Good luck to all the pupils undertaking business prelims on Monday.
National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher.
If you have studied well, and try your best then you will have no doubts after it. You always get out of it what you put in.
Thursday, 21 January 2016
Prelims
Thursday, 21 May 2015
McDonald's and employees clash
Employees of the world’s number one fast food restaurant aren’t happy with their ‘McJob’ in terms of pay:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32822464
Advanced Higher Business Management
Next session our school are hoping to offer AH Business Management for the first time in a while. Particularly interested in the Business Current Issues side of the Advanced Higher as at present there are many interesting stories relating to business which will capture student’s imagination. The most obvious ones are the rise of the BRIC countries, the continuing EU economic crisis as exemplified by Greece, and of course the whole ‘Brexit’ scenario, where the UK may or may not leave the EU. A referendum on the EU was in the Conservative manifesto, so it will be extremely likely this will take place either in 2016 or in 2017.
Other issues we will have to look at will also be the changes in technology and the impact new technologies could have on our everyday lives. Simple ideas like paying for goods and services by using your mobile will revolutionise how we shop. But as with anything, it will have an impact on people and jobs.
The living wage is another issue which has become important to many. And finally, it will be interesting to see how the Arctic Oil Drilling campaign will unfold, with consequences for our planet.
Looking forward to it as much as the pupils!
Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Google HQ to be built by 'crabots'
Robots to build Google’s new HQ.
http://news.sky.com/story/1479509/robot-cranes-called-crabots-to-build-google-hq
Shell to drill in the Arctic
Expect the fallout from environmental protesters to continue for years as the US Government has given Shell the green light to drill for oil in the Arctic. What next?
http://news.sky.com/story/1482301/shell-given-go-ahead-for-arctic-oil-drilling
Thursday, 26 March 2015
Motivation
A follow up piece to the character assassination of former England manager Fabio Capello. In the comments section he receives a lot of support from England fans who lay the blame at the poor attitude and motivation of England’s senior players. How do you motivate a player who earns £300,000 a week?
The article by Rio Ferdinand slates Capello, yet as mentioned, the fans in the comments defend Capello’s stunning CV and criticise the International records of players like Rooney, Terry and Ferdinand himself.
What would motivational theories such as Taylor, Maslow, McGregor, Herzberg, or Mayo make of all this? How do you motivate such wealthy players who possibly do not want to risk injury which would affect their club careers? If you give in to all their demands you will be viewed as weak, yet if you are too strict and inflexible you may have a player mutiny on your hands, something the Netherlands have experienced in several International Championships.
Perhaps it is all in selection? Choose team players and not players who are in it for themselves?
Kraft and Heinz to Merge
A rumoured $40 billion merger brokered by Warren Buffet and an event which will create the World’s 3rd largest food and drink company… the breathtaking merger of Kraft and Heinz!
Kraft bought UK chocolate giant Cadbury and also own such brands as Kenco coffee. But to merge with a brand as famous as Heinz is really taking things to a whole new level:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32050266
Management Styles
Interesting football examples here: Capello (Autocratic) vs Hodgson (Laissez-Faire or Democratic)?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32056733
However, it can be said that both styles underachieved in the 2010 and 2014 World Cups. Capello did emerge from his group before bowing out to Germany.
Football has thrown up some excellent examples of Autocratic managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson and the new Sunderland boss Dick Advocaat. Laissez-Faire approach seems to generate few successes in sports, perhaps down to the pressures and rigour of practice/training required.
I wonder what style Dave Brailsford (Team GB Cycling supreme) or Sir Clive Woodward (England’s Rugby World Cup winning boss) would be regarded as?
Friday, 6 February 2015
Alibaba beat Amazon to the Air
Most people will have seen the excellent demo video for Amazon Prime Air. It was thought to still be fanciful and a few years off. Well, welcome to the future! Alibaba, the biggest internet retailer in China, has already begun 3 day trials in Beijing and its surrounding environs. Aside from the capital, they are also trailing in Shanghai and Guangzhou. The flights will only deliver to places within an hour of these mega cities, but since these population centres are so massive, it is an incredibly large market that Alibaba is promising to deliver to.
