Friday 25 July 2014

This week's round-up!

It's been a sad and scary week politically with little news that is not about conflict so this round up will be a little short. Google is still fighting with European powers over 'right to be forgotten'. This time Europe is insisting that links removed from the local version of Google are also removed from the American versions, a request Google is expected to refuse. Strong performance in China has salvaged Apple's otherwise poor quarterly earnings as speculation grows over a new i-Phone.

Following on the theme from last week when I linked to the FT.com's series on water, this article considers what shale gas and fracking means for American energy consumption and independence. Th is is nice article from Forbes about bouncing back from early failure to go on and succeed as an entrepreneur and keeping failure in perspective. Finally a review of the Opening Ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. It's hot, we might as well watch the sport.

Friday 18 July 2014

Graduation and Weekly roundup

It's be lovely this week to see so many happy students graduating and celebrating with their families. Congratulations to you all and good luck with the future.

First a technology update. This article looks at how much money Google makes from adverts and how this influences their search algorithms. It also looks at how they are adapting to mobile and tablet searching. Remember if you want searches uninfluenced by marketing, you can always use Summon or search our library databases directly. Another FT.com article looks at a new collaboration between IBM and Apple to make tablets more business friendly and focused. This article on Lego's success is interesting, focusing on the increasing amount of time Children spend engaging in 'digital play'. More serious is the first in a series of articles focusing on water shortage in the world and how the will affect business and the world in general. A serious, fascinating and alarming read.

Finally as helpful little blog on using tweetdeck for research and advanced news gathering.

Friday 4 July 2014

Weekly Round-up

I hope you are all enjoying the lovely summer weather. I have been doing lots of inductions for the Summer schools this week and it is exciting to welcome so many new students and to see those of you who are giving up your summer to learn something else new.

I really like this article from the Guardian, discussing how important is is, not just for Governments to impose an ethical framework or for companies to put up a CSR statement but for those values to be truly embedded in the company thinking and culture.  One the topic of ethical behaviour here are two articles from the FT about Facebook's psychological experiments on its users. A UK data regulator is probing Facebook over whether this is acceptable behaviour from the social media network. How do you feel that Facebook might have manipulated you? Well Facebook has promised not to do it again, if you believe them...


On the subject of ethical behaviour, if you end up in charge of big company be careful who you choose to represent you. You never know when they might bite someone as Luis Suarez' sponsors have found out to their cost. Finally a bit for inspiration from the Guardian - this is a  list of their top 10 sustainability innovations and it's really fascinating. Maybe you will discover the next or innovatively use these ones.

Tuesday 1 July 2014

The Global Economy in 2014: Mid-Year Update - Webinar from Euromonitor

Euromonitor, who provide Passport GMID, are running an economics webinar next week. It will help you gain an understanding of economic issues affecting companies worldwide. To watch it, click the link below and sign up using your email address. Enjoy!


Join us for our upcoming webinar: The Global Economy in 2014: Mid-Year Update
Wednesday, July 9, 2014 | 9 a.m. CST/3 p.m. BST
Reserve My Seat >>
Gain an understanding of economic developments impacting industries and consumers around the world. The US economy faltered in the first quarter of 2014, the UK grew more than expected and major emerging markets showed mixed performances amidst elections, international tensions and global sporting events. 
In this webinar, you will learn:
  • What economic changes will impact industries and consumers globally
  • The biggest challenges facing policy makers 
  • What is threatening emerging market growth
Register Today