Cities above the waves

Continuing the theme of future cities, what of these jaw dropping designs for floating cities?

http://weburbanist.com/2011/06/16/the-future-is-a-beach-5-artificial-floating-island-cities/

Remember Hydropolis? Dubai's underwater hotel which is currently in limbo:

http://www.dubai.com/blog/hydropolis-a-dream-or-reality/

Berlin Hauptbahnhof

While looking at ideas for future cities, I can't help thinking of Berlin's incredible major train station which I have been fortunate to visit several times.

It is a remarkable piece of architecture and really does mix old and new.

City of the Future

Saw an interesting piece on city planning (is that an oxymoron?) on Stephen Hawking's TV show the other day about a city being built for the future. It has electric cars with no driver and recycles water and solar power. It was in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The city was called Masdar. Here is a quote from the TV show:

"Masdar is an environmentally friendly city in a region infamous for massive energy usage, and is an attempt to provide a renewable and sustainable model for other cities to follow. Technologies being developed include the largest solar power plant in the Middle East.Technologies developed and tested in Masdar will help change energy production and usage, particularly in hot cities."

You can find more information on Masdar here: http://www.masdar.ae/en/home/index.aspx and indeed here: http://www.masdarcity.ae/en/

This has got me thinking and I had a short trawl through the web to look at planning for the cities of the future and found this interesting website:

http://weburbanist.com/2009/03/09/retrofuture-urbanism-cities-of-the-future/

Some of the designs are incredible and it also reminded me of the concept of Aerotropolis - the building of a city around an airport. http://www.aerotropolis.com/ The logic behind this is that we did not plan our cities properly as they grew organically with the building of roads, but now we should plan correctly and have transport central to urban planning.

More info is here:

http://www.aerotropolis.com/airportCities/aerotropolis-the-way-well-live-next

It certainly will be interesting to see what any new cities that are built will actually look like as we all want to see futuristic cities that are good for the environment, the economy and for people.

BBC Quiz Questions on Jet Travel

With the new US drama Pan Am starting this week, the Beeb have this quiz that you can have a go at to see just how good you are at Jet Travel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15758541

I only scored 3 out of 7.

Beat that!

BBC Quiz Questions on Jet Travel

With the new US drama Pan Am starting this week, the Beeb have this quiz that you can have a go at to see just how good you are at Jet Travel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15758541

I only scored 3 out of 7.

Beat that!

World's largest tower officially opens

The world's tallest building has officially opened in Dubai. Construction of the Burj Dubai (as it was previously known) has taken six years to complete.

The Burj Khalifa, named after the leader of Abu Dhabi, is 2,716ft high, easily surpassing the former record holder, Taipei 101.

The tower holds many other records such as the world's highest occupied floor, the tallest service lift, and the world's highest observation deck...on the 124th floor!

The world's highest mosque and swimming pool will also be halfway to the skay on the 158th and 76th floors.

The tower will also be seen in the upcoming Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol movie starring Tom Cruise.

In the News...

BURBERRY SALES UP

Fashion retailer Burberry has reported a 30% rise in revenues in the past six months, after enjoying strong growth in all of its markets.

Revenues at Burberry - best known for its red, black and camel check design - hit £830m for the six months to 30 September. Comparative retail sales - which ignore new store openings - rose 16%.

Burberry added that its Chinese stores had seen same-store sales growth of 30% in the past six months.

EU CHANGE CAP

The European Union has announced plans to reform its Common Agricultural Policy - its most expensive scheme, and one of the most controversial.

The CAP cost 58bn euros (£51bn; $80bn) last year - 47% of the whole EU budget.

The European Commission does not want to cut the budget, but change its priorities - including linking direct payments to environmental measures. But farming, environmental and taxpayer groups all have their own concerns about the plans.

UK UNEMPLOYMENT HITS 17 YEAR HIGH

UK unemployment rose by 114,000 between June and August to 2.57 million, a 17-year high, according to official figures.

