Business and Economics

By Rachel Wilson Political Reporter The current cuts to the public sector look set to impact on women the hardest. Women make up the majority of public sector workers and cuts to the sector has pushed women’s unemployment up over the past few years. Women make up 65% of the public sector workforce in the UK and the latest figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility estimate that 929,000 jobs will be lost in the public sector by 2018. Over...

By Valentina Magri The decision of the European Council to propose Jean-Claude Juncker as the next President of the European Commission was “one step closer to quitting Europe” for Britain. The move made David Cameron feel very angry. Indeed, the PM has promised a referendum in 2017 over EU membership if the Conservative party win the 2015 general election. Opinion polls show that Brits are split on the issue. But what would be the economic consequences of Brexit? The five economic consequences...

By Gemma Johnson, CEO, MyFamilyClub.co.uk Ah, the famous ‘entrepreneurial spirit’. For me, it’s one of the most exciting spirits an individual can possess. But what is it, exactly? It’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. People with entrepreneurial spirit tend to have irrepressible ambition and desire to succeed. They’re not put off by risks that would scare other people rigid (such as the possibility of losing large amounts of money) because all the risks they take...

By Daniel Le Grange It can really make a difference when your business establishes meaningful relationships and makes ethical decisions. Whatever decisions your business makes will strongly affect it’s standing, whether it be in a negative or positive light.  Nobody wants to be associated with a company that acts unethically. So what can make your business stand out from others? Simply being ethical can really pay off not only to better your company’s reputation but also create new affiliations that drive...

By Stuart Buchanan, Junior Broadcast Executive at 4mediarelations Today (Wednesday 25th July 2014) Ofcom released the findings of their ‘News consumption in the UK report’, which highlights some key issues on the changing face of news access across Great Britain. Most importantly, across all age groups, ‘Internet/Apps’ have stretched just ahead of Radio and Newspapers (41 per cent, compared to 32 per cent in 2013), with only TV (75 per cent) outstripping online new sources, but even this is down from...

By Simon Bartram Setting interest rates is no easy task. It would be wishful thinking to imagine that every economic effect of every economic action can be perfectly predicted. We're dealing with a multitude of different people with different circumstances, personalities and ambitions – evidently not a subject matter that can be easily tested under a microscope and certainly not a topic about which claims can be made with a scientist's precision. Not to mention that we're dealing with a...

By Toby James Last month, American pharmaceuticals giant Pfizer had their ‘final offer’ for their proposed takeover of the British company AstraZeneca rejected. This offered shareholders £24.76 and 1.747 shares for each share they owned, valuing each share at £55 and the company as a whole at £69 billion, yet was rejected on the grounds that it “continues to fall short of the board’s view of value”. This begs the question: How much is a share in AstraZeneca worth? Thankfully, this...

By Joe Mellor Deputy Editor The best players are out there in Brazil playing sexy samba football to excite the world. Most of these superstars are paid handsomely by their clubs, but they are also given huge fees to represent their nations, during the month long tournament. Ronaldo, The 29-year old Portugal superstar, is reportedly earning $490,870 a week, after tax, amounting to a staggering $2,243,997 (USD) to take part in the 32-day event. But how far does this fortune...

By Phillip Oppenheim Cuba – sexy, sultry, sandy, salsa – and the last frontier of emerging markets? If you don’t count North Korea, that is. Maybe not everyone’s choice of place to do business, but you might be surprised. Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1990, the Cubans tried to keep the flame of socialism burning, only to find themselves almost starving without the help of the massive Soviet subsidies they had enjoyed. Plan B from 1995 was...