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4th February Independent MICROSOFT
BID FOR YAHOO FACES INQUIRY
The US competition authorities will launch an investigation
this week into the proposed takeover of the internet
portal specialist Yahoo by Microsoft. The US Congress's
Judiciary Committee is to hold its first hearing on
the deal on Thursday, even though Yahoo has yet to formally
respond to Microsoft's proposals, unveiled on Friday.
John Conyers and Lamar Smith, respectively the Democrat
and Republican congressmen who run the Judiciary Committee,
said the deal was so large that it presented "important
issues regarding the competitive landscape of the internet"
and it therefore intended to give the proposal "a
careful examination".
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/microsoft-bid-for-yahoo-faces-inquiry-777762.html
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4th February
Financial Times COMPANY ANALYSIS PROVES A LUCRATIVE BUSINESS
Phil Davis examines the increasing investment tools for
analysis of SEE issues, for example by the Enhanced Analytics
Initiative, an international collaboration between some
of the world's largest institutional investors and asset
managers.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/aa90b294-d2c2-11dc-8636-0000779fd2ac.html
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4th February
Sunday Herald BUSINESSES WARNED: ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE
OR JEOPARDISE YOUR BOTTOM LINE
Corporate profits will plummet unless businesses take
urgent steps to deal with the threats from climate change
- that's the message from a new report by consultants
Accenture. While almost half of the 500 business leaders
surveyed by Accenture believe climate change is now a
major issue, few are doing enough to prepare for a future
where being green is a necessary part of running a business
rather than a political preference.
http://www.sundayherald.com/business/businessnews/display.var.2014700.0.0.php
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4th February
Times GREEN VALUES AND THE GREENBACK CAN LIVE IN HARMONY
IF YOU PUT PROFIT MOTIVE FIRST
Companies should engage in socially responsible projects
only if doing so ensures that they will make more money,
the former head of one of Europe's leading environmental
charities says today. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/article3300661.ece
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4th February
Times WIND FARMS 'A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY'
Ambitious plans to meet up to a third of Britain's energy
needs from offshore wind farms are in jeopardy because
the Ministry of Defence objects that the turbines interfere
with its radar. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3300814.ece
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4th February
Financial Times 'GREENWASH' MUDDIES THE WATERS
There are a large and growing number of "green"
funds in the market, some of which are also marketed as
ethical investment funds, and some not. But many investors
are unaware of the stark differences that sometimes exist
between funds that are ethically managed - good - and
funds that seek to capitalise on the business opportunities
of climate change - green. Ethical funds and green funds
are often lumped together for historical reasons, says
Ian Simm, chief executive of Impax: "In the 1990s,
you had to be ethically or SRI-minded to want to put your
capital in this market." But investors who imagine
that their ethical funds are also saving the planet, or
that their green funds are managed with socially responsible
principles in mind, might need to think again. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8a744222-d2c3-11dc-8636-0000779fd2ac.html |
4th February
Guardian PEG BONUSES TO WORKER SAFETY AND GREEN SUCCESS,
FIRMS URGED
The Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, which represents
public sector pension funds with £85bn of assets,
urges Britain's biggest companies to radically alter the
way they pay their directors by linking their bonuses
to non-financial measures such as environmental protection
and the safety of employees. The forum has already urged
its members to oppose pay policies at oil companies BP
and Shell for not including any references to the safety
of employees. It found only seven FTSE 100 companies had
non-financial measures included in their long-term incentive
plans to reward directors. Only one company, United Utilities,
has a plan that includes more than one non-financial factor.
The forum's move to lobby for changes in the way directors'
pay is calculated comes as a new survey by the centre-right
think-tank the Bow Group found that 27% of chief executives
in the FTSE 100 have contracts that pay out bonuses even
if profits rise by just 1% above inflation. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/04/pensions
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4th February
Guardian SHOPPERS CARE MORE ABOUT ANIMALS THAN CLIMATE
Animal welfare and fair trade are far bigger concerns
to UK consumers than climate change, according to a huge
new poll of UK shoppers conducted by the Co-op grocery
business that has been used to draw up a "responsible
retailing" policy, designed to reflect shoppers'
concerns. This includes the halting of the sale and use
of eggs from caged hens, ensuring all its own-brand tea
becomes fair trade, changing the shape and weight of its
26 own-brand wine bottles to save 450m tonnes of glass
a year and increasing its list of prohibited pesticides
from 32 to 98. Paul Monaghan, the Co-op's head of ethics,
said the group believed that consumers' apparent indifference
to climate change was likely to be the result of believing
they have little influence to force change: "We think
shoppers see climate change as an issue for corporations
and governments."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/04/consumeraffairs.climatechange?gusrc=rss&feed=business
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5th February
Independent THE WORLD'S RUBBISH DUMP: A GARBAGE TIP THAT
STRETCHES FROM HAWAII TO JAPAN
According to scientists a "plastic soup" of
waste is floating in the Pacific Ocean and it is growing
bigger and now covers an area twice as big as the United
States. The debris is held in place by swirling underwater
currents and stretches about 500 nautical miles off the
Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii
and almost as far as Japan. The article warns that unless
consumers cut back on the use of disposable plastic, the
"plastic stew" will double in size over the
next decade.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/the-worlds-rubbish-dump-a-garbage-tip-that-stretches-from-hawaii-to-japan-778016.html
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5th February
Management Today LIGHT-FINGERED BRITS PUT THEIR HANDS
IN THE TILL
According to insurer Royal & Sun Alliance, some 24m
British workers - about four-fifth of us - will admit
to having pilfered something from the office. In most
cases, the theft falls into the 'petty' category - an
envelope here and there; the occasional stamp, the odd
bit of stationery. But some of the larceny is a bit more
serious. One in seven admitted to fiddling their expense
claim forms. And believe it or not, more than 25% of us
have pinched a laptop from the office to take home for
personal use, and 'forgotten' to take it back.
http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/newsalerts/article/781308/mtsweek/light-fingered-brits-put-hands-till/?DCMP=EMC-Daily%20News |
5th February
Guardian WHY WOMEN IN BUSINESS BECAME THE SOLUTION, NOT
THE PROBLEM
When companies look at attracting more women to top positions,
the focus is often on how women should change and emulate
their male bosses. This "fix the women" approach
goes a long way to explaining why there are still so few
women corporate leaders. Most women do not want to become
male clones. Many conclude it is not worth the struggle
and leave for a job that allows them to be who they want
to be or to start a business. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/05/business.genderissues?gusrc=rss&feed=business |
5th February
Daily Mail 'BRUTAL' M&S TURNS THE SCREW ON SUPPLIERS
Marks & Spencer has enraged its food suppliers by
demanding bigger price discounts as it battles falling
sales. Last week M&S met with suppliers to unveil
plans to crack down on its purchasing costs - known internally
as 'Project Genesis'. In addition to demands for a 2%
discount on all bills, M&S wants suppliers to provide
additional discounts of up to 3.5%, depending on how much
it sells. The contribution towards marketing and advertising
expenditure is being increased from 0.5% of the total
bill to 1.5%. A source at one food supplier said: 'They
are demanding up to 6.5% off the price. This is unsustainable
for many of us - our profit margins are only around 7%.
