Very proud of the pupils who have done a fantastic job in the NPA class:
http://local.stv.tv/hamilton/news/28786-enterprising-pupils-impress-with-their-product-ideas/
Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Apprenticeships at Peter Vardy
Car dealership chain Peter Vardy is the latest firm to commit to taking on trainees following the success of its Apprentice-style recruitment scheme.
Vardy has rolled out its Rookie Academy for a second year and on a bigger scale with up to 20 jobs up for grabs. More than 200 people applied for the 12-week intensive course which last year saw 11 apprentices taken on from the 400 who applied.
Those recruits attended a series of rigorous assessment days consisting of presentations and role play against each other and with chief executive Peter Vardy.
The rookies were trained in every facet of the car selling trade and in March took up sales positions across the seven dealerships throughout Scotland.
Source: The Scotsman
Shell make £11 billion deal with Iraq
Iraq yesterday signed a $17 billion (£11bn) deal with Royal Dutch Shell and Japan’s Mitsubishi to tap natural gas in the south of the country.
The agreement is one of the biggest by the Opec member to develop an energy sector battered by years of neglect and war.
It forms a joint venture to gather, process and market gas from three oil fields in the oil-rich province of Basra. That gas, pumped in conjunction with crude oil, is currently burned off – or flared – due to lack of infrastructure.
The 25-year joint venture is called Basra Gas Company. Iraq will hold a 51 per cent stake, to Royal Dutch Shell’s 44 per cent and Mitsubishi’s 5 per cent holding. The gas will be used mainly for domestic energy needs, but there is also an option for exports.
Iraq’s oil minister, Abdul-Karim Elaibi, hailed the signing as a “historic turn in Iraq’s oil industry”.
Shell chief executive Peter Voser said Iraq is now a “substantial part of Royal Dutch Shell’s portfolio in the Middle East”.
Source: The Scotsman
Scottish Beef Going Down Well in China
One country’s misfortune could turn out to benefit beef producers in this country with a recent delegation from China to the UK stating they were now reluctant to import from Japan following March’s earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster.
The delegates from Henan Provincial Animal Husbandry Bureau met representatives of the National Beef Association who said that it was now more important than ever for the UK to secure a beef export certificate for China.
Hamish McBean, temporary chairman of the NBA, said it was obvious there was a massive demand for premium beef products although it was equally obvious the visitors wanted their country to become self-sufficient in beef.
Currently China imports from Japan, the USA and Canada and home production would need to double before it became self-sufficient.
Provided the UK could secure the much sought-after export certificate for China, there was, claimed McBean, very clearly a market for the best of British beef.
The Chinese delegates, he added, focused on how they could improve the quality and quantity of their beef production, looking at genetics, feeding and meat processing.
By Andrew Arbuckle (The Scotsman)
Toilet Games
British company Captive Media thinks it has developed a product that fills a gap in the market - a urinal mounted, urine-controlled games console for men.
It calls it the first "hands-free" video gaming console of its kind.
The sturdy device sits above the normal oval ceramic urinal bowl, opening up a whole new world of entertainment.
The user is presented with three generous targets to aim for in the urinal: stickers in the unit that read "Start", "Left" and "Right".
The console is able to detect where the urine is falling by means of an infra-red device, this is your joystick controls for playing the games!
It reminds me of the fly in the urinal idea implemented in Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport which tried to reduce wastage and spillage by giving tired and bored travellers something to aim at!
And so a rudimentary "joystick" is set up
World's 25 most polluted sunsets
And the winner is (according to Bloomberg):
Ulaan Baataar, capital city of Mongolia.
Henry Ford and Highland Park
The name Highland Park doesn't refer to a Scottish Castle, but rather to the home of the Ford Motor Company. The facility was opened in 1910 in the small city of Highland Park, Michigan, near motown itself Detroit.
Groundbreaking in its day, the 62 acre Highland Park was spacious and much imitated by production plants that followed. The world famous Ford Assembly Line was put into practice at Highland Park in 1913 enabling Ford to produce many more cars than the old fashioned way which resembled job production.
The factory installation also houses a foundry, scores of offices and a power plant.
Eventually Ford moved car production away sometime in the late 1920s, but the legend of Highland Park was well and truly established. Assembling tractors continued though at HP.
From inception, the four-story Highland Park factory was organised from top to bottom. Car assembly began on the fourth floor, where body panels were hammered out, down to the third floor, where workers placed tyres on wheels and painted the car bodywork.
