Google's Perch is so high, no one can hear them laughing

There's only one winner in a handicap match

For years now, Google has been used to holding off search engine midgets at arms length with very little fuss. Now the midgets have changed tact and have climbed on one another's shoulders in an attempt to cause more damage. But should Google be worried? It all depends how you view the deal.

You could argue that two brains are better than one, and the merger between Microsoft and Yahoo offers both stability and a solid foundation with which to build on to compete with the search engine giant. There is no question that the agreement will certainly have Google sitting up and taking notice.

But, to me, it feels like quite a weak move, almost an acceptance of defeat. Yahoo has been fighting off the advances of Microsoft for quite some time, adamant of tackling the Google issue alone. To give in now strikes of last resort, especially seeing as they have already tried to get on Google's side in previous negotiations as well.

Not to mention the fact that this deal only gives a 30% combined share of the ad market compared to Google's 65%! That still seems a giant gap for two such prestigious companies to attempt to catch up. Had the deal been done earlier who knows, but even the best 100m sprinter would struggle to win a race if they started when everyone else was already half way down the track.

I'm ashamed to admit I used to watch wrestling when I was a kid (sure I'm not the only one with this dark secret) and back then, when two fighters took on one (a handicap match; don't pretend like you didn't know!) the solitary fighter always came out the good guy and the tag team always left the ring looking weak, bitter and rather pathetic. I do wonder whether Yahoo and Microsoft will end up looking the same as a pair of disappointed, spandex loving heels? Only time will tell.

Daily Business News Round Up 31/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines. For personalised daily news, contact Artesian

Consumer morale holds steady in July - Consumer confidence held steady in July as a small deterioration in Britons' expectations for their own finances was offset by a more upbeat view of the economy as a whole, a survey showed on Friday.

The GfK/NOP consumer confidence index, which is conducted on behalf of the European Commission, was unchanged at -25 in July, 14 points higher than this time last year but below the consensus forecast of -23. (full story)


Legal dispute threatens eBay's flotation of Skype - Attempts by eBay to float its Skype internet telephone business in 2010 could be in jeopardy because of a legal dispute surrounding the technology that makes the system work.

eBay, best known for its online auction business, has admitted that it has now begun attempting to build new software should it lose the right to use certain software code on which Skype is based. (full story)

Wii sales slide at gloomy Nintendo - The combination of a global downturn and a drought of blockbuster games has dealt a body blow to the Nintendo Wii, the world’s fastest-selling console, with sales down by 57 per cent.

With nothing on the immediate horizon to match the success of hardware-shifting titles such as Wii Fit and Wii Mario Kart, the Japanese company’s hopes now rest on the prospects in America and Europe of Wii Sports Resort — a game which, among other attractions, simulates throwing a frisbee for a dog. (full story)

Shop vacancies soar on high streets - The number of vacant shops on the high street has more than doubled in the past year, according to a report, reflecting the savage effects of the recession on retailers.

One in 10 shops in large towns and cities now lies vacant – up from 4 per cent in the middle of 2008. Apart from retailers closing shops, the number of premises opening has halved over the past 18 months. (full story)


iPhone bucks handset sales falls - The popularity of Apple's iPhone is continuing to buck the fall in global mobile phone sales, a study has found.

Shipments of the iPhone totalled 5.2 million units between April and June, a six-fold increase on a year earlier, according to Strategy Analytics. (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 30/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines. For personalised daily news, contact Artesian:

Government may break its promise over MG Rover inquiry - The controversial report into the collapse of MG Rover might never be published, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

The news comes amid speculation that the report could be politically damaging to Gordon Brown and other senior ministers, whose actions face scrutiny. The car maker collapsed with the loss of 6,000 jobs at the start of the 2005 general election campaign. (full story)


Shell profit falls 70 percent but beats forecast - Royal Dutch Shell posted a 70 percent fall in net profit in the second quarter, as oil prices and refining margins tumbled, but foreign exchange gains helped the oil major beat forecasts.

The world's second-largest non government-controlled oil company by market value said on Thursday second-quarter current cost of supply (CCS) net income, which strips out unrealised gains or losses related to changes in the value of fuel inventories, was $2.34 billion (1.42 billion pounds). (full story)

Sony's profits continue to fall - Sony's woes are continuing as the electronics giant reported another quarterly loss due to falling sales.

The Japanese company made a net loss of 37.1bn yen ($390m; £237m) between April and June, compared with a profit of 35bn yen for the same period last year. (full story)


BG cuts production targets as gas price falls - BG Group, the international gas producer, yesterday cut its production targets in response to falling demand for fuel.

A global glut of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a slump in demand have forced BG to push back its output target of 680,000 barrels of oil and gas per day by three months to March 31, 2010. (full story)

Signs of life show in housing market as loan approvals rise - Fresh evidence that Britain's battered housing market is finally on the road to recovery came yesterday with Bank of England figures that showed mortgage approvals for house purchases in June reached 47,584, the highest number since April 2008 and the fifth monthly improvement in a row.

But mortgage lending was a lot lower than expected at £343m – economists had predicted £600m – and total consumer lending was its weakest since the Bank first recorded it in April 1993. (full story)

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Daily Business News Round Up 29/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines. For personalised daily news, contact Artesian

Yahoo! and Microsoft to seal deal to rival Google - Microsoft and Yahoo! have finally agreed an online search and advertising partnership in a bid to rival Google.

The revenue sharing deal is expected to be announced later today, more than a year after Yahoo! rejected a $47.5 million takeover bid from Microsoft and Yahoo!'s attempt to seal a search advertising deal with Google fell apart under regulatory scrutiny. (full story)

Peugeot Citroen plunges into loss - France's biggest carmaker, PSA Peugeot Citroen, has reported a six-month loss after its sales fell by more than a fifth compared with a year earlier.