Everyone has already given them up to 5% (off rates) during
the past two years.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/dmstandard/frame.html?in_bottom=http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/news |
5th February
Guardian GLOBAL MELTDOWN: SCIENTISTS ISOLATE AREAS MOST
AT RISK OF CLIMATE CHANGE
A team of scientists have ranked the most fragile and
vulnerable regions that will be affected by climate change
and have warned that they are in danger of sudden and
catastrophic collapse before the end of the century. The
study, published today, identifies nine areas that are
in gravest danger of passing critical thresholds or "tipping
points", beyond which they will not recover. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/05/climatechange |
5th February
Guardian BP POSITIONS ITSELF FOR SHARE OF IRAQI OIL
BP has been talking with Iraqi oil officials as it plans
to re-enter one of the biggest but politically most controversial
oil provinces in the world. The move comes as the company
is drawing criticism from environmental groups for abandoning
any pursuit of green credentials. Environmental groups
accuse the new chief executive, Tony Hayward, of "recarbonising"
a once enlightened oil group.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/05/bp.oil
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5th February
People Management BANG ON TARGET
Calculating performance-related pay for executives is
by no means perfect. Many reward professionals are working
to determine PRP more accurately - but others would like
to knock it on the head altogether.
http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/bangontarget.htm?name=analysis++features++opinion&type=section
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6th February
Guardian ANIMAL WELFARE GROUPS PROTEST AS TESCO DELIVERS
RIPOSTE TO CELEBRITY CHEFS - THE £1.99 CHICKEN
Tesco, the supermarket, has been criticised by animal
welfare groups for cutting the price of whole chickens
to £1.99 in a special "bargain basement"
offer which makes its birds the cheapest on the market.
The drop in price comes less than a month after a series
of television programmes, which focused on the conditions
in which poultry is reared for the retail market.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/animalrights/story/0,,2253063,00.html |
6th February
Telegraph AN ETHICS GIRL FOR OUR TIMES
Britain now leads the world in buying Fairtrade goods.
Cassandra Jardine meets the driving force behind the movement.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2008/02/06/ftfairtrade106.xml
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6th February
Independent LI TO PAY £4.1M IN 'INSIDER TRADING'
CASE
Sir David Li, the London-born business grandee who was
on the board of Dow Jones, tipped off a friend about the
company's secret bid approach from Rupert Murdoch while
the pair shared a business-class flight to Shanghai, it
was alleged yesterday. Sir David agreed to pay $8.1m (£4.1m)
to settle insider dealing charges laid against him yesterday
afternoon by the US Securities & Exchange Commission,
in which it was claimed he travelled with his close friend
Michael Leung on 13 April last year, one day after Dow
Jones's legal counsel had told him about the $5bn bid.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/li-to-pay-16341m-in-insider-trading-case-778755.html
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6th February
Guardian STANDARD LIFE ETHICAL FUNDS TO DROP AIRLINES
Standard Life Investment, the fund management company,
said yesterday that its ethical funds will no longer invest
in airlines. The statement was in response to a survey
of investors in its ethical funds, which showed that 30%
wanted complete exclusion of airline stocks. The survey
asked the investors whether the wanted to invest in airlines
seeking to reduce their impact on the environment or to
drop airline stocks altogether. Standard Life Investments
manages £588.5m over its ethical fund range. The
company declined to disclose how much it had invested
in airline stocks.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/06/standardlife.ethicalbusiness |
6th February
Times A BLACK-AND-WHITE ISSUE — POLAR BEARS
V OIL
Oil companies and environmentalists are to confront each
other today in Alaska when the US invites bids for millions
of acres of polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea, where
15bn barrels of crude oil lies waiting to be tapped. Bidding
is to get under way days before a ruling on whether polar
bears should be added to the list of endangered species.
This decision was supposed to have been made by the US
Fish and Wildlife Service a month ago but postponed it
stating that the matter needed further examination. Environmentalists
have accused the
government of delaying the polar bear's designation deliberately
for fear of complicating the sell-off.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3315505.ece |
6th February
Financial Times WARNING ON 'GREEN' ENERGY TARIFFS
Businesses should beware of the "green tariffs"
offered by some electricity suppliers as they may be less
green than they appear, industry experts have warned.
But Harry Morrison, senior strategy manager at the Carbon
Trust, a government-funded body charged with helping companies
cut their greenhouse gas output, told the Financial Times
that many so-called green tariffs could include a high
proportion of "brown" energy derived from fossil
fuels. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/93bdcf8a-d424-11dc-a8c6-0000779fd2ac.html
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6th February
Guardian MPS OPEN INQUIRY INTO ENERGY SUPPLIERS
An all-party committee of MPs announced yesterday that
it was launching a full-scale enquiry into the structure
of the UK energy market.The move follows increasing concern
about the way the market operates after the latest round
of price rises from most of Britain's residential energy
suppliers. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/06/utilities?gusrc=rss&feed=business
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6th February
Times WHY WOMEN MEAN BUSINESS
'Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence
of our next Economic Revolution' poses the question of
why women's skills are still not being used effectively,
to the significant loss to the economy.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/book_extracts/article3313473.ece
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6th February
Financial Times PETROL PUMPS AT DAWN OVER STRATEGY
Tony Hayward at BP and Jeroen van der Veer at Royal Dutch
Shell have a great deal in common. Both chief executives
took over when their companies were in crisis and both
face the same challenge of how big international oil companies
- challenged by ever more assertive governments and national
oil companies - can gain access to the resources they
need to survive.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f308e9f6-d420-11dc-a8c6-0000779fd2ac,s01=1.html
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7th February
Retail Bulletin ETHICAL TRADING TOP, CLIMATE CHANGE BOTTOM
IN CONSUMERS' PRIORITIES
Ethical trading is consumers' number one issue, while
climate change only interests a tiny fraction of shoppers,
according to a new poll looking at the ethics of food
shopping conducted by The Co-Operative Group. The poll,
born out of a six-month consultation period in which 100,000
of the Co-op's members participated, asked shoppers to
name their ethical food priorities. The three leading
answers were ethical trading (27%), animal welfare (25%)
and the environment (22%). Surprisingly, given the publicity
they've received, packaging (8%) and climate change (4%)
were towards the bottom of the list.