After assembly was completed on the second floor, the brand new cars such as the Model T drove down a ramp past first-floor offices. Ford’s car production increased by 100 percent, from 19,000 in 1910, to 34,500 in 1911, to a staggering 78,440 in 1912.
Ford was obsessed with every person in the USA having a car. He kept on lowering prices to the customers as he himself made savings on production costs. Ford actually slashed his own profits in order to keep sales rising. The Model T was selling in 194 for $99, when five years earlier it had been going fo $220. Market skimming in action?
However, sales kept rising through the roof, hitting a remarkable 248,000 in 1913 and in 1914 his market share of the American market was a near monopolistic 48 percent.
Currently Highland Park is the home of the Henry Ford Museum.
Toyota and the future of small cars
Small city cars
Honda's Micro Commuter is one of many city solutions on show in Tokyo
In existing cities, autonomously driven cars remain an unlikely prospect for years to come, however, so Japan's carmakers are busy coming up with more immediate solutions to counter growing congestion and pollution.
Honda's Micro Commuter is one of many city solutions on show in TokyoPlenty of small city cars will go on show in Tokyo, including tiny electric cars such as Honda's Micro Commuter.
This car includes a peculiar electric motorcycle that can be used for final-miles driving and then its battery can be used to power electrical appliances in the office.
There is also Nissan's Pivo 3, a three-seater electric vehicle that has been gradually modified over the years, making it a likely production model.
Toyota is also showcasing an electric version of its tiny iQ model.
On the open road, where drivers cover greater distances in family-sized cars, the hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicle is also quickly becoming a reality after decades of research and development.
Toyota, for instance, is showing off its FCV-R "reality and revolution" concept, which promises a 430 miles range and insists it should hit the road in just three or four years.
Until then, drivers wishing for improved efficiency, fuel economy and emissions reductions are being offered a broader range of petrol-electric or diesel-electric solutions.
Should pupils learn more programming?
The teaching of computer science must become more relevant to modern needs, said the government.
The government said the current teaching of IT was "insufficiently rigorous and in need of reform".
The call for change came in a response to an industry report which looked at technology teaching in the UK.
Without reform future UK workers would lack key skills and the nation would lose its standing as a video games and visual arts hub, said the report.
The Next Gen report was published in October and criticised current ICT (information and communication technology) classes which tended to focus on how to use software rather than on how to write it.Written by gaming guru Ian Livingstone and visual effects veteran Alex Hope, Next Gen called for programming skills to replace learning about business software in ICT lessons.
In its response, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said the report had set out some "compelling" ideas about how to make the UK a hub for video games and visual effects.
Creative industries minister Ed Vaizey said computer games and the visual effects sectors had a clear economic and cultural value.
Britain to join the super fast highway
Better broadband networks in 10 cities across the UK are being promised by the government.
In his autumn statement, Chancellor George Osborne announced £5bn of spending on infrastructure projects such as roads, railways and broadband networks.
£100m of that is set to boost broadband coverage in London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff.
A further six cities will be identified later.
"For the first time we are identifying over 500 infrastructure projects we want to see built over the next decade and beyond. Roads, railways, airport capacity, power stations, waste facilities, broadband networks," the chancellor told the House of Commons.
"It means creating new superfast digital networks for companies across our country. These do not exist today. See what countries like China or Brazil are building, and you'll also see why we risk falling behind the rest of the world," he said.
Why gold is important...
I found this great article from here: http://www.thelocal.de/money/20111114-38869.html
I thought it was so interesting I had to share it in its entirety.
THE LONG HISTORY OF GOLD TRADING
Throughout history, gold has been highly valued for coinage, jewellery and the arts. Gold is considered a unique store of value and the symbol of power, strength and wealth. Since April 2001 it has more than quintupled in value, writes Nicolas Shamtanis, Dealing Room Manager at easy-forex.com.
The poet Virgil describes man's underlying lust for gold when he wrote “Auri Sacra Fames” (the accursed thirst for gold). In the 19th century, gold mining expanded around the world with the 1848 California gold rush which helped the settlement of the American West. In 1869, South Africa became a major source of the world’s gold after the discovery of the Witwatersrand basin and the Canadian Yukon gold rush followed in 1896.
In 560 BC, the Greek state of Lydia in Asia Minor introduced the first gold coins. The use of gold coins as currency spread quickly throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East regions. The Romans mined gold extensively and Venice introduced the gold “Ducat” which became the most popular coin in the world for the next 500 years. In 19th century America, a movement to use silver coins and adopt a bimetallic monetary system emerged. The US Congress did not authorise the printing of paper money until 1861.