The firm made a net loss of 962m euros ($1.4bn; £830m) between January and June, compared with a profit of 733m euros for the same period in 2008. (full story)


£1bn scheme to create 'soft jobs' - A billion pounds is to be spent on creating tens of thousands of "soft" public sector jobs for unemployed people including dance assistants, tourism ambassadors and solar panel engineers.

The taxpayer-funded jobs are being created by councils, quangos and charities under a Government scheme to remove 150,000 people from the unemployment register over the next two years. (full story)

American Air seeks alliance with BA - American Airlines expects to win U.S. approval by October to form an alliance with British Airways (BAY.L) and Spain's Iberia (IBLA.MC), and it is pinning its hopes on intra-alliance competition and global partnerships to help it survive, an executive said on Wednesday.

American Airlines parent AMR (AMR.N), British Airways, Europe's third-largest carrier by revenue, and Iberia have applied for U.S. government antitrust immunity to form a trans-atlantic alliance to work together on fares, schedules and cost cutting. (full story)

Manufacturers to get £150 million boost - A £150 million package is being launched today to help manufacturers take advantage of emerging technologies.

Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, says: ‘The government’s investment is a welcome boost for new technologies, particularly in aerospace, where the UK has a competitive advantage.’ (full story)

Keep the Window Open

Blocking a customer's view in is bad enough but not looking outside spells disaster

An article today highlighted research showing that more than half of small businesses in the UK do not have an online presence. An industry expert went on to suggest that "Not having a website is like leaving your shop front boarded up or refusing to tell customers anything about the services you provide." Of course this is true. I certainly search for new services online and would suggest many others do the same.

But worse still, not exploiting the web has two sides to the boarded window. Of course, you're blocking potential customers from seeing in, but you're also blocking your view out. How can you get the most out of sales if you can't see whose walking down the high street, or what other businesses around you are offering?

And whilst window shoppers can be drawn to you, being online can present the chance to go and actively find new customers. Any networking requires knowing the right thing to say and web resources can provide you with the perfect opener. If you approach someone at a bar with nothing to talk about, the likelihood is you'll be sat back down by yourself in no time at all. But having a starting point, a trigger of conversation will give you a much better chance of getting the drinks in.

So when thinking about building a web presence, don't see it completely as an exercise to bring customers to you, see it also, as a way of stepping outside, stretching your legs, and finding out everything you want to know about your high street. Most importantly, see it as a way of introducing your services, rather than explaining them.



Step Outside now

Daily Business News Round Up 28/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

'Steady course' as BP profits fall 53% - BP announced a 53 per cent slump in profits today, but the oil giant said it continued to steer "a steady course through choppy waters".

The haul of 3.14 billion US dollars (£1.9 billion) between April and June was well down on the 6.75 billion US dollars seen a year ago, a period when oil prices were approaching record high levels. (full story)


UK broadband falls 50% short of promised speed - More than 50 per cent of British broadband users are not receiving half the speed promised by their providers, according to a report from Ofcom, the communications watchdog.

The report has found that more than 50 per cent of users on services that offer "up to 8 Mbps" actually receive a typical speed at a much slower 3.9 Mbps. (full story)


Workspace says rent roll falls - Small business landlord Workspace (WKP.L) said its quarterly rent roll declined even as overall occupancy was marginally up, and added that it had seen signs of stability in occupancy levels.

"Business conditions are challenging but customer demand is good, albeit with flexibility demanded on pricing, which has impacted the company's cash rent roll," the company said in a statement. (full story)


Cash for stalled housing projects - Hundreds of housing developments in England that have stalled during the recession are set to share in a £925m attempt to kick-start the industry.

About 270 projects could benefit from the cash, the government said, with a third of the funds to go to housing associations to build affordable homes. (full story)


BT signs video-on-demand deal with Sony Pictures - BT has signed an agreement with Sony Pictures Television for video-on-demand rights to a range of new and classic movies for its digital TV service, BT Vision. Customers can watch hit films including Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, starring Christian Bale and Da Vinci Code follow up Angels & Demons. All Sony’s films on BT Vision will be available on a pay-per-view basis, without a subscription. (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 27/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Alistair Darling to press back chiefs on lending as RBS starts ad campaign - Royal Bank of Scotland will this week launch an advertising campaign aimed at small business customers, as the Government presses all banks to beef up their lending.

RBS, which is 70pc owned by the taxpayer, says the newspaper campaign is designed to stimulate demand from small and medium sized businesses for loans. (full story)


Boom times for designer outlet villages - Sales at discount designer outlet villages are booming as Britain’s middle classes look for bargains and Russian and Arab tourists swap Bond Street for mall outlets in the country.

While sales elsewhere in the UK stagnate, gross sales at Bicester Village, the designer outlet centre near Oxford, are up 40 per cent on the same time last year, with like-for-like sales, which strip out new stores, up by 25 per cent. (full story)


Hotel firm gets £60m for growth - Hotel group Jury Inn has secured £60m in funding to support a further expansion of the business.

The firm, which has 23 hotels in the UK, is getting £15m each from major shareholders, Oman Investment Fund and property group Quinlan Private. (full story)

House prices seen steady in July - House prices in England and Wales were flat for a third consecutive month in July, causing the year-on-year decline to slow to 7.7 percent from 8.7 percent, property data company Hometrack said on Monday.

But a broad-based recovery in house prices was still a long way off, with rising unemployment and a shortage of mortgage finance standing in the way, Hometrack said in its report. (full story)


ITV set to offload Friends Reunited at £160m loss - Internet entrepreneur Peter Dubens has emerged as a potential bidder for Friends Reunited, offering to end ITV's disastrous experiment with online social networking at a massive 90% discount to what the broadcaster paid for the website four years ago.

