How Google and Amazon workers keep their focus September 15, 2014 Harriet Green examines the Two Pizza Rule and the benefits of workplace mindfulness. Distractions can be crippling to productivity. Gloria Mark of the University of California found that, on average, office workers are distracted every 11 minutes. And worse, it takes 25 minutes to return to a task once you’ve wandered onto something else. [...]
Is Facebook looking to join the music streaming party? July 2, 2015 Is Facebook looking to join the music streaming party? The company has been in talks with Sony Music, Warner and Universal to discuss a serious foray into music, but exactly what form it will take remains unclear. Read more: You can now sign up for Facebook messenger without having a Facebook account According to the Verge, [...]
Epiphany co-founder Shane Quigley turns his hand to Matalan with launch of homeware brand July 15, 2015 Serial entrepreneur Shane Quigley, who turned £5,000 into £18m by co-founding digital marketing group Epiphany, is leading the charge for Matalan’s launch of an online-only homeware brand – Matalan Direct. He heads the retailing group’s challenge to established online homeware retailers B&Q, Dunelm and HomeSense. Earlier this year Quigley started Earth Bathrooms, a homeware brand [...]
PayPal valued at just under $50bn as it soars past EBay on Nasdaq July 21, 2015 After its first day back as an independent company, PayPal is valued just under $50bn (£34bn). Read more: EBay revenue jumps 7pc as PayPal spinoff draws near The online payments company's share price closed up 5.43 per cent on its first day of trading after splitting from parent eBay, after initially soaring 11 per cent in [...]
How to make a startup successful: Five lessons from venture capital firm First Round July 30, 2015 Ever wondered what traits successful entrepreneurs have in common? Three startups are founded every second across the world, as hopeful entrepreneurs take a stab at their dream venture. The dream will be short-lived for most, however, as 90 per cent inevitably fail. It’s a risky business, and there may not yet be a way to [...]
Royal Mail share price drops as government nets £750m from sale of 15 per cent stake June 11, 2015 The government sold off half its remaining stake in the Royal Mail this morning at 500p per share – half again as much as its original price when it listed in October 2013. Read more: Lessons learned as final parcel of Royal Mail goes on sale The offer netted the government £750m, leaving it with [...]
The best summer holiday gadgets: From Bose speakers to Plantronics headphones July 22, 2015 The gadgets you should load up on before you even think about boarding a plane this summer BOSE SOUNDLINK MINI SPEAKER II Make sure you leave the weather at home but bring the party with you this summer by investing in a wireless speaker. This one pairs with your music library via Bluetooth, [...]
Amazon rolls out new tablets and e-readers September 18, 2014 AMAZON ramped up its push into hardware yesterday, with the debut of six new or upgraded mobile devices, including a high-end £169 e-reader called the Kindle Voyage and its cheapest-ever six-inch touch-screen Fire tablet starting at just £79. The online retail giant also revamped its basic Kindle e-reader to include a touch screen at just [...]
“Amazon is like IS” terrorist group says Andrew Wylie, literary agent of Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie October 31, 2014 One of the most powerful people in the publishing world has compared Amazon to the Islamic terrorist group IS. Andrew Wylie, agent to literary stars such as Martin Amis and Salman Rushdie, called the online retailer a “sort of Isis-like distribution channel” in a speech at the International Festival of Authors on the future of [...]
The best places to look for Black Friday deals 2014: John Lewis, Amazon, Marks & Spencer, Very, Curry’s PC World and Halfords November 24, 2014 Retailers are gearing up for Black Friday to be one of – if not the – biggest online shopping day of the year, with hundreds of promotions being planned to tempt consumers to join the spending bonanza. According to the Centre for Retail Research, shoppers will spend £1.32bn over the four days between Black [...]