Regulator orders sale of BAA-owned airports
March 19, 2009
The Competition Commission has just confirmed the break-up of BAA. It has ordered the Gatwick and Stansted sale. The commission has looked into dominance of BAA over airports in the south-east of England and Scotland; BAA owns a total of seven.
In the final report submitted after two-year long investigation, the Competition Commission also told BAA that the airports operator must also sell either Glasgow or Edinburgh airport. BAA responded by stating the commission’s findings and analysis conclusions were flawed.
In its provisional decision, the Competition Commission stated the lack of competition between BAA airports owned was detrimental to passengers. It ordered that these airports be sold within a couple of years.
The airports are to be sold in sequence, beginning with Gatwick, followed by Stansted, and finally either Glasgow or Edinburgh as part of an orderly sale process. The Gatwick sale process is already under way. Possible buyers are now being vetted.
The regulator said it was the
“only way to comprehensively address the detriment to passengers and airlines from the total absence of competition between BAA’s south-east airports and between Edinburgh and Glasgow”
.
It added:
“The sale will kick-start a process of competitive rivalry from a standing start where right now there is no competition at all.”
UK’s unemployed to get counseling.
March 10, 2009
Those unfortunate workers who are victims of economic slump, there by losing their jobs, are being offered counseling for “recession depression”. Therapists are trained in large numbers amid government fears that the financial crisis could drive up levels of mental illness and long- term unemployment. Read more
India may handle UK railway enquiries in the near future
February 28, 2009
Barack Obama’s administration is keen on taking steps to streamline the outsourcing process. Which will subsequently increase the chances of generating opportunities for the large number of unemployed US techies, affected by recession.
According to ‘The Sun’, it seems, across the Atlantic in Britain, no such qualms exists .The UK’s National Rail Enquiries is shunting British call centre jobs to India in order to save cash As per the paper, about 70 positions may be out-sourced.
The Association stated, over 70% of the calls to the number would now be handled by staff in Mumbai (India) The decision was conveyed on Thursday to the Workers at the centre in Wath-upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire.
A spokesman for ATOC revealed that Indian workers currently took about 50% of the calls. He said:
“Our monitoring shows that levels of customer satisfaction for both the call centres are same. We can achieve significant savings through this rebalancing and it makes sense to do so.”
HVAC Industry Defies Recession
February 18, 2009
Several business that specialise in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) are performing better than ever despite organisations cutting expenditure.
HVAC is considered more of a requirement now than the simple luxury it used to be seen as. Especially for businesses that run large scale office buildings. Due to the nature of office buildings being built and designed in a way to maximise the space used, more people are fit into smaller space, so sufficient air circulation is a must.
The above, on top the fact that technologies in the HVAC industry are becoming more and more environmentally friendly, has led to an increase in demand for the services.
Building service specialists, Hiltons, have been given a £5 million contract to install a range of facilities at Manor Hospital, Walsall. The facilities to be installed includes a brand new heating, ventilation and air conditioning infrastructure. This is along with several other services such as plant rooms, steam and fuel development and more.
This contract shows that there is still a high demand for HVAC installations and services, even in the face of any economic fears at this time. Let’s hope this industry along with many others continues to buck the negative trend that is occurring so much in the current economic climate.
Valentine’s Day Hit by Recession
February 14, 2009
It seems that even love has a price, and this year it is just too much for couples to pay. Instead of going out for candlelit meals, buying fancy presents or treating loved ones to a night out, people are instead opting for a quiet night in and cooking their own romantic meals.
A survey carried out over the telephone showed that this year 90% of people would prefer some “together time” rather than a flashy gift.
Newspapers and websites are giving out tips on how best to beat the credit crunch without looking cheap. Companies do their best to make the most of the special day, by giving out promotional corporate gifts like chocolate bars, which have a Valentine’s theme to them.
The usual debates are also reignited as to whether Valentine’s day has become too commercialised and the true meaning of the day itself lost somewhere along the way.
The majority of retailers are predicting the days sales will be higher, or at least the same as, previous years. Despite this a third of retailers remain pessimistic, expecting sales to decrease this year compared to last year. Only around twenty percent of them will be taking on extra staff over the Valentine’s period.
England stars all set to shine in Indian Premier League
January 25, 2009
England stars are all set to play in the popular Indian Premier League (IPL). The England and Wales Cricket Board has agreed to release the players for three weeks. The new move has prompted players to sign central contracts, first offered last September.
