protest against the owners.

As recently as this month, there had speculation that further increases were in the pipeline for fans of the Old Trafford club.

But the club has now announced that prices will be kept on hold for the 2010/11 season.

STRIKERS TO LOSE OUT ON FRINGE BENEFITS

British Airways cabin crew who took part in the Unite union's three-day strike will forfeit their travel perks permanently, the company has confirmed.

Staff are eligible for free and heavily discounted flights, depending on how long they have worked for BA.

Unite condemned the move, confirmed in a letter to strikers, as "vindictive" and said it would challenge it.

Meanwhile, the UK Supreme Court has sent a dispute over BA pilots' holiday pay to the European Court of Justice.

The striking staff had been warned by BA's chief executive Willie Walsh before they took part in the action on Saturday, Sunday and Monday that they were at risk of losing the perks.

Expo 2010 - Shanghai

The World's Fair's successor is now called Expo. This year's version, Expo 2010 is running from May to October in China's most global city... Shanghai.

The tag line is: "Better City, Better Life".

An incredible 70 million visitors are expected!

Shanghai was once China's most metropolitan city back in the 1930s. It had earlier been a vital trading point, and where East did truly meet West. The Shanghai of the 1930s is always depicted in movies as the original sin city and a place of intrigue and spies. It has appeared in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and The Mummy 3: Curse of the Dragon Emperor.

Shanghai is a city I would love to visit one day so I can emulate Michael Palin in Full Circle on a bridge over the Huangpo River and view the incredible skyline of the new Shanghai financial district, and also to look at the old financial center, the Bund.

The World's Fair (or Expo) is an opportunity for suppliers and customers to come together and see what deals they can make. It is also a calling card for a city and a nation, a bit like winning the Olympics or World Cup, as tourism and global press coverage increases.

Barcelona held Expo 92 and the Summer Olympics of 1992 at the same time, which really did put Barcelona back on the global map.

Shanghai has always felt more global than traditional Beijing, so it will it be a success? The Mag-Lev train link is rumoured to not yet be complete....

Will Shanghai meet the target of 70 million visitors?

In a city of 14 million people it is just all too incredible. I honestly think that if my golf trip in October doesn't come off then I want to go to Shanghai!

From San Francisco to Sydney... by bottle boat!

A catamaran is sailing from San Francisco to Sydney in order to raise global awareness about pollution and recycling.

Plastiki was made from 12,500 bottles and set off today on its epic 20,000km voyage across the Pacific Ocean.

It is estimated that trash kills 1 million birds and 100,000 sea mammals each year.

Plastiki will traverse a part of the Pacific called "The Great Pacific Garbage Patch", which I admit I have never heard of. It is twice the size of Texas.

The 6 person ship is the brainchild of British heir David de Rothschild, and will take 3 months to complete.

SBEA Mini Conference - Inveralmond, Livingston

Attended the SBEA mini conference where there was a great discussion/engagement with an SQA rep over the future curriculum, in particular about wha shape National 4 and 5 qualifications would take.

It was unanimous among the Business Teachers that we wish to keep FOUR discrete subjects that will offer progression to the four Highers and then on to University/College.

It could even be argued that Business may have four different subjects but then perhaps should we have more (ie Marketing, Operations, Finance, Human Resources)? Or should we even be four different departments?

Or should Business subjects even be core? St Paul's High in Glasgow had Administration as a core subject, delivering ICT skills.

Another fantastic idea bandied about was to offer a Business Baccalaureate.

Business subjects are hugely popular in Higher and Further Education.

What future courses could we or should we offer?

We currently offer:

Administration
Accounting and Finance
Business Management
Economics

I would like the name Administration ditched and be replaced with either Business Administration or the more common one used at Uni, Business Information Technology.

Also for Business Management I would like to see a proper Case Study being involved in some form of assessment, as well as a mark for presentation. After all at uni every week in tutorials/seminars we had to study case studies and present back to the tutor, most times as a group. We gained some final marks through this.

