Sterling Performance

Don't Believe Everything You Read Online

Yann Gourvennec — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:37:11 +0000

I’ve been thinking about how bad information can go global thanks to the internet. Morgan Stanley’s July 2009 report, “Media & Internet: How Teenagers Consume Media”, is one of the most striking examples of instant information circulation worldwide. This was the report put together by 15-year-old intern Matthew Robson. In a flash, his insights into how [...]

What's Your Motivation Trigger?

Stuart Woollard — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:58:36 +0000

Motivation is a mix of incentives and HR set-ups. The trick is to know which triggers will deliver the most commitment in your business.

Kraft Bids Low and Plays Long in Cadbury Takeover

Joanna Higgins — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:34:34 +0000

So far, so predictable — Kraft came in with a bid for Cadbury, and Cadbury “emphatically rejected” it, with Cadbury’s chairman calling the offer “derisory”. Kraft will need to sweeten its bid to turn shareholders’ heads. Kraft’s offer today valued the UK chocolate company at £9.8bn or 717p a share, lower than its initial £10.2bn [...]

Bank Break Ups are Bad for Customers

Richard Northedge — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:34:59 +0000

The government's playing Goldilocks when it comes to big business break-ups. Meanwhile, it's the customer that suffers.

Weekend Round-Up

Joanna Higgins — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:58:01 +0000

£165bn loan keeps Lloyds afloat Lloyds Banking is being sustained by £165bn in loans and guarantees from the Bank of England — approaching the £200m of quantitative easing allocated to support the UK economy. This should, says Lloyds, be set against the context of its £1trn balance sheet, but its reliance on state funding is [...]

Who'd Run Britain for That Money?

Richard Northedge — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:33:00 +0000

Once you pay the leader of the government £194,254 for running an enterprise with a turnover of £700bn, any higher reward for a smaller job highlights the disparity in pay.

Don't Sugar Coat It: Are Small Businesses Moaners?

Joanna Higgins — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:49:13 +0000

Lord Sugar accuses small business bosses of being moaners who have no right to complain about the credit crisis. Is he right?

Small Biz: How to Create a Splash for Almost No Cash

Andy Todd — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:34:09 +0000

Targeting your sales messaging to present yourself as an expert and an innovator can be inexpensive and highly effective.

GM's U-Turn: Gutsy or Myopic?

Joanna Higgins — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:21:47 +0000

GM’s decision to hang onto Vauxhall has naturally made the marque’s 5,500 UK workers happy. But has GM made the right decision? Tony Woodley, joint leader of Unite (the union), said there was logic in selling off the two marques and GM’s CEO, Fritz Hendrseon, said GM’s health had improved since the initial negotiations, giving the [...]

uSocial: Eyeballs for Sale

Joanna Higgins — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:45:29 +0000

What to make of uSocial…. It’s already gained notoriety by ’selling’ Twitter followers and Facebook friends. Now it’s offering to help unknown YouTube users raise their profile, too. “Using several of our methods, we can get totally unknown video in front of the eyes of potentially millions of people, which can mean megabucks to anyone who [...]