Carmakers bring back 3-day week
October 22, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment
A group of leading carmakers in Britain have annouced that drastic measures are needed to deal with the slump in demand. Nissan became the latest to slash production yesterday when it announced that it will completely stop further manufacture of its Micra and Note models at its Sunderland factory for two weeks.
When the production line is restarted it will operate until December on a three-day week reminiscent of the factory stoppages in 1974.
About 800 employees work on these models in the UK’s biggest car-making site. Bosses have denied that there will be job losses and insisted that pay will not be cut. However, the reduced operations will result in a 10% cut in production, similar to that announced by Honda, which has reduced its production of the Civic model at its Swindon factory.
Internet use quadruples in five years.
October 21, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment
A recent UK survey revealing just how much time people spend in front of their computers shows how important it is for small businesses to have a smart online strategy, according to a leading business TV channel.
According to a leading online business TV channel, the growth in computer and internet use creates great opportunities for small businesses. “People are spending more and more of their life online”, says Mark Sinclair, Features Editor with the online business TV network yourBusinessChannel. “So it’s only natural that business experts are preaching the importance of small and medium sized businesses of having an online presence.”
With broadband use continuing to increase year after year, some of the most spectacular audience growth has been in viewership of online TV. According to the report, the proportion of households with internet access watching video online more than doubled between 2006 and 2007.
“Small businesses need to be where their customers are, speaking their customers’ language, to succeed online,” says Sinclair. “Most businesspeople will require expert business advice to make the most of opportunities, for example the new approaches to marketing your business online. In the past, business experts might have recommended spending large on banner advertising, or pouring millions into the biggest, flashest website you could imagine. Now, those business experts are recommending smarter, more interactive online strategies that come at a lower cost.”
“The business experts who appear on our business TV shows have been identifying fantastic opportunities for small businesses to profit from these trends”, says Sinclair. “The great thing is that many opportunities can be accessed without a massive budget. The free expert business development advice available on our online business TV shows, show how easy it is for small businesses to make the most of opportunities like the growth of online video.”
Prospectus
October 19, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment
Use the image link below to download the OBI Prospectus. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read this file. It is freely available here. (Opens in new window)
Note: To save a copy to your local computer, right click and select “Save as”
Recession on the way warns Bank of England
October 14, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment
Andrew Sentance, member of the Bank of England’s policy committee has warned that the UK faces further severe downturns in the economy as he set the stage for further rate cuts.
A fall in GDP for the second quarter running is becoming certain, he said at a Market News International Seminar in London, and the balance of risks is shifting towards severe recession by the end of the year.
Mr Sentance’s observation comes on the back of a report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research stating that the City would be set back 10 years with a net loss of 62,000 jobs taking employment back to the same level as 1998.
Treasury throws £50Bn lifeline at banks
October 8, 2008 by Admin · Leave a Comment
This morning, Britains banks will be saved by the treasury. So deep is the financial crisis that Alistair Darling has stepped in and provided a lifeline to the city in the form of a £50bn rescue plan.
Other measures the Treasury will introduce are a guarantee for Britain’s £2,000bn of retail and corporate savings. Meanwhile banks are under continued pressure to raise further capital as the cash shortage bites.
Sandy Chen at Panmure Gordon warned: “Government bailouts will only prolong the process of structural readjustment, which includes further 20% falls in US and UK house prices”
The Government will take stakes in RBS, HBOS, Barclays, Lloyds TSB and HSBC. The size of the stakes will be determined by each of the banks capital strength. RBS are in line for the biggest injection as the weakest in the sector.
