Rapid Responses August 20, 2012 Universities work [Re: Release our business schools from the dead hand of state regulation, yesterday] Professor Len Shackleton’s proposed “shake-up” of UK higher education is wrong on a number of fronts. For a start, he fails to recognise the success of our world class universities which, despite years of under-investment, continue to deliver for this [...]
Release our business schools from the dead hand of state regulation August 19, 2012 THE UK’s centrally-planned universities could do with a shake-up. One way to do this is to begin the privatisation of higher education in those areas most suitable for it – particularly business education. Higher education has many purposes. But the most important is the preparation of young people to enter the world of work, and [...]
How UK business can match Team GB’s performance August 19, 2012 A WEEK since the Olympics closed, some commentators are already talking post-Games blues. But this is our honeymoon period, our chance to capitalise on a successful fortnight of the UK at its best. We’ve witnessed an amazing journey. An east London wasteland has been transformed – 1.5m cubic metres of contaminated soil was painstakingly cleaned, [...]
The financial sector is vital to unlocking Britain’s potential for growth August 19, 2012 AFTER an incredible couple of weeks for the UK, the first leg of London 2012 has drawn to a close. It has shown the very best of Britain, with athletes from over 200 countries coming to demonstrate their excellence. Team GB excelled, just as Britain excels in business. There’s an old joke that the British [...]
As Facebook’s shares drop to record lows, can the internet firm easily salvage the situation? August 19, 2012 YES Richard Nunn The true valuation of Facebook is not about short-term gains or losses, but a medium-term play about how it monetises its user base of nearly 1bn people. The five tranches of share lock-up expirations will affect its price in the short term, as it will inevitably discourage new investors from buying the [...]
Rapid responses August 19, 2012 Rental promise [Re: Boris needs to be innovative to get the private sector building houses, Friday] Yes, London needs more homes. But it specifically needs more affordable rental homes. With record rents being reported in the capital, it’s only by increasing rental housing stock, and building property specifically designed for long-term rent, that we will [...]
Boris needs to be innovative to get the private sector building houses August 16, 2012 THE Mayor of London owns 530 hectares of land and is the largest public landowner in London. He is responsible, with the London Boroughs, for addressing the needs of the 350,000 Londoners on the housing waiting list, for planning for the future housing needs for the capital, and for a budget of around £3bn to [...]
The Manchester medal factory: Be grateful for this strange cluster of genius August 16, 2012 THE Manchester velodrome is a medal factory. It won as many golds in this summer’s Olympics as the whole of Australia. As well as a cause for national celebration, that’s a problem. Because the truth is, we don’t know enough about why. Genius clusters. Renaissance Florence. Elizabethan London. The Scottish Enlightenment. Extraordinary individual achievements, sporting [...]
Football can teach businesses plenty of useful strategy August 16, 2012 ONCE again, the transfer season for the big five European leagues – in England, Germany, Spain, France and Italy – has seen top players move club for incredible sums. But the evidence shows that not all transfers benefit the buying club. And this not only raises interesting questions for football, but some that can also [...]
After A-level results came out yesterday, is a degree always the best route to success? August 16, 2012 YES Wendy Piatt In tough economic times, a good degree remains a smart investment. Most graduates earn a six-figure premium over those with two A-levels, and Russell Group graduates typically receive a 10 per cent top-up over those from other universities. Our students work with world-class experts, use first-rate facilities, are part of a highly [...]