Business subjects can deliver ALL the major skills required by employers:

- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Problem Solving
- People Skills (Interpersonal Skills)
- Communication Skills
- Presenting Skills
- Research & Analytical Skills
- ICT skills
- Leadership skills
- Team Working skills

Well, we are preparing pupils for industry! Every subject can be related to Business because every subject has equivalent jobs at the end of it!

Certainly food for thought.

Bankruptcy - Some Myths

The word bankruptcy comes from two old English words, "bankus" which means a tradesman's table and "ruptus" which means to break.

In old England, only traders could be made bankrupt and they were then subjected to punishments such as the stocks and "the clink" - the debtors' prison where day release was granted to allow debtors to work to pay off their debts.

The rules have changed somewhat since then and some may say bankruptcy is now too easy an option.

However, there is still much misinformation about what happens when you are made bankrupt and a lot of rumour that has almost become modern myth.

Anyone who owes more than £750 can technically be made bankrupt.

Read the full article http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8570467.stm

Bill Gates dethroned as World's Richest Man!

Mexican telecom giant Carlos Slim has topped Forbes magazine's billionaire's list - the first time since 1994 that an American has not led the rankings.

Mr Slim's fortune rose by $18.5bn (£12.4bn) last year to $53.5bn.

That beat Microsoft founder Bill Gates ($53bn) into second place, with US investor Warren Buffett ($43bn) third.

From BBC Business News

Guest Speaker at Hamilton Grammar

The Higher Business Management class were delighted to receive Mr Ian Ferguson, Group HR director of Park's of Hamilton.

Mr Ferguson spoke about his role at Park's, and the role of HR in the firm. He also spoke a little bit about his career and gave a motivational speech.

We then sat down for a more informal chat with the pupils asking some questions about work, employment, careers and business in general.

It was great for Mr Ferguson to give up his valuable time to come into the school and talk to our young people.

His two daughters went to the school and Mr Ferguson is a big supporter of Hamilton Grammar and he said he wanted to contribute, and give something back.

We're glad he did and we look forward to working with Mr Ferguson in the future.

Higher Business Management Revision

Just a reminder to look over the SQA Command Words and to analyse the previous 3 years of final exam papers.

You will see certain questions that seem to crop up time and again, while there is always one or two questions that appear that will have only been briefly covered in class or appear in only a few lines in the core notes.

This is where your reading and case study work come in handy.

Get used to the key terms and be able to think on your feet!

Example of a Management Trainee Job Advert

Management Trainee

Starting salary circa £30,910 pa inc. of Inner London weighting Three year fixed-term career post

Are you interested in pursuing a career in green space or environmental management?

Would you like to work in some of the country’s most prestigious Open Spaces which are managed by the City of London?

If you are, this post offers an exciting opportunity for someone with a relevant degree or previous experience to work with the Director and the Superintendents.

The postholder will undertake management tasks at different sites and carry out research, statistical analysis and detailed environmental, conservation or recreational project work to achieve the future aims and objectives of the Open Spaces Business Plan.

The City of London manages over 10,700 acres (4,330 hectares) of open space in and around Greater London.

The main sites are Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood, Queens Park, Epping Forest, West Ham Park, the City Gardens, City Commons, Burnham Beeches and Stoke Common. These sites have won many Awards such as Green Flag and London in Bloom and some are designated as Sites of Specific Scientific Interest.

Millions of visitors enjoy these open spaces each year and they are also a unique resource for the conservation of historic landscapes and wildlife habitats.

The successful candidate will ideally have demonstrable experience of working in an open space or a similar professional environment in the Parks, Culture or Leisure Industry and will need to hold a full driving licence. He/she will also need to be willing to study for a post graduate qualification such as the Diploma in Management Studies.

The post requires good project management and IT skills and the ability to analyse, interpret and present complex information. Excellent oral and written communication skills are required, as the post involves communicating with members of the public, senior officers, Committee Members and outside organisations.

The working hours are 35 per week, which will include occasional weekend working, duty management and some evening duties.

The post will be based on site depending on the project being undertaken at any given time.

To apply online or download a pack, please visit www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/jobs

Alternatively, please contact the Corporate Recruitment Unit on 020 7332 3978 (24hr answerphone) quoting reference OS039.

