Unemployment on the Rise

Needless to say if you are currently employed you are incredibly lucky. UK unemployment increased by 28,000 in the last 3 months to 2.67million and even though this is the lowest increase in almost a year it is still a huge amount.

In this economy and the ‘doom and gloom’ news across Europe with Greece and Italy in dire straits it is easy to understand people’s frustration and desperation. Those who find themselves unemployed, whether that is due to staff cuts within companies, redundancy or liquidation of a business, can be facing long term periods of unemployment. One jobseeker claims to have applied for 1,639 jobs over the course of a year and has had no luck so far.

Most media coverage of mass unemployment focuses on the impact it has on young people and graduates between 16-24 years old. The figures of unemployment in this age group rose by 16,000 to 1.042 million since January. However a huge amount of people over 50 are part of the figures and reports of ageism are increasing. Those who have contributed for years and gained experience are particularly affected by becoming suddenly unemployed and the ability to get back into work is increasingly difficult. With retirement age forecasted at 75 in the future it begs the question how are these people going to find work.

But the message is to keep going; although being unemployed can be dispiriting and even ‘mind numbing’ seeking work is a ‘full time job’. Taking on volunteer work and other activities to build on skills gives a reason to set the alarm clock and dress presentably. Having some kind of purpose is helpful to avoid getting stuck in a mindset where unemployment becomes wearisome and even depressing.

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Sport Relief

With the combination of endurance, hilarity and celebrations of Sport Relief coming to a close it is apt to consider what has been achieved and the “distance” still needed to go to reach the ultimate goal. Every year it seems that the deprivation of the needy including young children, often orphaned and living in unimaginable conditions, the majority concentrated in under-developed countries is worsening across the globe. The success stories are few and far between compared to the tragic and dire conditions in which many still live. It is incomprehensible that this continues in 2012 and despite Sport Relief reaching over £52 million from donations and celebrity endeavours that such a monumental amount will not touch the tip of the iceberg to help many who continue to suffer.

How are all these millions spent? Obviously huge events like Sport Relief cost money to organise, and there is also the cost of flights, aid and a significant amount in between that needs to be taken into account. So only a fraction of the money raised goes to those who need it most. These large celebrity-saturated charities do some good such as providing vaccinations, mosquito nets, education, food, clean water and further measures to prevent the spread of disease.


Does the vague descriptions on the Sport Relief site about how money is spent merely highlight and accentuate the severity of the issues that need to be tackled rather than showing how they have been resolved?

After more than 20 years of Sport Relief and other large events like Comic Relief, few “goals” have been reached in that time and the question that must be asked is; how much is needed to really make a difference?

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Up in the Clouds

Businesses develop with technology. The increasing implementation of cloud computing is revolutionising the work place in many ways. The greatest advantage of cloud computing is that it allows unprecedented flexibility within a business; effectively the office is wherever you are, employees can remotely access their systems from any device or laptop anywhere in the world. This allows them to make real time decisions and keeps the team connected and in sync with each other. It is allows businesses to combat the disruption caused by bad weather, family challenges and broken limbs. The cloud could also be put to good use during the Olympics when travel is expected to be difficult.

Further advantages are found in the choice of how we work and what we use to work on: tablets smart phones, PCs and Macs all can be utilised through cloud computing. The offer of choice it presents encourages companies to hire recently graduated tech savvy talent who will no doubt contribute to the company’s development; BBC found that "globally 40% of college students and 45% of employees would accept a lower paying job with a choice of device, than a higher paying job with less flexibility".
An obvious positive in implementing cloud computing is cost. Revenue is important in any business, whether a start up or long established brand and the greatest advantage of having cloud computing is the amount it saves. It is no longer necessary to buy expensive hardware and software licences, and manage IT in-house. Also employees can use their own laptops and devices so businesses can get more out of employees without the cost of additional equipment.