The unemployment total for 16-24 year olds hit a record high of 991,000 in the quarter, a jobless rate of 21.3%.

The number of people out of work and claiming benefits rose 17,500 to 1.6 million in September.


Source: BBC Business News

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Steve Jobs changed the world. He was born in 1955 to a Syrian father and an American mother but was put up for adoption. He was raised by the Jobs family who worked near Silicon Valley.

He formed Apple with Steve Wozniak and together they launched in 1976 the Apple I. In 1977 they launched Apple II which was the first home computer.

Famously Steve Jobs visited Xerox and saw their icon driven systems which inspired him to created the Macintosh in 1984, which also featured an iconic advert filmed by Ridley Scott in the style of an Orwellian nightmare.

Jobs left Apple in 1985 under a cloud and then formed NeXT (which was used by Tim Berners-Lee to create the World Wide Web) and he also found time to buy out George Lucas' stake in an animation company called Pixar.

Jobs returned in 1997 to Apple and in 1999 had helped launch colour versions of the Apple Mac.

However it was in 2001 that Steve Jobs and Apple really started to fulfill their potential and promise. The iPod was launched, revolutionising modern portable music, followed by iTunes in 2003, the online store to download music. An incredible achievement in an era where many used the internet to download mp3 files for free!

How could he top this? In 2007 he launched the smartphone to end all smartphones: the iPhone. This was a portable PC in your pocket. And then in 2010 he went into the market they said couldn't be done... the Tablet PC. Apple's version was called the iPad and has already sold millions of units.

Steve Job's untimely passing will have a profound effect on Apple, which for a brief time this year became the world's top company, eclpising Exxon Mobil.

Steve Jobs was a visionary who always cared for aesthetics as much as performance. Style over content, perhaps, but that was and is Apple.

It has been remarked that he will be remembered alongside Thomas Edison and Henry Ford as genuine American legendary entrepreneurs.

Dreamliner 787 arrives at last

Boeing's massive new plane was finally delivered on October 1st in preparation to fly from Tokyo to Hong Kong for Nippon Air.

Airbus is Boeing's global rival and their new breed of planes are much bigger. Boeing though is concentrating on other benefits to customers.

The Dreamliner is designed to be light and fast due to its new fuel-efficient engines and an outside structure largely made of composite materials — carbon fibers meshed together with epoxy — instead of sheets of aluminum.

Inside, passengers in all class will experience more natural light from larger windows, more variety of in-flight entertainment, and higher humidity which aims to lower cases of dry eye and headaches.

Dreamliner's also burn 20% less fuel compared to planes of similar sizes.

Airlines in order to be competitive in the future have to reduce costs so any small fuel saving or aerodynamic drag saving is welcome.

Hopefully these cost savings will result in sleeker, more comortable planes and they will be passed on to customers in terms of lower flight prices.

OPITO Petrochemical Challenge

Three high flying Hamilton Grammar S6 pupils took part in the OPITO Petrochemical Challenge held at the University of Glasgow. The challenge involved reading and interpreting seismic and geological data in order to find rich oil seams that are then targeted for drilling.

Working as a team the three pupils, Isaac Carswell, Nicholas Seaton, and Steven Seaton then had to bid for licenses to drill offshore in the simulation. They then drilled wildcat holes and find out if they had struck Black Gold. Even if they did that was only the start of their problems! They had to check the water depth and hire appropriate rigs to drill the oil, and have service providers to fly the crews out offshore and feed them. They also had to invest in rival companies to help their return on investment (ROI).

The practice day went well with Hamilton Grammar coming in 2nd with a ROI of 2,000%. In the real competition the lads didn’t do quite as well after coming up dry in the first round (in real life we were told 4 in 5 prospects are dry) but fought back using business acumen to record a healthy ROI of 450%.

This was a great way to encourage pupils who wish to go down the STEM route (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics). I thought we would do well as we had an Advanced Higher Chemist, and Advanced Higher Mathematician, and our trump card a Texan!
A range of skills and careers were given a practical spin in this brilliant event. Hopefully next year our school will go back and come top of the pile.