A minicom service for the hearing impaired is available on 020 7332 3732. Closing date: 12 noon, 5 March 2010.

Football Rich List 2008-09

Real Madrid are top of the football rich list once again. Man United have slipped to 3rd. Man City are not in the Top 10 for this accounting period, though that may change!

1) Real Madrid: 401.4m euros

2) Barcelona: 365.9m euros

3) Man Utd: 327m euros

4) Bayern Munich: 289.5m euros

5) Arsenal: 263m euros

6) Chelsea: 242.3m

7) Liverpool: 217m euros

8) Juventus: 202.3m euros

9) Inter Milan 196.5m euros

10) AC Milan: 196.5.m euros

Source: Deloitte: 2008/09

Internal Organisation

Here is some information and study material from the Times 100 website for the topic of Internal Organisation:


http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theory--internal-organisation--230.php

In the News...

JAPAN AIRLINES IN TROUBLE

Japan Airlines (JAL), which entered bankruptcy protection last month, has announced a massive increase in loses. The airline said it lost 177.9bn yen ($1.99bn, £1.3bn) in the last nine months of 2009 - up from a loss of 1.9bn yen a year earlier.

JAL is continuing to operate flights while it undergoes major restructuring under court supervision. The company is expected to cut staff, routes and aircraft numbers in an attempt to return to profitability.

SPANISH OIL FIRM DRILLS NEAR FALKLANDS

Spanish oil company Repsol is to drill for oil in an area near the Falkland Islands.
It will drill about 200 miles off Argentina's coast by December, "well within Argentinean waters".

The move comes as UK oil companies begin to search for oil in the Falklands, despite strong opposition from Argentina. An oil platform started drilling in Falklands territorial waters this week.

The platform, the Ocean Guardian, has been towed 8,000 miles from the Cromarty Firth in Scotland. Repsol said it would explore for oil in a "few" wells in the area.

MORE JAPANESE CAR RECALLS

Three Japanese automakers have announced the recall of thousands of vehicles, mostly in their home market.

Suzuki Motor is recalling 432,000 small vans in Japan because of a potential problem with air conditioning units.

Nissan's recall involves about 76,000 cars in Japan and more than 2,000 overseas due to a defect that may cause engine failure. And some 60,000 Daihatsu vehicles are being recalled due to faulty airbags that could accidentally inflate.

The announcements come as 8.5 million Toyota vehicles are being recalled worldwide because of safety concerns.

UNIONS INVOLVED IN CORUS DISPUTE

Union leaders have been meeting in London to discuss "orchestrated action" in the wake of the partial mothballing of the Redcar Corus plant.

The GMB, Community and Unite unions want to force the company to make a firm commitment to finding a buyer for Teesside Cast Products (TCP).

The blast furnace was shut down at the plant on 19 February, leaving 1,600 workers facing the axe. Corus said it remained open to credible offers for TCP.

The site has been at risk since April 2009 when international buyers pulled out of a 10-year contract to buy steel slabs.

Source: BBC News

Why literacy and numeracy are STILL important!

It used to be called the 3 Rs.

Reading
wRiting
aRithmetic

Now we call it literacy and numeracy.

A shocking study of Scottish pupils has indicated that 66% leave Primary Education lacking these basic skills.

This will have a huge long term impact on not only our education system, but our economy.

Reading and writing in particular seem to be a lost art at times. I implore pupils, students and learners to realise just how important these basics are in life and work. You cannot expect to be a lawyer, doctor or accountant if you cannot master the basics! You will no be able to function in your job.

Pupils have to take more responsibility for their own learning and realise that not every lesson should be entertaining. Teachers are here to educate and pass on knowledge and skills. When you get to the 'Big Bad World' no-one is going to hold your hand and guide you through the basics.

To complete many tasks you will need to find information out for yourself, by guess what? Not by drinking a magic potion or watching the latest US import on TV, or even by listening to your iPod in one ear.

No.

By reading!

So please consider your future and the future of even your own potential children and start trying to think independently and making more of an effort.