ITV put Friends Reunited up for sale in February as the drop in online advertising revenues forced the company to dramatically writedown the value of a business that had cost it £175m. (full story)

A Post That Paints 1000 Words

Drops in the ocean can be bigger than you think

Everyday I see hundreds and hundreds of news stories, it really is incredible how so many incidents can take place in the space of one day. With constant scandals hitting the major headlines and a flooded database of online updates it can sometimes be hard to get the real value of the news and the detail it can offer. I was looking over an article this morning, a very simple breaking story which opened like this:


American Express launches social media site for business owners

American Express OPEN today unveiled the new OPEN Forum, an online resource and networking site for business owners.

The site is designed to forge meaningful business connections and provide practical, actionable information and insights from influential bloggers, industry leaders, and savvy entrepreneurs. In addition, the site will aggregate relevant online small business conversations from Twitter.

(see full article here)

At face value, this is a story about a company launching a product, that's it. But think about what information this could give to a competitor. Here are just some of the points that this article can raise for a rival company:

- American Express want to expand their service to businesses, how else are they doing it?

- How are we interacting with our business customers, Are we prepared to launch a competing product?

- Why have they chosen social media? How are we using social media?

- Why have they launched now? Are business owners currently struggling to network?

- Do we provide any networking services for business owners?

- Are other rival companies launching these initiatives?

- Will this affect our client list?

- Could we use the forum to our advantage to gain new customers?

- Should we increase our online spend?

These debates and planning measures can be taken from two paragraphs of an everyday news story that will most likely creep under the radar of most headline pages. Think how many departments and strategies it could involve. With this in mind imagine what could be taken from constantly tracking your sector. One paragraph can suddenly seem quite important.

Daily Business News Round Up 24/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:


National Express gets new bid - Spain's Cosmen family and private equity group CVC have made a joint takeover approach for National Express, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people close to the situation.

The paper said the Cosmens, who are the transport group's largest shareholders, with an 18.5 percent stake, and CVC want to acquire all of National Express in a deal that would value it at more than 500 million pounds. (full story)


Economy expected to shrink slower - The economy probably shrank for the fifth quarter running in the three months to June but the pace of decline should have eased as the worst of the recession passes.

Official figures due on Friday at 9:30 a.m. are expected to show GDP fell by 0.3 percent in the second quarter of 2009, according to a median forecast in a Reuters poll. (full story)

Microsoft profits down by a third - Microsoft has reported disappointing results for the April to June quarter, with profits down by almost a third.

Net profit for the period was $3.1bn (£1.9bn), down by 29% from the same period a year earlier. Revenue came in at $13.1bn, down 17% from a year ago. (full story)

Hopes for 3,000 Corus jobs fade as consortium walks - Hopes of saving 3,000 jobs at Teesside's last remaining steel plant appeared to be dashed on Thursday night after a consortium of four international companies abandoned truce talks with the plant's owner, Corus, and pressed ahead with plans to ditch an allegedly legally-binding contract. (full story)

Vodafone continues with cost-cutting drive - Vodafone, the mobile phone operator, expects to be two thirds of the way through its £1 billion cost-cutting drive by the end of its current financial year next March, the company said in a trading statement this morning.

The cuts include about 500 in Britain, the company confirmed in February, about a third at its Newbury headquarters in Berkshire. Last month Vittorio Colao, the chief executive, said that 200 more jobs would move from Newbury to a new headquarters in Paddington. (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 23/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:


Voice-to-text service scrutinised - A UK firm that turns mobile messages into text faces questions over its privacy standards, technology and finances following a BBC investigation.

Spinvox's service aims to convert voice messages into text messages using advanced speech recognition software. (full story)


Electric trains to cut UK travel times
- Millions of passengers on some of Britain’s busiest rail routes will on Thursday be offered the prospect of faster, more reliable and cleaner journeys when the government unveils plans for major electrification for the first time since rail privatisation.

Routes between London and Swansea will be the first to be electrified since 1991. The main Liverpool to Manchester route, the world’s first inter-city railway, will also be converted. (full story)


Recession continues to hit eBay growth - EBay’s second-quarter profits fell 29 per cent as a drop in sales in the main online marketplace overshadowed growth in its PayPal payments and Skype communications units.

San Jose-based eBay said that it earned $327.3 million, or 25 cents per share, in the April-June period. This compares with earnings of $460 million, or 35 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. (full story)

Fall in UK manufacturing orders hits recovery hopes - Orders at Britain's factories fell to the lowest level in more than 17 years in July according to the CBI, dampening hopes of an imminent recovery in the country's beleaguered manufacturing sector.

A balance of -59pc of respondents to the business group's quarterly industrial trends survey said that orders were below normal. That was worse than the -57pc balance in April, and the lowest level since January 1992. Economists had expected a rise to -45pc. (full story)

Tesco denies dairy price fixing charge - The country's consumer watchdog on Thursday said it had sent more evidence to some of the biggest supermarkets and dairy companies in an investigation into price-fixing of certain dairy products seven years ago.

The Office of Fair Trading said only supermarkets Tesco (TSCO.L) and Wm Morrison (MRW.L) were continuing to contest the provisional findings, originally issued in September 2007. (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 22/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Apple sales soar 15% on iPhone demand - Sales of the new iPhone helped Apple to report expectation-beating third-quarter net earnings, up almost 15 per cent to $1.2 billion.

The Californian technology company reported revenue of $8.3 billion, up 11.8 per cent, for the three months to June 27. (full story)

Morrisons and Waitrose take a bite of rivals’ market share - One retailer is based in leafy Berkshire and is famed for selling swordfish steaks and crayfish sandwiches to Middle England. The other was built up from a few shops in Bradford into a multibillion-pound group by a plain-speaking Yorkshireman.