It may be wise to keep an eye on gold prices when the international political or economic situation is changing, such as during times when global inflation is rising. If the gold price starts to increase, you might expect it to go higher in the next periods of trading.
American Airlines' Parent Firm in Bankruptcy measures
American Airlines' parent company AMR Corporation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Shares in the airline plunged 85% when they resumed trading on Tuesday. They are now worth 25 cents each.
The company expects the airline to continue to operate as normal throughout the bankruptcy process.
Speculation about AMR's financial position surfaced in recent weeks after cost-cutting negotiations failed.
AMR said agreements with its workforce forced it to spend $600m (£384m) more than other airlines on staff costs.
The airline employs 78,000 staff worldwide and operates out of five major US hubs.
Higher Business Management - Stock Control Diagram
A business which holds stock will implement the following stock levels in order to meet customer demand at all times.
Minimum Level: this is the minimum amount of stock needed in case the required supply were to be delivered late. The business will never allow the stock level to drop below a certain point in order to prevent a resource shortage.
Maximum Level: this is the maximum amount of stock which can be held in the warehouse at any given time. This level is restricted by factors such as space; cost; and, delivery time.
Re-Order Level: this is when the stock level drops to a certain point and the process will automatically re-order the required stock. In order to decide at what point to re-order, businesses must consider the following: how long is the delivery time? how reliable is the supplier?
Lead Time is the time taken between making an order and its delivery, which replenishes stock.
Higher Business Management - Just-in-Time Manufacturing
Just in Time originated in Japan during the 1960s and involves keeping stock levels to a minimum. Stocks arrive just-in-time to satisfy production needs. Raw materials are not purchased until they are required and finished goods are not produced unless firm orders have been received.
To be successful JIT techniques depend upon the reliability of an organisation’s suppliers, access to a supply of highly skilled workers and good quality control procedures.
Advantages-It improves cash flow since money is not tied up in stocks
-The system reduces waste, obsolete and damaged stock.
-More factory space is made available for productive use.
-The costs of stock holding are reduced significantly.
-Links with and the control of suppliers are improved.
Disadvantages-A lot of faith is placed in the reliability and flexibility of suppliers
- Increased ordering and admin costs
- Advantages of bulk buying lost
- Vulnerable to a break in supply and machinery breakdowns
- Difficult to cope with sharp increase in demand
-Possible loss of reputation if customers are let down by late deliveries
To be successful JIT techniques depend upon the reliability of an organisation’s suppliers, access to a supply of highly skilled workers and good quality control procedures.
Advantages-It improves cash flow since money is not tied up in stocks
-The system reduces waste, obsolete and damaged stock.
-More factory space is made available for productive use.
-The costs of stock holding are reduced significantly.
-Links with and the control of suppliers are improved.
Disadvantages-A lot of faith is placed in the reliability and flexibility of suppliers
- Increased ordering and admin costs
- Advantages of bulk buying lost
- Vulnerable to a break in supply and machinery breakdowns
- Difficult to cope with sharp increase in demand
-Possible loss of reputation if customers are let down by late deliveries
Higher Business Management - Quality Methods
What is Quality?A product is a quality product if it is defect free. To the producer, a product is a quality product if it meets or conforms to the statement of requirements that defines the product. This statement is usually shortened to: quality means meets requirements. From a customer’s perspective, quality means “fit for use.”
Quality Control- product is checked, normally at the end of the production process and this ensures it meets quality standards.
- It ensures defective products are not dispatched to customers, harming reputation.
- Increased production costs associated with high levels of waste
- Its focus is defect detection and removal. Testing is a quality control activity
Quality AssuranceAt certain points in the production process, products are checked to ensure that they meet agreed quality standards. All aspects of the production process are looked at to ensure errors do not occur.
It deals with ‘prevention’ of defects in the product being developed.
Quality Assurance is more thorough than Quality Control.
Total Quality Management (TQM)- inspection is carried out at each stage of the production process and prevents a defect moving into next stage
- TQM treats everyone as a customer on the quality chain
- cuts down on waste with faults often being rectified early in the production process
- often requires substantial staff training
- KAIZEN – continuous improvement
- Uses Quality Circles
- TQM mantra is “Getting it right first time”
Quality Circles- Used in TQM
- small groups of staff meet on a regular basis and solve problems and make suggestions for improvement
- can result in increased worker motivation
- suggested improvements can be expensive to adopt
- Quality Circles consist of workers from all departments and all levels from shopfloor to senior managers.