We do not want to have a future like in the film Idiocracy, where a man from the 20th century wakes up in the distant future to find he has the highest IQ on Earth!

Skills employers are looking for

Here are some of the Transferable skills that are needed among the workforce of today and indeed tomorrow:

The competencies or transferable skills that are particularly popular with graduate recruiters include:

communication - ability to communicate orally, in writing, or via electronic means, in a manner appropriate to the audience;

teamwork - being a constructive team member, contributing practically to the success of the team;

leadership - being able to motivate and encourage others, whilst taking the lead;

initiative - ability to see opportunities and to set and achieve goals;

problem solving - thinking things through in a logical way in order to determine key issues, often also including creative thinking;

flexibility/adaptability - ability to handle change and adapt to new situations;

self-awareness - knowing your strengths and skills and having the confidence to put these across;

commitment/motivation - having energy and enthusiasm in pursuing projects;

interpersonal skills - ability to relate well to others and to establish good working relationships;

numeracy - competence and understanding of numerical data, statistics and graphs.

Source: Prospects

World's Biggest Swimming Pool

San Alfonso Del Mar in Chile holds the current record for the longest swimming pool in the world! The pool is some 1000 metres long. It is reputedly 19 acres!

It is an incredible feat of engineering.

In the News...

US SCHOOL SPYING ON STUDENTS!

Parents in the US have accused a school of spying on children by remotely activating webcams on laptops. A couple from Pennsylvania have filed a lawsuit against a school district which gave laptops to its high school pupils.

They say their son was told off by teachers for "engaging in improper behaviour in his home" and that the evidence was an image from his webcam.

Lower Merion School District says it has now deactivated a tracking device installed on the laptops.

It says the security feature was only used to track lost, stolen and missing laptops.
But it was deactivated on Thursday and would not be re-instated without informing students and families, the district said.


UK CAR PRODUCTION RISES

UK car production saw a sharp increase in January, rising 64.8% from the same month the previous year.

That was the biggest year-on-year increase in monthly production since May 1976, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

Some 101,190 cars were produced in January, up from 85,316 in December.

Car production levels fell to a 25-year low in 2009, but the SMMT said it expected "modest growth" in the year ahead.


AIR INDIA BAILED OUT BY GOVERNMENT

The Indian government has approved an injection of $173m (£110m) for the ailing national carrier Air India.
The instalment is part of an expected $432m ($277m) financial aid package for the company, which has reported massive losses in recent years.
The money would be paid out in two phases, officials said.
Last year, the airline agreed to restructure the company, cut costs amounting to £407m over two years and to boost its revenues.
The airline reported a loss of $875m in the fiscal year ending in March 2009.


PLEASE ROB ME

A website called PleaseRobMe claims to reveal the location of empty homes based on what people post online.

The Dutch developers told BBC News the site was designed to prove a point about the dangers of sharing precise location information on the internet. The site scrutinises players of online game Foursquare, which is based on a person's location in the real world.

PleaseRobMe extracts information from players who have chosen to post their whereabouts automatically onto Twitter.

"It started with me and a friend looking at our Twitter feeds and seeing more and more Foursquare posts," said Boy Van Amstel, one of PleaseRobMe's developers.

"People were checking in at their house, or their girlfriend's or friend's house, and sharing the address - I don't think they were aware of how much they were sharing."


ONLINE RADIO STATION LISTENERS UP

In an online world saturated by struggling streaming music services, Internet radio site Pandora appears to be making all the right moves.

Last year, the 10-year old company recorded its first profitable quarter, doubled its subscription base to more than 40 million users and took in $50 million of revenue. The company also announced several new partnerships that allow users to take Pandora with them in the car and on the TV.

Pandora certainly seems to have found its sweet spot, making it a standout among other streaming services that have not been able to make it on their own. Social music site iMeem was scooped up by MySpace in December for just $1 million, and Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) bought cloud-based music service Lala for not much more. Analysts say even mighty MySpace Music may be unable to sustain itself for much longer.

The company attributed its ability to rise through the rubble to its substantial user growth over the past year. With a rapidly increasing number of subscribers, Pandora has been able to attract better advertisers and demand higher ad prices.