Exam Day

Oh well another year almost over. Our plucky Int 2 and Higher Business Management candidates sat the exam today.

As I write this, our pupils have 15 minutes or so and they will be out. Fingers crossed they all did themselves justice.

I await the verdict with bated breath!

BBC Bitesize for Higher Business Management

I have done some work for the BBC and it is finally up on the web. It contains revision notes for all the outcomes of the Higher Business Management course, as well as some short test bites which are intended to aid recall of the information.

Naturally, students will have to still be aware of the SQA command words and be able to apply their knowledge in the context of the question.

I would like to thank Bruce Munro at the BBC who was a pleasure to work for.

The hyperlink is here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/learning/bitesize/higher/business_management/

I hope you find it helpful and another useful web resource to help you pass your exams.

Social Media Career Blunders

With Facebook, My Space, Bebo etc being used more and more by employers to vet employees there is now a list of famous blunders by staff. From Investopedia (read more http://financialedge.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0410/6-Career-Killing-Facebook-Mistakes.aspx) Inappropriate Pictures It may go without saying, but prospective employers or clients don't want to see pictures of you chugging a bottle of wine or dressed up for a night at the bar. Beyond the pictures you wouldn't want your grandparents to see, seemingly innocent pictures of your personal life will likely not help to support the persona you want to present in your professional life. Complaining About Your Current Job You've no doubt done this at least once. It could be a full note about how much you hate your office, or how incompetent your boss is, or it could be as innocent as a status update about how your coworker always shows up late. While everyone complains about work sometimes, doing so in a public forum where it can be found by others is not the best career move. Though it may seem innocent, it's not the kind of impression that sits well with a potential boss. Posting Conflicting Information to Your Resume If you say on your resume that your degree is from Harvard, but your Facebook profile says you went to UCLA, you're likely to be immediately cut from the interview list. Even if the conflict doesn't leave you looking better on your resume, disparities will make you look at worst like a liar, and at best careless. (Social networking can also be used as its own job. Statuses You Wouldn't Want Your Boss to See Everyone should know to avoid statuses like "Tom plans to call in sick tomorrow so he can get drunk on a Wednesday. Who cares that my big work project isn't done?" But you should also be aware of less flamboyant statuses like "Sarah is watching the gold medal hockey game online at her desk". Statuses that imply you are unreliable, deceitful, and basically anything that doesn't make you look as professional as you'd like, can seriously undermine your chances at landing that new job. Not Understanding Your Security Settings The security settings on Facebook have come a long way since the site started. It is now possible to customize lists of friends and decide what each list can and cannot see. However, many people do not fully understand these settings, or don't bother to check who has access to what. If you are going to use Facebook professionally, and even if you aren't, make sure you take the time to go through your privacy options. At the very least, your profile should be set so that people who are not your friend cannot see any of your pictures or information. (These rules apply to Twitter as well, and you can also use Twitter to find a new job. Losing By Association You can't control what your friends post to your profile (although you can remove it once you see it), nor what they post to their own profiles or to those of mutual friends. If a potential client or employer sees those Friday night pictures your friend has tagged you in where he is falling down drunk, it reflects poorly on you, even if the picture of you is completely innocent. It's unfortunate, but we do judge others by the company they keep, at least to some extent. Take a look at everything connected to your profile, and keep an eye out for anything you wouldn't want to show your mother.

India fights corrpution with Zero Rupee

A novel approach to curbing corruption by officals and police in India is well underway. People who feel they are being ripped off by having to pay additional charges are now handing over what is called 'Zero Rupees' which is a replica of the Indian currency which is thicker than normal and is difficult to fold over - a common sign of corruption.

This is the brainchild of the 5th Pillar organisation, and more can be read here: http://india.5thpillar.org/ZRN and also here: http://zerocurrency.org/.

Bribery is a serious crime in India and so when a person hands over a zero rupee the recipient and potential fraudster feels embarrassed and ashamed.

