Google's self driving car - potential issues

Here’s a great article on the problems Google are having with the cars that drive themselves:

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-self-driving-car-problems-2013-3

 

The iWatch

A video from Apple about the iWatch – the must have item of 2013… or 2014. Or 2015.

 

<script src="http://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#ec=dxNjNlOTrGVNvDwRYIBUMtnjovW4JTus&pbid=6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>

Footage from The Deep

The BBC have an excellent video of life at the bottom of the deepest part of the Ocean, where James Cameron explored on his own, piloting Deepsea Challenger to the famous Marianas Trench.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-17521115

 

Folding Cars

We’ve had the A-bike and folding bicycles. So what now? What is the latest in transport? Folding cars?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21805068

 

Higher Business Management Exam Technique

Here’s a thing. So you are given a question to describe the benefits of staff training.

 

The command word is Describe. Now if you just listed what is in the marking schemes then you will get a Family Fortunes noise (I don’t know how to spell that sound).

 

Eg Increased productivity

 

That is not good enough.

 

However if you use words such as “as”, “so”, “because” then you will deliver the goods.

 

So you could say one benefit of staff training would be increased productivity because employees will have updated skills, making them better at their job.

 

This is a worthwhile activity to do when you have the past paper books in front of you and it is all too easy to just give in and copy it out. You need to add something to answer the questions “Why?” and “How?” or my favourite “So what?”

National 5 Business Management

I will start posting materials, ideas etc on my new National 5 Business Management blog, which can be found here:

 

http://n5business.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Please feel free to share ideas, especially I want to know your thoughts on the assignment.

 

Also any good business stories or examples we can use in the classroom, would be greatly appreciated.

 

Oil in the Oceans?

The diplomatic row between the UK and Argentina over the Falkland Islands has long interested me. I have always been sceptical that the real reason behind our interest is the potential for oil and gas deposits along the sea and ocean floors. Just think of the size of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. We haven’t scratched the surface of what could possibly exist down in the deep.

 

Now we can see the emergence of the new frontier in mining the oceans.

 

British firm,  UK Seabed Resources a subsidiary of Lockeheed Martin has joined the rush to exploit minerals in the depths of the oceans. It has plans for a major prospecting operation in the Pacific.

 

The company says surveys have revealed huge numbers of so-called nodules - small lumps of rock rich in valuable metals - lying on the ocean floor south of Hawaii and west of Mexico.

 

The exact value of these resources is impossible to calculate reliably, but a leading UN official described the scale of mineral deposits in the world's oceans as "staggering" with "several hundred years' worth of cobalt and nickel".

 

An expedition to assess the potential environmental impact of extracting the nodules will be launched this summer amid concerns that massive "vacuuming" operations to harvest the nodules might cause lasting damage to ecosystems.

 

Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21774447

 

 

New passenger rights for EU fliers

New rights for airline passengers have been unveiled by the European Commission. They include rerouting travellers with rival carriers if a flight is delayed for more than 12 hours.

The rules also clarify what are considered exceptional circumstances for compensation. For example, mechanical failures on board the aircraft do not count, but natural disasters and traffic control strikes do.

The Commission says the new rules, which are not likely to become law until 2014, will give a lot more certainty to airlines and passengers.

Many view this new law change as a consequence of the Volcanic ash disruption in April 2010. What the impact will be on airlines if something similar happens in the near future is questionable. Many airlines are struggling as it is at present.

In the US two of the major airlines have merged to form the world’s biggest airline.

 

NY Ban on large drinks blocked

A court has blocked a ban on the sale of large sugary drinks - including soda - from restaurants in New York City, a day before the law was to take effect. Judge Milton Tingling ruled that the measure was "arbitrary and capricious", after industry groups sued the city.

 

The law would forbid the sale of drinks larger than 16 ounces (473ml) in food-service establishments. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the judge was "totally in error" and has vowed to appeal against Monday's ruling.

 

He has touted the ban as a way to reduce obesity. Research suggests that 58% of adults in New York are obese or overweight.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-21747568

 

Similar bans or even a so called ‘Fat Tax’ has been mooted in the UK. But would any such ban on large drinks or taxing them heavily actually stop consumption?

 

Look at schools. Many schools now offer healthy foods. However, some pupils end up eating outside the school at fast food takeaway shops. How to tackle the obesity problem is one facing developed nations without a proper satisfactory outcome. Many accuse the Governments of being the proprietors of a ‘Nanny State’ , while others say that overweight and unhealthy diets will increase the burden on the NHS.

 

Are young people lacking in IT skills?

A new report from the BBC:

 

A lack of computer skills could be damaging the career chances of young people, a charity has warned.

 

More than one in 10 young people do not think their computer skills are good enough to use in the job they want, the Prince's Trust said. The research follows a £500,000 donation by hip hop star will.i.am to the Trust last year.

