Amazon targets airport retailing for expanded Amazon Go operations
Contestable markets and mobile payment technology are in action here! Amazon is looking to expand their "bricks and mortar footprint" with a move into airport retail seemingly on the cards. But...
Poor management cited as a key supply-side weakness for the UK
An excellent piece here in the Guardian for dissecting some of the supply-side weaknesses brought about by under-performing management especially in family-run mid-sized firms.
Why economists think UK will be poorer after leaving EU
Chris Giles from the Financial Times looks at some of the assumptions behind the recent analysis from the Treasury and the Bank of England on the likely macroeconomic impact of Brexit. He argues...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 7 December 2018
Here's this week's Economics Quiz. Good luck!
Herd behaviour can be perfectly compatible with rationality
The Bank of England and Federal Reserve held a two-day conference last week in London on Big Data and machine learning. All very interesting stuff. There was an intriguing vignette as we emerged...
Funeral charges under the competition microscope
The Competition and Markets Authority is considering a major new investigation into rampant price inflation in the costs of funerals and crematorium services.
Takeda seeks takeover of Shire
This is a massive merger story - the largest in Japan - as Takeda gets shareholder approval for a £46bn takeover of pharmaceutical company, Shire. The new company will be one of the largest 10 in...
Qatar leaves OPEC
Qatar has announced that they are leaving the OPEC oil cartel and focusing instead on expanding investment and production in natural gas. Qatar has the third largest known natural gas reserves in...
Introducing the 2018 tutor2u Christmas Quiz...with a Economics bonus!
We're delighted to announce that the annual tutor2u Christmas Quiz for 2018 is now live!
Madrid bans polluting cars from the city centre
Another solution to urban congestion problems is being rolled out in Madrid today: only zero emissions cars are going to be allowed to travel in the city centre, with various exceptions for lorries...
External costs of fast fashion
How can retailers sell T-shirts and dresses at rock bottom prices? Well, in the first place because they're made in bulk in places with exceptionally low wages - and similarly low H&S standards...
Why are economics textbooks so expensive?
A short video exploring some of the reasons for rapid inflation in the price of college textbooks in the United States - but an issue with wider appeal to students here! The textbook industry is an...
Inside the Ocean Spray Cranberry Cooperative
Business Insider visits a cranberry farm to explore how over 200 billion cranberries are harvested each year. Ocean Spray Cranberry farms are a part of a cooperative established in 1933 that...
Unintended consequences of inflation targets
Just fascinating - this article looks at the purpose and consequences of inflation targets, arguing that they don't always promote stability as intended but might actually increase uncertainty, and...
Deforestation in Brazil is the worst for ten years
Between August 2017 and July 2018, approximately 7,900 square kilometers (3,050 square miles) of rainforest in Brazil was destroyed equivalent to an area of a million football pitches or five times...
Economies of Ale - Changes to the UK Pub Industry
More than 11,000 pubs have closed in the UK in the last decade – a fall of almost a quarter. Many smaller pubs have closed as the industry has consolidated towards the larger-scale chains. The ONS...
Human development - why do billions still lack basic sanitation?
This BBC article highlights an oft-overlooked aspect of development: the need for basic sanitation. Over 2 billion people lack access to basic toilets, despite technological advances in toilets...
Kenya banned plastic bags - should the UK do the same?
Remarkably, Kenya has the world's most stringent legislation banning plastic bags - but has it worked? This BBC clip investigates, looking at a range of issues, the impact on a variety of...
Economics Weekly Quiz - 23 November 2018
Here's this week's Economics Quiz. Good luck!
ERC's 'Clash of the Titans' - a superb competition for Economics Students
If you're looking for a competition to get your students thinking about applying their economic knowledge to the real world then you should give the Economic Research Council's 'Clash of the...