Zero currency notes are being planned for other notorious hotspots of corruption.

Japan hit by massive earthquake

Devastating scenes from Japan. An earthquake measuring a massive 8.9 on the Richter Scale has struck Sendai region and Tokyo. A 33 foot high tsunami wave swept across the region earlier today. Many people are mising and the damage to land and property will probably be counted in billions.

This incredible graphic shows the time it takes for the tsunami wave to travle across the Pacific. South American nations have the longest warning time in this case. Ecuador has already started an evacuation along its coastlines.

Indonesia is also bracing itself for a tsunami, though thankfully nothing on the scale of the 2004 Boxing Day wave.

Japan is famous for its volcanoes and earthquakes as it sits at a key geological position on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Japan has an incredible amount of seismic activity each year and that is why Japanese homes used to be made of paper, and how they created skyscrapers that can swing and sway during earthquakes.

Tokyo's two main airports, Narita and Haneda are both closed at present, but hopefully it won't be long before Japan is back to normal and the bullet trains - designed to stop during an earthquake - are back running again.

In the News...

SLOW PAY RISES FOR UK

Private sector pay at UK listed companies has risen at the slowest rate on record, a survey suggests.

Earnings rose at an annualised rate of just 0.5% in the three months to February, according to the Vocalink FTSE 350 index.

The rate is well below consumer prices index (CPI) inflation, which is currently running at 4%.
Manufacturing employees were hardest hit, seeing a sudden 0.6% shrinkage in pay packets during the period

UK MANUFACTURING ON THE UP

UK manufacturing in January grew at its fastest annual pace in more than 16 years, official figures have shown.

Manufacturing output was up 6.8% on January last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, its strongest pace since October 1994.

Month-on-month, output increased by 1% as firms recovered from a weather-related drop of 0.1% in December. The figures suggest the economy is rebounding from the 0.6% contraction seen in the last quarter.

GERMANY BETTER THAN ENGLISH SPEAKERS?

Is Germany better at teaching university courses in English than universities in English-speaking countries?

Germany has been named as the most supportive country for overseas students, in an international league table.

Among the attractions for international students is the increasing availability in Germany of courses taught entirely in English, so much so that students can complete degrees without ever having to speak German.

In the international zones of these classes, students from Germany, the United States and China participate in seminars conducted by German professors speaking in English.

Source: BBC Business News

The decline of Western civilization?

I was watching Professor Niall Ferguson’s programme about the decline of Western civilization and how China had turned inward on itself circa 1500s and let the European nations overtake her as the most advanced nations on Earth.

He argues that the return to the natural order may be happening in the Pacific just now, as China has woken up to capitalism and with relish.

I also read in Time magazine an interesting article about how Germany has confounded the odds and is boosting economic growth even in times of hardship. Also the USA are actually projecting to growth faster than first expected.

Then it occurred to me what all three nations still do so well that to a large extent the UK and Scotland do not: MAKE things. Germany is a world class producer not so much of lots of goods, but rather of quality products. German precision engineering can be found in some of the best automobiles in the world. China are not only manufacturing a myriad of products and exporting them abroad, but they are also investing in education and transport. This will secure prosperity for the future.

Indeed it was also argued that the boom times of 1950s America was partly due to the massive investment FDR made in the 1930s by building the Interstate roads. Perhaps China’s massive high speed rail programme will pay dividends also for them.

Worryingly in the UK we have long hung up our manufacturing boots and focus on the Tertiary sector or the service industries. While this may be good as it builds soft skills it sadly is prone to imitation and also to move work to cheaper places abroad. Whereas at one time we built the best ships in the world on the River Clyde and Clyde Built was a stamp of quality people would pay good money for. Can we turn back the clock and offer jobs, apprenticeships and training to turn our workforce into highly skilled craftsmen and women? I fear if we somehow do not we will become a nation of call centre workers which while this is needed it is vulnerable to be outsourced to another country, as we have seen with many help lines and support lines being moved in the past to India, where labour is cheaper.

