Late payments: Public sector outsourcers fail to pay cash-strapped suppliers for six weeks January 14, 2019 The government’s most frequently-used outsourcers took more than six weeks on average to pay their suppliers in 2017, 11 per cent longer than two years earlier, data published today reveals. Many of these suppliers are small businesses operating with a limited cash cushion, meaning late-paying clients could easily wipe out their short term liquidity or [...]
Off road: Is the car industry in reverse? January 14, 2019 The automotive industry faces recession and decline. Driverless cars are on the horizon, but has the moment for motors already passed? The first Model T Ford rolled off the production line in 1908. Available in “any colour… so long as it is black”, in the words of magnate Henry Ford, the car marked a breakthrough [...]
Ford plans to cut 1,000 jobs at Welsh factory January 12, 2019 Car manufacturer Ford is planning to cut 370 jobs at an engine plant in south Wales in the first phase of redundancies that will see up to 1,000 members of staff lose their jobs. It comes as Ford looks to revise its European operations having announced plans this week to cut structural costs and let [...]
Ford cost-cutting drive expected to hit thousands of jobs in UK and Europe January 10, 2019 Ford has announced cost-reduction plans which are expected to lead to thousands of job losses in the UK and Europe. The car maker, which has 54,000 employees in Europe and 13,000 in the UK, is reviewing its operations across the continent in a major shake-up of its business. The company hopes to save around $14bn [...]
In 2019, marketing needs to take a leaf out of its own book January 7, 2019 This year is going to be a pivotal one for the UK whichever way that you look at it. Yes, we have Brexit on the horizon, but even with that aside, 2019 is set to be another massive year of change for the UK. On average, people in this country are now online for 24 [...]
Nissan to cut back Chinese car production in opening of 2019 as US-China trade war slows sales December 28, 2018 Nissan has cut back its Chinese production plans for the first months of 2019, amid falling demand in the world’s biggest car market, according to reports. The company has followed Ford and Hyundai in cutting production, reportedly planning to make 30,000 fewer cars in the period to the end of February. China’s trade war with [...]
BP to offload US oil assets in effort to fund BHP acquisition December 19, 2018 BP is planning to raise over $3bn (£2.4bn) by offloading assets in the US as it looks to pay for a deal to buy oil fields from BHP. The sales will help the company fund its $10.5bn acquisition of onshore assets in Texas and Louisiana from BHP, sources told Reuters. BP has in the past said [...]
Jeremy Corbyn accused of calling Theresa May a ‘stupid woman’ at PMQs December 19, 2018 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of calling Theresa May a "stupid woman" during Prime Minister's Questions today, as calls mounted for him to apologise. The Prime Minister was mocking Corbyn during a clash over the government's Brexit deal, at which point he was caught on parliamentary cameras muttering words to himself. Speaker John Bercow was [...]
Confronting the Robots December 13, 2018 Professor Peter Fleming, formerly of Cass Business School, wrote an article for Demos Quarterly which argued that the age of automation is unlikely to lead to a utopian world of play, but doesn't necessarily mean a proliferation of rubbish jobs. You can read the article in full here. Dr Simone Stumpf, Senior Lecturer in the Department of [...]
No confidence: This is how Tory MPs plan to vote in tonight’s crucial contest over Theresa May’s future as Prime Minister December 12, 2018 The number of MPs who have declared themselves either in support of or against the leadership of Prime Minister Theresa May is growing. Here's who has said what so far. A vote of no confidence was triggered this morning, after more than 48 MPs sent in letters to Sir Graham Brady who controls the process. The [...]