Business Cafe - Edition 1for 2010

Eight new articles for Business Cafe are now available for subscribers. Details below.

Bankruptcy, Liquidation and Administration

In times of recession and credit crunch when sales are low and funds hard to obtain, we hear a lot about firms ‘going bust’ locally and nationally. ‘Going bust’ is, of course, not the term that should be used! What is the right term? Some people use the words ‘bankrupt’ and ‘liquidation’ as if they were the same; this is a mistake.

BP in Deepwater

When the Deepwater Horizon exploded on 20th April 2010, BP were not meeting their environmental aim. Since then the equivalent of over 5million barrels of oil have spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, making the disaster the worst in American history.

Choosing a Business Organisation

To some potential entrepreneurs, the choice of which form of business organisation to adopt can appear a rather ‘dry’ matter with little actual significance to them. They could not be more wrong! The type of organisation has major implications for the way a business is run, raises finance and reports to stakeholders.

The credit crunch is alive and well

The news that the High Street banks had made around £15b profit in the first half of 2010, has been accompanied by a fresh outpouring of complaints that they are still far too unwilling to lend to Small and Medium Enterprises

The end of the plastic bag

Within the past four years, the number of plastic shopping bags has reduced by 43%. In 2009-2010, the number of carrier bags issued by supermarkets was 6.1 billion, compared to 10.7 billion in 2006.

Poundland Beats the Recession

Times are still difficult for many businesses and households. However, one firm which is bucking the trend of dampened profits and consolidation is Poundland.

How firms can motivate staff during a recession

During a recession, firms look to cut costs in order to remain competitive and ultimately stay in business. This can be achieved in a number of ways, including switching suppliers, making the production process leaner and making workers redundant. Whilst these options are being implemented, motivation of the remaining workforce needs to be maintained in order to preserve productivity levels.

Toy Story 3 – More than Just a Film

15 years after the release of the original film in 1995. ‘Toy Story 3’ is set to become one of the most profitable films made