Benchmarking- Comparing your company’s products, services or processes against best practices or competitive practices, to help define superior performance
- discovering the best method of production, often that of another business in the industry and adopting the same or a better as standard
- can be used to exceed the best practice
- information on other business can be difficult to obtain
British Standards Institution (BSI)- aims to promote quality at all stages of production
- products carrying, for example the Kite Mark, will gain a competitive advantage
- time consuming preparation of quality manuals and inspections to obtain/maintain approval
Recruitment of a skilled workforce- production defects should be rare resulting in reduced production costs
- staff costs are likely to be high.
QUALITY GURUS
W. EDWARDS DEMING
W. Edwards Deming is the Godfather of the Japanese success story.
He was an American whose ideas were laughed at in his native land, but when he went to help build the Japanese infrastructure in the late 1940s and 50s he transformed Japan.
“Quality is about reducing variation”. DiscussFind out more about Deming and his views on Quality.
JOSEPH JURAN
In1941 that Juran discovered the work of Vilfredo Pareto. Juran expanded the Pareto principle applying it to quality issues (for example, 80% of a problem is caused by 20% of the causes). This is also known as "the vital few and the trivial many". In later years Juran preferred "the vital few and the useful many" to signal that the remaining 80% of the causes should not be totally ignored.
According to Juran, the principal focus in quality management was on the quality of the end, or finished, product. Juran is widely credited for adding the human dimension to quality management. He pushed for the education and training of managers.
During his 1966 visit to Japan, Juran learned about the Japanese concept of Quality Circles which he enthusiastically evangelized in the West.
Quality Control- product is checked, normally at the end of the production process and this ensures it meets quality standards.
- It ensures defective products are not dispatched to customers, harming reputation.
- Increased production costs associated with high levels of waste
- Its focus is defect detection and removal. Testing is a quality control activity
Quality AssuranceAt certain points in the production process, products are checked to ensure that they meet agreed quality standards. All aspects of the production process are looked at to ensure errors do not occur.
It deals with ‘prevention’ of defects in the product being developed.
Quality Assurance is more thorough than Quality Control.
Total Quality Management (TQM)- inspection is carried out at each stage of the production process and prevents a defect moving into next stage
- TQM treats everyone as a customer on the quality chain
- cuts down on waste with faults often being rectified early in the production process
- often requires substantial staff training
- KAIZEN – continuous improvement
- Uses Quality Circles
- TQM mantra is “Getting it right first time”
Quality Circles- Used in TQM
- small groups of staff meet on a regular basis and solve problems and make suggestions for improvement
- can result in increased worker motivation
- suggested improvements can be expensive to adopt
- Quality Circles consist of workers from all departments and all levels from shopfloor to senior managers.
Benchmarking- Comparing your company’s products, services or processes against best practices or competitive practices, to help define superior performance
- discovering the best method of production, often that of another business in the industry and adopting the same or a better as standard
- can be used to exceed the best practice
- information on other business can be difficult to obtain
British Standards Institution (BSI)- aims to promote quality at all stages of production
- products carrying, for example the Kite Mark, will gain a competitive advantage
- time consuming preparation of quality manuals and inspections to obtain/maintain approval
Recruitment of a skilled workforce- production defects should be rare resulting in reduced production costs
- staff costs are likely to be high.
QUALITY GURUS
W. EDWARDS DEMING
W. Edwards Deming is the Godfather of the Japanese success story.
He was an American whose ideas were laughed at in his native land, but when he went to help build the Japanese infrastructure in the late 1940s and 50s he transformed Japan.
“Quality is about reducing variation”. DiscussFind out more about Deming and his views on Quality.
JOSEPH JURAN
In1941 that Juran discovered the work of Vilfredo Pareto. Juran expanded the Pareto principle applying it to quality issues (for example, 80% of a problem is caused by 20% of the causes). This is also known as "the vital few and the trivial many". In later years Juran preferred "the vital few and the useful many" to signal that the remaining 80% of the causes should not be totally ignored.
According to Juran, the principal focus in quality management was on the quality of the end, or finished, product. Juran is widely credited for adding the human dimension to quality management. He pushed for the education and training of managers.
During his 1966 visit to Japan, Juran learned about the Japanese concept of Quality Circles which he enthusiastically evangelized in the West.
Monday, 28 November 2011
In the News...
DAIMLER CUTTING MAYBACH CARS
German industrial group Daimler is preparing to disband its ultra-luxurious Maybach car marque.