 

His donation will be used on projects to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills.

 

"I was intimidated by science and advanced maths," said the music star, who donated his fee for appearing on BBC talent show The Voice.

 

"When I say, 'Hey kids, you guys should want to be scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians...' I say that because I too am going to school to learn computer science.

 

Is it the case that young adults have computer skills in using word, excel and the MS Office packages, but when it comes to IT skills can’t program and write software or indeed fix components of a machine? Just how practical are the courses we offer pupils?

 

Read the article in full here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21747206

 

I have often wondered why we don’t have a practical IT course for pupils who want to actually take apart machines and fix them rather than use software. And not everyone is keen on programming, but some are interested in getting their hands dirty with a PC.

 

BBC Announce new Dragon

Cloud computing pioneer Piers Linney has been named as the new member of the Dragons' Den, replacing Theo Paphitis.

Mr Linney is the co-CEO of Outsourcery. Linney will join regulars Duncan Bannatyne, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden and another new Dragon, Kelly Hoppen.

In Dragons Den (a show which originated in Japan), venture capitalists leaders hear pitches from inventors and entrepreneurs before deciding whether or not to invest.

Some successes have included the iTeddy and some notable hits that escaped have been the Trunki and the Road Refresher (a non-spill dog bowl which President Obama even bought one!).

 

Learning Rounds

Took part today in my second Learning Rounds activity at the school where we were joined by visitors from India. It was very informative.

 

For those interested here is the briefing paper we received thanks to our DHT Mrs McAuley, before our class observations:

 

Learning Rounds Briefing Paper

 

Observers

The key learners in Learning Rounds are the team of observers. Observers learn from the practice they observe, often finding their perceptions both validated and challenged. Above all observing combined with the group discussions which follow creates deeper understanding around the process of Learning and Teaching, especially on the learning experiences of pupils, and the process of effective change leadership. Members of the group are required to refrain from evaluative comment when involved in group discussion around the observed data.

 

Observed Colleagues

The Learning Rounds protocol means that there is no evaluation of the individual and the practice observed is described in non-evaluative language eg I saw… A composite set of descriptive data is drawn from the observations. Many observed colleagues have found the experience interesting and have become involved as observers in the next Learning Round.

Learning Rounds on the day

 

·       We meet at 8.45 am in the staffroom for coffee and muffins. This allows for a recap of the approach and review of the theme being observed.

·       We spend the morning in the allocated classes (20-25 mins) – the “ swap “ over times need to be adhered to allow for as comprehensive an overview as possible

·       Colleagues keep a record of what they see by whatever means suits them. There are no formal recording sheets ( memory, brief notes)

·       We will take a morning break in the staffroom. There should be no discussion at this stage of what has been observed

·       At the end of the schedule, mirror teams meet for 15 – 20 minutes in the allocated rooms for the initial post observation discussions, and to begin to agree their descriptive data.

·       The full team meet to exchange the evidence generated and agree a final consensus on what was seen using the descriptive voice.

·       At the end of the Learning Rounds,  the information generated by the Learning Rounds will be collated.

 

My group visited PLP, ICT, Art, English, Maths, RE, and Science. A rich spectrum of classes and a variety of really interesting and stimulating lessons.

 

I would recommend this experience to every teacher.

Business Quotes

"No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come."

 

 

Victor Hugo

 

Teleworking gone wrong?

Is Teleworking and Homeworking not the most efficient way of working after all?

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21588760

 

Expensive Oz

 

Ever thought of leaving the shores of the UK and immigrating to Australia or New Zealand? Well it seems that the dream of living Down Under is not as cheap as it once was.

 

In the following article it shows just how the cost of living has sky rocketed over the last 10 years. One key fact is that a decade ago Australia didn’t have one city in the Top 50 most expensive cities to live in. Now it has 3 in the Top 15!

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21519050

 

Australia is often seen as a land of plenty. But many of her natural resources seem to be getting dug up and shipped to China. So will Australia eventually face the same manufacturing dilemma faced by other Developed nations?

 

And Australia, due to its unique geographical location, still sees a massive drain of talent, even if just in the short term as young Aussies head abroad for what they call the OE or Overseas Experience. Yet immigration has helped increase Australia’s population from a relatively small 14 million to nearly 23 million in less than 20 years.

 

So Australia as we know it is changing rapidly. But at what cost?

 

Worrying news for the Pound

Could the days of cheap Foreign Holidays be a thing of the past? The pound is heading towards a crisis.

 

Sterling has continued to weaken against the dollar and the euro on continued worries about the health of the UK economy. Against the dollar, sterling fell to a seven-month low, and against the euro it was nearing a 15-month low.

