Just-in-time is on the rocks but not sunk yet June 13, 2011 DURING Japan’s rise, its companies developed the just-in-time method of manufacturing, allowing greater efficiency of production. Following the devastating Tohoku earthquake earlier this year, manufacturers across the world – including Toyota, which pioneered the just-in-time production system – suffered, and continue to suffer, from disruption to their global supply chains. Many companies have bounced back [...]
PROTECTION OF SUPPLY CHAINS GUARDS PROFIT June 13, 2011 AS MOST companies are seeking to reduce costs and improve working capital management, while at the same time relying increasingly on their suppliers, the most successful supply chains are dependent on efficient risk management. This reliance on suppliers is likely to involve a combination of some of the following aspects: global sourcing; single sourcing; partnership [...]
FTSE starts on back foot heading into inflation data June 12, 2011 EUROPE’S stock markets are going to struggle this morning against a strong headwind set by the Dow Jones Industrial index on Friday, closing as it did below the psychologically significant 12,000 level. GFT quotes two-way prices on stock indices around the clock, even when the underlying markets are closed, but this morning’s open is looking [...]
WALL STREET WEEK AHEAD June 12, 2011 DON’T be surprised if Wall Street racks up a seventh consecutive week of losses as the likelihood of more poor economic data and other disconcerting signals outweigh any thoughts that stocks are cheap. After closing at its highest level in nearly three years on April 29, the S&P 500 has tumbled nearly 7 per cent [...]
Trading like a robot: looking at spread betting algorithms June 12, 2011 WHEN spread betting, there is always the temptation to break your own rules. Traders often shift stop losses based on the gut feeling that they’re going to see a reversal and recoup their losses, or wait longer than planned before taking profit, wanting to make as much as they can, convinced that the movement still [...]
THE WEEK AHEAD in association with GFT June 12, 2011 COMPANIES ● Today, the recently listed Glencore will release its first quarter trading statement to 31 March. On the same day, Majestic Wine and Advanced Computer Software will announce for the year. ● Carphone Warehouse and Oxford Instruments will announce on Tuesday. The latter was the first commercial spin-out company from Oxford University. Investors will [...]
THE TIPSTER June 12, 2011 SAINSBURY is due to report its quarterly figures this week. The share price of the supermarket has had a torrid start to the month. Despite the fall in share price, expectations for the results are good, due to the hot bank holidays and the royal wedding. Interestingly enough, it is now also the seventh largest [...]
Leading the way to a digital Holy Grail June 12, 2011 WE USED to work in media buying so we know what makes media owners tick,” Henry Rowe tells me. He and his business partner Dominic Finney got the idea for their business, FaR Partners, when they realised that they had the killer combo of media buying know-how and tech savvy. It has been a roaring [...]
Hear it straight from the financier’s mouth June 12, 2011 ILOOK for people with enthusiasm, drive and a willingness to listen when I consider a company for investment. Lengthy business plans don’t really do it for me,” says Paul Turner, the chief executive of Seventeen Group and an early stage investor in companies like Julie Meyer’s Ariadne Capital. “I like meeting and connecting with people [...]
The stress test: why great leaders find opportunities even in a crisis June 12, 2011 TO LEAD in today’s environment, you must go beyond tolerating stress and fear to actually using them as a motivator and tool to enhance your focus and your people’s focus. Even though it can render intelligent people incapable of complex thought, adrenaline is one of the most useful tools in the human arsenal, and in [...]