http://www.theretailbulletin.com/news/ethical_trading_top_climate_change_bottom_in_consumers_priorities_07-02-08/
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7th February
Press Gazette GANGMASTER LAUNCHES £3.7 MILLION LIBEL
CLAIM AGAINST GUARDIAN
Gangmaster Andris Tiltnieks has launched an extraordinary
£3.7 million libel claim against the publishers
of The Guardian.he writ, which he has issued himself,
relates to an investigation the Guardian published in
August last year about the living conditions of Bulgarian
workers.he Guardian said "This case has been stayed
by the High Court and cannot go forward without the court's
permission. We believe that we acted responsibly in preparing
the story, and that the allegations made are in the public
interest. Should the stay ever be lifted, we will be defending
these proceedings robustly." Tiltnieks claims that
a story from last August, headed "Misery at bottom
of supermarket supply chain", was defamatory.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=40172&c=1
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8th February
Independent BIOFUELS MAKE CLIMATE CHANGE WORSE, SCIENTIFIC
STUDY CONCLUDES
Growing crops to make biofuels results in vast amounts
of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere and
does nothing to stop climate change or global warming,
according to the first thorough scientific audit of a
biofuel's carbon budget. Two separate studies published
in the journal Science show that a range of biofuel crops
now being grown to produce "green" alternatives
to oil-based fossil fuels release far more carbon dioxide
into the air than can be absorbed by the growing plants.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/biofuels-make-climate-change-worse-scientific-study-concludes-779811.html |
8th February
Telegraph WATER METERS 'TO BE COMPULSORY IN DROUGHT-HIT
AREAS'
Water meters will be installed in almost every home in
areas worst hit by drought, the Government has announced.Tariffs
and metering are at the heart of a new strategy aimed
at conserving water and making people pay for the amount
they use.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2008/02/07/eawater107.xml |
8th February
Telegraph ENERGY BILLS PAID USING CHEQUE OR CASH ARE UP
TO £313 HIGHER A YEAR
Energy companies have been accused of ripping off up to
10 million customers, by charging more for their gas and
electricity because they do not pay their bills online.
All the major suppliers offer discounts for paying online
or by direct debit. The average annual difference in bills
across the six biggest suppliers is £210, with British
Gas charging an extra £313. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/08/nenergy108.xml |
8th February
TIMES LAWYERS FORCED TO REPAY MILLIONS TAKEN FROM SICK
MINERS' COMPENSATION
Law firms are being forced to repay tens of millions of
pounds to sick miners – money they wrongly sliced
from their clients' compensation. The payback follows
an investigation by The Times newspaper into a series
of abuses linked to the Department
of Trade and Industry's £7.5bn coal health compensation
scheme. An estimated 75,000 former pit workers are likely
to receive payments under a nationwide scheme that has
been agreed in principle by the government. The cost to
those solicitors who improperly deducted money from awards
given to elderly and vulnerable clients may top £50
million. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3330564.ece |
8th February
Financial Times BP FACES FRESH TEXAS CITY INVESTIGATION
The US government announced yesterday it would open another
full investigation into BP's biggest refinery after continued
accidents raised questions about safety three years after
an explosion killed 15 people at the Texas facility. The
US Chemical Safety Board, which conducted an exhaustive
two-year probe into the 2005 fatal blast at Texas City,
returned in January, just days after a third fatal accident
since the explosion.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/88177cca-d5e7-11dc-bbb2-0000779fd2ac.html |
11th
February Independent US AIRWAYS CONSIDERS LEGAL ACTION
AGAINST BAA IN FUEL SUPPLIES ROW
US Airways may launch legal action against BAA, the owner
of Heathrow airport, over its inability to secure fuel
supplies for a new service it plans to launch next month
from the world's busiest airport. Under the new Open Skies
regime that throws transatlantic routes open to full competition
for the first time from the end of March, a raft of airlines
have unveiled plans for new Heathrow services. According
to aviation industry sources, all but US Airways have
signed deals with companies to refuel their planes at
the world's busiest airport.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/us-airways-considers-legal-action-against-baa-in-fuel-supplies-row-780722.html |
11th February
Guardian INCREASING NUMBERS OF INVESTORS TURN TO ETHICAL
PRODUCTS
Demand for ethical funds, which shun investment in industries
such as tobacco, alcohol, and arms, is rising rapidly
according to research published today. A survey by Co-operative
Insurance (CIS) shows that 85% of people planning to invest
in an individual savings account (Isa) before the April
deadline will consider using an ethical scheme. That compares
with 67% the previous year. Almost eight out of 10 people
believe ethical funds can perform at least as well as
the mainstream market, according to the survey. The research
also quotes figures from the Investment Management Association,
which show the amount of money under management by ethical
funds rose 18% to £5.9bn in the fourth quarter of
last year, compared with the same period in 2006. Research
by the Co-operative Bank calculates that the overall amount
in ethical personal financial products now stands at £13.3bn
- a 15% increase year-on-year. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/11/ethicalproducts |
11th February
Guardian RESTAURANTS URGED TO SERVE FREE TAP WATER
Ministers and the UK's biggest water provider will seek
to end a long-standing culture of tap water "snobbery"
by urging restaurants and cafes to routinely serve free
tap water to their customers. Thames Water is to take
the lead at a time of growing consumer dissatisfaction
with bottled mineral water, and concerns about its cost
and carbon footprint. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/11/consumeraffairs.drink?gusrc=rss&feed=politics
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11th February
Guardian MOBILE PHONE COMPANIES JOIN WAR ON INTERNET CHILD
PORN
The mobile phone industry will today announce its intention
to shut off all access to child pornography on mobile
phones that can access the internet, making the mobile
internet safer than the world wide web. The GSM Association,
which represents companies that together provide mobile
services to more than 2.6 billion people worldwide, will
launch its initiative at the Mobile World Congress event
in Barcelona. It has already signed up mobile operators
including 3, Orange, Telefonica, T-Mobile and Vodafone,
which together serve more than half a billion people worldwide.
They have agreed to introduce internet blocking technology
to prevent users accessing child pornography and provide
help for customers in flagging up potentially harmful
content. Telefonica, which owns O2 in the UK, will also
announce today that it has launched dedicated child protection
websites across all of its European operating businesses.
