My Final Ever Blog Post

After two wonderful years at Middlesex I am moving on to new pastures. I hope the readers of this blog and the students i have met and taught have enjoyed the experience as much as I have. And best of luck to my successor and whoever takes over the blog.

Some final new round-ups. The US Box Office has seen film going records shattered and certain to be helped by the boost of Star Wars. This video focusing on stressors for the emergent markets in light of low oil prices and a possibly raise in the Federal Reserve rate. In contrast, this video looks at the reaction of Business to the climate change deal agreed in Paris. Chicago Booth business school is collaborating with Ballet dancers and finally a piece from Forbes on what Entrepreneurs should do during the holiday season. FInally, Merry Christmas, thank you and best wishes for all your futures.

Nearly made the end of term!

I am sure you are all feeling the pressure and looking forward to the end of term and on that note I have included some fun reading recommendations towards the end of this blog post. First up a piece on the Climate Change meeting in Paris, please do explore the Financial Times very good coverage of this hugely important summit. Relatedly, here is yet another piece looking at the on-going emissions and corruption scandal at Volkswagen which continues to run and run. Is Yahoo Marissa Meyer's 'difficult second album'cir and is this problem common across the sector? Now two interesting videos, one of the history of Bitcoin and one on the growing challenges faced by the Banks.

On a more light note, this is an interesting piece from The Harvard Business Review on what kind of thinker are you and why that might be as useful to know as your personality type. Some Christmas reading recommendations from Bloomberg and finally the Financial Times weekly quiz. Have a good weekend!

Lower Banking Tax, Digital Disruption and Falls in UK Prices.

Excluding the impact of levies the Banks have paid the lowest proportion of tax this year since 2008. Worldpay are aiming to fill a gap left by high street banks in providing loans to small business. This is a fascinating piece about investing in technology companies and when and when people lose money. There has been a record fall in UK shop prices and this video explores that fact and finally a piece looking at digital disruption and the online estates agent Purple Bricks.

News Quiz, Google. VW and UK Autumn Statement

This is a really interesting piece of analysis looking at how Google is trying to change the function of apps. Here is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the UK Autumn Budget statement which is very worth examining in detail. This looks at Amazon's ads for the nazi-themed Man in the High Castle and how innovative marketing can seriously backfire. Finally Volkswagen's trouble deepen as the admit to using a second illegal device and face a probe into tax evasion.

Fancy the FT weekly news quiz just for fun?

The Business Show Olympia 3rd & 4th December

City Business Library will be exhibiting at the Business Show at Olympia, London, on 3rd & 4th December. 

Tickets are officially running low with the organisers confirming there are are now less than 1,000 remaining! This is an unbelievable opportunity to network with thousands of other businesses and access hundreds of seminars, exhibitors and masterclasses that are all there to help you grow your business. Don't forget it's completely free to attend so make sure you get yourself to Olympia, London on 3rd & 4th December.

Register here. 

It's hard to write a round up this week with so much news focusing on atrocities in Lebanon, Turkey, Nigeria, France and now Mali. But I do have some interesting pieces on other topics for those of you who want to read other news. Firstly bad news for the London property market as Asian and Russian buyers lose interest. Could this be the beginning of the end with the property boom? This analysis of Royal Mail as a private company is rather interesting and worth a watch. Amazon has launched a platform to tap into the UK start up sector and help people market their products. This fascinating if depressing article looks at a new study suggesting that the gender pay gap actually widens as women are promoted. The UK will phase out coal power, how will this affect the energy market and the UK as a whole?Finally the biggest diamond in more than a century has been found in Botswana,

Changes to the FT.com website & New rounds up

As you may know, the FT's Clippings tool will shortly be relaunched as part of myFT on our new site, next.ft.com. As of early December, you will need to use myFT in order to continue to save articles to your lists. In December, your existing clipped articles and lists will be transferred to myFT.

You can start using our new site that is currently in development by opting in here. Your existing clipped articles and lists from Clippings won't appear in myFT until next month. If you choose to opt out of next.ft.com, any articles you have saved in myFT will not appear in the Clippings tool on ft.com.