The down side is the security concern that rises from everything being in a central location on the web and it means that information is harder to protect from hackers and viruses, nevertheless it can be protected. Other pitfalls include possible problems with the internet, if connection is lost then access to your remote server will be down and therefore all the data you have in the cloud too; this new technology is not without its shortcomings. Developments are ongoing meaning support is crucial for when things go wrong with cloud computing which is why it is useful to employ someone that can help with IT support. The significance of cloud computing is related in this article. Tweet

Tesco's trouble and what it means for the rest of us

The news that Richard Brasher, the CEO of Tesco has ‘stepped down’ may not come as much of a surprise; considering that the biggest supermarket in the UK has recently suffered a drop in market share - following profit warnings and disappointing sales prior to Christmas. In addition the controversial “price drop” campaign which Brasher spear headed has failed miserably. Tesco’s struggle is representative of the UK’s economy and shows there is still a long way to go before the economy returns to a more stable level.

Brasher stepped down on the 15th March after only a year in the job the actual reasons have not been announced and it is most likely will not be published; it is a well known fact that there has been a clash of egos in the boardroom. Brasher and the Group CEO, Philip Clarke did not get on well and Tesco’s latest campaign failure in an attempt to increase revenue may have contributed to Brasher’s resignation.

The last few months have also been turbulent for the group given Tesco’s handling of a government scheme for employing young people in work placements. The stores have also seen decreasing in popularity with the desertion of regular customers turning to cheaper supermarkets such as Morrison’s for their weekly shop. The recent developments pose questions about the strategy of UK’s biggest retailer.

According to reports Tesco has been underperforming, and the supermarket giant has hit hard times raising concerns for other businesses throughout the UK. It highlights that we still need to be concerned about the continuing recession and how smaller businesses are faring in this climate. The CEO of fashion chain French Connection Stephen Marks has said that ‘the economic situation hampered trading’ and that ‘clearly the state of the UK economy is not helping the position’ this is following French Connections fall in sales, with an 8.2 million loss in their UK stores.
With significant events happening in the UK this summer the hopes are that things will improve

The next step for Tesco is a plan to revamp their stores, spending millions on this and focussing on product detail and their online business instead of building more giant supermarkets.
Let us know how the continuing recession has affected you.

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The Debate. Quotas: Women and the Big Bad Boardroom

Following the celebrations of International Women’s Day and the ensuing media coverage on prime time television it is interesting to reflect on how far women have progressed at senior level in the business world.

With the increasing talk of quotas and the mixed opinions toward them there is a general sense of support for achieving equality and balance of gender at board level. Superficially it seems we are heading in the right direction however if we are to see more women in top executive positions it might mean the introduction of the quota system. Statistics detailing the percentage of women holding senior officer roles show an increase of less than one percentage point from 2008 to 2010; 16.9 per cent in 2008 against 17.7 per cent in 2010. In addition women only make up 12% of directors at Europe's largest firms a clear indication that change definitely needs to happen. The need for quotas and the debate surrounding them highlights the distance to go before adequate female representation is achieved.

However the pros and cons of quotas have caused significant debate particularly the discriminatory aspect of quotas and the belief that women will be depreciated and be awarded roles not because they are qualified to hold them but to meet the quotas set for the company. Studies have suggested that companies with women among their directors are more successful than those whose boardrooms are men only.

The lack of progress in the last decade raises some questions as to why the gender gap hasn’t been closed. Could it be that women simply don’t want to take these high powered, time consuming executive roles? Is the pressure to choose between a family or career or the stress of juggling both too much of a sacrifice?

If this is the correct conclusion then quotas will not be met; the 40% increase of women at director level across Europe will not be achieved and quotas are therefore redundant and self defeating. Women should be hired on their own merit and achieve positions of power through their own capability and ambition and not to meet a statistical target or to realise a political statement.

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Kids at The Ritz

Hotels will make every effort to draw in customers, from providing free goldfish with each room to a personal child butler service. The niche hotel accelerated the trend in creating unique guest experiences, identifying what the customer’s own interests are and meeting their expectations. Whether that is relaxing in a state of the art spa hotel, peaceful adult only hotels or enjoying specialised health and fitness programmes in the EVEN hotel.