The decision follows almost a decade of trying to make Maybach a profitable rival to Rolls Royce and Bentley.
Maybach will be replaced by new and more luxurious models from the Mercedes brand, which is also made by Daimler.
Daimler is said to have invested more than 1bn euros in the Maybach brand, which was revived nine years ago after more than 60 years out of production.
COMPUTING IS THE NEW LATIN
The campaign to boost the teaching of computer skills - particularly coding - in schools is gathering force.
Today the likes of Google, Microsoft and other leading technology names will lend their support to the case made to the government earlier this year in a report called Next Gen. It argued that the UK could be a global hub for the video games and special effects industries - but only if its education system got its act together.
The statistics on the numbers going to university to study computing make sobering reading. In 2003 around 16,500 students applied to UCAS for places on computer science courses.
By 2007 that had fallen to just 10,600, and although it's recovered a little to 13,600 last year, that's at a time in major growth in overall applications, so the percentage of students looking to study the subject has fallen from 5% to 3%. What's more, computing science's reputation as a geeky male subject has been reinforced, with the percentage of male applicants rising over the period from 84% to 87%.
But the problem, according to those campaigning for change, begins at school with ICT - a subject seen by its detractors as teaching clerical skills rather than any real understanding of computing.
And it seems school children are getting that message too because the numbers studying the subject are on the decline. The answer, according to the firms and organisations calling for change, is to put proper computer science in the form of coding on the curriculum
HEALTH AND SAFETY RED TAPE TO BE AXED
The government is launching a consultation on the abolition of "large numbers" of health and safety rules following an independent review.
It says it wants to have removed the first regulations from the statute book within a few months.
Following the Lofstedt review, a "challenge panel" is also being created for businesses unhappy with health and safety rulings made against them.
The employment minister said the moves would "root out needless bureaucracy".
The government says there are currently about 200 health and safety regulations, but this will be reduced by more than half over the next three years.
THANKSGIVING BOOSTS SALES IN THE USA
US retail sales figures in the critical Thanksgiving weekend rose 16% versus a year ago to $52.4bn, the National Retail Federation (NRF) has said.
The figures include Black Friday, the first day after the Thanksgiving holiday, when stores reopen.
NRF estimated that 86 million customers shopped online and in-store on Black Friday - the day traders traditionally leave the red and make a profit.
Thanksgiving Day itself saw 29 million shoppers.
According to research by ShopperTrak, provider of retail and mall foot-traffic counting services, Black Friday sales increased 6.6% over the same day last year.
This is equal to $11.4bn in retail purchases, and the biggest dollar amount ever spent during the day.
Retail foot-traffic rose accordingly, by 5.1% over Black Friday 2010.
Analysts are awaiting the results of Monday's trading, known as Cyber Monday, which online retailers including Amazon cite as their biggest business day of the year.
In the News...
DAIMLER CUTTING MAYBACH CARS
German industrial group Daimler is preparing to disband its ultra-luxurious Maybach car marque.
The decision follows almost a decade of trying to make Maybach a profitable rival to Rolls Royce and Bentley.
Maybach will be replaced by new and more luxurious models from the Mercedes brand, which is also made by Daimler.
Daimler is said to have invested more than 1bn euros in the Maybach brand, which was revived nine years ago after more than 60 years out of production.
COMPUTING IS THE NEW LATIN
The campaign to boost the teaching of computer skills - particularly coding - in schools is gathering force.
Today the likes of Google, Microsoft and other leading technology names will lend their support to the case made to the government earlier this year in a report called Next Gen. It argued that the UK could be a global hub for the video games and special effects industries - but only if its education system got its act together.
The statistics on the numbers going to university to study computing make sobering reading. In 2003 around 16,500 students applied to UCAS for places on computer science courses.
By 2007 that had fallen to just 10,600, and although it's recovered a little to 13,600 last year, that's at a time in major growth in overall applications, so the percentage of students looking to study the subject has fallen from 5% to 3%. What's more, computing science's reputation as a geeky male subject has been reinforced, with the percentage of male applicants rising over the period from 84% to 87%.
But the problem, according to those campaigning for change, begins at school with ICT - a subject seen by its detractors as teaching clerical skills rather than any real understanding of computing.
And it seems school children are getting that message too because the numbers studying the subject are on the decline. The answer, according to the firms and organisations calling for change, is to put proper computer science in the form of coding on the curriculum
HEALTH AND SAFETY RED TAPE TO BE AXED
The government is launching a consultation on the abolition of "large numbers" of health and safety rules following an independent review.