Below is some more information:

What will happen to my existing Clipped Articles?
Your clipped articles will be migrated to myFT in December, and will be viewable in the 'Saved articles' tab. In our new site, the 'Clip' function has been renamed 'Save'. From early December, your clippings will be available under the 'Saved Articles’ tab in myFT (you must be opted in to next.ft.com to visit this link).

What will happen to my Lists?
As of early December, myFT will be upgraded to include the ability to create and manage lists of saved articles. If you previously clipped articles into custom lists, you will find these lists under the ‘Lists’ tab in myFT after the relaunch.

Can I still use FT.com?
You can opt out of our new site at any time. However, after the relaunch of Clippings as part of myFT, you will be returned to next.ft.com whenever you clip an article or visit clippings.ft.com. Once opted in, you can choose to opt-out via the link in the footer.

Can I still use Clippings?
You can continue to use Clippings until the relaunch in early December, after which the old Clippings tool will no longer be available, and will be replaced by myFT.

What about Clippings in the Webapp?
Your webapp clipped articles will still be available, and you can view them in myFT across mobile and desktop. The webapp is also being updated to allow you to follow topics just as you can on next.ft.com.

Text above is from the FT.com about changes to clippings, so somethignt o bear in mind when using the site. This week the news articles that have caught my attention seem very focused on banks.'Beyond Banking' is a series of articles from the Financial times looking at how the recruitment pool for Banks is drying up as MBAs are shunning banking and are going into Tech instead. The Credit Crunch is affecting Emerging Markets and finally the John Lewis Christmas ad cost 7 million - money well spent?

Tutorial available from EIU & Weekly news

As growth in China slows, can the US once more become the engine of the world economy?

An interactive tutorial from The Economist Intelligence Unit

Please join us on Thursday 12th November 2015, at 4-5pm Greenwich Mean Time (11am-12pm Eastern Standard Time), when Joseph Lake, Global Economist, will assess the challenges and opportunities facing the US. At a time when uncertainties abound in emerging markets, the US recovery continues to gather steam. Joseph will show how The Economist Intelligence Unit can help you to gauge the opportunities and the risks of doing business in the region. The session will look at questions such as: What sectors will power the US economy in 2016?  What can we expect from the Federal Reserve?  Where does the dollar go from here?  What are the main economic risks to the US?  Please visit our registration page and enter your details to join this online discussion. We look forward to greeting you online. Kind regards, Robert Ward Editorial Director

Register Now

The Volkswagen scandal continues to grow as it is told to rip up its governance and scandal spreads both to CO2 tests and to Porsche. Facebook is to launch a stand alone news aggregator app, perhaps useful for current awareness, perhaps not?  Finally two videos, one on Mumsnet reaching out to a younger generation and another analyzing and defending investment banking. I hope you are all doing well. Don't forget to visit your Librarian or LET if you need any assistance.

New Round-Up

Quite a quick round up again this week as there has been lots of teaching and I have promoted a couple of particular events during the week. First up a series of free videos from the Financial Times on markets and investing. The RBS becomes the world's first bank to sign up to Facebook at Work to connect people across the company more quickly and efficiently. Fracking bans and lack of results have slowed the Eastern European shale boom.

The effects of VW's emissions scandals continue to reverberate as they slump to first net loss in 15 years, and are dethroned by Toyota as the biggest car group. Meanwhile Toyota believes the future will be hydrogen cars. What do you think? I hope everyone is getting on well with term and remember to book appointments or email your librarians if you need any help.

Energy Source Briefing from the Financial Times

Great new Energy briefing for those on Energy related degrees. If you haven't already signed up to the Financial Times using your mdx email address, do so now and take advantage!

• Email briefings
• My alerts
• Corporate services
• Preferences
• History

Alerts hub

Premium subscription briefings

 Energy Source

The Business Show, Olympia 3rd & 4th December - Good for all you Entrepreneurs

 

City Business Library will be exhibiting at the Business Show at Olympia, London, 3rd & 4th December. We will be at stand 114 - we hope to see you there!

The Business Show will give you access to more industry experts, business solutions and networking opportunities than ever before.

