Things that did not exist on Christmas Day in 2007
An interesting list here of products that did not exist on Christmas Day a decade ago. How many will still be around in another ten years? Might be worth discussing in the context of the product...
First mover advantage avocados
Do you think this is an example of a product innovation which is market led, or product led? M&S have just solved the ultimate middle class problem by introducing a seedless cocktail avocado,...
What companies do with surplus stock
One of the emerging business stories this year especially in the run up to Christmas has been the announcement by several businesses that they plan to donate surplus stock to charities.
More on 'surplus food'
As a follow-up to the story of the Co-op selling food which is beyond it's 'Best Before' date, there is a video report here about Wefood, a Danish supermarket which specialises in sourcing and...
Executive pay - taking a wider view
How do you build trust in a business, and how do you motivate top executives? For the UK-listed companies, these are issues that the Financial Reporting Council is addressing with a revised...
Starbucks aims to go venti in China!
The FT reports on a new 30,000 square foot coffee roastery that Starbucks is building in China. As per capita incomes rise, Starbucks has one eye on a major prize, namely capturing sales from...
Waste not, want not
What do businesses do? They use inputs - land, labour, capital and enterprise - to create goods and services, and a key focus of their operations department is to minimise the inevitable waste that...
The Biz Quiz - 1 December 2017
The last standard Biz Quiz of the year before our Annual Business edition for 2017 next week!
Don't cook, Just Eat
Anyone who has just watched this week's episode of The Apprentice, with the teams devising recipes and branding for home-cooked convenience food, will understand the rival appeal of takeaway...
Film star ratios
There is a nice little Ratio Oscars exercise in the Metro newspaper today. The article looks at research comparing the cost of making films starring British actors, and the revenue they earn from...
National Consumer Week, and trading standards law
National Consumer Week launches today, to coincide with Cyber Monday, and despite its name, is aimed just as much at businesses as it is at consumers. This is an annual event, involving Citizens...
The research theme for 2018 is now available. Our 2018 Research Toolkit and Mock Paper/Mark Scheme is now in production. This can be ordered now online and is being published in stages.
The Biz Quiz - 22 November 2017
10 questions here on the business news of the last 7 days! Have a go...
The Spectacular Woolworths Christmas Show!!
This would make a fantastic starter with students as we 'approach' the festive season.
Profit Budgets - AQA/ Edexcel A Level Business Bellwork / Revision Activity
Here is a quick activity that would be ideal at the start of a Year 13 lesson to ensure that students are re-capping Year 1 content or as a revision activity.
Amazon opens a guerrilla shop
Has the past week seen a seismic shift in the UK's shopping habits: Amazon are opening a 'guerrilla shop' in London to cope with the increased demand for Christmas goodies on Black Friday, and...
Operations inside a phone factory in China
The first 8 minutes of this week's edition of Click, the BBC's weekly roundup of tech news, features a visit to the OnePlus phone factory in Shenzhen. It quickly falls into that category of...
The Biz Quiz - 16 November 2017
The latest Biz Quiz is now available - featuring 10 questions on this week's business news!
IKEA lifts prices as lower currency hits costs
A good example here of a business raising their prices following an increase in import costs after the depreciation of sterling against the Euro and US dollar in the wake of the June 2016 Brexit...
Flying first class?
Flying first class is something that few of us will ever have the privilege, or luck, to experience - and the opportunity is getting more and more rare.