Learning from the Olympics of Vancouver July 31, 2011 LEARNING from the past is the path to progress and so Vancouver’s experience of hosting the Winter Olympics in 2010 has a lot to teach us. Despite the inevitable challenges, it was warmly and roundly considered a great success, with most businesses ready and willing to adapt and benefit from the unique opportunities afforded by [...]
Home working doesn’t mean less productivity July 31, 2011 WORKING from home won’t suit every company, but providing greater opportunities to staff to do so can have real business benefits. According to BT, while the Olympic Games provides a timely business case to make the leap to greater flexibility, that decision has the potential to deliver returns that outlast the summer’s sporting triumphs. And [...]
Broadband drives profits at BT up 20pc July 28, 2011 BT yesterday reported a 20 per cent leap in pre-tax profit, sending its shares up more than four per cent. Its revenues continued to fall, with a five per cent decrease to £4.7bn narrowly beating analysts’ forecasts. Its performance was driven by a surge in uptake for its superfast internet services, with 141,000 new customers [...]
ANALYST VIEWS: ARE BT’S PROFITS ENOUGH TO OFFSET ITS FALLING TOP LINE ? July 28, 2011 MORTEN SINGLETON | INVESTEC The cost-cutting story continues to demonstrate further mileage. Total operating costs before specific items down six per cent year on year, highlighting the success of the continued cost efficiency drive. ROBIN BIENENSTOCK | BERNSTEIN BT’s top line declines continue to highlight the weaknesses facing the company, while cost cutting to maintain [...]
CITY MOVES | WHO’S SWITCHING JOBS July 28, 2011 Cisco Systems One of the world’s largest global IT companies has appointed Phil Read as operations director for its finance and professional services business. Read rejoins Cisco after a four-year stint as a sales and marketing director at BT. In his new role, he will be responsible for the sales and engineering teams responsible for [...]
Banking bounce and positive data help FTSE to edge higher July 28, 2011 STRONGER banks helped the FTSE 100 share index edge higher yesterday as investors welcomed upbeat data releases from across the Atlantic, though the overriding mood was one of caution, with only a few days left for the US government and its opponents to reach a deal on its debt and avoid a default. The FTSE [...]
FTSE pegged back as US debt dominates July 28, 2011 The FTSE 100 started on the back foot in early trading as the saga surrounding the US debt crisis continued to pile pressure on world markets. A glut of major corporate results revealed mixed fortunes as giants like BT, Centrica and AstraZeneca reported. With US politicians still tussling over whether to raise the country’s debt [...]
BT profit shored up by cost savings July 28, 2011 BT lifted pre-tax profits by a fifth in its first quarter as efficiency savings offset falling sales. Pre-tax profit was £533m on reduced revenue of £4.76bn for the quarter to end-June, BT said. BT, which competes with Virgin Media and TalkTalk in retail telephony and broadband and also sells wholesale to rivals, added 251,000 broadband [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING July 26, 2011 FINANCIAL TIMES LAW FIRM STOPS WORK ON INQUIRY INTO PHONE HACKING BCL Burton Copeland, the law firm, is no longer advising News International about an investigation into phone hacking. The firm stopped working for NI, which publishes Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspapers, last week, insiders familiar with the situation said, after it was called in at [...]
Art will be flexing its muscles too July 26, 2011 NOT got a ticket to the Olympic Games? Not even interested in sport? Don’t rule yourself out of the Olympic festivities just yet. There will be a prestigious British cultual show too. A lot of effort has been spent on the Cultural Olympiad and it’s going to be available for all to enjoy. Here are [...]