GE NUCLEAR WASTE RECYCLE PLAN

Eric Loewen won't even utter the words "spent nuclear fuel." That's the industry term of art for the nuclear fuel bundles that are pulled out of today's reactors after they're done making electricity.
Loewen, a nuclear engineer at General Electric, doesn't see them as "spent" at all. He sees them as raw material for a new type of nuclear reactor. "It's used, but it's an energy asset," he says.

GE's joint venture with Hitachi, called GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, would like to build both the reactor and facility that creates the new fuel at a single site, which GE calls an advanced recycling center, or an ARC.
Loewen and GE suddenly have a captive audience. The Obama administration plans to offer $54 billion in loan guarantees to help America start building new nuclear reactors again.

Sources: BBC Business News, Fortune, Forbes

Exam Tips for Higher Business and Higher Administration

Here are some tips and mnemonics for my classes to use in my two Higher classes.

HIGHER BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

TCP

Time (how long does it take? Is communication and decision-making affected?)
Cost (financial cost? training cost?)
People (Managers, Customers, Employees)


HIGHER ADMINISTRATION

TTT
Time - (how long does it take? Is communication and decision-making affected?)
Technology - (impact? cost?)
Training - (do employees need training? What type? Impact and effect?)

DDDD
Discipline - (are workers organised and productive?)
Distractions - (what types of things put them off?)
Deadlines - (what happens with targets and deadlines?)
Delegation - (what happens with work for subordinates or even superiors?)

Yorkhill Children's Foundation

Thank you to everyone who sponsored me online and offline. I have raised the princely sum of £450 for Yorkhill which will be added to my colleagues total for Hamilton Grammar.

You can still donate online at www.justgiving.com/marcus-mcgowan

Any donations are welcome.

I am sure you agree that it is a very worthwhile charity.

Not so famous Scots...

While on my February break, I have been reading an excellent book on the history of the British Army. As my students will know I am interested in history and I am fascinated by the British Empire - not in terms of its actual span and influence, but in the way it seemed that many of the people in the Victorian age in particular seemed to live incredible lives.



For example, a boy born in Glasgow could join the Army or Navy and end up in India, South Africa and many points in between. Travel broadens the mind, and I wonder just what kind of lives these people had?



Naturally they did have to put up with disease and on occasion famine, and the soldiers saw sights that would have either hardened them or broke them, or possibly a delayed mixture of both.



Now we are all aware of the superb reputation of Scots in the British Army who were among the bravest men and women on the planet. What I was not aware of was in particular 3 famous Scots who should really be far more well known:



Sir Ralph Abercromby - A veteran of the Seven Years War, and the Napoleonic Wars. He planned and led the amphibious invasion of Abukir (still one of our military's finest achievements) and in the same campaign he became a fallen hero of the Battle of Alexandria (1801).


Sir John Moore - a legendary General of the Peninsular Wars and the fallen hero of the Battle of Corunna (1809). Corunna is famous as a precursor to Dunkirk, in that the Army escaped almost intact when it could have been destroyed. Moore was also an MP (1784-90) for Lanark Burghs. To truly appreciate his legendary status, Sir John Moore has a statue in George Square! He also has a House named after him at the High School of Glasgow.



Sir Colin Campbell - a hero of Crimea and the Indian Mutiny (1857). He was the son of a Glasgow carpenter (or joiner as we would call him!) and was a well respected General. He is perhaps not as well known or remembered as the men mentioned above, but this is perhaps because he did not die in battle.

Here is another question with which to think and reflect. Why is it that such a small country as Scotland has produced a dis-proportionate amount of soldiers for the Armed Forces? Is it to do with poverty? Our education? Or is it a cultural thing?

I am not sure, but as a student of history (be it economic or military - though often they are intertwinned) we must remember that war is unedifying.

However, as I mentioned earlier, I am fascinated by the lives people of those eras lived. We travel for fun and pleasure, but often only spend a week or two at the most in far flung exotic locales. The men and women of the 1700s and 1800s spent their lives on different continents and far from home.