But Waitrose and Wm Morrison — retailing’s odd couple — have become Britain’s fastest-growing supermarkets, both posting sales growth of more than 8 per cent despite catering for very different parts of the market. (full story)

UK 'is losing 52 pubs each week' - UK pubs closed at a rate of 52 per week in the first half of the year - a third more than the same period in 2008 - the British Beer & Pub Association said.

Local pubs were the most vulnerable as communities were hit by the fallout of the economic downturn, it added. (full story)


UK public borrowing doubles to June record - Britain's budget deficit reached £13bn in June, the worst on record for the month, as the erosion in tax revenues underlined the parlous state of the public finances. Although slightly lower than City forecasts, the gap compares to £7.5bn from a year earlier, fresh figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Tuesday. (full story)

Yahoo eyeing sale of HotJobs - Internet giant Yahoo (YHOO.O) is looking to sell HotJobs and Yahoo Small Business as part of its drive to shed its non-core assets, peHUB, owned by ThomsonReuters, said, citing sources familiar to the matter.

"They have been approached by major buyout firms but they are proactively looking to sell to a strategic investor like a Careerbuilder or Monster.com," peHUB quoted a source as saying. (full story)

Sidetracked

Sales lingo

Having recently compiled a list of (hopefully) useful business news sources I am currently working on a list of sales tips, searching high and low to find the best available advice from the best available sources. But whilst searching I stumbled upon a website explaining the origins of certain terminology often heard in business circles. So whilst it may be a while before the sales blog is up, why not kill a bit of time by understanding some of the jargon that surrounds the sales market:


"Pull out all the stops" originates from pulling out all the stops on an organ, thus increasing the volume of the instrument.

"catch 22" originally the title of a book about a reluctant wartime pilot whose only alternative to serving was declaring himself mad. The "catch 22" was that the act of applying for certification was deemed the act of a perfectly sane man.

"Cut and run" was originally a sailing term, cut the ropes and run, before the wind.

"Left in the lurch" A lurch in the card game cribbage meant scoring only 31 against an opponent's 61, thus being left well behind.

"Loose cannon" Back in the days when sailing warships were armed with enormous cannons on wheels, a tethered cannon could cause a lot of damage if it broke lose.

(TO SEE MORE FOLLOW THE LINK ABOVE)

To get further insight on sales visit

Daily Business News Round Up 21/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Professions 'reserved for rich' - Top professions such as medicine and law are increasingly being closed off to all but the most affluent families, a report into social mobility will say.

Former minister Alan Milburn is to report to the prime minister on how to widen access to high-status jobs. (full story)


UK acts ‘punch above their weight’ on world stage - The recorded music industry may be in decline — a victim of piracy and file-sharing — but Britain’s music industry as a whole grew by nearly 5 per cent last year, according to independent research published yesterday.

PRS for Music, the body that collects royalty payments and distributes them to artists and composers, said that the overall size of the UK music industry had risen by 4.7 per cent to £3.6 billion during 2008. (full story)

Vauxhall's future unclear as Russian market emerges as stumbling block
- In May, in the shadow of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, it took a week of tumultuous negotiations, described as a "Brazilian soap opera" by one of the losing parties, to identify Magna International as the preferred bidder for Vauxhall and German-based Opel.

However, on Monday, almost two months on, the suitors were asked to resubmit their proposals. (full story)


Banks should publish details of staff earning over £200,000, says Vince Cable - British banks should disclose the names and salaries of all staff earning more than £200,000 to improve transparency in the financial system, the Liberal Democrats have proposed.

The recommendation, which would also require the individuals to reveal whether they are domiciled in the UK for tax purposes, was one of a series of regulatory reforms outlined by Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman, yesterday. (full story)

Yahoo set to unveil new homepage - Yahoo Inc said it plans to introduce a major overhaul of its Internet home page on Tuesday, as the company strives to make itself more relevant to Web surfers and create new ways to sell advertising.

The new homepage blends Yahoo's collection of online content and products with popular social networking services like Facebook and Twitter, representing what a Yahoo official called the most "radical" make-over of the site since its inception more than a decade ago. (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 20/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Nissan electric car plan may save 4,000 UK jobs - Nissan is today expected announce further investment in its plant in Sunderland, raising the possibility the Japanese carmaker will begin manufacturing hybrid vehicles in the UK.

An announcement is expected to tie in with a visit to the plant by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, and bolsters hopes that Nissan’s plans will safeguard 4,000 UK jobs. Nissan is the biggest single-site employee in the North East. (full story)

Warning to UK and France on derivatives - Rivalry between Paris and London could jeopardise Europe’s competitiveness in the vast “over-the-counter” derivatives markets, France’s stock market regulator has warned.

Jean-Pierre Jouyet, chairman of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, the French regulator, told the FT that disagreement between the two countries over how to regulate trading in these complex products could hinder a European solution and drive business to the US. (full story)

Tories would scrap financial watchdog - The Financial Services Authority (FSA) should be abolished and the Bank of England put in full charge of regulating financial institutions, Conservatives said.

The Conservative Party, widely expected to win an election next year, said on its web site the country needed a "strong regulator" and its plans to create one would be set out later in its "plan for sound banking" document. (full story)


Domino's Pizza bucks the recession - Domino's Pizza, the fast-food chain, is bucking the recession and benefiting from Britain's unrelenting demand for pizza, with profits rising 25pc.

The pizza delivery group is benefiting from growing sales through the internet and increased short-term marketing offers – which included the sponsorship of Britain's Got Talent – at a time when the cost of advertising is stabilising. (full story)

Swine flu epidemic could derail Britain's recovery - A swine flu epidemic would cost the UK economy almost £50bn, according to one of the nation's most respected groups of economic forecasters, the Ernst & Young ITEM Club, which uses the Treasury's economic model to produce its forecasts.