Libya's Oil

With Libya descending into civil war oil prices look set to rise again. Who knows how long it will be before the crisis is resolved peacefully. Perhaps Colonel Gaddaffi will leave of his own accord?

The above image displays the countries receiving oil from Libya. It will be interesting to see if Italy and Germany's economies are hit harder than the rest due to the fact they rely so much on Libyan oil.

Italy may be the next European nation to go into financial meltdown in the same way Iceland, Greece and Ireland have.

Fuel saving tips for drivers

Here are some tips given by the BBC on how to save fuel when driving to work:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12664047

In the News...

JOHN LEWIS MAKES A PROFIT

John Lewis' profits rose by 20%, or £61.3m, to £367.9m last year but 2011 may be very difficult.

Chairman Charlie Mayfield described the figures for the year ending 29 January as a "strong performance". But he said 2011 would see the impact of higher VAT, rising unemployment, and higher food and raw material costs.

Staff at the employee-owned partnership will each receive a bonus worth an average of more than nine weeks' pay. The 76,500 staff will share a bonus of £194.5m, with bonuses worth 18% of partners' salary.

TOYOTA TARGET 10 MILLION SALES
Japanese carmaker Toyota has said it is aiming for global sales of 10 million vehicles a year by 2015, compared with 8.7 million in 2010.

The company is also targeting annual operating profit of 1 trillion yen ($12bn; £7.4bn) "as soon as possible".

CHINA TO INVEST $200 BILLION IN HOUSING PROJECTS
China will build 10 million low-cost homes this year at a cost of $200bn (£124bn), a government minister has said.

The move comes as soaring home prices spur complaints about affordability.
In January, prices of new homes rose in 68 of the 70 cities monitored by the government compared to a year earlier.

The spending is a part of a commitment to construct 36 million low-cost homes over the next five years.

CREDIT CARD FRAUD FALLS IN THE UK
Fraud losses on UK credit and debit cards fell to the lowest level for a decade in 2010 as awareness of the issue increased.

The amount lost still reached £365.4m, but this was 17% lower than the previous year, the UK Cards Association said.

The biggest drop was in the amount lost through cloned or skimmed cards, which fell by 41%.
But the amount lost through cards being intercepted in the mail was up 22%.

EDINBURGH AIRPORT PREPARES FOR WINTER 2011
At least £1.5m of equipment has been ordered to help keep Edinburgh Airport open during heavy snow next winter.

BAA Scotland airside and autonomy director David Lister announced the move at the Scottish Parliament's transport committee on Tuesday.

Mr Lister said that extensive studies had been carried out at airports in various countries to find ways of remaining open during extreme weather. The airport was closed several times in December and January due to snow.

PRESTWICK AIRPORT LOSE 40% OF PASSENGER TRAFFIC
Prestwick Airport has suffered a sharp decline in passenger numbers this winter, down by 40% in recent months.

Since Ryanair cut back on its winter schedule, the Ayrshire airport has shed about 40 staff, out of more than 400, some by compulsory redundancy.

The air hub has been boosted by bad winter weather, forcing diversions from snow-bound inland airports. But that has been overshadowed by Ryanair focusing traffic from north and central Europe on Edinburgh.

Domestic traffic has fallen steeply, and there are fewer flights linking to Stansted. Passenger traffic in January fell to 61,000 from 103,000 in January 2010. In the previous two years, passengers for that month were at 131,000 and 145,000.

Source: BBC News

Walmart in equal rights court action

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. So perhaps it is pertinent to highlight an impending court case in the United States between 6 female workers (or associates) and Walmart.

The women claim they have been overlooked wrongfully for promotion and pay increases during their tenure with the supermarket giant. If the case is proven successful by the US Supreme Court then it could change corporate history and perhaps at least in the supermarket industry provide equality for women.

This class action – which is when a small number of claimants sue on behalf of a larger group – it could result in a payout to over 1.6 million women Walmart associates.

The claim is filed in the famous 1964 Civil Rights Act which was passed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson and is more famous for trying to improve the rights and freedom of African Americans in the US.