Register here

There is an incredible speaker line-up on offer which includes Dragon's Den star Touker Suleyman, England Cricket Captain Alastair Cook and West Ham and Ann Summers Owner David Gold. There will be 250 seminars by leading business experts, 350 exhibitors, 170 masterclass sessions, 5 networking areas and 2 funding features. The organisers are even attempting to break the world record for the largest speed networking session ever!

For more information on everything that will be happening and to register for your free ticket click here.

Come and say hello to the City Business Library at stand 114. 

Mintel & Keynote Help. New round-up

There are some really useful helpguides for Mintel and Keynote available this week. Firstly a student guide to using Mintel to get students started using it (those of you I haven't seen in teaching sessions this week) and a pdf on perfecting your Business  Plan - especially good for you students on modules where you produce a Business Plan as part of your coursework. This link will take you to videos to get you getting the most out of Keynote so check that out too if you are researching British companies. This has been an incredibly busy week and I have really enjoyed meeting so many of you and helping you get started with your library resources,

Some quick bits of news for this week; Mark Carney makes an intervention in the EU Referendum debate and laid out an explanation of the likely financial impact of withdrawal. EU is stepping up their crackdown on the tax avoidance of multinationals with Fiat and Starbucks being the first to face their wrath. Uber has won its court case, with the court ruling their app doesn't not break UK laws on taximeters. Apple gives the clearest indication that they are moving into a tech led car industy. Finally the Steel Industry crisis deepens with over 4,000 jobs lost at two companies in the UK and more job losses expected.

Oil & MBA students

Lot;s of oil news caught my eye this week  - Schlumberger believes the oil outlook is increasingly challenging while Qatar believed there are signs of recovery for 2016. The Financial Times looks at how Oil finances Isis and have put together a special Oil section as they begin a four week focus on Energy which is well worth checking out. Rounding out a rather short news catch up (though check out last week's resource recommendations post), are some good articles on students and entrepreneurs. Students are increasingly favouring food industry courses, looking ta farming, the environmnet and many other aspects. And this student took inspiration from his own frustrations as a traveller to improve the travel industry for people with disabilities.

Support materials for SCOPUS

Mastering a new tool takes time. Help your users get there faster with these resources:

• Support tutorials and context-sensitive Help are accessible from every Scopus page to assist with the specific task being performed. Share this short video to make sure your users know about Scopus Help.
• A getting started video will help users learn how to best use Scopus and the benefits of registration. Share, link or embed this video on your library's website.
• The Scopus Quick Reference Guide offers an overview of Scopus features and is easy to print and hand out.
• Our new bimonthly Scopus Newsletter will supplement your user experience with product news and developments, helpful tips and tricks and more. Sign up and register with Scopus.

When time is of essence, Live Chat is available Monday through Friday.

How to assess and evaluate the effect of changing commodity prices

How to assess and evaluate the effect of changing commodity prices

An interactive tutorial from The Economist Intelligence Unit

Please join us on Thursday, October 29th, 2015 at 3-4pm British Summer Time (11am-12pm Eastern Daylight Time), when Sebastien Marlier, Senior Commodities Editor, will guide you through the capabilities of a service which helps you to assess and evaluate the outlook for the consumption, production and price of major global commodities. After the plunge so far in 2015 there is still a degree of uncertainty around commodities, the content covered in this session will provide you with guidance on how The EIU can help your business to effectively gauge the opportunities and the risks from commodity prices in the near future, by answering the following questions: Why did commodity prices collapse this year?  Should we brace ourselves for a protracted period of low oil prices? How will the recent changes impact the economic fortunes of commodity exporting countries? Please visit our registration page to join this discussion. We look forward to greeting you online. Kind regards, Robert Ward Editorial Director

Register Now

Some News Round-up this week.

It;s been another very busy week but I hope you are all settling in and enjoying Middlesex. I will promote some more resources as this month wear on but today is going to be a shorter news based post. Firstly the IMF warns of threats to global financial stability and Volkswagen continues to suffer the fall out from their massive act of corporate deception over diesel emissions. Continuing this week's focus on Corporations in difficult circumstances , the BBC piece focuses on the mining corporation Glencore and what exactly is going on with their current difficulties. But look on the bright side, you are not these mistreated Air France Bosses. Finally a shout out to the FInancial Times section on Women in Business. Well worth a look

Welcome to Middlesex!

