The death of printed books?

I am not a fan of the Kindle. Yes I can see how beneficial it is, if for example you are travelling and need a few books to keep you going. However, I like the physical aspects of having a book. I can bend the pages and make notes or put post-it notes on interesting bits. I even like the smell of second hand books. Does that make me weird?

However, on the BBC Business News website there is this article here:

“Sales of printed books fell by almost £74m in the UK last year, according to data from Nielsen BookScan. In total, readers spent £1.514bn on physical books in 2012, down 4.6% from 2011.

The rate of decline slowed slightly, principally because of EL James' Fifty Shades trilogy, which accounted for one in every 20 books bought last year. E-books continued to be popular, accounting for 13-14% of book sales.”

So in the near future will everyone be going to an eReader? If so I will mourn the paper copy. It may well save the trees though and that may end up being a selling point. But generations of children will not have the same experiences as we did when thumbing through a book we loved.

Mind you a Kindle or eReader may help cure me of my silly habit of going to the last few pages of a book if it is fiction, and reading the ending first. I  have lost count of how many times I have done that.

Business News

Here’s today’s summary of recent Business news which students may find interesting. I do have to find another word for interesting, I must say it a million times!

VIRGIN FRANCE BANKRUPT

Virgin France is to declare itself insolvent, the latest music chain to fail against a backdrop of consumers shifting to buying digital music.

The firm - not affiliated with Richard Branson's Virgin Group - has 25 stores in France, including a flagship outlet on the Champs Elysees in Paris.

It has already taken steps to terminate the lease on the Paris store and will hold a meeting with unions on Monday, a spokesman said. Virgin France employs 1,000 people.

The firm is currently owned by French investment firm Butler Capital. Butler bought 80% of Virgin in 2007 from French media company Lagardere, which had purchased the chain from Mr Branson's Virgin in 2001.

ICELAND GRANT OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION

Iceland has awarded two licences for oil and gas exploration and production in the waters off the north east coast of the Atlantic island.

The licences have gone to Faroe Petroleum and Valiant Petroleum, with Norway taking a 25% stake in both through state-owned oil firm Petoro. Experts have predicted the Arctic could be the next major oil-producing region.

Iceland is hoping it will be able to generate much-needed revenues from any discoveries of oil and gas.

US CAR SALES HIT 5 YEAR HIGH

US car sales rose 13.4% in 2012, making it the best year for the industry since 2007, industry figures have shown.

General Motors sold the most number of cars and light trucks, 2.5 million for the year. Total sales across the industry came in at 14.5 million.

Japanese car companies recovered from supply chain disruption in 2011 taking more market share.

Higher US sales in 2012 were driven by the recovering economy and increased availability of credit.

GERMANY RETAIL SALES UP

Retail sales in Germany rose as much as 2.1% last year as Europe's largest economy took the eurozone debt crisis in its stride, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

But stripping out inflation, turnover at retail stores fell between 0.1% and 0.3% from 2011, Destatis said. November retail sales also gained from a year earlier, it added.

Germany has mainly escaped the worst effects of the crisis that has threatened to unravel the bloc. Figures this week also showed the jobless rate was unchanged at 6.9% last month - with the total jobless at about 2.8 million.

Source: BBC Business News

Business Quotes

“The world is a chain, one link in another”

<![if !supportLists]>-        <![endif]>Maltese Proverb

The end for plastic bags?

Mali is one of two African nations who plan to ban the dear old plastic bag, which is an environmentalists nightmare.

Landfill sites around the world are full of the dreaded terror, but can we shop without them? What will replace them?

Click here to read the article: http://www.france24.com/en/node/5381648

Oldest Swiss bank to close in US tax evasion case

From France 24:

- Oldest Swiss bank to close in US tax evasion case

Click here to read the article: http://www.france24.com/en/node/5381750

Beijing Subway to expand again

China's capital city's underground system has seen unprecedented construction in recent years, greatly easing traffic congestion.

Including a new line and extensions to lines, the city boasts a network of 15 lines, covering 11 districts, with 221 stations and 442 km of track.

The Beijing Subway is the busiest on mainland China.

It is estimated the total operational length of the Beijing system will reach 1,050 km by the end of 2020, with 30 lines and some 450 stations, according to the Beijing government.

In the meantime, I'm still wondering what has happened to the 3D Express Coach!

Source: China Daily Times

Business Facts

In WW2, the U.S. Government commissioned Milton Hershey to create a chocolate bar for GI rations. 

The bar chosen was the Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar.