It says it wants to have removed the first regulations from the statute book within a few months.
Following the Lofstedt review, a "challenge panel" is also being created for businesses unhappy with health and safety rulings made against them.
The employment minister said the moves would "root out needless bureaucracy".
The government says there are currently about 200 health and safety regulations, but this will be reduced by more than half over the next three years.
THANKSGIVING BOOSTS SALES IN THE USA
US retail sales figures in the critical Thanksgiving weekend rose 16% versus a year ago to $52.4bn, the National Retail Federation (NRF) has said.
The figures include Black Friday, the first day after the Thanksgiving holiday, when stores reopen.
NRF estimated that 86 million customers shopped online and in-store on Black Friday - the day traders traditionally leave the red and make a profit.
Thanksgiving Day itself saw 29 million shoppers.
According to research by ShopperTrak, provider of retail and mall foot-traffic counting services, Black Friday sales increased 6.6% over the same day last year.
This is equal to $11.4bn in retail purchases, and the biggest dollar amount ever spent during the day.
Retail foot-traffic rose accordingly, by 5.1% over Black Friday 2010.
Analysts are awaiting the results of Monday's trading, known as Cyber Monday, which online retailers including Amazon cite as their biggest business day of the year.
German industrial group Daimler is preparing to disband its ultra-luxurious Maybach car marque.
The decision follows almost a decade of trying to make Maybach a profitable rival to Rolls Royce and Bentley.
Maybach will be replaced by new and more luxurious models from the Mercedes brand, which is also made by Daimler.
Daimler is said to have invested more than 1bn euros in the Maybach brand, which was revived nine years ago after more than 60 years out of production.
COMPUTING IS THE NEW LATIN
The campaign to boost the teaching of computer skills - particularly coding - in schools is gathering force.
Today the likes of Google, Microsoft and other leading technology names will lend their support to the case made to the government earlier this year in a report called Next Gen. It argued that the UK could be a global hub for the video games and special effects industries - but only if its education system got its act together.
The statistics on the numbers going to university to study computing make sobering reading. In 2003 around 16,500 students applied to UCAS for places on computer science courses.
By 2007 that had fallen to just 10,600, and although it's recovered a little to 13,600 last year, that's at a time in major growth in overall applications, so the percentage of students looking to study the subject has fallen from 5% to 3%. What's more, computing science's reputation as a geeky male subject has been reinforced, with the percentage of male applicants rising over the period from 84% to 87%.
But the problem, according to those campaigning for change, begins at school with ICT - a subject seen by its detractors as teaching clerical skills rather than any real understanding of computing.
And it seems school children are getting that message too because the numbers studying the subject are on the decline. The answer, according to the firms and organisations calling for change, is to put proper computer science in the form of coding on the curriculum
HEALTH AND SAFETY RED TAPE TO BE AXED
The government is launching a consultation on the abolition of "large numbers" of health and safety rules following an independent review.
It says it wants to have removed the first regulations from the statute book within a few months.
Following the Lofstedt review, a "challenge panel" is also being created for businesses unhappy with health and safety rulings made against them.
The employment minister said the moves would "root out needless bureaucracy".
The government says there are currently about 200 health and safety regulations, but this will be reduced by more than half over the next three years.
THANKSGIVING BOOSTS SALES IN THE USA
US retail sales figures in the critical Thanksgiving weekend rose 16% versus a year ago to $52.4bn, the National Retail Federation (NRF) has said.
The figures include Black Friday, the first day after the Thanksgiving holiday, when stores reopen.
NRF estimated that 86 million customers shopped online and in-store on Black Friday - the day traders traditionally leave the red and make a profit.
Thanksgiving Day itself saw 29 million shoppers.
According to research by ShopperTrak, provider of retail and mall foot-traffic counting services, Black Friday sales increased 6.6% over the same day last year.
This is equal to $11.4bn in retail purchases, and the biggest dollar amount ever spent during the day.
Retail foot-traffic rose accordingly, by 5.1% over Black Friday 2010.
Analysts are awaiting the results of Monday's trading, known as Cyber Monday, which online retailers including Amazon cite as their biggest business day of the year.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Moscow to be the next City of London?
Major firms in the City of London are backing a plan to develop Moscow as an international financial centre.
Blue‑chip names including investment banks Barclays Capital and JP Morgan, the Lloyd’s of London insurance market and law firm Freshfields, are involved in the programme that has the backing of Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev.
