Royal Mail boss Moya Greene to lead fresh talks in hope of breaking Christmas strike deadlock October 25, 2017 Royal Mail boss Moya Greene will lead talks with the firm’s main union in the hope of breaking the deadlock in a long-running industrial dispute that threatens a Christmas shutdown. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) and the postal giant have agreed on the appointment of a mediator to oversee seven weeks of talks. Professor Lynette [...]
What the advertising industry should watch out for in 2018 January 3, 2018 We ask advertising bosses what’s in store for the year ahead. Alex Hesz, chief strategy officer, Adam&eveDDB In the era of fake news, advertising has emerged as an unlikely standard-bearer for scrutiny. We have long embraced the necessity of third-party regulation to verify what is fact and what is fantasy. Our job is to tell [...]
Are markets too complacent about the US economy? January 3, 2018 The status of the US as the world’s most dynamic and important single country economy remains intact, not least among investors. Its strengths are now very much reflected in financial market valuations. This is evident in stocks, with the US having been at the vanguard of a multi-year bull run, while bond yields have reached [...]
Government auditor puts Learndirect funding under investigation October 2, 2017 The UK’s biggest provider of adult learning and apprenticeships faces scrutiny over its standards and funding after the National Audit Office (NAO) announced an investigation this evening. The government’s auditor will examine why Learndirect was given £45m by Department for Education’s funding agency, despite its poor Ofsted rating. The company, which is owned by Lloyds [...]
Amazon Echo review: Or how I started talking to a little black cylinder every day October 25, 2016 How often do you trust Siri to do much besides setting a timer when you’re cooking pasta, or telling you whether or not it’s going to rain? Since they crept into our pockets, virtual assistants haven’t progressed much past the point of pseudo-capable helpers, who are unreliable in most roles beyond fancy egg-timers and meteorologists [...]
Who killed Toys ‘R’ Us? February 5, 2018 Toys ‘R’ Us, the $6.9bn (£5bn) toy-store chain, became one of US retail’s biggest-ever bankruptcies when it filed for so-called ‘Chapter 11 protection’ last September. Market watchers were quick to point the finger of suspicion at Amazon. But is that right? In the spirit of Agatha Christie, we ask: who killed Toys ‘R’ Us? In [...]
Manchester United’s new YouTube channel highlights platform’s influence on football February 22, 2018 Such was the hype surrounding big tech’s supposed interest in acquiring live Premier League broadcast rights that YouTube’s name was inevitably thrown into the mix alongside Sky and BT as a potential bidder in the current auction. Yet Google’s online video behemoth was never interested. Why would they be? As demonstrated by Manchester United’s migration [...]
Marks and Spencer turnaround: Retail veteran Steve Rowe must make M&S tills jingle all the way during Christmas period November 9, 2017 Marks and Spencer started this week on a cheery note with the launch of its Christmas advert – but the festive feel didn’t last long for the high-street stalwart. The new advert sent Twitter into a tizzy on Tuesday with some viewers convinced that one of the characters was mouthing a swear word in a [...]
Here’s how you can avoid getting badly burnt in the cryptocurrency revolution February 20, 2018 Investing in cryptocurrency is not for the faint-hearted – a fact that has become increasingly apparent over recent weeks. After making some impressive gains at the end of last year, nearly all the major digital currencies have since come crashing down, only to gather momentum once again. These violent swings have triggered a fresh surge [...]
Black Friday 2016 deals: Four pairs of wireless headphones Amazon has in its Black Friday sale today November 15, 2016 It's day two of Amazon's 12-day Black Friday bonanza, and today the retailer has gone berserk for wireless headphones. If you're an Apple fan with a hankering for an iPhone 7 – sensationally unveiled in September sans headphone jack – take a look at today's deals: 1. Yeona Wireless Bluetooth stereo headphones – 55 per cent off Not [...]