 

The falls came after Bank of England policymaker Martin Weale said that sterling may need to weaken further to bolster the UK economy. Currency speculators are also betting that sterling will fall, data shows.

 

Sterling fell 0.5% to $1.543, its lowest since 13 July, 2012. The euro was up 0.3% against sterling, making a euro worth 86.3 pence.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21496997

 

 

Get Ready for PS4

Electronics giants Sony has announced its next-generation gaming console - the PlayStation 4 - at an event in New York. Its new hardware is designed to offer superior graphics as well as new social features including the sharing of recorded gameplay clips.

 

It will succeed the PlayStation 3, which went on sale in 2006 and has sold about 75 million units. This is down from 100 million units for PS1 and 150 million units that the PS2 sold. This was mainly down to increased competition from rivals.

 

Sony only revealed the new look controller.

 

 

The new PS4 will eventually compete against Microsoft's still-to-be-unveiled Xbox 360 successor and Nintendo's Wii U. Sony also confirmed a range of big-name software for the machine including Bungie's upcoming "shared-world shooter" Destiny, which will include exclusive content for the PS4.

 

SkyTeam main players post big losses

 

Air France-KLM, the Franco-Dutch airline, the major players in the SkyTeam Alliance, says it made a big loss in 2012 blaming sharply rising fuel costs and trouble with its cargo business.

 

Net losses increased 47% to 1.19bn euros (£1bn; $1.57bn), after a 471m-euro restructuring charge and a 890m-euro increase in its fuel bill. But operating losses fell to 300m euros, from 353m euros the year before.

 

Revenues rose 5.2% to 25.6bn euros, thanks in part to increased prices on its North Atlantic routes.

 

Debt fell from 6.51bn to 5.97bn euros after sell-offs and spending cuts - the company plans to reduce its net debt by 2bn euros by the end of 2014.

 

For more read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21544331

 

 

BMW recall in progress

 

German carmaker BMW is recalling about 720,000 vehicles, mostly in North America, over potential electrical problems that may cause unexpected stalling.

 

The recall affects various versions of its 1-Series and 3-Series cars, as well as the Z4 sports car.

 

The firm is recalling some 505,000 cars in the US, 65,000 in Canada, 100,000 in Japan and 50,000 in South Africa.

 

BMW said the problem had caused one minor crash in Canada, but no injuries.

 

Swiss Watches

Here is an interesting article in the Economist about Swiss Watches.

 

 

It throws up images of style, precision engineering and serious top quality craftsmanship. It also alludes to high price and high quality and what actually makes a Swiss Watch, a Swiss Watch?

 

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21571943-industry-ripe-shake-up-time-money

 

As might be expected the Chinese and Arab nations are buying their fair share of these expensive goods. Also there is a bit of a shock in that it turns out one firm dominates the market….

 

Heinz bought over by Buffet's group

US billionaire Warren Buffett is to buy food giant Heinz in a deal worth $28bn (£18bn).

 

 

Mr Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway company and private equity firm 3G will take over the food company, famous for its ketchup and baked beans.

 

In a statement, Heinz called the deal "historic", and the largest to date in the food industry. Shares in Heinz jumped nearly 20% in early trade in New York to trade at about $72.51.

 

The takeover has been approved by the company's board, but still needs to be voted on by shareholders.

 

"The Heinz brand is one of the most respected brands in the global food industry and this historic transaction provides tremendous value to Heinz shareholders," said Heinz chairman, president and chief executive William Johnson.

"We look forward to partnering with Berkshire Hathaway and 3G Capital, both greatly respected investors, in what will be an exciting new chapter in the history of Heinz."

 

Read the full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21461779

 

Apple lose iPhone rights battle in Brazil

Brazilian regulators have ruled that Apple does not have exclusive rights to use the "iPhone" trademark in the country. Apple have already lodged an appeal against the decision with the Brazilian regulators.

 

The ruling is the result of a Brazilian firm, Gradiente Eletronica, who registered the iPhone name in 2000, six years before Apple. Apple can continue to sell iPhone-branded handsets in Brazil. It means Gradiente has an option of suing for exclusivity in South America's biggest market.

 

The ruling does mean that the US firm will still have the iPhone name elsewhere including on clothing, in software and across publications.

 

Read the full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21449890

 

 

Irn Bru merger to be investigated

AG Barr’s proposed merger with Britvic is to be investigated by the Competition Commission.

 

Read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-21444787

 

The proposed new firm called Barr Britvic Soft Drinks plc would have annual sales of more than £1.5bn. AG Barr's product range also includes Tizer and Rubicon. Britvic’s products are Tango, Robinsons, J2O and they sell Pepsi brands under exclusive licence.