The use of City expertise to bring western standards of financial and legal governance to the Russian capital follows Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit to the country in September.
The project is spearheaded by TheCityUK, the independent British financial services promotion group whose chief executive Chris Cummings said: “We are delighted to have won this work and we have made a terrific start. It is a real feather in the City’s cap.”
Cummings said the medium‑term aim was to establish Russia as the regional financial centre for the Russian federation, and farther down the line to develop the capital as an international centre of finance.
Cummings admitted there was “initially” some scepticism in the City about the project, centring on old concerns about the “rule of law and political uncertainty in Russia”.
Tom Farmer launches iVenture Tuesdays
Sir Tom Farmer will this week kick off the latest attempt at encouraging start-up companies in Scotland with the launch of iVenture Tuesdays.
The Kwik-Fit founder is the first of a number of high achievers lined up to address a monthly series of networking sessions designed to stimulate interest in starting a business among students, researchers and anyone seeking inspiration.
The seminars are free and open to anyone who registers in advance, they will take place on the last Tuesday of every month and will be hosted in various locations around the country.
Farmer, who launched Kwik-Fit in the early 1970s and sold it to Ford, will address several hundred guests at his lecture this Tuesday entitled People Make the Business.
Others expected to address future iVenture Tuesday meetings include Jim McColl, who built the engineering group Clyde Blowers, and Richard and Douglas Hare, the founders of gaming company Outplay Entertainment.
Informatics Vent
Scottish laser manufacturer seals million pound Japanese deal
LASERS manufacturer Edinburgh Instruments (EI) has secured a contract with Japan’s largest technology institute, in a move helping propel it towards a £7.5 million annual turnover target months ahead of schedule.
EI is supplying Tokyo’s flagship Institute of Technology’s research laboratories, through its photonics division, with its PL5 series of gas lasers that have applications, in particular, for homeland security and radar modelling.
Tokyo Tech, as it is known, operates the world-class supercomputer Tsubame 2.0, used to simulate complex systems such as the planets and the financial sector. It has more than 10,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students on its books.
The size of the Japanese deal has not been disclosed, but the Livingston-based firm’s chief executive Alan Faichney says it is one of a series of revenue-boosting new deals.
EU Court of Justice rejects web piracy filter
The European Court of Justice has ruled that content owners cannot ask ISPs to filter out illegal content.
The ruling could have implications for the creative industries as they attempt to crack down on piracy.
The court said that while content providers can ask ISPs to block specific sites, wider filtering was in breach of the E-Commerce Directive.
A Belgian court had previously ruled that a local rights holder could force an ISP to filter content.
The case stems back to 2004 when SABAM, a Belgian company responsible for authorising music rights, discovered that customers of local ISP Scarlet were downloading music illegally via peer-to-peer networks.South Korea testing robotic prison guards
Robot wardens are about to join the ranks of South Korea's prison service.
A jail in the eastern city of Pohang plans to run a month-long trial with three of the automatons in March.
The machines will monitor inmates for abnormal behaviour. Researchers say they will help reduce the workload for other guards.
South Korea aims to be a world leaders in robotics. Business leaders believe the field has the potential to become a major export industry.
The three 5ft-high (1.5m) robots involved in the prison trial have been developed by the Asian Forum for Corrections, a South Korean group of researchers who specialise in criminality and prison policies.
International Business News: Germany
GERMAN INDUSTRY BIGGEST POLLUTER IN THE EU
German industry causes more environmental and health damage than any other country in the European Union, amounting to billions of euros each year, according to a new EU report.
The study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) released Thursday ranked Germany ahead of other serious polluters like Britain, France or any eastern European countries.
The agency, which used 2009 numbers in factors including CO2 emissions, said that pollution from facilities like steelworks and power plants caused between €102 billion and €169 billion in health and environmental costs across the European Union.
AIR BERLIN NEEDING INVESTORS
Air Berlin Chief Hartmut Mehdorn has already held talks with Etihad Airways, based in the United Arab Emirates, and Chinese holding company HNA, the main shareholder of Hong Kong Airlines, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily said.
One option is the "selling of a large amount of Air Berlin shares," the daily said, without citing its sources.
Air Berlin's founder, Joachim Hunold, had always ruled out the option of seeking foreign investors but new boss Mehdorn appears to be pursuing a different strategy.
Company shares were down 2.64 percent at €2.58 in early trading in Frankfurt on the news.