What is a USP?

A USP is often talked about in Business and in Marketing. It stands for Unique Selling Proposition though it is often now just called a Unique Selling Point. It means some feature or element of the product or service that gives you a competitive advantage over rivals.

Often a USP will be patented or copyrighted to ensure the product is not imitated. Let’s be honest, imitations will spring up, but if you have a well protected USP it will help you build your brand and allow you to charge premium prices and create brand loyalty.

When trying to think of products or services which have what I would call ‘classic’ USPs it is actually difficult! However, one such product that does have a USP and has become a runaway success and overnight a household name (literally) was Dyson and his bag-less vacuum cleaners. This was a game changer so to speak and really thrust Dyson into the major league of product successes.

Herzberg's Theory of Motivation

Frederick Herzberg believed that there were two categories of things that lead to either satisfaction or dissatisfaction at work.

He called them Motivators and Hygiene Factors.

Motivator Factors consisted of:

Achievement

Recognition

Responsibility

Personal Growth

Career Advancement

Whereas

Hygiene Factors consisted of:

Supervision

Work relationships

Salary

Work/life balance

Status

Security

It is an interesting theory, one with lots of merit due to the fact that we do not just work for money. There are sometimes other issues that will affect how we act and behave at work. Of course, money may be the biggest factor, but I’d like to think people try and find a job they like, though in times of recession any job is valuable.

I know of friends who have went abroad to the Middle East and worked there just for the tax free breaks it gives and it is not all plain sailing. On the other hand I know of people who have low salary jobs or who are part-time, but love their job. Your job is something you are going to spend a great deal of time in during your life, so it is a huge bonus or win/win as the Americans say, if you can enjoy it.

Box Office Gross of James Cameron

For those of you interested in the box office of movies, here is a presentation that looks at the movies of James Cameron and the gross his movies have accumulated.

http://www.slideshare.net/Marcus9000/show-business-films-of-james-cameron

Business Facts

Every year 13 people die from Vending Machine accidents!

US guru gives Scots Computing education the thumbs up

Praise for Scottish education's approach to Computing, which is always welcome.

http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6309539#.UOX6GCA9hmI.mailto

Great Business Blogs

Here are some other business blogs which you may find pretty useful and of interest.

Harvard Editor's Blog
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/hbr/

Management writers from Businessweek
http://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/

Women in Business
http://www.womenonbusiness.com/

The Responsible Marketing Blog
http://responsiblemarketing.com/blog/?page_id=73

General Motors in crisis

Motor giant General Motors, which received a US Government bailout are apparently faced with a lawsuit which could bankrupt them.

Here is the full article:

mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSBRE9020OG20130103?irpc=932 

Tolkien Family and The Lord of the Rings

With The Hobbit doing well at the Box Office, I found this interesting article on the Tolkien family and how they perhaps didn't make the millions people assume from the Lord of the Rings movies.

www.omg-facts.com/Other/Why-did-the-Tolkien-family-feel-ripped-o/55096?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter&utm_content=first

Future Transport

This is a presentation on Futuristic Transport which I hope you will find interesting:

http://www.slideshare.net/Marcus9000/futuristic-transport

China and her High Speed Rail vision for 2020

This is a presentation for those interested in China and her bullet train plan for 2020.

http://www.slideshare.net/Marcus9000/chinas-bullet-train-vision

Business Facts

Nestle Crunch was introduced in 1938.

It was the first chocolate bar to combine milk chocolate and crunchy crisps to create a sensory eating experience that blended taste, texture and sound.

Boeing v Airbus: The Next Generation of Airliners

For those interested in aviation and in particular Airbus and Boeing, here is a presentation on the next generation of airliners:

http://www.slideshare.net/Marcus9000/boeing-vs-airbus-the-next-generation-of-airliners

Real life James Bond 007 Gadgets

Great article on James Bond gadgets that have since come into reality.

http://gizmodo.com/5966242/10-james-bond-gadgets-that-actually-existand-one-that-needs-to

However, I still yearn for this one:

The Lotus Esprit that goes underwater!

Starbucks to sell recycled $1 cup

Starbucks, the Seattle coffee firm, will start selling the plastic cups, bearing its logo and resembling the paper version, at all its company-owned stores in the USA and Canada in a bid to get customers to kick their throwaway habit. It will give a dime discount for each refill so the cup pays for itself after 10 uses.

The $1 tumbler is the latest effort to address criticism that food and beverage retailers need to reduce the amount of disposable cups and containers that ends up in landfills or litters streets and waterways.

