News

HSBC has put its train leasing company up for sale with a £2 billion price tag. The bank’s decision to auction off its rail division now — after shelving a sale in 2008 — signals a significant improvement in the buyout market, which has been bolstered by new bank lending recently. Private equity insiders said that Brid...

As Toyota Motor Corp. embarks on what many experts believe will be a long journey toward rebuilding its reputation for top quality, the company's status as the model for lean manufacturing also has come into question. Did Toyota lose focus on core lean values such as continuous improvement? Did the company become too focused on lean? Is it possi...

MORE firms are expected to challenge the public procurement process under new rules being introduced to the tendering regime, according to a Scots lawyer. The new rules enhance the remedies potentially available to tenderers, greatly increasing the risks facing public-sector buyers who make mistakes. Michael Dean, partner in the EU and Competit...

The axe hangs over Business Link Shadow enterprise minister Mark Prisk has added his voice to the debate over the future of Business Link. Should the Tories get into power later this year, would-be small-business minister Prisk says that one of his first acts would be to scrap the organisation. “We believe that Business Link is f...

The Northern Wind Innovation Programme (NWIP) has announced the names of companies participating in newly formed consortia set to benefit from a share of £3 million,. Specifically aimed at stimulating innovation and technological developments for the offshore wind industry in the North of England. The Northern Wind Innovation Programme,...

Graduate job hunters will be interested to hear that the number of permanent staff placements grew for the sixth consecutive month in January 2010, while the figure for job vacancies was at its highest since July 2007. The statistics from the Report on Jobs from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and KPMG showed the outlook for graduat...

Working in customer service is never easy. People can be difficult, nay, impossible at times. But if there is one small rule, especially in this day of rampant networks with nothing better to do than be social, it's the one that says "don't insult the customer." This rule seems not to have been followed by one customer service represen...

Rise in management recruitment   A survey has found that recruitment for managerial positions is on the rise across the world. International firm Antal found that in a poll of 6,151 companies in major employment markets, over half (53 per cent) were actively recruiting. In addition, the percentage of organisations planning to hire in t...

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) is highlighting how effective it can be to use a recruitment agency to hire new skilled workers. In an event taking place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff today, the REC will aim to persuade companies to use recruitment agencies to find the most effective and suitable candidates for their or...

Passengers using the busy East Coast Main Line (ECML) are set to benefit from faster and more frequent journeys as well as better stations and catering, Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis announced today after he set out what the Government will expect of future bidders to run the line, alongside an improved new proposed timetable for the route T...