I hope you all are enjoying the start of term. I know I have seen lots of you this week - I've been to lots of inductions this week and I will hopefully meet the rest of you soon. But here are some top tips to get you off to a flying start,


Firstly, check out your library subject guide! You can find the link from the 'My Study' tab in My Unihub and here is the link for the Business, Management & Marketing one - http://libguides.mdx.ac.uk/business
This highlights the best business resources and will help you find the best books, articles and journals.

Secondly, don't forget to go to your Module pages in My Learning and check out your online reading lists and download your free personal etextbook - Kortext are still in the Quad today so go see them for all the help you need. They are also here next week.  

I am also going to highlight some useful resources. Firstly another reminder to sign up to  FT.com. There's information on registering here and also my blog post on how to install the app on your smartphone or tablet

Bloomberg provides a free newsletter the Bloomberg London Brief!  It is an excellent way to keep  yourself informed about what's going on in the city and financial world.

Please use this link below to subscribe:

http://bit.ly/b-brief

(And if you want a bit more Bloomberg, why not do Bloomberg Certification here at Middlesex? The course is free and supported by Sarah, our Economics Librarian. One MDX student did so well on the course they got a job offer!)

Don;t for get to Check out MIntel, COBRA and SCOPUS our new databases.

And here is a list of interesting twitter accounts to follow to keep up to date and find interesting ideas.
Reuters Business & Financial News.
https://twitter.com/ReutersBiz

BBC Business News - you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed
https://twitter.com/BBCBusiness

Harvard Business Review - you should have access to this via Summon and the Library's subscriptions
https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz

The Guardian Business & Sustainable Business feeds.
https://twitter.com/GuardianSustBiz
https://twitter.com/BusinessDesk

Forbes
 https://twitter.com/Forbes

And if you get stuck with any of this? DON'T PANIC! :). It's only the first week, you have your library inductions still to come and we are here to help you, both in the Sheppard library and on email - businesslibrarian@mdx.ac.uk. We can't wait to meet you all.

Some Guides to OUR NEW DATABASE - MINTEL!

Mintel in one of a few new databases this year for business students. It's a fantastic market research tool and it used very widely by many universities and companies. Firstly. Use this link to access Mintel from the library subject guide and then come back here and have a look at the training guides poster below.

We have put together a 2015/2016 student starter pack, which you can access below:

Mintel Student Starter Pack

The pack contains info on how Mintel can help students with their projects, how to use the Mintel site and also a little bit of info on who we are.

Please feel free to share this with your students.

We have also recently put together a handy 5 step guide for students showing them how Mintel can be used to create a business plan.

5 Steps to Perfecting Your Business Plan

Wealth Drugs Scandals & VW Scandal.

Things are getting very busy with Welcome month so quite a short round-up this month, so a very quick round-up. A detailed Financial Times report on Wealth and several links on the VW scandal. Firstly a podcast and then analysis on the impact on the European Car Industry. Finally a piece looking at Martin Shkreli who has become the face of the mark-ups of vital drugs by big pharma.  Looking forward to meeting many new students in the coming weeks.

How to identify risks and business opportunities in markets across Latin America

How to identify risks and business opportunities in markets across Latin America

An interactive tutorial from The Economist Intelligence Unit

Please join us on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015, at 4-5pm British Summer Time (11am-12pm Eastern Daylight Time), when Fiona Mackie, Regional Editor for Latin America, will guide you through the capabilities of our key subscription products and the outlook for Latin America. The session will explore how the region is struggling to emerge from a period of sub-par growth, amid sluggish activity in Mexico, recession in Brazil and Venezuela, and a deceleration in some previously very dynamic Andean economies. Risk, but also opportunities, will abound as recovery starts to gather pace. Please visit our registration page to join this discussion. We look forward to greeting you online. Kind regards, Robert Ward Editorial Director

Register Now