The sites are to promote safer use of mobiles by younger
teenagers and children.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/feb/11/mobilephones.technology |
11th February
Financial Times LONDON AUTHORITY SUPPLIERS FORCED TO GO
ETHICAL
Private sector suppliers are being forced to increase
the diversity of their workforces and improve their green
credentials to win contracts worth billions with London
authorities. The Greater London Authority Group, which
includes Transport for London, the Metropolitan police
and the London Development Agency, and spends £3bn
a year on goods and services, has written new "responsible
procurement" clauses into dozens of large contracts.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/72bb50b8-d844-11dc-98f7-0000779fd2ac.html |
11th February
Times WOOING WOMEN BACK TO WORK
The investment bank UBS looks after its female employees.
It likes to think that it leads the way in the recruitment
and retention of women by offering flexible working, mentoring
programmes, day-care provision and generous maternity
pay. Now the bank has introduced couple counselling. Lest
it sound as if UBS has lost its sense of boundaries, the
couple in this counselling consists of the female employee
and her manager.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/career_and_jobs/recruiter_forum/article3340928.ece
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11th February
Independent SETBACK FOR DARLING'S 'GREEN FUND' INITIATIVE
The Chancellor, Alistair Darling, has failed, so far,
in his attempt to persuade all of the G7 group of leading
economies to create, in collaboration with the World Bank,
a "green fund" for emerging and developing nations
to draw upon as their economies advance. The idea, also
backed by the US government and Japan, would, for example,
help pay for sustainable energy supplies rather than the
use of fossil fuels for power generation. The communique
of the G7 summit of finance ministers in Tokyo stated
merely that they group had "discussed" the idea,
and there was no immediate move on the part of France,
Germany, Italy or Canada to sign up.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/setback-for-darlings-green-fund-initiative-780728.html |
11th February
Independent SCOTTISH DOLPHINS 'AT RISK FROM OIL DRILLING'
The future of Britain's most famous dolphin is at risk
from oil and gas exploration, conservationists say. The
bottlenose dolphins of the Moray Firth in Scotland are
the best known and most studied dolphins in the UK. They
entertain onlookers with their energetic playing and feeding,
and are regularly seen near the shore. In 2005 they were
given their own sanctuary under European law.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/scottish-dolphins-at-risk-from-oil-drilling-780700.html |
11th February
Management Today THE GENDER PAY GAP NEEDS TO BE CLOSED
An inquiry by the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory
Reform Select Committee has just reported its findings
into the gender pay gap, urging business and government
not to lose momentum on pushing change through. The average
full time hourly pay gap still stands at 17% for full-time
work. According to Eurostat, Britain's gender pay gap
is the worst out of all 27 European Union countries. The
Office of National Statistics says it is most marked at
senior management level, where women earn 27% less than
men. And a recent study by the Institute of Directors
shows the divide goes all the way to the board - the pay
gap between male and female directors actually widening
over the past year from 19% to 22%.
http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/newsalerts/article/782939/mtsweek/the-gender-pay-gap-needs-closed/?DCMP=EMC-Daily%20News
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12th February
Independent EU GETS TOUGH OVER ROAMING CHARGES
Mobile phone companies face tough new rules if they do
not end "rip-off" rates for customers accessing
the internet or using their phones while abroad. Viviane
Reding, the European Union Telecoms Commissioner, warned
mobile phone operators yesterday that they must bring
down their prices by 1 July or face tough new legislation.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-gets-tough-over-ripoff-mobile-roaming-charges-781094.html |
12th February
Independent REGULATORS RAID CHOCOLATE MAKERS IN EUROPE
ON SUSPICION OF PRICE FIXING
German investigators have raided the offices of several
major confectionery companies amid allegations they fixed
the price of chocolate. Mars, Nestlé, Kraft and
Ritter, which have all confirmed they are part of the
investigation by the Federal Cartel Office, face multimillion-pound
fines if found guilty of the charges.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/regulators-raid-chocolate-makers-in-europe-on-suspicion-of-price-fixing-781093.html
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12th February
Guardian ETHICS: IN FASHION?
As London fashion week continues, the fashion industry
seems to have been caught with its pants down on the issue
of ethical and environmental clothing. According to research
carried out by Kellie Dalton at Dublin University, there
are vital lessons to be learned by all fashion professionals
and shareholders in clothing plc's. http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/katharine_hamnett/2008/02/ethics_in_fashion.html
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12th February
BBC MORRISONS SUES OVER MILK-FIX SLUR
Supermarket chain Morrisons is suing the Office of Fair
Trading (OFT) for naming it in connection with an alleged
milk cartel, the OFT has confirmed. The OFT alleged Morrisons
was one of a number of firms involved in fixing the price
of milk products in 2002. It later clarified the accusations.
Morrisons has accused the OFT of damaging its reputation
by naming it as part of the milk price probe. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7238556.stm |
12th February
Financial Times CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY IS NOT QUITE
DEAD
Is corporate social responsibility dead? Yes, says Harvard
Business Review's "Conversation Starter" blog.
CSR will increasingly be seen as a public relations sham,
the bloggers say. No, says the European Commission, which
commends companies that "go beyond minimum legal
requirements to address societal needs" and has just
spent three years and €1.4m ($2m) producing a 108-page
report on CSR.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/7990a3ec-d8a9-11dc-8b22-0000779fd2ac.html
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13th February
Independent EXPOSED: THE LONG, CRUEL ROAD TO THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE
Millions of animals are suffering unnecessarily at the
hands of meat traders by enduring cruel, drawn-out journeys
across the world to be slaughtered on arrival.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/exposed-the-long-cruel-road-to-the-slaughterhouse-781364.html
|
13th February
Independent NON-DOMS FIGHT THEIR CORNER
The Government insists that it will press ahead with its
core plan for taxing non-domiciled residents after furious
City lobbying forced it to backtrack on details of its
proposals. But it may have to do more work to regain the
non-doms' trust and stop affluent and rich people leaving
the country.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/nondoms-fight-their-corner-781547.html
|
13th February
BBC EU REGULATOR RAIDS INTEL OFFICES
Intel, the world's biggest computer chipmaker, has been
raided by European Union competition regulators amid claims
it abused its market position. Chuck Mulloy, a spokesman
for Intel, said the regulators raided the company's office
in Munich, Germany. Mr Mulloy said Intel was co-operating
with the investigators. Intel has been accused of trying
to abuse its dominant market position by selling its products
below cost price and making cash payments to customers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7241022.stm |
13th February
New York Times QUITTING FACEBOOK GETS EASIER
Aiming to address the privacy concerns of disenchanted
users, Facebook.com said on Tuesday that it was trying
to make it easier for people to delete their accounts
permanently from the social networking site. Until now,
Facebook has offered only a deactivation option, which
keeps copies of the account's personal information on
the company's servers. It is possible to delete an account
fully using a cumbersome manual method, but it is difficult;
many users complained that Facebook did not provide clear
instructions. On Monday, Facebook modified its help pages
to tell people that if they wanted to remove their accounts
entirely, they can direct the company by e-mail to have
it done. But on Tuesday, representatives of Facebook stopped
short of saying the company would introduce a one-step
delete account option.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/technology/13face.html?_r=2&th&emc=th&oref=slogin&oref=slogin |
13TH February
GreenBiz CSR PRACTICES CAN LEAD TO INCREASED PROFITS,
TWO NEW REPORTS FIND
Not only are more companies taking CSR practices seriously
and implementing them across operations, those companies
are more likely to see their value grow, according to
two reports released yesterday from IBM and the Economist
Intelligence Unit. The Economist
Intelligence Unit's report, Doing good: Business and the
sustainability challenge, surveyed 1,254 senior business
executives to find out how, if at all, stock performance
correlates to CSR performance. http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=55586
http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=corporate_sustainability&page=noads&rf=0
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/ibvstudy/gbs/a1029293
|
13th February
Guardian TRUE SCALE OF CO2 EMISSIONS FROM SHIPPING REVEALED
The true scale of climate change emissions from shipping
is almost three times higher than previously believed,
according to a leaked UN study seen by The Guardian. It
calculates that annual emissions from the world's merchant
fleet have already reached 1.12bn tonnes of CO2, or nearly
4.5% of all global emissions of the main greenhouse gas.
