Business and Economics

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The news that Tesco's chief executive Philip Clarke is to leave the retailer in October, has given the business a chance to return to its roots, says a leading academic. The UK supermarket giant said it would miss profit forecasts, leading to the change at the top of the business. He will be replaced by Dave Lewis of Unilever, even though Clarke has insisted he was "not going anywhere.” Mr Clarke, has led the firm...

By Elsa Buchanan After a decade of anti-Western discourses, the world’s emerging economies have finally launched a pair of financial institutions they hope will challenge their pet hates, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Built on shared complaints and challenges, the new ‘mini IMF and World Bank’ has been billed as a historic challenge to the global financial order that has been dominated by the US and Western Europe since the 1944 inception of the IMF. But are...

  By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor A senior academic has shown his approval of the CMA’s decision to investigate High Street banks over a lack of competition. The big four High Street banks, which provide 77 per cent of current accounts and 85 per cent of business lending, may ultimately be forced to divest businesses and allow new competitors. Dr Steve McCabe, economist, lecturer and active researcher from Birmingham City University’s Business School, said: “Learning that the Competition and Markets...

  By Simon Middleton of Watershed Entrepreneurs Ask any entrepreneur and they most likely will point to the UK as one of the most entrepreneurially friendly environments in the world. Yet if we look more closely at the figures it is evident that the UK entrepreneurial landscape still needs to be sustainably leveraged. The US alone has seen 900 000 new businesses registered in 2012 against the UK’s 450 000, according to the Young Report in 2012. Scratch the surface and you...

By Stephen Angus Peter Junor It is well-known that China has invested heavily in Africa for some years now and it is no coincidence that Africa is beginning to record increasing levels of growth. The World Bank estimated 2013 growth at 4.7 per cent with growth this year set to be around 5.2 per cent, supported by strong foreign investment primarily from China. The recently announced New Development Bank (NDB), founded by BRICS will further increase the influence of China on...

  By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor Print and mailing specialists, CFH Docmail, recently announced energy savings of 20% at its main facilities in Radstock, Somerset, and is now busy rolling-out the most energy efficient postal service in the UK. Through Velopost – a local bicycle mail collection and delivery service – CFH Docmail has achieved the UK’s first carbon-neutral postal service, operating in three cities currently, with further expansion planned. The journey to energy-saving has been a long one, but...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor In the UK we may live in a more multi-cultural society but according to one academic a “little Englander mentality” still exists, harming the British economy. Dr Steve McCabe, Business expert at Birmingham City University made the statement following calls from MPs to improve the teaching of modern languages. An All-Party Parliamentary Group on modern languages wants to see a "national recovery programme" to improve language skills. They urged all parties to make an election...

By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor The King's Cross project is the largest area of urban redevelopment in Europe and it will include the largest new street in London since Kingsway in 1904; the largest public square since Trafalgar Square in 1845. An increase in tenant demand, from both creative companies and large corporations, has seen a recent explosion in the number of business centres in Kings Cross. With 10 serviced offices having recently opened, Instant - who deliver innovative workspace...

  By Robin Murray Brown of London-based executive search firm, Tyzack - www.tyzackpartners.com Whilst the digital era provides substantial opportunities for corporate growth and expansion, it also brings unprecedented challenges in relation to company security, and particularly the security of customer, supplier and proprietary data. It has been suggested that victims of cybercrime lose around £245 billion each year worldwide, making it more profitable than the global trade in marijuana, cocaine and heroin combined.Little wonder then that the cyber threat...