Added to the expected shrinkage in the economy this year of 4.5 per cent, a worst-case scenario would see a total drop of 7.5 per cent in GDP – the most for at least 75 years – with another loss of national income to come in 2010. (full story)

Cut the cutting

All too easy


"I believe so strongly in the advantages of the semantic web and what can be achieved with the technology. It provides an opportunity to do things differently, to give a company an edge in a time when an edge can make all the difference."

Sadly, despite racking my brain, I really can't remember a day in recent weeks where there hasn't been an announcement regarding job cuts. In the last couple of days, Lloyd's have been at it again, Harley Davidson, Jaguar and the list just goes on and on. If jobs aren't being axed, then employee benefits are, filling in as a suitable replacement and crippling any kind of reward or incentive a worker may of once had.

Of course, the downturn has hit almost everyone and a change to financial outgoings are essential to the majority of companies, but why does the only option seem to involve the one thing that can bring us out of recession, talented staff. The answer is, unfortunately, that it is the easy option in a time of panic. If the wind in a park becomes too strong, a child will instinctively let go of his kite. But what happens when the gust dies down and he wants to resume kiting again? Any parent will tell you, tears and tantrums follow.

There are other things that can be done to cut costs, and not only that, improve a business model. If a football team's losing at half time, the manager doesn't send the players home, he works on tactics and alters how the players approach the game. This is why I believe so strongly in the advantages of the semantic web and what can be achieved with the technology. It provides an opportunity to do things differently, to give a company an edge in a time when an edge can make all the difference.

I shouldn't think I'm the only one who believes that simply cutting jobs will solve the issue? After all, if all these jobs can be cut, what were all these people doing in the first place? A depleted, unmotivated workforce is not the answer, taking the initiative and thinking a bit outside the box, most certainly is.

Learn more about the semantic web with

Daily Business News Round Up 17/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Google quarterly results fail to excite - Google's (GOOG.O) quarterly profit beat Wall Street expectations, but the weak economy and slump in advertising spending took a toll on revenue growth and the price of its search ads.

Shares of Google fell 3 percent after the results, which exceeded average forecasts but failed to live up to the heightened expectations of investors following Intel's (INTC.O) strong earnings earlier this week. Google shares have risen 4 percent since Intel's report on Tuesday. (full story)



UK rail inquiries moving to India - All calls to National Rail Enquiries will be handled by Indian call centres from next March, the BBC has learnt.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), which runs the service, said it had agreed an exclusive contract with an Indian firm. (full story)


Twitter hacker reveals expansion plans - Documents leaked by a hacker on future plans of the fashionable social networking site Twitter, has sent it all a flutter.

The microblogging site apparently has projected revenue of $140 million by the end of 2010 as part of a massive expansion which will see its user numbers grow to one billion within four years. (full story)

JJB Sports boosted by Gates appearance - JJB Sports soared 12pc after it was revealed that Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, controls 3.14pc of the embattled sportswear retailer.

The billionaire philanthropist bought 800,000 shares through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Tuesday, taking the charity's stake above the 3pc threshold and forcing an official announcement. (full story)

Confusion reigns over troubled Gatwick sale - The Gatwick sale descended into farce yesterday as airport-owner BAA denied claims that the two remaining bidders had pulled out of the £1.5bn race.

Sources claim both Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and the Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) consortium have walked away. But a spokesman for BAA said yesterday: "There are multiple bidders still in the process." (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 16/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Windows 7 flies off virtual shelf - The latest version of Microsoft's flagship operating system, Windows 7, is available for pre-order in the UK.

Amazon said that sales of Windows 7 in the first eight hours it was available outstripped those of Windows Vista's entire 17 week pre-order period. (full story)

Porsche set to accept VW plan for merger: reports - The owners of indebted automotive group Porsche SE (PSHG_p.DE) have agreed in principle to accept Volkswagen's (VOWG.DE) plan for a merger but the deal awaits final approval, German newspapers reported on Thursday.

The idea is for Volkswagen to acquire just under half of the Porsche group's healthy Porsche AG sports car business, a concept pushed for months by VW Chairman Ferdinand Piech, the Financial Times Deutschland and Die Welt reported. (full story)

BT returns call-centre jobs to Britain from India - BT will bring at least 2,000 call-centre jobs in India back to Britain as it prepares to close about half its customer service operation on the sub-continent, it emerged yesterday.

Ian Livingston, BT’s chief executive, disclosed the move in response to a shareholder question at the telecom group’s annual meeting. (full story)

Young hit by soaring jobless toll soars to record levels - Unemployment has soared by a record 281,000 in three months to total 2.38 million, the highest since before New Labour came to power.

Some 7.6 per cent of the workforce is jobless, the highest rate since January 1997, and up by three-quarters-of-a-million on this time last year. The increase over the last quarter was the steepest since the severe recession of 1981. (full story)


Unions want urgent Government support for Jaguar after Halewood job cuts - The Government must support Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) application for financial support as a "matter of urgency", unions said on Wednesday after the premium car maker cut 300 jobs.

JLR is to cease production of the X-Type Jaguar, known as the baby Jaguar, by the end of the year at the Halewood plant in Merseyside and will seek voluntary redundancies. (full story)

Daily Business News Round Up 15/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

Microsoft Office users attacked by cybercriminals - Microsoft Corp warned that cybercriminals have attacked users of its Office software for Windows PCs, exploiting a programing flaw that the software giant has yet to repair.

The world's largest software maker issued the warning on Tuesday as it released patches to address nine other security holes in its software.(full story)


Microsoft 'is king of UK brands' - US computer giant Microsoft has won back its crown as the number one consumer brand in the UK.

The 12th annual top 500 Superbrands survey has revealed the winners and losers during this economic downturn. (full story)

Miliband promises more green jobs but Vestas wind turbine plant is closing - One of Britain’s biggest employers in the green energy industry is to cease production within hours of a government announcement today pledging as many as 400,000 green jobs by 2015.