The report suggests that shipping emissions - which are
not taken into account by European targets for cutting
global warming - will become one of the largest single
sources of manmade CO2 after cars, housing, agriculture
and industry. By comparison, the aviation industry, which
has been under heavy pressure to clean up, is responsible
for about 650m tonnes of CO2 emissions a year, just over
half that from shipping. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/13/climatechange.pollution |
13th February
Times RYANAIR TO CLOSE DOWN ITS WEBSITE AFTER OFT WARNING
Ryanair, the budget airline, is closing its website for
three days next week after missing a deadline set by the
Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to remove misleading prices
from the site. The expensive shutdown will allow Ryanair
to revamp its website and meet the OFT's rules for including
taxes and other charges within headline fares. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3359701.ece
|
13TH February
Guardian FIRMS SAY CARBON COMMITMENT IS A CURB TOO MANY
British companies are becoming increasingly anxious that
government measures to tackle climate change could make
the UK uncompetitive. A key concern is the planned carbon
reduction commitment outlined in last year's energy white
paper, according to a survey of business customers by
the energy group npower. The survey also showed, however,
that support for the government's commitment to curb carbon
dioxide emissions remains high. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/13/climatechange.greenbusiness?gusrc=rss&feed=politics
|
14th February
Independent SMOKING 'EPIDEMIC' WILL KILL A MILLION INDIANS
A YEAR
India is in the grip of a catastrophic epidemic that will
claim one million lives a year during the decade starting
in 2010 - from smoking. The scale of the deaths is much
greater than had been expected because Indians start smoking
later and smoke less on average than Western populations.
But for reasons that are not fully understood, Asians
appear to be more susceptible to the harmful effects of
tobacco. Smoking accounts for one in five male deaths
and one in 20 female deaths in India and on average cuts
20 years from the lives of those it kills. The findings,
from the first major study of the causes of death in the
sub-continent, led to calls for tough new measures to
curb the epidemic.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/health-news/smoking-epidemic-will-kill-a-million-indians-a-year-782037.html
|
14th February
Independent PRIVATE EQUITY TRADE BODY IN '£140BN'
CHARM OFFENSIVE
Private equity-backed companies have contributed £140bn
in tax to the UK economy over the past five years, according
to a new study commissioned by the industry trade body
as part of its charm offensive to bring greater transparency
to the market. The report, commissioned by the British
Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, showed
that tax contributions totalled £35bn last year.
The trade body added: "That's enough to pay for every
nurse and police officer in the country." Executives
from some of the biggest buyout companies were hauled
in front of a Treasury Select Committee in July to explain
the business and why most only pay 10 per cent tax on
multimillion-pound gains. As a result, the BVCA asked
Sir David Walker, the former chairman of Morgan Stanley,
to draw up guidelines to provide greater transparency.
This led to the creation of a committee to oversee a voluntary
code of conduct for the industry, a move seen by some
as designed to head off potential government interference.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/private-equity-trade-body-in-163140bn-charm-offensive-782043.html
|
14th February
Telegraph TEENAGE DRINKING EPIDEMIC 'CAUSES MISERY'
Britain needs to wake up to the epidemic of binge-drinking
among teenagers and the misery it is causing thousands
of families, one of the country's most senior policemen
has warned. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/14/nbinge114.xml |
14th February
Financial Times STUDY FINDS PROFIT IN CUTTING EMISSIONS
Half the cuts in greenhouse gas emissions needed to make
the world safe can be achieved at a net profit to the
global economy, a study has found. McKinsey, the consultancy,
published a report concluding that investment in energy
efficiency of about $170bn a year worldwide would yield
a profit of about 17 per cent, or $29bn. The cost of tackling
climate change has been hotly debated, with some economists
arguing that immediate action to cut emissions would cost
only a few per cent of future global GDP, while waiting
would be more expensive because of the need to adapt to
the effects of climate change. Others say it would be
cheaper to wait for low-carbon technologies, such as renewable
energy, to come down in price.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d8c101f2-da8b-11dc-9bb9-0000779fd2ac.html |
14th February
Telegraph GAMBLER SUES WILLIAM HILL FOR LETTING HIM BET
A gambling addict is suing a betting chain for £2
million after claiming they "ruined his life"
by allowing him to continue betting. Graham Calvert, 28,
asked William Hill to close his account and ban him because
he was addicted and gambling over the telephone was "too
easy". William Hill contests Graham Calvert's allegations
But he claims that despite being told he would not be
eligible for another account for six months under the
company's self-exclusion policy, he was allowed to open
a new account two months later. In the following five
months, he went on to lose £2 million, including
a single bet of £347,000 on America to win golf's
Ryder Cup. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/02/14/ngambler214.xml |
14th February
Business Week ETHICS MUST BE GLOBAL, NOT LOCAL
Bill George writes that, to build a truly great, global
business, business leaders need to adopt a global standard
of ethical practices.