Will it be successful? How will they cope with all the teething problems of how to deliver into an urban area? How do you deliver to a high block of flats with no garden? How do you prevent people stealing deliveries, or damaging the drones in midair?
Do delivery drones present a wider security risk?
All of these questions may be answered or not. But it does seem the first steps into how we shop in the future has already spread its wings.
Read more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31129804
Friday, 30 January 2015
Google building driverless cars in Detroit
Perhaps the Motor City is making a well deserved comeback? Google are apparently already in the process of building driverless cars in Detroit:
Google: Driverless cars on the road by 2020
Another big step by Google: they now plan to have test cars on the public roads by 2020. Naturally, such cars will be driverless.
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
Google Translate... in real time?
It sounds like the realm of science fiction, but Google claim that their Translate tool can now be used in real time:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30812277
I will download the app when I get home and trial it to see if it is really as good as it seems. The possibilities are endless.
Thursday, 8 January 2015
World's Biggest Cargo Ship
The amazing information on The Globe, currently the world’s biggest cargo ship:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30696685
The article also points to around 22,500 tonnage being the maximum ships can carry, not down to anything other than the ability of modern ports to accommodate them.
Tesco closing stores
Troubled Tesco have announced they are going to close 43 stores:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30712762
Friday, 19 December 2014
Nick is no more!
Lord Sugar’s trusty advisor, Nick Hewer is leaving The Apprentice after 10 years. Nick was an original member of the BBC show, who has gained a reputation for pulling some incredible faces at some of the silly schemes and behaviour of the candidates. Nick has branched out and now presents Countdown on Channel 4.
Nick who is 70, has blamed the hectic and gruelling filming schedule on his decision. It does beg the question of whether will Alan Sugar step down at the same time as his old friend?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30527547
Monday, 24 November 2014
Son of HOTOL
Skylon is a new aircraft/spacecraft with an improved design from that very British concept, HOTOL (Horizontal Takeoff and Landing). HOTOL once promised London to Sydney in less than an hour by taking off like a plane then heading into orbit, before descending back down to land on an airport runway.
More information on the latest developments here:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/tech/innovation/spaceship-reinvented/index.html?iid=article_sidebar
Flying Car is on its way!
Once thought the preserve of Science Fiction, it now seems there is a genuine race to create the world’s first flying car. This article goes into more detail:
How to win over customers in South Africa
KFC boss gives tips on how to win over South African consumers:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29953000
Wednesday, 29 October 2014
Billionaires did well at school!
This article has some evidence that is reassuring in a way for pupils and students who are motivated and want to do well… the vast majority of billionaires went to university and are highly educated.
Sometimes pupils are misled a bit by the success stories of Richard Branson and others who left school with no qualifications… but no everyone is lucky enough like Branson to have a millionaire relative who financed his early failures.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29786836
Hearts go for the "Living Wage"
Scottish football club Hearts are introducing a living wage at the club. This will affect staff employed on a part-time and contract basis.
Hearts owner Ann Budge told the Edinburgh club's website: "We believe it is entirely in keeping with the values we hold dear as a club."
The living wage is updated annually and calculated according to the cost of living in the UK.
As of October 2014 the living wage is £7.65 an hour, while the minimum wage for over-21s is £6.50.
Friday, 24 October 2014
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
Major brands to slash their TV advertising budgets
Apple, Pepsi and McDonald’s are among the major companies who are cutting their TV advertising budgets as they now recognise the increasing value of social media and online advertising. This also comes hot on the heels of Kraft who have seen a big deal with Google gain valuable returns.
However, the daddy of them all, Coca Cola, is not mentioned. And as we know, Coca Cola’s distribution and advertising methods are second to none.
http://www.businessinsider.com/omnicom-tells-advertisers-to-shift-tv-spend-to-online-video-2014-10
Monday, 6 October 2014
Thursday, 2 October 2014
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