Recession on the High Street...a new government strategy

12 UK towns have recently been awarded £100k to help revive their ailing town centres.

These so called Portas Pilots include Wolverhampton as well as smaller towns such as Lizkeard (Cornwall) and Market Rasen (Lincolnshire)

Luton ( pictured left ) , Dunstable and Bedford have not made the list.
It will be interesting to see what initiatives are suggested and whether these towns can overcome the threats of :

• internet shopping
• penniless customers 
• successful out of town centres 

Radio 4 recently featured the plight of Dunstable's Quadrant Shopping Centre. The Council are anxious to buy the site but cannot afford the price demanded by the owners ( Southend Property Holdings ) who feel that they are sitting on a goldmine.

Mixed news for BAE Systems

One of the companies studied by business management students is BAE Systems. There has recently been mixed news for this company.

On one hand the US Air Force has recently purchased a contract to supply 350 training planes.

It is thought that these will be the Hawk jets pictured left.

Worse news if you are employed in a shipyard however. Govan and the historic shipyards of Portsmouth still face closure.

For further reliable and impartial news on the company I recommend our Newsbank and Marketline databases

Latest Financial Results...

Financial performance doesn't just depend on sales. Wetherspoons, which announces it's financial position this week grapples with  a huge tax increase of 50 million pounds.

If you are looking at a PEST analysis of a company this might count as a political factor.

Wetherspoons recently attacked cost pressures from government legislation , including increases in excise duty, business rates and carbon tax.

Their total tax bill in the current financial year will be around 500 million.

(Daily Express, Monday July 9th, p.47)

Corporate Governance

Those students regularly looking for information on corporate governance ( or lack of it ) should have no difficulty in finding case studies this year. Although it was once uncommon to read about the concept of CG  in the press you will find that combining the words Murdoch and Corporate Governance on the Newsbank database  gives us a choice of 151 stories this year.

Up until the 7th May that is....

Just a Minute Videos

Films available on a variety of topics - including use of our journals and how to search them effectively. Available through LR Web for students, staff and everyone else...

http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/libraryservices/whoweare/videos

Eastex & Alexon

Despite my upbeat posts about 'Made in England' brands such as Eastex and Alexon both firms are now in severe financial straits. Eastex has been bought out and Alexon is facing 'severe funding problems'

In Luton the situation can't have been helped by the closure of Guildford Street whilst the new busway is being constructed. This has restricted access to both firms retail outlets in the town at this difficult time.

Case study research for business

Case Study Research for Business

Jillian Farquhar

This book is a vital addition to the LRC. Designed for business and management students. It covers definitions about what is meant by case study research as well as chapters of collecting, managing and analysing data.