So if Walmart loses the case then they could not only find their reputation damaged severely, but out of pocket to the tune of billions of dollars!

Walmart in equal rights court action

Yesterday was International Women’s Day. So perhaps it is pertinent to highlight an impending court case in the United States between 6 female workers (or associates) and Walmart.

The women claim they have been overlooked wrongfully for promotion and pay increases during their tenure with the supermarket giant. If the case is proven successful by the US Supreme Court then it could change corporate history and perhaps at least in the supermarket industry provide equality for women.

This class action – which is when a small number of claimants sue on behalf of a larger group – it could result in a payout to over 1.6 million women Walmart associates.

The claim is filed in the famous 1964 Civil Rights Act which was passed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson and is more famous for trying to improve the rights and freedom of African Americans in the US.

So if Walmart loses the case then they could not only find their reputation damaged severely, but out of pocket to the tune of billions of dollars!

Hamilton Grammar Secure Fourth Green Flag

Hamilton Grammar School was inspected on Wednesday 2nd of March for our fourth and final green flag for Eco-schools.

A lot of preparation was done and the inspection went well and the school were awarded the permanent green flag, only the second school in Scotland to achieve this.

It has been a lot of hard work by the pupils and ex-pupils who have created something truly special at the school.

Also Mr Dyer, Head of Science, has to take enormous credit as he was the main driver of the Eco group for several years. I know he and our Headteacher, Mr Stewart, are very proud of the pupils' tremendous achievements!

Congratulations once again to all the pupils involved.

Cash Budget Mnemonic

I have been working on some Mnemoics for study and I have one for cash budgets and their uses.

MEAT

Cash budgets can Motivate employees as they can see how the firm is performing.

They can be used to control Expenditure in order to keep a positive cashflow.

Cash budgets can be used to take corrective Action by arranging a loan to ensure the firm does not go bust.

They can also be used to set Targets for managers, employees and departments to meet.

Fair and Unfair reasons for dismissal

With the topical disciplinary issues surrounding both Hugh Dallas and Andy Gray, it is perhaps a good time to look at fair dismissals, illness and unfair dismissals.

FAIR DISMISSALS

These issues relate to both your conduct in the workplace and your ability to do your job.

- continually missing work
- poor discipline
- drug or alcohol abuse
- theft or dishonesty
- you haven't been able to keep up with technological changes to your job (eg introduction of ICT systems)
- you can't get along with your colleagues
- long-term or persistent illness makes it impossible for you to do your job

ILLNESS

There are also some issues surrounding being ill or unwell. Employers have decisions to make when it comes to:

- how long it will take you to recover
- how certain it is that you will recover (with some illnesses, like broken bones, it is clear how - long it will take but with something like stress it can be uncertain)
- how easy it is to get cover for your job
- whether your job can be kept open

UNFAIR DISMISSAL

Here are grounds for unfair dismissal:

- your employer does not have a fair reason for dismissing you (eg if there was nothing wrong with your job performance)
- your employer did not follow the correct process when dismissing you (eg if the have not followed their company dismissal processes)
- you were dismissed for an automatically unfair reason (eg because you wanted to take maternity leave)

EMPLOYEE'S ENTITLEMENTS

- a written statement of employment particulars
- an itemised pay statement
- a minimum notice period
- maternity, paternity or adoption leave
- time off for antenatal care
- parental leave
- time off for dependants
- the right to request flexible working arrangements
- not to be discriminated against because of your gender, race, disability, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age
- guaranteed pay when work is not available for you
- time off for public duties (eg jury service)
- protection against unlawful deductions from wages
- remuneration during suspension on medical grounds


Source: www.direct.gov.uk
- refusing to do shop or betting work on a Sunday
- making a public interest disclosure or ‘blowing the whistle’

In the News...

RETIREMENT AGE SCRAPPED

The Default Retirement Age (DRA) is to be phased out this year, the government has confirmed.
It means employers will no longer be allowed to dismiss staff just because they have reached the age of 65.