http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/feb2008/ca20080212_394828.htm?chan=careers_managing+index+page_top+stories |
14th February
Financial Times THE BENEFITS OF INVESTING IN EMPLOYEE
HEALTH
You know an idea is beginning to take off when entrepreneurs
try to make money out of it. A group called Business Action
on Health, set up by Business In The Community and some
of its member companies, has committed itself to raising
the measuring and reporting of employee health among FTSE
100 companies from the current rate of 7 per cent to 75
per cent by 2011.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2e59f772-daa0-11dc-9bb9-0000779fd2ac.html |
14th February
Financial Times BROWN FACES REVOLT OVER AGENCY WORKERS
Attempts by Gordon Brown to quell a potential backbench
revolt over improved employment rights for 1.4m agency
and temporary workers are likely to fail, union leaders
warned on Thursday. The prime minister has offered to
establish an independent commission to determine what
measures might be introduced to bring pay and conditions
of agency workers more into line with permanent staff
without undermining Britain's flexible labour market.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb0cb3fc-db50-11dc-9fdd-0000779fd2ac.html
|
15th February
Independent BLAIR USED 'IRRESISTIBLE PRESSURE' TO HALT
INVESTIGATION INTO BAE-SAUDI ARMS DEAL
Tony Blair wrongly influenced due legal process when he
used "irresistible pressure" to end the Serious
Fraud Office's investigation into alleged bribery and
corruption involving arms deals between BAE Systems and
Saudi Arabia, it was alleged in the High Court yesterday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/blair-used-irresistible-pressure-to-halt-investigation-into-baesaudi-arms-deal-782541.html
|
15th February
Independent A MILLION NEW HOMES COULD BE 'UNINSURABLE'
One million new homes expected to be built over the next
12 years could be at risk of flooding unless tougher planning
restrictions are introduced, the insurance industry warned
yesterday. The Government has set a target of building
three million properties by 2020 but, according to the
Association of British Insurers, about a third of these
will be erected on flood plains. In many cases, the ABI
claimed, local authorities had pushed for construction
to go ahead despite the Environment Agency warning of
flood risks.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/a-million-new-homes-could-be-uninsurable-782650.html
|
15th February
Times SHELL ISSUES STARK CHALLENGE TO POLITICIANS
Royal Dutch Shell has called for massive government intervention
in the energy sector on a global scale in order to achieve
reductions in greenhouse gases. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article3371862.ece
|
15th February
Times NEW REGULATOR MUST BE GIVEN THE TEETH TO KEEP POWERFUL
RETAILERS IN CHECK, FARMING CHIEFS SAY
"Offshop", which will arbitrate disputes between
supermarkets and suppliers, must be given powers to conduct
unannounced audits at food companies, farmers' leaders
say. The farming industry senses victory after a five-year
battle to persuade the Government and competition authorities
that suppliers have been losing money because of tactics
used by supermarkets to keep up their profits.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/consumer_affairs/article3372242.ece
|
15th February
Telegraph THE CLIMATE IS BIG BUSINESS
Climate change is going to transform the way businesses
operate and it's a change that will happen globally. That
was the theme of a round-table meeting of key company
executives organised by the Carbon Trust as part of its
mission to accelerate the move to a low-carbon economy.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/exclusions/supplements/carbonaction/table.xml |
15th February
Guardian INVESTMENT FUND GIANTS DEMAND 90% REDUCTION IN
CARBON EMISSIONS
Some of the largest institutional investors in the world
yesterday called on the US Congress to introduce a mandatory
national policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
up to 90% below 1990 levels by 2050. It is the latest
move that underlines the way business leaders have dramatically
seized the environmental agenda and are now pushing politicians
to tackle global warming. The group of 40 investors, which
includes F&C Asset Management in London and controls
$1.5tr (£760bn) worth of funds, also wants the financial
regulator, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC),
to insist that companies listed in New York and elsewhere
disclose their exposure to climate change risk.
The investment houses are demanding that equity analysts
and ratings agencies calculate the potential carbon costs
for companies such as Shell, BP and electricity utilities
which are involved in polluting activities such as producing
oil from tar sands and operating coal-fired power stations.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/15/investmentfunds.economics |
15th February
Guardian US TO REPLACE ANIMALS WITH ROBOTS IN TOXIC CHEMICAL
TESTS
US regulators have announced plans to reduce the number
of animals used to test the safety of everyday chemicals.
Instead of using animals such as rats and mice, scientists
will screen suspected toxic chemicals in everything from
pesticides to household cleaners using cell cultures and
computer models. The screening machines will be inspired
by those developed for medical research, which can quickly
test thousands of different molecules in a few days to
see if any have potential as useful drugs. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/feb/15/animalwelfare |
| continued
below .... |
15th February BBC DEUTSCHE POST BOSS
IN TAX PROBE
The chief executive of Deutsche Post, the firm that
owns global delivery firm DHL, has been quizzed by police
over suspected tax evasion. Klaus Zumwinkel had his
home and office raided by investigators and was questioned
before being bailed. Prosecutors said he was suspected
of not paying 1m euros (£750,000; $1.4m) in taxes
using banks in Lichtenstein. Mr Zumwinkel is one of
Germany's most influential business figures, having
headed Deutsche Post for 18 years. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7245075.stm |
15th February
Financial Times NORWAY'S SOVEREIGN FUND SETS AN ETHICAL
EXAMPLE
The role of sovereign wealth funds in the capital markets
has become the focus of one of the most continuous economic
debates. Key concerns relate to a lack of transparency
and possible non-financial objectives for the investments.
This is not the case with the Norwegian Government Pension
Fund - Global. Instead the fund has a high degree of transparency
in all aspects of its operation, including its role as
an investor with non-strategic holdings, its explicit
aim to maximise financial returns and the clear lines
of responsibility between political authorities and the
management of the fund. Managers aim for international
best practice and the exercise of ownership rights is
based on internationally accepted principles such as the
United Nations Global Compact and the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines on corporate
governance and multinational enterprises. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2657f7a6-db20-11dc-9fdd-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1 |
15th February
Independent THE GREAT WALL OF INDIFFERENCE
An international coalition of human rights activists has
asked corporate sponsors of the Beijing Olympics to call
on the Chinese government to account over its support
for Sudan or face a series of protests and consumer boycotts
in the approach to this summer's Games. As international
condemnation mounted over China's reluctance to censure
Khartoum for its conduct in Darfur, campaigners pressured
multinational companies including Coca-Cola, McDonald's
and Adidas, to end their "silent complicity"
with the regime. The New York-based Olympic Dream For
Darfur (ODFD), has launched a campaign to target sponsor
companies hoping to use this summer's global sporting
jamboree to promote themselves to China's booming domestic
market. Only two - General Electric and McDonald's - were
prepared to contact the Olympic movement about the issue,
though others - Adidas, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson
- earned credit for either giving aid to Darfur or taking
other "responsible"
steps. Coca-Cola said it preferred to give aid directly
to the troubled region saying it felt it was not its role
to "give governments suggestions about the foreign
policy their country should follow". Adidas, the
sportswear manufacturer, and McDonald's both said the
conflict could only be solved at a government level, while
Panasonic insisted its support for the Olympic ideal was
"independent of local contingencies".
