Blog
Assorted Links (11 Jan) - Focus on Business Economics
11th January 2010
1/ World Bank - Latest 2010 report on Doing Business around the world - Singapore, a consistent reformer, is the top-ranked economy on the ease of doing business for the fourth year in a row, with New Zealand as runner-up. But most of the action occurred in developing economies. Two-thirds of the reforms recorded in the report were in low- and lower-middle-income economies. For the first time a Sub-Saharan African economy, Rwanda, is the world’s top reformer of business regulation, making it easier to start businesses, register property, protect investors, trade across borders, and access credit.
2/ Radio 4 In Business - New Age - A special report on implications for businesses of an ageing population. Many of the world’s biggest countries are on the threshold of a new era where an increasing number of old people will have to be supported by a shrinking younger workforce. Peter Day finds out whether this is a threat to the way we live now or an opportunity for new kinds of business
3/ The Independent - The Science of Success: Hamish McRae on what works – and why - Extracts from the new book by Hamish McRae. When Hamish McRae set out to discover the secrets of the world’s most successful organisations, communities and companies, he found eye-opening life lessons for us all
4/ The Telegraph - Manchester United aim to raise £500m in bond sale in bid to reduce mounting debt - another example of companies using the bond market as a source of finance rather than borrowing from retail banks or issuing equity through the stock market
5/ Growing business online - Chemist Direct founder unveils office supply offshoot - the corporate stationery market is dominated by Ryman, Viking Direct and Staples. Chemist Direct founder Mitesh Soma has launched an online stationery firm that is aiming to win business by undercutting these established players - a good example of how a different business model can possible have a destructive effect on existing market dominance to make the market more contestable.
Geoff Riley
Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for over thirty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD conferences in the UK and overseas.