The Department for Business said that as well as benefiting individuals, "the freedom to work for longer will provide a boost to the UK economy".

Employers had called for the changes to be delayed for a year to allow greater legal clarity over the plans.

AMAZON CREATE NEW JOBS IN SCOTLAND

The online retail giant Amazon is to create 950 new jobs in Scotland.
The majority of the posts - 750 - will be created at a newly-built plant distribution centre in Dunfermline, Fife, off the M90 motorway.

That facility will replace a smaller plant at Glenrothes, also in Fife. Existing staff will transfer.
Another 200 jobs will be added at the firm's warehouse in Gourock, Inverclyde, with possibly up to a 1,500 temporary jobs at times of peak demand.

The new one million sq ft distribution centre in Dunfermline - about the size of 14 football pitches - will be Amazon's biggest in the UK.

FIRST BUS HIT BY WEATHER

Scottish-based transport firm has said the recent severe weather has cost it £7m.
However, First Group Plc said it remained on course to achieve its earnings targets for the year ending 31 March.

The Aberdeen-based company said its bus and rail operations had been hit hardest by the freezing weather.

The cost was revealed in the firm's trading update for the third quarter, from 1 October to 31 December 2010.

The company, which also owns Greyhound in North America, said that the trading environment had remained "challenging" since early November, but that its overall trading was in line with management expectations.

Source: BBC News

GM New ENV

US car-manufacturing giant General Motors has just unveiled the Electric Networked Vehicle (EN-V) – a two-wheeled ride that's the manifestation of the famous marque's vision for the future of urban transport.

Measuring at less than half the length of a Smart Fortwo, GM's EN-V concept is so small that you can fit six units into a car parking space. Yet, somehow, there's still sufficient room to accommodate two passengers inside.

While those facts alone are very impressive, it's the GM EN-V's autonomous driving capability, including a feature that allows it to park itself and automatically return to the owner when summoned from a smartphone app, that clearly marks it out as a car of the future.

Higher Business Management - Empowerment

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity."

General George Smith Patton, Jr.

Empowerment is a term coined to mean giving more responsibility to employees. It is a form of delegation.

This has both advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

• decision making should be quicker as it is the employees at the centre of decision making
• staff motivation is increased as they feel valued and important
• staff are better suited for potential promotion
• the workforce become more skilled
• the workforce's problem solving skills increase

Disadvantages

• Managers may not trust staff to make decisions
• it can be expensive to train staff
• not every employee wishes responsibility
• there are financial implications as staff will have to be paid for some extra responsibilities

The harshest critics of Empowerment believe it is more work for less money!
For more reading or information on the theory and concept of Empowerment, look up the works of Management Guru Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

Higher Business Management - Staff Appraisal

An appraisal is an annual review between employee and employer. It is used to help identify strengths and weaknesses and allow for training.

Sometimes employee performance may not be up to standard. Therefore there are different measures a line manager may take. These include:

• arrange appropriate training for the underperforming employee
• setting targets for the employee
• look to best use employee's skills
• ensure they meet more often to see how things are going
• positive feedback may be given to the employee

In the News

CHINESE BOX OFFICE RISING
Chinese box office takings increased by 64% last year, helped by Hollywood blockbusters such as 3D movie Avatar.

Revenue surged to 10.2 billion Chinese yuan (£966m), though local officials said Chinese film-makers needed to up their game to compete with US movies.

Avatar was the biggest film in China in 2010, having taken $204m (£141.5m). In contrast the top-grossing Chinese film, Aftershock, made just $100m (£64.5m).

SAINSBURY'S CREATE JOBS
The UK's third-biggest supermarket group, Sainsbury's, says it is to create 20,000 in the next three years.

The firm, one of many UK companies meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron, had already said it would create 6,500 jobs in 2011.

Sainsbury chief executive Justin King said the new posts would be a mix of full and part time jobs. The company has close to 900 stores across the UK and currently employs 150,000 people.

Source BBC News