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/the-great-wall-of-indifference-782537.html
|
16th February
Independent FASHION IS RACIST: INSIDER LIFTS LID ON 'ETHNIC
EXCLUSION'
One of Britain's leading model agents has offered a disturbing
insight into the racial discrimination holding back the
careers of black models in the British fashion industry.
Rob Sharp reports
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/fashion-is-racist-insider-lifts-lid-on-ethnic-exclusion-782974.html
|
16th February
Independent HIDDEN VICTIMS OF THE 'GREEN REVOLUTION'
Daniel Howden looks at the Shangaan people, who are being
forced to resettle after the land where their villages
stand has beein sold for biofuel plantations. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/hidden-victims-of-the-green-revolution-783012.html |
16th February
Independent UK BUSINESSES BRACED FOR CLASS ACTION SUITS
AFTER BA AND VIRGIN PAY OUT $200M
The US attorney who won $200m (£102m) in damages
against British Airways and Virgin Atlantic yesterday
has put the UK business community on notice for a surge
of American-style class action lawsuits against British
companies. Under the landmark settlement, the airlines
admitted to colluding to hike fuel surcharges from an
average of about £5 to around £60 for a long-haul
return ticket over a two-year period between August 2004
and March 2006. The carriers agreed to repay sums of up
to £20 to 5.6 million passengers affected by the
charges, both in the US and the UK. The settlement is
the first time that claimants outside the US will be able
to collect damages from a class-action suit brought and
argued in America.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/uk-businesses-braced-for-class-action-suits-after-ba-and-virgin-pay-out-200m-783077.html |
16th February
Independent SIMON EVANS: SHOW ME THE CORPORATE THAT WILL
PRESSURE CHINA
Steven Spielberg might have quit his role working on the
Beijing Olympics but the chance of any business bigwigs
following suit remains remote, writes Simon Evans."It
would be great to see the likes of Coca-Cola or Kodak
or our very own BHP Billiton breaking ranks and bringing
some pressure to bear on the Chinese regime over its human
rights abuses and its role in Darfur. But any such move
would amount to corporate suicide."
The trouble for those sponsoring the Olympics is that
they have risked the ire of those Western consumers who
could express their feelings on human rights by boycotting
products.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/comment/simon-evans-show-me-the-corporate-that-will-pressure-china-783209.html
|
16th February
Times ALISTAIR DARLING SAYS AVERAGE MAN WOULD FIND CITY
BONUSES 'EXCESSIVE'
Alistair Darling has criticised the huge bonuses being
awarded to City executives during a period of economic
uncertainty. The Chancellor said that boards should apply
the "next-door neighbour test" to judge whether
payouts would be regarded as excessive by the average
man in the street.
"Boards need to ask themselves 'Are we behaving reasonably?'
If you're leaning over the fence talking to your next-door
neighbour, can you justify what you've done?" Mr
Darling said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/money/tax/article3378951.ece
|
17th February
Observer FARMERS' PLEA TO SAVE OUR BACON
Pig farmers across the country are in crisis because huge
increases in the price of grain mean they are losing up
to £20 for every animal they produce. Experts warn
the industry faces catastrophe unless the price of pork
and bacon rises, a move so far rejected by supermarkets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/feb/17/fooddrinks.ruralaffairs
|
18th February BBC REFCO BOSS ADMITS FRAUD CHARGES
The former chief executive of US finance firm Refco has
said he knew that he was wrong to keep quiet about losses
at the scandal-hit company. Phillip Bennett was speaking
in court after pleading guilty to conspiracy and fraud
charges that could see him given a prison sentence of
up to 315 years. Refco went bust in 2005. It has since
come out of bankruptcy protection. Prosecutors said Bennett
had prevented auditors and investors discovering the losses
the firm and customers suffered. The charges included
conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, bank
fraud, money laundering and making false filings to the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Refco was the fourth
largest bankruptcy in US history.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7249327.stm
|
18th February
BBC GREEN WATCHDOG URGES STORE REFORM
An over-arching policy on supermarkets is needed if the
government is to meet targets on obesity, waste and climate
change, an independent report has said. The Sustainable
Development Commission (SDC) report suggests the food
chain contributes about one-fifth of total UK greenhouse
gas emissions. It admits supermarkets are improving performance
in many ways, but calls for clear government policy guidance.
The British Retail Consortium said chains were dealing
with the issues. The SDC accepts there is a need to put
the responsibility on to government to create clear policy
guidance so the retail giants can decide where their priorities
should lie. The report suggests the food chain contributes
around one-fifth of total UK greenhouse gas emissions
when the impact of fertilisers, transport, processing
and rotting waste is taken into account.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7247384.stm
|
18th February
Financial Times TOBACCO GROUPS WARNED ON CONTRABAND
Tobacco companies could be made responsible for clamping
down on cigarette smuggling, with stiff financial penalties
for failure, under proposed guidelines for a new global
treaty to tackle the multi-billion-dollar illicit trade
in tobacco products. The trade is estimated to deprive
national exchequers worldwide of $40bn-$50bn in lost taxes
every year and undermines the drive to raise cigarette
prices, which experts say is the single most effective
way of deterring people from smoking, especially the young.
At the end of a week of negotiations in Geneva involving
about 130 countries, delegates said on Friday there was
broad agreement to require companies to track and trace
tobacco products from manufacture to point of sale and
fine them if contraband is seized. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6b38c6e4-dbf1-11dc-bc82-0000779fd2ac.html
|
18th February
Independent HOUSING SALE AND RENT-BACK SECTOR COMMITS
TO NEW CODE OF practice
The controversial sale and rent-back sector - which buys
people's houses at knockdown prices and then rents them
back to the former owners - is to develop a new voluntary
code of practice, in a bid to raise standards and prevent
further mis-selling within the industry.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/housing-sale-and-rentback-sector-commits-to-new-code-of-practice-783631.html |
18th February
Financial Times INVESTORS PRUNE GREEN STOCKS
The stock market bubble in the world's alternative energy
producers may have burst. After years of dramatic growth,
shares in the wind, solar and biofuels energy sectors
have slumped since the start of the year on growing investor
fears of recession in large economies.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a2e07076-dd93-11dc-ad7e-0000779fd2ac.html
|
18th February
Financial Times COMPANIES FACE UP TO THE REAL COST OF
PENSIONS
Nearly two decades ago, when BT Group badly needed to
restructure its workforce, the UK's privatised telecommunications
carrier offered generous early retirement benefits to
encourage staff to go voluntarily. Thousands of them did,
helping BT to recover its profitability. But that was
because a portion of the cost was hidden in the company's
pension scheme, which today has total liabilities of nearly
£38bn ($75bn, €51bn).
