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 [...]
Rapid Responses August 16, 2012 Smokers’ choice [Re: As Australia confirms a law banning branded tobacco packaging, should the UK follow suit?, yesterday] Both contributors focus on whether children are swayed by cigarette packets. But this ignores the fact that this policy is essentially the infantilisation of adults. All adults know the dangers of smoking, yet many choose to do [...]
Raise a glass to students’ success but we need to talk about A-levels August 15, 2012 IT’S A-level results day. Across the country, 18 year olds will be nervously waiting to find out their results, with thousands of university places dependent on the right grades. We shouldn’t hesitate to celebrate these young people for their months of hard work and dedication, as well as praising the teachers who have played such [...]