Ed Miliband, the Energy and Climate Change Secretary, will claim that Britain will become a world leader in low-carbon technology and manufacturing. (full story)

BBC joint venture with Channel 4 'is near' - A joint venture between Channel 4 and the BBC’s commercial arm is on the verge of being agreed, the chief executive of BBC Worldwide said yesterday.

Speaking as revenues for the corporation’s commercial subsidiary passed the £1 billion mark for the first time, alongside a sharp fall in its profits, John Smith said that the two broadcasters were on the verge of an agreement. (full story)

Inflation drops below Bank's target for first time since 2007 - The economy edged closer to deflation last month as the retail prices index (RPI) registered a record 1.6 per cent annual fall – the steepest drop in the cost of living since modern records began in 1948, and probably since the early 1930s.

The consumer prices index (CPI), the internationally comparable measure that strips out the lower mortgage interest costs that have left the RPI in unsheltered territory, also fell. It declined from 2.2 per cent in the year to May to 1.8 per cent, pushing it below the Government's 2 per cent target for the first time in almost two years. (full story)

Business News Sites

Who does the job?

"Searching for relevant insight can be difficult and time consuming. Here's a guide to hopefully make things a little easier, but to really solve the issue of gaining market intelligence, go to the Artesian website."

I'm having somewhat of a list day today. It all kicked off after someone asked me to name my top five dinner guests of all time. Having drawn up a shortlist of over 25 suitable candidates ranging from legendary icons, to minor celebrities with great smiles, I thought I'd take a breather to consider the options and actually compose a list of real value. So seeing as this is a blog for businesses looking for market intelligence here is a run down of some of the better known business news resources:




Summary - A good selection of subsections presented in quite a messy fashion.

Good For - General news affecting the national economy and expert analysis.

Bad for - A quick search or smaller business updates.

Rating 7/10



Summary - Well presented page with constantly updated stories and useful features such as 'most popular' business stories from the past week.

Good for - Video and audio features and a quick scan of breaking news.

Bad for - Depth, the front page is kept well but drilling in for further info can often be disappointing.

Rating 8/10



Summary - Famous, popular hub for business news.

Good for - Market data, deals and acquisition news.

Bad for - Finding exactly what you want. With so many stories across so many sections it can sometimes be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Rating 8/10



Summary - A page specifically focused on smaller businesses and news items affecting the SME market place.

Good for - Research pieces, funding news and general advice sections.

Bad for - Company news. Not updated as regularly as some of the bigger titles.

Rating 5/10



Summary - Global news source which often captures stories others have missed.

Good for - Great industry specific sections (see link)

Bad for - Global can sometimes mean irrelevant so it is occasionally necessary to rummage through the trash to get to the good stuff.

Rating 7/10

Right, now back to the serious business of deciding between dining with Michael Parkinson or Sigourney Weaver... This is hard.

To get a better insight into your market visit

Daily Business News Round Up 14/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the business headlines:

BA set to face protesters at AGM - British Airways is to face protests by angry workers at its AGM, amid cost reduction plans including pay cuts.

A Unite union letter to shareholders says the planned changes are "misguided" saying BA does not offer "cheap labour on short term contracts". (full story)

Spending cuts on search ads to rise - Cuts in spending on search engine advertising are accelerating even as the rate of decline in overall marketing outlay slows, according to a report by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

The IPA’s Bellwether report for the second quarter of this year found that the scale of cuts in UK marketing budgets had eased for the second consecutive three-month period. But the survey of marketing executives, released on Monday, showed that budgets were still being severely cut, with marketing spending expected to hit a 15-year low in 2009. (full story)


Facebook gets $6.5 billion valuation with share sale - Facebook netted a $6.5 billion valuation for its common shares on Monday, further underscoring the fast-growing Internet social networking site's high rank among technology and media industry heavyweights.

Russia's Digital Sky Technologies said it will pay $14.77 a share for Facebook common stock, boosting its stake to as much as 3.5 percent and valuing Facebook at about $6.5 billion. (full story)

Canterbury sports calls in administrators - Canterbury, best known for its rugby shirts, has placed its European arm into administration with the loss of 72 jobs in the UK.

Canterbury Europe, based in Stockport, sponsored rugby union and rugby league teams in including the Scottish national team, Leinster, Cardiff and London Wasps. It also sponsored Portsmouth Football Club, Lille and Yorkshire and Hampshire cricket clubs after expanding into others sports. (full story)


Microsoft in free software assault on Google - Microsoft on Monday escalated its battle with arch rival Google, reacting to an assault on one of its core businesses with the announcement of a free online version of its widely used Office software, to be launched next year.

While likely to take only a small bite out of Office revenues in the short term, the move represents one of the most radical steps yet by Microsoft as it tries to refocus its software business around the internet, according to analysts. (full story)

Daily News Round Up 13/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the morning headlines:

Jaguar poised to shut for the summer - EXECUTIVES at Jaguar Land Rover, the Midlands carmaker, are drawing up plans for an extended shutdown of its UK plants and a new round of staff layoffs as it struggles to cope with the slump in the world car market.

Preparation for the closures comes just days after the company released its new flagship, the latest version of the Jaguar XJ beloved by prime ministers and top British executives. (full story)

Energy policy 'too wind focused' - The UK must invest more in nuclear and clean coal energy and put less emphasis on wind power if it wants a secure low-carbon future, business leaders say.

The CBI says government energy policy is "disjointed" and it is urging a "more balanced" energy mix. (full story)


Monkey Moves Robot Using Mind Control - A monkey fitted with a hi-tech brain chip has learned to move a complex robotic arm using mind control.

The animal can operate the robot with such dexterity that it can reach out to grab, and turn a handle. (full story)

Swine flu reaches Downing Street - Swine flu has reached Downing Street, infecting Michael Jacobs, a senior adviser to Gordon Brown.