The airline, which relies heavily on transporting German tourists, ran into heavy turbulence in 2008 after years of soaring growth and expansion.
The firm has suffered more than its competitors from external factors, such as the political turmoil in North Africa since the beginning of the year.
It has also been hit hard by rising fuel costs, the introduction of an aviation tax in Germany and uncertainties over the economy.
TOYOTA AND BMW IN 'GREEN' DEAL TALKS
Japanese car giant Toyota is in talks with BMW over a green alliance. Under the deal, the German automaker would provide diesel engines for Toyota vehicles, while Toyota would share its hybrid technology. It would mark Toyota's second green-technology tie-up with a major foreign automaker, following its agreement in August to develop hybrid-vehicle systems with Ford of the United States.
A Toyota spokesman said the report was based on "speculation" and refused to comment further.
Under the proposed arrangement, BMW would provide diesel engines for Toyota's passenger vehicles, most likely medium-sized cars of around 2,000cc to be sold in Europe, Nikkei said.
BMW, which inked a deal with France's PSA Peugeot Citroen Group in late 2010 to jointly develop hybrid systems for subcompacts, would be able to expand its lineup, the daily said.
Toyota has struggled to use its hybrids to expand its market share in Europe in a region where roughly 60 percent of passenger cars are powered by diesel engines, the daily said. Demand for diesel vehicles is forecast to grow since such engines are seen as an effective way to cut carbon dioxide emissions, and technological advances in the field are essential as emission regulations become tougher.
With the strong yen hurting the price competitiveness of its hybrids, Toyota was aiming to improve the marketability of its diesel vehicles by procuring engines from BMW, the daily added.
BERLIN BRANDENBURG AIRPORT NEARING COMPLETION
The new Berlin airport, Brandenburg, is expected to start operations in a little more than six months, has entered a key test phase and authorities are determined to figure out problems ahead of the June 3, 2012 opening. It will replace Schoenfeld and Tegel creating one of the largest airports in the world.
One thing is sure, said Manfred Körtgen, the head of Willy Brandt Airport said. The date will not be rolled back, Der Tagesspiegel newspaper reported on Saturday.
Körtgen said the airport is undergoing a massive series of tests and checks to make sure it can handle the traffic, luggage and passengers on the first day.
Located in a southeast corner of Berlin, the airport is currently the largest construction site in eastern Germany and has 5,500 workers hammering and digging away to get it ready. Practice run throughs will take place on Tuesdays and Thursday, Körtgen said.
Beginning in February, thousands of volunteers will play the role of passengers and help airport officials figure out what works and doesn’t.
The new airport has come under extensive criticism – and been the subject of many protests – by neighbours fearing noise and pollution problems.
The airport has a capacity of 27 million passengers per year and officials are expecting 23.5 million already in its first year.
Scottish independence vote may damage investment
The planned independence referendum is an additional risk that adds to the costs of investing in Scotland, it has been claimed.
The warning comes from Malcolm Naish, who stepped down as chairman of the Scottish Property Federation last week.
He said investors would hold off on decisions until there was more clarity about Scotland's political future.
The Scottish government has called for critics to provide examples of those investors who are cautious.
Mr Naish also warned against moves by the Scottish government to increase tax on supermarkets and to remove rebates on commercial properties that are lying empty.
The comments add to the concerns raised about renewable power investment in Scotland by energy analysts at Citigroup, later contested by a rival analyst.
There have also been claims from the Chancellor, George Osborne, and by Danny Alexander, the Treasury Secretary, that investors are being put off investment by uncertainty over Scotland's constitutional future.
Source: BBC Business News
For the full article read here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-15908948
Chancellor unveils £40 billion loans package
Chancellor George Osborne will unveil credit easing schemes to release up to £40bn in loans to small firms when he delivers Tuesday's autumn statement.
Under one plan, the government would underwrite banks' borrowing so they could pass on cheaper loans to firms turning over less than £50m. Loans of £20bn will be involved initially but this could be doubled.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls commented that access to credit alone would not restore business confidence.
Mr Osborne is proposing three schemes in an attempt to boost economic growth.
The first scheme would see the government provide a guarantee for banks to borrow on the financial markets.
It is understood that the second £20bn of loan guarantees are being held in reserve for the moment but could be made available in the next two years.
The chancellor will also propose that the government takes a stake in an investment fund with private sector investors to provide a source of credit or loans to medium-sized companies.
A third scheme would offer an alternative to traditional bank loans by encouraging firms to sell bonds - or company IOUs - to the market.
Source: BBC Business News
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