In future years the launch of Blackberry 10 may be seen as the firm's turnaround-or the moment its fate was doomed in the competitive smartphone market. Will this bring back the BBM boom?
Thursday 31 January 2013
Fizzy Drinks Tax
Leading medical bodies are calling for a 20p-per-litre levy on soft drinks to be included in this year's Budget. Will this help correct the market failure that arises from sugary drinks?
Sunday 27 January 2013
Chance To Be Chancellor
Chance to enter a national competition where you take the roll of chancellor and put together a short video where you consider a range of Budget 2013 policies and choose those you feel are best for the country's economy. It is open till 15th Feb and open to all 14-18 year olds which a chance to win an i-Pad as a top prize. Find out more by following the link:
Virtual Fitting Room
Addidas, Hugo Boss and Superdry are among a number of brands set to launch a virtual fitting room fucnction aimed at improving the online shopping experience for customers. Will this help take online shopping spending further forward at more cost to the high street?
£1M Banknotes
Carefully guarded in the Bank of England's vaults are a small number of very large banknotes - each is worth a sum of money most of us can only dream of. What are they for?
Obesity Not A Problem For Rich
At first sight, a photo of emaciated children in developing countries alongside obese people in the West might seem like an apt way to illustrate the massive gap between the rich and the poor. But it is not, according to experts at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Read more by following the link.
Friday 25 January 2013
Fit & Healthy Economy
A superb article on how healthy people can create economic health which takes into consideration the comments made at the World Economic Forum which has been taking place recently in Davos.
Triple Dip?
The UK economy shrank by 0.3% in the last three months of 2012, further fueling fears that the economy could re-enter recession. A fall in output due to a drop in mining and quarrying were some of the main contributors to the shrink which has been disappointing news for the government following the Olympic boost.
Thursday 24 January 2013
£20 Cap On Tickets
Fans are demanding a £20 limit on the price of away tickets amid fears that the growing costs will hit match attendances, affecting the atmosphere of games. The Football Supporters Federation's 'Twenty's Plenty' drive aims to get clubs to peg the cost of away tickets. This comes after Man City returned 900 tickets for their trip to the Emirates after fans refused to pay £62 to watch their team. Interesting economics in this!
No Recession In Football
Real Madrid has topped Deloitte's football rich list for the 8th year in a row, with revenues breaking 500m euros (£420m) for the first time. Bumper TV deals and amazing global demand have seen revenues for clubs continue to rise despite tough economic times. Newcastle did not make the top 10.
Tuesday 22 January 2013
World Without Work
The number of jobless people around the world rose by 4 million in 2012 to 197 million and is expected to grow further. The trend reflected a downturn in economic growth and highlights a massive waste in skilled labour across the world.
Off We Go With BUSS4!
Here we go. The final step of the A Level Business Studies journey for AQA students. There is some great start off information available from tutor2u if you follow the link to get you prepared for the final push!
Risks Lie Ahead For Global Economy
Painful deleveragining - less spending and more saving to reduce debt and leverage - remains ongoing in most advanced economies, which implies slow economic growth.
Sunday 20 January 2013
Clever Drinks
Del Monte is set to launch a new fruit drink to aid kids learning. They claim the mix of vitamins will help stimulate the mind and help prevent tiredness and aid children's learning. The six different flavours will be hitting the stores over the next month. Is this the new lucozade of the classroom?
Big Freeze Costing The Economy
Big freeze could cost UK economy more than £6bn. Retailers, restaurants and bars are likely to be worst hit in what is typically a poor month for sales anyway. Also the cold snap could also delay construction projects and keep millions of workers off work.
Thursday 17 January 2013
Excellent Year for UK Car Industry
UK car production in 2012 was at its highest level since 2008 according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). UK factories built 1.46 million cars of which 1.21 million were exported.
Wednesday 16 January 2013
Neigh Beef In These Burgers
Investigations are under way to find out how beefburgers on sale in UK and Irish supermarkets became contaminated with horesemeat. Tesco & Iceland have been identified as two of the supermarkets who have been stocking the contaminated burgers and the news of this investigation will be very damaging for the reputation of the supermarkets. They will have to work hard to restore customers confidence in the stores food and products.
Intu Metrocentre? Intu Eldon Square?
Metrocentre and Eldon Square are part of a national re-brand which will see their names changed to 'Intu Metrocentre' and 'Intu Eldon Sqaure'. Find out more about the plans by following the link.
Blockbusted
DVD rental firm Blockbuster has become the latest UK High Street firm to go into administration after struggling against online competitors. The chain has 528 stores and employs over 4,000 staff. With news of HMV and Jessops also entering administration this month are all these casualties just inevitable due to their slow movement in changing their business models in fast moving and competitive environment.
Tuesday 15 January 2013
Recession Forces Brands To Change
Many brands are having to react to the tougher financial conditions in order to survive. John Smiths have taken the drastic measure of watering down its beer to reduce the alcohol content from 3.8% to 3.6% and they have also raised the price by 25p a pint. Other brands have been reducing their size and removing expensive ingredients but have you noticed?
Coca-Cola Addresses Obesity In TV Ad's
Fizzy-drink giant Coca-Cola has launched an advert addressing obesity for the first time on TV. This news comes as New York steps up its attempts to ban large sugary drinks in cinemas, restaurants & spots arenas. As the governments are trying to correct the market failure caused by over-consumption of sugary drinks, Coca-Cola are trying to ensure they are not going to be hit hardest. Great story for Economists studying Markets In Action.
Not Sounding Good For HMV
Music and DVD chain HMV is to appoint an administrator, making it the latest casualty on the High Street and putting about 4,350 jobs at risk. The first store opened back in 1921 has struggled against online competition and was slow in moving into the digital age which combined with the tough economic conditions has sadly sealed its fate. Who will be next?
