Wisdom of the crowd? Here are six reasons crowdsourcing is riskier than you think September 3, 2015 An old concept, given new life by instant communication via the internet, crowdsourcing is being used in business in more and more diverse ways. The term itself was coined in a 2006 article by Jeff Howe for Wired magazine, and refers to the process of obtaining services, content or ideas from a large group [...]
HSBC opts for most boring name change imaginable September 3, 2015 Earth-shaking news from the banking sector this morning, after HSBC unveiled the name of its ring-fenced UK bank: HSBC UK. Try to contain your excitement. It had been speculated that the bank was toying with the name "Midland", the chain it acquired in the early 1990s. But in a statement this morning, HSBC said that [...]
IPPR: Investing in the North of England could lead to Victorian-style growth – but without it, it will be “condemned to mediocrity” September 3, 2015 The economy of the North of England could grow at a scale "not seen since the Victorian era of municipal development", a new report has suggested – but without the investment it needs, the region will be "condemned to mediocrity". The report, by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) North, showed the "massive potential" [...]
Barclays share price rises as it confirms sale of Portuguese assets September 3, 2015 Barclays confirmed this morning it will sell its Portuguese non-core assets – including its retail banking, wealth and investment businesses, as well as the small business arm of its corporate banking business – to Bankinter. It will also sell its insurance business in the country to Bankinter's insurance subsidiary, which operates a joint venture with [...]
Rebekah Brooks confirmed as News UK chief executive as former Telegraph editor Tony Gallagher is appointed as Sun editor September 3, 2015 News UK, the UK newspaper arm of Rupert Murdoch's publishing giant News Corp, has confirmed it's appointed Rebekah Brooks as its chief executive. Brooks left the company under a cloud four years ago at the height of the phone hacking scandal, but was cleared of all charges last year. Read more: One chart showing every company [...]
The number of workers on zero-hours contracts increases 20 per cent in a year September 2, 2015 The number of people on zero-hours contracts as their main job has increased by almost 20 per cent in the past year, from 624,000 to 744,000, official figures published this morning suggested. The figure equates to about 2.4 per cent of all people in employment, up from two per cent this time last year. Women [...]
From average salary and a monthly travelcard to a meal for two: Here’s what it’s like to work in global financial centres London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore and Tokyo September 2, 2015 London may be oft-cited as the world's top financial centre – but how what's it actually like to work in? And how does it compare with rival finance sectors? We've looked at the basic costs of city (or City) life – from the price of a monthly train ticket to rent; from the price of [...]
Walkie Talkie awarded annual Carbuncle Cup as judges declare it the UK’s ugliest building September 2, 2015 It's divided opinion since its plans were first unveiled – but now judges of the Carbuncle Cup, the annual award for Britain's least aesthetically-pleasing constructions, have declared the Walkie Talkie to be the UK's ugliest building. It had stiff competition, mind: the Rafael Vinoly-designed building, developed by Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group, was up [...]
UK manufacturing PMI falls in August as strong pound and uncertainty in China take their toll September 1, 2015 Manufacturing activity in the UK dipped unexpectedly last month, figures published today showed – suggesting uncertainty about China may have spread. Markit's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the sector fell to 51.1 in August, down from 51.9 in July – and considerably below the 52 expected. Any figure above 50 denotes a contraction in the [...]
Not so grim oop north: Higher Whitley, Southampton and Brentwood are the best places to raise a family – while Bollington, Mapperley and Packington are the best places to start one September 1, 2015 Thinking about starting a family and hoping to get out of the Big Smoke? Head north – to Bollington in Cheshire, to be precise, which has just been named the UK's best place to start a family. The Family Friendliness Index, by PropertyDetective.com, is based on quality and availability of schools, nurseries and childcare providers; NCT [...]