Mr Jacobs, the Prime Minister's adviser on climate change, is thought to have contracted the disease during a visit to Mexico last month. (full story)


Kim Jong-il 'has life-threatening cancer' - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has life-threatening pancreatic cancer, South Korean broadcaster YTN said today, citing information gathered from Chinese and South Korean intelligence sources. (full story)

Man in the Mirror... and the Times, and the Telegraph, and, everywhere really

Won't stop till you've had enough

Now before the hate mail starts flooding in I would just like to state I am a Michael Jackson fan. Like many, I have spent many an evening nursing torn muscles after trying to impress with the famous moon walk and discovering rather quickly, that it does in fact take quite a lot of talent. His songs are timeless and as radio DJ's are currently proving, will continue filling airwaves for as long as airwaves can be filled.

But I have to admit, I can't quite believe just how much his death appears to have affected the global community. The news was simply unavoidable. I was researching on an Insurance website and the top three stories related to Michael Jackson. To check this wasn't just coincidence I tried a variety of other sector specific websites to discover that, sure enough, Michael Jackson also had links to sport, travel and personal loans.

The most interesting thing in my opinion was watching the news spread. My Facebook page was filled with status changes, without exception, talking about the tragic news. Twitter was so busy it continually crashed and Google thought it was genuinely under attack! This online bombardment is becoming increasingly frequent. The coverage of the recent troubles in Iran showed that news networks are actually using social media as a source for content, rather than the other way round, which is quite an odd concept when you think about it.

Headlines now spread incredibly fast, and the morning papers are being forced to play catch up rather than story breaker. If you want to keep on the pulse, online is the place to be.

Go to www.artesiansolutions.com for more info.

Daily News Round Up 10/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the morning headlines:

DPP Keir Starmer orders review of phone-tapping investigation files - Prosecutors began an urgent review yesterday of case files relating to the tapping of telephones belonging to prominent politicians, sportsmen and celebrities.

Keir Starmer, QC, the Director of Public Prosecutions, ordered a renewed examination of the successful case against a News of the World journalist and a private investigator. (full story)


Academics denounce maths A-level - Dozens of university academics have put their names to calls for a new maths A-level in England to be scrapped.

Educators for Reform, a think tank offshoot, say "use of mathematics" is not of A-level standard. (full story)


AOL reviewing assets, but will likely keep Bebo - AOL, which is in the process of being spun off from Time Warner Inc, is reviewing assets it could sell or divest, but will likely keep its social networking site Bebo, CEO Tim Armstrong said.

Armstrong told Reuters on Thursday that Bebo still has "great value" and that it will be moved to a Ventures unit of the online company so that work can be done to improve the site. (full story)

Secret to a longer life lies on Easter Island - A drug originating on Easter Island, the mysterious South Pacific home of a lost statue-building people, may become the first substance to slow down human ageing, new research indicates.

Rapamycin, a pharmacological product used to prevent rejection in organ transplants, has been found to extend the lifespan of mice by up to 38 per cent, raising the possibility that it may delay ageing in people. (full story)

Asda slashes petrol AND diesel to 99.9p saying 'no justification for fuel over £1' - Supermarket chain Asda has sparked a pump-price war when it slashed its fuel prices to 99.9p per litre - with more cuts expected to follow.

The retailer said there was 'little justification' to charge more than the £1 widely seen at the pumps at present. It is the first time petrol has cost less than £1 since the start of June, saving drivers about £2 to fill up a typical family car, and £2.50 for motorists with diesel vehicles.(full story)

Daily News Round Up 09/07

The Artesian blog takes a look at the morning headlines:

Police call over phone tap claims - John Prescott is to contact police over claims private investigators allegedly working for News of the World reporters intercepted his mobile phone messages.

The Guardian alleges News Group Newspapers paid £1m in out-of-court settlements after its journalists were accused of involvement in phone tapping (full story)

G8 leaders claim historic break through on new deal to tackle global warming - President Obama and other leaders backed historic new targets for tackling global warming last night in an agreement designed to pave the way for a world deal in the autumn.

For the first time, America and the other seven richest economies agreed to the goal of keeping the world’s average temperature from rising more than 2C (3.6F). (full story)


‘TEACHER HELD FOR ATTACK ON PUPIL’ -

A TEACHER is being quizzed by police on suspicion of assaulting a 14-year-old boy at a school, it was alleged last night.

The teenager suffered a serious head injury after allegedly being attacked at All Saints’ Roman Catholic School in Mansfield, Notts, just after 11am yesterday. (full story)

News Corp won't buy Twitter, won't sell MySpace - News Corp is not interested in buying popular microblogging site Twitter and will not sell its struggling social network MySpace, said the media conglomerate's chief executive, Rupert Murdoch.

Murdoch, who arrived on Wednesday at the Allen & Co investment bank's Sun Valley media and technology conference, said Twitter would be a tough investment to justify because it has not yet come up with a sustainable way to make money. (full story)

MyDoom virus hits key networks in US and South Korea - A paralysing barrage of electronic cyber attacks has been let loose on government computers and networks in the US and South Korea, including the White House and Pentagon, underscoring the growth in assaults against vital state infrastructure.

Other targets affected by one of the most serious cyber attacks to hit the US included the New York stock exchange, the national security agency, homeland security department, state department and the Washington Post. In South Korea, the presidential Blue House came under fire from the rain of electronic interference, along with banks, government computers and media. (full story)

Daily News Round Up 08/07

The Artesian blog takes a look at the morning headlines:

Google to launch operating system - Google is developing an operating system (OS) for personal computers, in a direct challenge to market leader Microsoft and its Windows system.

Google Chrome OS will be aimed initially at netbooks, the low-cost portable computers that have turned the PC world upside down. (full story)

'No fee degrees' university plan - The government is considering "no fee degrees", in which students in England would not pay tuition fees - but would not get any loans or other support.