Monday 14 January 2013
Just Sponsor It
Rory McIlroy is set to become one of the biggest earners in sporting history after confirmation of a reported 10-year sponsorship deal with Nike worth as much as £150m. So why pay so much? Is this deal worth it for Nike?
Simples Pensions
Plans for a 'simple' flat-rate state pension have been unveiled, but many of those entering the workforce now will be worse off than under current rules.
Sunday 13 January 2013
From Burger Flipper to President
Former McDonald's president Fred Turner, who died this week, made it from burger flipper to the top. But is this still a realistic way to get to be boss?
Premier League vs Bundesliga
The beautiful game embodies everything that's bad about Britain. A nice article for A2 Work & Leisure students which makes comment about how the Premier League is run for the super rich, not fans compared to the thriving Bundesliga.
Coney Calzone!
It's a coney calzone! The pizza shaped like a cone. This unique treat was a entrepreneurial idea from 23 year old Dags Hofrats who has become the first person in the UK to sell the pizza. It has been an unlikely smash hit & he has sold 1,000 of the pizza cones at £2.70 in six weeks.
Thursday 10 January 2013
BMW Success
Its group-wide sales in 2012 totaled 1.85 million cars, up 11% from a year earlier. Sales of BMW vehicles made up the majority of this total, rising 12% to 1.54 million. Some great information about the global car market which links with the Year 11 GCSE pre-release! Check it out by following the links below:
Hovis Abandons 100% British Wheat Pledge
Due to the poor harvest of wheat in Britain in 2012 Hovis is planning to start using wheat from elsewhere in the EU in some loaves. This means it will have to remove the 100% British branding from them. Will this see an increase in the price of hovis?
iPhone Budget
Apple is reportedly developing a budget version of the iPhone that could cost half as much as its latest handset, in an attempt to push back against arch-rival Samsung and increase sales in Asia.
Wednesday 9 January 2013
The End Of The High Street?
As Jessops becomes the latest big name high street casualty of the recession, what is now the way forward for the UK's ailing high streets? Totnes (a small town in Devon) is aiming to buck the trend. It is passionate about its local economy and even has its own currency. Check out this great story of how the independent retailers are creating a thriving high street again.
GCSE Business Pre-Release Case Study
The pre-release case study for the OCR GCSE Business Studies exam is now available. You will receive a copy of it in class but if you want a copy of your own you can download one from here. This year it is all about a car company called AS and the text in this will all link to what you are doing in class for your final unit A293.
Free Football
Morecambe are offering free entry to all supporters for their game against
Dagenham & Redbridge on Tuesday. Some interesting points for the YED and demand of spectator sports between the premier league and the lower leagues. (Article From Seb Dadbin)
Monday 7 January 2013
Puzzling Prices
Rarely a week seems to pass without some kind of investigation into prices or
charging. Here are the top 10 charges that make consumers scratch their heads but can you as an Economist, explain them?
Sunday 6 January 2013
The £1m Tuna
A bluefin tuna sold for a record 1.76 million US dollars (£1.1 million) at a Tokyo auction on Saturday, nearly three times the previous high. Stocks (Supply) of bluefin tuna caught in the Atlantic and Med plunged by 60% between 1997 and 2007 due to rampant, often illegal, overfishing and lax quotas. This combined with the fact that Japanese people eat 80% of the bluefin tuna caught worldwide leads you to see why the price is rocketing! Classic supply & demand.
More Pensioners Working Into Retirement
Nearly 10 million people in Britain are now over 65, increasing numbers of pensioners are taking up a second career after they retire. Consider the impact on the workforce of an ageing population.
Apps Outsell Console Games
Smartphones and tablets look set to dominate the portable gaming market with iOS and Android based app titles to generate more revenue in the coming months than dedicated portable gaming releases from the likes of Sony and Nintendo, new reports have suggested. How close as substitutes do you think these two goods are? XED? What else could have caused the shift?
Friday 4 January 2013
Most Liked Ad of 2012 - 'Simples'
The CompareTheMarket.com ad featuring Meerkat brand characters Sergei and Alexsander handing a window cleaner his free Meerkat toy was the 'most-liked' TV ad of 2012. You can relive that advert again and also see which other adverts featured in the top 10 by following the link below. Simples.
'Too Graphic' Anti-smoking Ad Faces Censure
A Government anti-smoking ad showing a cancerous tumour growing on a cigarette as it's smoked is facing censure after the advertising watchdog received a flurry of complaints the advert was too graphic. Do you believe this information provision to correct the market failure caused by cigarettes has gone too far? Do these adverts even help correct the negative externalities and reduce the demand for smoking?
Metro Prices On Rise
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Revised fares for the metro will come into effect from 6th January 2013. On average prices will go up by 4.1% while peak day tickets would be withdrawn. Nexus director general Bernard Garner said fares had been kept as low as possible but this still sees single tickets increase by 10p. Consider inflation and the inelastic demand for metro travel!
Economic Bag: It Was Good While It Lasted
Recent economic data seemed positive for the UK economy, but the latest information hints that it is more fizzle bang. There are now fresh fears that the UK economy is sliding towards a triple dip recession this year after the first fall in service sector activity for two years.
Ant & Dec To Front Morrisons' TV Adverts
The UK's fourth largest grocer announces its partnership with the TV hosts, who will promote its range of products this year. Forecast by analysts as having the worst performing of the major supermarkets at Christmas they will hope the partnership will revive its flagging fortunes. Classic Oligopoly non-price competition?
Wednesday 2 January 2013
Happy New Year
We have been taking a break from the blog over the festive period but are back now to give you all the best and most interesting stories from the world of Business & Economics. But first check out this video which celebrates all the epic stuff that happened in 2012...enjoy!
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