PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR July 29, 2012 TODAY we kick off the countdown to the City A.M. Awards with the first of the shortlists – for Personality of the Year. Our awards, now in their third year, have established themselves as a key part of the business calendar, celebrating all of the City’s main sectors and the people that make sure London [...]
UK firms face productivity crisis as we drop further behind our rivals July 29, 2012 RECENT UK economic statistics present a conundrum. While the country is experiencing the longest double-dip recession for more than 50 years, private sector employment is rising. What other factors are at play? Our latest research into global employee trends suggests that productivity is an underlying issue. Employers are struggling to get the most of their [...]
The Olympics has made East London a hub for investors July 29, 2012 I AM lucky enough to have spent the last decade immersed in the east of London. Home of the 2012 Olympics, this is the area I believe will be the next addition to London’s core market, bringing huge opportunities for investors. Will London succeed where (some) others have failed, by delivering an Olympic Games where [...]
Banks have to recognise that even unfair criticism must be acknowledged July 29, 2012 THE OLYMPICS is a welcome respite for the banking industry after weeks in the media spotlight. Finance, and the City generally, has suffered a serious blow to its reputation. A period for some reflection should be welcomed. The British banking industry is being judged harshly by comparison with other industries and other countries. Certainly, the [...]
After Facebook reported a $157m (£99m) loss last quarter, should investors be concerned? July 29, 2012 YES Aaron Padgham Excluding staff share payments, Facebook made a second quarter profit of $295m (£187.7m), 22.9 per cent ahead of the comparable period last year. Revenue, however, rose by 32 per cent to $1.18bn, Facebook’s slowest growth rate seen since its inception. These aren’t the kind of figures one expects from a company trading [...]
RAPID responses July 29, 2012 Olympic reversal [Re: Even sceptics must now embrace the greatest show on earth, Friday] Like many Londoners, I felt massively unexcited about the Olympics. Compared to the Diamond Jubilee, it felt over-organised, dominated by large corporations, and disconnected from the ordinary tempo of the nation. But in the last few days my feelings have reversed. [...]
All hail this techie who is a boost to black cabs July 29, 2012 FOR anyone who has waited on the pavement, praying that the next car to turn the corner is a black cab, Hailo could prove a godsend. Founded in 2010, Jay Bregman’s business lets you hail a black cab through your mobile phone. The app is free to download and the service is free to the [...]
A snapshot view: The right time to say goodbye to a business July 29, 2012 ON HOLIDAY in India in 1995, I was very popular with the locals. Before flying from London, I had splashed out about £1,000 for one of the first digital cameras for the consumer market. Nowadays it would seem Stone Age. But back then it was a sensation whenever I used it. Locals jostled to get [...]
Tip-top resources worth exploiting July 29, 2012 WITH the Olympics in full flow, the government is determined to drum up business from our foreign guests. After all, trade is what the wealth of nations is built upon. For its part, StartUp Britain has a free event on 6 August in City Hall on how start-ups and small businesses can explore overseas opportunities. [...]
Lake Como’s new luxury retreat July 29, 2012 LAKE COMO is not the sort of place you’d imagine having any shortage of luxury. For all that, Casta Diva is supposedly the first luxury hotel to be built there in 100 years. Originally an 18th century villa belonging to the legendary soprano Guiditta Pasta, the hotel has been expanded beyond the singer’s (heavily and [...]
