Our most requested book

This is currently our most requested book title at University of Bedfordshire. Unfortunately it's not available electronically as an e-book.

I have ordered 4 more copies of the latest edition . This will mean we have 10 altogether.

If you are waiting patiently try searching for journal articles on some of the areas it covers such as :

• business systems design
• business intelligence
• e-business

Luxury Brands and the recession...

Conflicting views about BMW. FT reports that pre-tax profits increased by 17.7 % in 2009 . Mary Portas is less than impressed with the company's customer care at dealerships she visits for this week's Daily Telegraph Magazine.

A two page ad in the same mag is keen to stress the company's green credentials...

Less emissions. More driving pleasure ....

Could make an interesting case study for a number of different projects ?

Schafer, D (2010) BMW profits beat forecasts, Financial Times, Friday 12th March

Portas, M (2010) Shop !, Daily Telegraph Magazine, 17th April.

A British Brand ?

Whilst struggling to think of British brands the other day the Doc Marten Boot came to mind.

An iconic brand, worn by policemen and pop-stars alike.

The Griggs Family who own the company are among Britain's most wealthy ( worth £220 million in 1999 )

But how British are the boots these days ? Apart from some of the more prestigious lines several are manufactured in Thailand rather than Northampton...

Business Ethics

Available through the Credo database, an excellent source for defining Business ethics. A pithy reminder of recent UK scandals on which you can do more research :

• Guinness
• Maxwell
• Polly Peck
• Barings Bank

Having done this, you might follow up by looking at some material on the Anthony Nolan Report on Standards in Public Life, and see how this affected :

• Codes of Conduct
• Corporate Social Responsibility

Mums Repositioning the Brand

I think that Mary Portas has been a bit harsh on Iceland in her Shop! column this week ( Telegraph Magazine 3rd April 2010 ).

Recent initiatives such as their stance on organic vegetables are barely mentioned.

Whilst there's no online service, the home delivery service seems entirely succesful ( in Luton at least ! )

www. telegraph.co.uk/maryportas

to see if you agree.....

Are Celebrities worth their pay ?

Of the questions set for Advances modules, and the Applied Management Project this has been one of the most interesting ones to find information for.

Most people have opinions about whether a nurse deserves the same wage as a premiership footballer, but finding information on the topic can prove challenging.

The nature of capitalism is that we are complicit in the huge fees / salaries paid to celebrities.
How would our quality of life be changed if film stars and musicians didn't exist ?

These are some of the issues which need discussion here, and there is little factual information to support your views. One source does spring to mind however.

Are the richest people really celebs ? Take a look at the Sunday Times Rich list ( published annually ) and it will become apparent that industrialists / bankers and CEO's are the real Fat Cats....


http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/specials/rich_list/article6169048.ece

Project Management e-books

When the MSc in Project Management began in 2009 many of the books were bought electronically. These are therefore available for all to use if your topic includes anything in this field.