England all-rounder Paul Collingwood said:
“They (central contracts) have been signed by the players. We are waiting on part of the IPL to come back with confirmation.”
It is believed that up to six England players could play in the IPL in April. Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen are sure to be the hottest properties at the cricketer auction on 6 February.
BBC sports editor Mihir Bose stated:
“Flintoff and Pietersen are big names in India and Pietersen enhanced his reputation there after he took the team back to India after the Mumbai terrorist attacks. Estimates suggest that they could earn as much as $1m. There are add-on benefits like adverts.”
The ECB had earlier insisted it would only release players for a two-week window. Lalit Modi, the Indian Premier League chairman, said this was not acceptable. A compromise seems to have been reached. The ECB will also make sure that the Test players are available to play for three weeks in 2010.
Chinese furniture firm takes over US Schnadig
January 14, 2009
Chinese furniture company, Markor International Furniture Co. Ltd, has acquired the US-based furniture company for $8.94 million. The sale was fully agreed and accepted on Monday 5th January 2009.
US Schnadig is a top American furniture company, they specialise in case goods and upholstery. Spokespersons from both companies have expressed how pleased they are with the result.
Richard Feng, Chairman and CEO of Markor International Furniture Co. Ltd, had the following to say regarding the acquisition:
“Markor believes that by bringing together its manufacturing efficiencies and Schnadig’s established marketing channels and brands, we will offer our customers well made products, enhanced service, distinctive design and excellent value.”
Retaining the name, the recently merged business will now be known as the Schnadig International Corporation. Upon being given the position of Chairman Emeritus, Donald Belgrad, ex-President and CEO of Schnadig, expressed a positive outlook on the whole process, saying:
“I am excited about our two companies combining its respective strengths to become a leading retail supplier”
The merger of this leading US furniture business and a top Chinese furniture business creates an overall impressive company, which may cause concern for many of the competitors in the same industry.
Flaws spotted in palliative care spending
November 26, 2008
People nearing death are subject to a postcode lottery, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), in the quality of NHS care that they receive. The NAO also found that some primary care trusts just spend £154 on giving out specialist palliative care for a person who dies, whereas others spend as much as £1,684.
The low spenders might be making false savings by way of treating terminally ill patients expensively in hospital even when 74% of people state they would wish to spend their last few moments in a hospice or at home.
The NAO was not able to get full data on the end-of-life care costs. But it concluded that 27% die from cancer and that the cost of looking after them during their last year of survival is £1.8bn.
“The majority of people who approach the end of their life want to be cared for outside of hospital,” the NAO noted, “so cutting down the amount of time that they spend there unnecessarily could easily make resources available so as to support these people in their preferred place of care more effectively.”
The director of health studies, NAO, Karen Taylor stated:
“Services are not meeting people’s needs, generally.”
UK based NDS group to increase its investment in India
November 6, 2008
NDS Group is a UK based global digital pay and interactive TV technology provider. On Tuesday NDS group announced its plans to invest more money in India. The TV technology provider NDS group’s Chairman said:
“So far we have invested $120 million in India and we are accelerating our investment to keep up with the expected growth of Pay TV here.”
NDS Group Chairman and CEO, Mr. Abe Peled said that the company will invest $150 million in the next four years.
The fresh investment will help enhance the company’s Research and Development, (R&D) in India. Besides the company’s proposed Research and Development Operations in India, stepping up other commercial and customer support operations is on the cards through the fresh investment.
At the time when Global recession is taking many countries into its stranglehold, investments like these from TV technology provider NDS Group are most welcomed by a developing country like India.
There is a very thin dividing line between love and hate
October 31, 2008
People in love are often less critical about their partner but at the same time you need to maintain your focus when dealing with a hated rival. When someone hates a person, the hater may act to exercise judgment resulting in fulfilling ones wish to cause harm.
As per Semir Zeki and John Paul Romaya of University College London’s report;
“Brain scans of people shown images of individuals they hated revealed a pattern of brain activity that partly occurs in areas also activated by romantic love.” The researchers wrote in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS One: “This linkage may account for why love and hate are so closely linked to each other in life. Our results show that there is a unique pattern of activity in the brain in the context of hate.”
Seventeen men and women were shown pictures of someone the volunteers hated along with three familiar neutral faces. Except for one politician, the hated individuals were from all walks of life; former lovers or work rivals “Hate circuit” switched on when people saw faces they despised. The so called hate circuit includes structures in the cortex and the sub-cortex and represented a pattern distinct from emotions such as fear, threat and danger, revealed Zeki in an interview.