However some retailers have cited concerns that reusing cups could cause cross-contamination of germs.

Source: USA Today

John Logie Baird Digital Media Academy

Here’s a story close to home and one that will hopefully be backed by investors and the government.

A £2m fundraising campaign has been launched to establish a digital media academy in the hometown of television pioneer John Logie Baird. Backers of the Heroes Centre in Helensburgh believe it will help a new generation of Scots learn new media and production skills.

They plan to base the academy in a converted Victorian warehouse in the town's George Street. The building will also house a cinema, diner and a Helensburgh "wall of fame".

The three storey wall of fame showcasing memorabilia from inspirational men and women who have come from the town.

Helensburgh Heroes - the charity behind the proposals - said the academy would operate throughout the year, providing a fully-functioning digital education facility, which would nurture content creators of all ages and equip them with the new media skills required for online broadcast and video.

This is a good example of a tie in between a regeneration idea and also some clever branding, since John Logie Baird was born in the small town of Helensburgh. I do think sometimes Scotland in particular doesn’t make enough of all of her incredible pioneers and inventors.

Source: BBC Business News

Technology News from around the web

Here are some links to interesting articles to do with the latest in Technology news.

More on Google’s Project Glass

http://www.techspot.com/news/51208-google-still-narrowing-down-project-glass-features.html

Waze makes better maps than Apple

http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2013/01/03/how-waze-cleverly-uses-drivers-to-make-better-maps-than-apples/?utm_campaign=forbestwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Wikipedia’s Top Searches of 2012

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20858333

Business News

Here’s a summary of Business News today.

UK SHOULD HAVE LOCAL BUSINESS DAY

The UK should emulate the US idea of having a day dedicated to encouraging people to shop at small, local shops, Labour's Chuka Umunna has said. The shadow business secretary has asked American Express - which sponsors the US initiative - to see if they could bring the idea to the UK this year.

He has suggested 7 December as the first "Small Business Saturday".

The Department for Communities and Local Government said it was an idea which would be considered. In the US the idea of a day to promote local traders began in 2010 and traditionally follows Thanksgiving.

STARBUCKS TO OPEN SHOP IN VIETNAM

Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee-shop company, is set to open its first store in Vietnam next month as it continues expanding in Asia. The cafe will be in Ho Chi Minh City, the company said in a statement, with partner Hong Kong's Maxim Group.

Starbucks has seen growth stagnate in the US prompting it to open thousands of stores in China and Asia Pacific. Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer in the world behind Brazil. Starbucks has been reorganising its business to focus on the Asia Pacific region, the biggest growth market for the company.

SONY STOPS PRODUCTION OF PS2

Sony has ended Japanese production of its best-selling PlayStation 2 (PS2). The hardware first went on sale in March 2000 in Japan and since then more than 150 million PS2 consoles have been sold.

The PS2 was so popular that it outsold its replacement for the first three years that the PlayStation 3 was available. By ending production, Sony has fuelled rumours it is putting manufacturing resources towards the PlayStation 4.

Source: BBC Business News

The Boston Box - Higher Business Management

One of the concepts that confuses many students is the Boston Box or the Product Portfolio or even the Boston Matrix.

As you can see what we have is 4 categories of products by market growth and market share. This is used for companies with a large portfolio of products or a wide product range.

Companies will look to see where their products would fit into these categories and then decide what to do next? Should they invest or divest?

Stars

These are products with high market share and growth. These products will be invested in more until they can hopefully turn into cash cows (which need little maintenance or tinkering). At this point though there will be a lot of investment in the product, so a positive return in terms of profit may not yet be reached.

Question Marks (also sometimes called Problem Childs)

These products have high growth but still low market share. They are unpredictable and perhaps a bit of a gamble. It is likely there will be lots of competitors in these markets, so is it worth developing the potential of these Question Marks? Ultimately some will be developed and invested in, while others will be left to die or even withdrawn. Hopefully some question marks may become stars or cash cows with the right investment and development.

Dogs

An easy decision for managers here. Low growth and low market share mean these products have to be withdrawn or discontinued and reinvest the money into something with more potential.

Cash Cows

These products have high market share but low growth. They are in a mature or saturated market. Cash Cows raise a lot of revenue for the company, often with little maintenance. They do still need to have some investment, in terms of advertising and still will need to be managed, but not to the same extent as some of the others. Money raised from cash cows will be reinvested into working out whether question marks can be turned into stars. Some stars may benefit from revenues raised from cash cows too. Sadly, if neglected, some cash cows may end up being dogs and reach the end of their product life.

