De La Rue

A fascinating article looking at De La Rue, the company who has the lucky job of printing money!

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27888665

 

Polar Explorer Craig Mathieson

Today our pupils met Scottish Polar Explorer Craig Mathieson. Craig told of his experiences and ordeals as he led the first ever Scottish Antarctic expedition to the South Pole. He was incredibly interesting and motivating. Our pupils were enaged for the entire time and you could hear a pin drop when he told of some of his more difficult challenges… which he just brushed off with a steely determination.

 

 

I will not spoil the talk here, but I am sure you can find more about Craig and his charity Polar Academy at his website: http://mathiesonexplorer.com/

 

Changi Airport - Singapore

Some new features have been added to Changi Airport in Singapore as it is involved in the race for the title of the best airport in the world.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26097348

 

Great Quotes

 

“Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude. “

 

-Ralph Marston 

 

Business Speaker: Derek Wyllie

 

Today our new Higher Business Management pupils met Mr Derek Wyllie, Head of International Distribution for Rockport.

 

Derek has worked abroad for over 9 years and has lived and worked in Kuala Lumpur and now Hong Kong in various senior roles at major international corporations.

 

 

Derek spoke about his career and how he ended up in his current role, as well as a very interesting and entertaining look at some of the characteristics of markets in the Far East.

 

Our pupils were engaged and highly interested in Derek’s experiences and we had a lively Q & A at the end of both presentations… which is unusual! I said to Derek that receiving a number of questions at the end is a sign of a good presentation!

 

Hopefully, Derek’s story and his life experiences will inspire some of our pupils to broaden their horizons and think about the vast opportunities that lie in the Pacific Region.

 

 

Seattle raises the minimum wage

The full article is here:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-27674474

 

What are the implications then for small businesses?

 

It certainly seems good news for employees, but it could have a massive impact on smaller firms who may struggle with the increased labour costs.