Category
In the News
Downloads from the great Jukebox in the sky
PwC have recently released a report analysing the trends emerging in the Entertainment and Media industry with a particular focus on shifts in advertising and consumer spending. TheSegment Findings...
McJobs and zero-hours contracts
The term 'McJobs' is not a new one - the Washington Post first used it in 1986 and the Oxford English Dictionary has a formal definition for it, as "unstimulating, low-paid jobs with few prospects,...
Honey trap
Any Dragons Den devotee will know that one of the first issues for a new product with a great USP is "Can you protect the idea?". This is THE big question for bee-keepers in New Zealand, producing...
'Responsabilisation' at Michelin tyres
Is this the french translation of 'Empowerment'? Michelin are following a gradual process of shifting more responsibility on to their shop floor staff. They say that this translates to a mixture of...
Toyota Skydrive
Flying cars - whyever not? Cartivator is a group of 30 volunteers in Japan, who so far have used crowdfunding to finance their development of the Skydrive flying car. Their work is based on drone...
Will there be a post-Brexit wage boom?
One of the reasons given by many who voted to leave the EU was that free movement of labour within the union led to lower wages in the UK. This is because a greater supply of labour means that the...
Is Liverpool FC cannibalising its own market?
For the big football clubs in the Premier League, China presents a massive opportunity. The fast-growing aspirant middle class in China, with disposable income to spare, are on the lookout for...
“If you own a car in India, you’ve arrived in life,” says Arun Malhotra, country head for Nissan. This is a great article from the FT for analysing this international market. First, looking at...
Ex-Waitrose boss on how to improve productivity
The productivity gap is one of the big issues in business and economics at the moment. Mark Price, the former managing director of Waitrose discusses in this interview his ideas for how to get a...
Fancy a glass of gloop for lunch?
Is this a new market opportunity, feeding time-poor young professionals with a liquid lunch? Huel is a powder which is made up into a meal-replacement drink. It is a blend of vegan protein made...
M&S Food - a model strategic move into online delivery?
It is easy to see why M&S is focusing its strategy on food, rather than clothing. Although their clothing and homeware sales did well over Christmas 2016, they have been in steady decline for...
Which is the bigger business - Ford or Tesla?
There are a number of ways to measure the size of a business and most of them agree that Ford is a much larger business. But recently, Tesla overtook Ford in the measure that perhaps matters most...
Tough times for retail sales
TheBritish Retail Consortium posted figures last week for retail spending in the first quarter of the year, which show the effect of the rising cost of essentials. Spending on food rose by 1.2%,...
Social media storms hit United Airlines
The response of United Airlines to the video showing a passsenger being forcibly dragged off one of their planesin Chicago was too slow, and too defensive. Dr Dan Dao had not caused any problem on...
McLaren and the Fourth Industrial Revolution
The Fourth Industrial Revolution is here - the McLaren F1 team are going to take a 3D-printer with them to the Bahrain Grand Prix to enable them to print parts trackside and modify their car,...
Has Pepsi acted fast enough to keep its fizz?
Pepsi have gained a very high profile in the last day or so, but for all the wrong reasons as they have pulled an advert they had put out featuring Kendall Jenner. The ad shows her leaving a photo...
The aforementioned businesses were all in the news today to show business studies students that the stuff they learn about in class is really quite important! First up in this Hustle article, Apple...
Industrial Relations dispute at Mini over pension schemes
How much of a risk are the employees of BMW taking at the Mini plant at Cowley, Oxford? They have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike over BMW's plans to close the final salary pension scheme that...
Brexit means - low-cost long-haul strategy?
You may be depressed by the triggering of Article 50 today, or you may be celebrating. One thing is clear; businesses now need to look at wider alternatives than easy access to the free market of...
Divorce of ownership and control???
Here’s a hotel chain with an unusual USP - The Countryside Hotels group is so sure that couples who spend time together and work on their relationship at their hotels will make a success of their...