 

 

New owner for NBCUniversal

 

US cable provider Comcast is to acquire the full ownership of TV and film company NBCUniversal for $16.7bn (£10.7bn).

 

Comcast will buy the 49% stake in the joint venture that it doesn't own from US industrial conglomerate General Electric (GE).

 

It will also buy the well-known 30 Rockefeller Plaza building in New York and another property for $1.4bn. Comcast took a majority stake in NBCUniversal in 2009.

 

NBCUniversal owns the Universal Studios theme parks, TV networks like MSNBC and E! and film studios like Universal Pictures, which made movies like Jaws, ET and Jurassic Park.

 

Read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21437191

 

Zero Hour Contracts, Work Life Balance, and the Working Week

Working 9 to 5, 5 days a week is the Western world’s model for productivity. Yes it is based on Factory hours, though my old factory used to start at 8.15 to 4.15.

 

 

However, with advances in technology, and people facing longer and more expensive commutes, is it really time for rethink our relationship with work?

 

Childcare costs are also on the rise, meaning that many parents now go part-time.

 

Then we have the issue of work-life balance. Is it too unhealthy and unproductive to work excessively long hours in order just to show off to the boss?

 

Plus technology should increase homeworking options for employees. Though homeworking does bring with it a whole host of other issues.

 

Zero hour contracts are also on the rise, which means staff are placed on call by employers and only get paid for the hours they do each week. There is no guarantee of a minimum amount of hours. Worrying for people trying to plan their future: i.e. buy a car or get a mortgage.

 

Here are a few articles on some of these issues. I have a friend who has recently become a father, and his employer has allowed him to work longer Tue-Fri in return for a Monday off, so he can look after his infant son. Not every employer would be so thoughtful! Is this the way of the future?

 

Perhaps in the future teachers will be using facetime or videoconferencing to educate pupils over vast geographical distances a bit like the Outback of Australia. That would have severe implications for the teaching profession. The one major disadvantage for pupils would be that it would remove the social aspect of school life, and isolate young people to an extent. Who would stay home to look after pupils when they “attend” virtual lessons?

 

If only we could sort out the infrastructure of our cities and our transport connections that could help people’s commute. Being tired after a long car journey before you even get to work is frustrating! HS2 hopefully is only the start of the modernisation of the UK’s road and rail.

 

Should the working week be shorter?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21242782

 

Which countries work the longest hours?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18144319

 

 

More from ACAS on Zero Hour Contracts

http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3886

 

 

Business Facts

Here’s a weird one, which didn’t end well for the CEO of Red Lobster!

 

 

 

The American seafood chain, Red Lobster, ran a promotion for about a month that boasted all you can eat Alaskan snow crab legs. They didn’t expect what happened next. The chain was being eaten out of house and home. Things got so bad that the original price of $20 for the all you can eat platter was raised by up to $5 more.

 

Red Lobster weren’t happy losing money over the promotion. The CEO was fired. Officially it had nothing to do with the promotion debacle, but unofficially it looks to be the precise reason.

 

Unlucky timing plagued the promotion, too. While patrons were eating more than expected, wholesale prices on the crab legs rose, too. Patrons were eating thirds, fourths, and fifth servings. Needless to say, there won’t be any promotions that cheap on crab legs any time soon for Red Lobster.

 

Source:

http://www.omg-facts.com/Business/The-CEO-Of-Red-Lobster-Was-Fired-Over-An/55487#srFqMDbwKD8CqcAE.99

 

Inflation Calculator

This may help our Maths colleagues, but it is also pretty interesting for Business. Following on from the fuel calculator, here is an inflation calculator:

 

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-1633409/Historic-inflation-calculator-value-money-changed-1900.html#axzz2Jq2xETXM

 

Dragon buys Jessops

From BBC Business News:

 

The collapsed High Street camera retailing brand Jessops has been bought by a group including entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star, Peter Jones. The company's administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) announced the sale on Thursday evening.

 

PwC said: "We can confirm we have sold the brand and certain other assets to a number of buyers including entrepreneur Peter Jones CBE." It is not currently thought that stores will reopen as part of the purchase.

 

The part of the deal covering "certain other assets" is understood to mean leftover stock and intellectual property.

Fuel Price Calculator

How much does it cost you to get to work by car? Click here to use the BBC’s cool fuel calculator:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21238363

 

Twitter attacked

This is the latest in a long line of cyber attacks. 250,000 Twitter users have had their accounts hacked into. Twitter's information security director Bob Lord said the users' passwords, usernames and emails had been stolen.

 

Affected users have had passwords invalidated and have been sent emails informing them.

 

Mr Lord said the attack "was not the work of amateurs".

 

He said it appeared similar to recent attacks on the New York Times and others. The US newspaper reported this week that their computer systems had been breached by China-based hackers

 

Source: BBC News