The Boston Box model is simplistic and is only used to give managers an idea of where their products are in terms of growth and market share.

The World's Major Theme Park Brands

There are two things to look at when we look at the world’s major theme parks. The first is that the vast majority are all based in the USA.

However the second is that they are planning the majority of their new theme parks in Asia, which makes sense due to the vast number of porential customers and also the rise in the standard of living in these nations.

It is interesting that South America still doesn’t have a major theme park from one of these 4 main players.... yet. I am sure it won’t be long before Brazil will get one.

Disney	Universal	Six Flags	Sea World
Disneyland, Hollywood, USA Disney California Adventure Park, Hollywood, USA Magic Kingdom, Orlando, USA Epcot, Orlando, USA Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Orlando, USA Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Orlando, USA Disney’s Blizzard Beach, Orlando, USA Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon, Orlando, USA Tokyo Disneyland, Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, Disney Sea, Tokyo, Japan Eurodisney Disneyland Park, Paris, France Eurodisney Walt Disney Studios Park, Paris, France Hong Kong Disneyland	Universal Studios, Hollywood, USA City Walk, Hollywood, USA Universal Studios, Orlando, USA City Walk, Orlando, USA Islands of Adventure, Orlando, USA Wet ‘n’ Wild, Orlando, USA Universal Studios, Osaka, Japan City Walk, Osaka, Japan Universal Studios, Sentosa, Singapore	La Ronde, Montreal, Canada Great Escape, Queensbury, New York, USA Six Flags America, Mitchellville, Maryland, USA Six Flags, Discovery Kingdom, Velljo, California, USA Six Flags Fiesta, San Antonio, Texas, USA Six Flags Great Adventure, Jackson, New Jersey, USA Six Flags Great America, Gurnee, Illinois, USA Six Flags Magic Mountain, Valencia, California, USA Six Flags Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico Six Flags New England, Agawam, Massachusetts, USA Six Flags Over Georgia, Austell, Georgia, USA Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas, USA Six Flags St Louis, Eureka, Missouri, USA	SeaWorld, San Diego, USA SeaWorld, San Antonio, USA SeaWorld, Orlando, USA
Planned Disney	Planned Universal	Planned Six Flags	Planned Sea World
Shanghai Disneyland, Shanghai, China	Hwaseong, South Korea Dubai, UAE Beijing, China Moscow, Russia India Manila, Philippines		SeaWorld, Dubai, UAE

New OLED TV arrives

A new technology development early in 2013! LG has launched a 55in (140cm) OLED TV – means organic light-emitting diode - is more energy efficient than LCD (liquid crystal display) and plasma-based alternatives. LG and Samsung are both planning on 55in OLED TVs, but LG has beaten their rival to the starting blocks.

This will no doubt begin massive competition between rival TV set makers to take us to the next level of high quality vision.

LG's OLED model will be sold firstly in South Korea and then to be rolled out across the globe, if successful.

The Real Birdseye

Every year the subject of innovative products crops up and I always remember the name Birdseye. Pupils do not believe that Clarence Birdseye was a real man! They invariably think it is a joke name in the realms of Ronald MacDonald!

Mr Birdseye

Well, I can assure you Clarence Francis Birdseye II was born in New York in 1886. He got a job working for the US State Agriculture Department and he was posted to Labrador. There he saw the local Inuit people would catch fish and then make it keep for much longer than normal by freezing it in thick ice. He was taught this trick by the Inuits and to his surprise he also found that when the fish was thawed it still tasted fresh! The trick was that the ice was freezing the fish at 40°C, whereas the contemporary methods of freezing food at that time circa 1915 was at higher temperatures and this meant the food froze slower and when thawed they did not taste as fresh.

Inuit Children in freezing temperatures

Birdseye spotted an opportunity and started his own company called Birdseye Seafoods Inc. To his surprise his company went bust in 1924! No-one seemed to want his frozen food. However, he had had an another idea. He would store his fish in cartons which he patented the process. His new company was called General Seafood Corporation, and this new idea took off. In 1929 Birdseye sold his firm to Goldman Sachs for $22 million. This company eventually became General Foods and the people behind what we now know as the Birds Eye Frozen Food company.

The legendary Fish Fingers

Business Facts

The world’s first fully flat bed in business class was introduced by British Airways in 2000.

Busines Quotes

"Early to bed and early to rise, Make a man healthy wealthy and wise"

<![if !supportLists]>-        <![endif]>Benjamin Franklin