How founders can become good chief executives August 18, 2016 Plenty of founders find themselves sidelined, or removed entirely, in favour of leaders considered more capable. Steve Jobs, famously deposed at Apple, managed to return and engineer a remarkable turnaround at the company. Most don’t get that opportunity, and none should rely on receiving it. So how do successful founders adapt to their evolving roles? And [...]
Target cuts its profit forecast as sales for electrical goods falter August 17, 2016 Retail group Target cut its profit outlook yesterday after its quarterly sales fell by more than expected. The sales drop was due to a weakened demand for electronics and a disappointing performance for its grocery business. The company said like-for-like sales in the second half of the year would be between flat and minus two [...]
Driverless cars, artificial intelligence and blockchain: Meet the Gartner Hype Cycle of 2016 August 16, 2016 Driverless car technology is careering towards the trough of disillusionment after hitting the peak of hype, according to Gartner analysts monitoring the progression of the world's emerging technology trends. The firm's annual Hype Cycle tracks where trends such as virtual reality, robotics, personal voice assistants and, of course, driverless cars, are in their journey from talked-about technology to [...]
Pressure mounts on government to scrap sugar tax as businesses and industry groups join forces in Face the Facts, Can the Tax campaign August 16, 2016 Soft drinks producers, off licences, pubs and sugar businesses have launched a new campaign to ramp up calls for the government to scrap its soft drinks levy. The sugar tax, which was first announced in the March Budget, will be applied to drinks containing more than five grams of sugar per 100ml from April 2018. The [...]
China gives green light to latest stock market tie-up August 16, 2016 Investors will soon be able to tap in to China's fledgling tech sector with the latest flagship international stock-market tie up set to be launched later this year. The Chinese premier signalled today the long-awaited Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect had been given the green light by the country's state council, meaning international investors will be able [...]
Apple is increasing its investment in China August 16, 2016 Apple is planning to increase its investment in China and will build its first ever research and development facility in the country, the tech company has revealed. Boss Tim Cook is visiting the country and commented on the plans during a meeting with China's vice premier Zhang Gaoli, according to China's official state broadcaster. "We look [...]
Four of the best: Investment opportunities from around the globe August 16, 2016 Markets have been turbulent this year and much talk has focused on potential risks. A smattering of uncertainties to consider include the ramifications of the Brexit vote and whether the UK will enter recession. Nor does anyone know how extraordinary monetary policy in Europe will pan out, or the ultimate impact there’ll be from the trillions [...]
Twitter cracks $20 for first time since March August 15, 2016 Twitter's stock has cracked the $20 mark for the first time in months and for only the second time since January, after opening as much as four per cent higher on Monday morning trading in New York. The beleaguered social network was likely buoyed by reports that it is in the midst of negotiating an ambitious deal [...]
How Edinburgh-based firm Krotos gave Avengers: Age of Ultron a monster August 14, 2016 An Edinburgh-based audio software specialist is attracting increasing interest from film, TV and game studios thanks to its innovative vocal processor software. Krotos has developed audio software that is now being used by Hollywood film and game studios. The company’s software – Dehumaniser – is a vocal processor which allows the production of high quality [...]
Business and entrepreneurs pile pressure on Sadiq over Uber red tape August 14, 2016 Business groups and entrepreneurs have piled the pressure on the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, warning that new rules clamping down on Uber will stifle innovation in the capital and its multi-billion pound digital economy as he attempts brand the city "open for business". New rules have drawn the ire of business groups and tech entrepreneurs, who labelled them a backwards step that threatened the [...]