These could be aimed at university students living at home with their parents, allowing them to avoid debt. (full story)


Govt White Paper Seeks To Rebuild Bank Trust - Banks are supposed to help create wealth, recently they've done a pretty good job of destroying it - little wonder "banker" has become something of a dirty word.

Today the Chancellor will attempt to making the financial system safer and restore public trust in banking. (full story)


MPs breaking tax laws, chief inspector says - MPs are regularly breaking the law by failing to pay tax on their expenses, the country's chief tax inspector told the committee probing House of Commons allowances yesterday.

Formal investigations have been launched into the tax affairs of a number of MPs in recent weeks, and the authorities have sent out letters inviting all 644 to come clean about their expenses. (full story)

Man stung 200 times after falling on wasp nest - A man was taken to hospital after he was stung more than 200 times by wasps.

The victim was attacked by a swarm of the insects after he fell into their nest in London Road, Baldock, Hertfordshire just after 5pm on Monday. (full story)

Standing Tall

Rivals are paying the price

When Ryanair announced yesterday they were considering making free standing room available on flights, like most I let out quite a big chuckle. The imagery of 'Mind the closing doors please, mind the closing doors' came rushing to my head and the thought of being caught between the sweaty armpits of Malaga returning tourists with a little too much alcohol on the breath for comfort seemed too bizarre not to raise a smile at.

It is easy to laugh at this idea, like it was easy to laugh at the concept of paying for an in flight comfort break, or carting your own luggage on board the aircraft, and I dare say there are more laughable ideas to come (bring your own trolley for free drinks, fly the plane for your choice of destination, the mind boggles). But last Friday Ryanair, in the midst of a global recession announced a hefty 13% rise in passengers alongside a load factor increase from 1% to 85%. Yesterday rival budget airline Easyjet revealed similar, positive results.

So the jokes may continue long into the night about the 'crazy, attention seeking' schemes being suggested by Ryanair but the fact is, they know the market they are dealing with. People are clearly willing to sacrifice comfort for price. Compare their success with the current plight of British Airways and it is plain to see who's having the last laugh.

This is a company putting in research and expanding possibilities at a time when others are merely covering up and waiting for the bell. Knowing the playing field is half the battle, a battle which the budget airlines are currently strolling through with ease.

To keep track of your market visit www.artesiansolutions.com

Daily News Round Up 07/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the morning headlines:

Summer of chaos feared as British Airways workers vote against job plans - British Airways passengers could have their summer holidays disrupted by industrial action after the airline’s plans to cut thousands of jobs, freeze pay and make other savings were rejected by workers.

A strike by BA staff would cause chaos for hundreds of thousands of families planning to fly abroad during the school holidays, and the possibility of disruption moved a significant step closer yesterday after 2,000 cabin crew voted almost unanimously to reject the airline’s cost-cutting proposals. (full story)


National Express's east coast line is 'an accident waiting to happen' - A junior transport minister has warned of fears among National Express staff that a "major accident is just around the corner" on the east coast mainline, partly because of the pressure of staff cuts.

The minister, the Gillingham MP Paul Clark, spelt out a series of concerns to National Express in a letter following a meeting with an employee of the company who lives in his constituency. (full story)


Sony to enter netbook PC market with new Vaio - Sony Corp said on Tuesday it plans to launch a new Vaio laptop that will sell for around 60,000 yen ($629) in Japan in August, making its entry into the fast-growing netbook market.

Netbook PCs are smaller and cheaper than traditional notebook computers and optimized for simpler computing tasks such as Web browsing and email. (full story)


BBC to cut programme budget to fill £2bn black hole in pension fund - The BBC will be forced to cut millions of pounds from its programme budgets to plug an estimated £2 billion black hole in its pensions scheme.

The public broadcaster has warned its pension scheme members that in April last year the fund was £470 million in the red. (full story)

1,000 Danger Men on Loose -

NEARLY 1,000 convicted criminals including murderers and rapists are roaming free, despite breaching terms of early release from jail.

Ministry of Justice figures revealed yesterday that 954 offenders recalled to prison before March this year had not surrendered to custody by the end of last month. (full story)

Daily News Round Up 06/07

The Artesian Blog takes a look at the morning headlines:

Graduates 'face more competition' - The average number of graduates chasing every job on offer this year has risen to 48 and graduate starting salaries have been frozen, a report says.

There were 25% fewer jobs available in the UK on the last recruitment round, the Association of Graduate Recruiters said after surveying 226 members. (full story)

Police spending half their time away from front line as paperwork increases - Police officers are spending an increasing amount of their time on paperwork, despite the Government's claim to have cut the burden of red tape, new figures have disclosed.

Official Home Office data appear to suggest its moves to cut bureaucracy are working, with police spending a larger proportion of their time on what is called "front line policing". (full story)

Google or Microsoft could hold NHS patient records say Tories - Health records could be transferred to Google or Microsoft under a Tory government, The Times has learnt.

Patients will be given the option of moving their medical notes to private companies after the Conservatives said that they would replace Labour’s “centrally determined and unresponsive national IT system”. (full story)

Violent Riots Kill Up To 140 In China - Up to 140 people have been killed and more than 800 injured during violent ethnic riots in China's western Xinjiang region.

Thousands of people, mostly Muslim Uighurs, took to the streets of the region's capital, Urumqi, where some rioters smashed vehicles and set them alight. (full story)

Honduras coup leaders block ousted president's return - Coup leaders in Honduras thwarted President Manuel Zelaya's attempted return early today by blocking an airport runway with military vehicles, forcing his plane to divert to Nicaragua.

Thousands of the ousted leader's supporters clashed with police and soldiers at the airport, leaving at least two dead and dozens injured. (full story)