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6a9608cc-ddc3-11dc-ad7e-0000779fd2ac.html
|
18th February
Guardian REASONS TO SEE RED OVER GREEN ENERGY
You'd hope, wouldn't you, that the government department
responsible for energy to heat our homes, power our cars
and so on would be on top of two key issues - a switch
to a low-carbon economy and the possibility that oil might
run out sooner than we thought.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/feb/18/energy.economy?gusrc=rss&feed=politics |
18th February
Guardian GREEN WORKER
Planes, trains or automobiles? In an age of global warming,
the question takes on added significance for those booking
the flights, rail journeys or hire cars. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/18/green?gusrc=rss&feed=environment
|
19th February
Independent A SUPERGRASS, SPIES, AND THE €4BN SCANDAL
GRIPPING GERMANY
A mysterious supergrass, German spies, a €4m (£3m)
CD and the Alpine principality of Liechtenstein. These
are the ingredients for a tax dodge mystery that some
are describing as Germany's biggest financial scandal
since the Second World War. The first evidence of a scandal
emerged at the end of last week following the sudden resignation
of the Deutche Post chief executive, Klaus Zumwinkel,
over claims that he had evaded €1m-worth of tax over
20 years, allegedly depositing the cash in a Liechtenstein
account. The scandal exploded over the weekend, with officials
at Germany's equivalent of MI5, the Bundesnachrichtendienst
(BND), disclosing that they had gleaned information about
a more widespread fraud from a CD containing records from
Liechtenstein's LGT bank that they had purchased from
an unidentified informant.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/a-supergrass-spies-and-the-euro4bn-scandal-gripping-germany-784038.html |
19th February
Independent EU CALLS FOR NEW SUPERMARKETS INQUIRY
Major supermarket chains across Europe are potentially
abusing their market position to drive down the prices
paid to suppliers, the European Parliament declared yesterday.
Just days after the UK competition watchdog recommended
a tougher code of practice for supermarkets in Britain,
the European Union assembly called for an investigation
into the practices of the big chains across the continent.
The assembly said that the EU's competition body, the
European Commission, should intervene to protect consumer
choice and the environment.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/eu-calls-for-new-supermarkets-inquiry-784111.html |
19th February
Times CENTRICA TO SET PROFIT RECORD AMID RENEWED ALLEGATIONS
OF 'RIP-OFF' PRICES
Centrica, the owner of British Gas, is expected to smash
its earnings record this week and post profits of about
£2 billion for 2007, an increase of more than 40
per cent on the previous year, according to consensus
estimates by analysts.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/utilities/article3393057.ece |
19th February
New Business Online DO YOU TAKE CSR SERIOUSLY?
Small business owners are divided on whether corporate
social responsibility (CSR) is something that requires
only lip service or whether it can genuinely benefit their
business, according to a survey by OTX Research on behalf
of SEE Potential.
http://www.newbusiness.co.uk/articles/%5Bcatpath%5D/do-you-take-csr-seriously |
19th February
Financial Times TOP EXECUTIVES SLOW TO ADOPT CLIMATE CHANGE
STRATEGY
Very few senior executives have a strategy in place for
dealing with climate change, despite the overwhelming
view that it is a serious issue for business, a survey
has found. Most top executives in the survey were not
aware that the government had committed itself to a 60
per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bb446dda-de91-11dc-9de3-0000779fd2ac.html |
19th February
Guardian MANAGERS DO 40 DAYS UNPAID OVERTIME A YEAR TO
KEEP UP WITH WORK
The average British manager works the equivalent of 40
days a year in unpaid overtime, research into the nation's
long-hours culture revealed yesterday. A survey of more
than 1,500 managers found 89% regularly worked more than
their contracted hours. In spite of prolonged soul-searching
in boardrooms about helping executives achieve a better
work-life balance, this proportion remains almost the
same as eight years ago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/feb/19/workandcareers.worklifebalance?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront
|
19th February
Financial Times PROPOSALS WOULD PUT GREATER PRESSURE ON
COMPANIES TO INCREASE PENSION FUNDING
Pensions industry consultants recoiled yesterday at proposed
new regulatory guidance under which schemes would have
to make assumptions about liabilities using mortality
data that reflect rapidly improving life expectancy.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/07c436cc-de92-11dc-9de3-0000779fd2ac.html
|
20th February
Guardian PORSCHE THREATENS LEGAL ACTION ON £25 CONGESTION
FEE
The car maker, Porsche, is likely to take the mayor of
London, Ken Livingstone, to court over plans to charge
drivers of the most polluting vehicles £25 each
time they enter the capital. The German sports car specialist
said yesterday that the proposed rise, which will come
into effect in October, is "unfair and disproportionate".
In a statement, the company said that unless the mayor
backs down it will be applying for a judicial review in
an attempt to get the decision overturned. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/feb/20/london08.climatechange |
20th February
Independent BRITISH AIRWAYS IS SECOND-WORST CARRIER IN
EUROPE FOR LOST BAGGAGE
British Airways has lost more baggage per flight last
year than almost any other airline in Europe. The annual
figures from the Air Transport Users Council, released
today, show that in 2007, 26.5 bags per 1,000 were delayed
during BA flights, compared to a European-wide average
of 16.6.
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/british-airways-is-secondworst-carrier-in-europe-for-lost-baggage-784415.html |
20th February
Financial Times BUSINESS SEES BACKLASH RISE
German business is facing a dramatic loss of influence
as a political force after the launch of the country's
biggest ever investigation targeting wealthy tax evaders,
according to Juergen Thumann, the nation's leading business
lobbyist. Although only one businessman, Klaus Zumwinkel,
former chief executive of Deutsche Post, had been named
in connection with the investigation, Mr Thumann told
the FT the entire business community was facing "a
public lynching". http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/71989ad8-df56-11dc-91d4-0000779fd2ac.html
|
20th February
New York Times JUDGE SHUTS DOWN WEBSITE SPECIALIZING IN
LEAKS
The New York Times reports that a judge in San Francisco
has shut down a website devoted to disclosing confidential
information. The site, Wikileaks.org, invites people to
post leaked materials with the goal of discouraging "unethical
behavior" by corporations and governments. The case
came about after a bank in the Cayman Islands claimed
that documents leaked by an ex-employee was a violation
of a confidentiality agreement and banking laws. The site's
domain name has been disabled but, according to the newspaper,
information provided by the site can still be found on
the web by users who know where to look. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/us/20wiki.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1203505436-KgYX51S0W+f1j6nE42ZWDQ |