The Ritz Hotel has recently launched a new campaign that they hope will improve occupancy rates. This is appealing to families, particularly the younger generation. Their new feature is to indulge children with their own mini bathrobes, free unlimited ice cream, cookies and warm milk before bed. On arriving children are given VIK passes (Very Important Kid) for access to the under 16’s lounge which caters to the younger palate. Family friendly facilities mean the children can be looked after, entertained, made to feel welcome while their parents relax. This initiative affords the Ritz a competitive edge and other hotels such as the Athenaeum, Omni and Trump are now following suit.

Is it necessary to spoil and pamper young children and does it open up the hotel industry to a wider market?

Child friendly hotels appeal to families however may put off adults looking for a quiet stay without excitable children running around. On the other hand people who do have children can still enjoy luxury holidays that meet the expectations of both the younger and older generations.

The campaign will certainly be rewarding in terms of business, the theory being that customers who enjoyed experiences in hotels as a child are more likely to return as an adult. Comforting, family friendly features are therefore an investment for future business

Here is a list of top hotels for kiddies and the rest of the family to enjoy:

http://www.travelmamas.com/wordpress/top-luxury-hotels-for-children/


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The Olympics and the Hospitality Sector

This summer brings some important historical events with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (4-5th June), the Farnborough International Air show (9-15th July) and of course the much anticipated Olympics (27July- 12th August) and Paralympics Games (29th August- 9th September).

This will undoubtedly have a huge effect on the hospitality, leisure and retail industries in Britain.

Debates and discussions with regard to the hospitality sector have been ongoing since the UK won the bid to host the games in 2005, a monumental achievement as we last hosted the Olympics in 1908 and 1948. It is believed that the influx of people during this memorable summer will have a largely positive effect on London with optimism in the Hospitality Sector up to 53.5% according to HotStats Hotel confidence Monitor.

The positives include the chance to revamp Britain’s global reputation as a fast-food eating, loutish and unwelcoming nation. The aim will be to challenge, change and improve these views.

In terms of the hospitality sector, notably hotels in and around London, there is a concern in keeping the price right during and after the Olympic period. The key is to look at past international events, their successes and pitfalls and retrospectively learn from them. Booking hotel rooms, overbooking and attracting clients who will stay on post Olympics if possible are all major issues facing the hotel industry.

The London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) ensures fair pricing by hotels, taking the average rate of the past three years and adjusting these prices according to inflation. However not all hotels have signed up to this scheme. By not signing up hotels are leaving themselves more open and independent to control their room bookings. This highlights one of the pitfalls of LOCOG in that hotels do not necessarily know where the business is coming from, the guest list and whether people will continue to stay on after the Olympics.

Very recently LOCOG released 120,000 of the 600,000 rooms it had reserved for the Olympics, the explanation for this is simply these rooms are being returned because they will not be needed.

LOCOG claim they are merely returning any surplus rooms for resale however there is concern that the rise in hotel prices would deter people from the capital, such as regular tourists that would visit the UK. Despite this hoteliers are remaining positive.

Overall the Olympics are undeniably a major event in the exposure it brings, promoting and creating improvements to the city. Approximately 11 million visitors are expected to descend on London this summer and there are new hotels opening in London specifically built for the Olympics, such as Holiday Inn, Stratford and Staybridge Suites, Stratford. Travelodge are also scheduled to open 11 more properties across the capital this year.

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Keen on Green

At MSE we are keen to be as environmentally friendly and eco conscious as possible. We recycle and have used minimal paper to reduce waste to ensure we maintain a paper free environment. We reduce energy costs and carbon footprint in every way we can. The hospitality industry across the board is demonstrating concern for the environment and working towards a better future for all. Recently the Hilton Heathrow Hotel has installed a waste2water digester which is an innovative system that turns wasted food into grey water that can then be recycled. This is a much needed change in light of recent statistics such as two thirds of people leave food on their plate because they are full and the fact that on average every person in the UK throws away their own body weight in rubbish every seven weeks.

The Hilton Hotel at London Heathrow airport will save “in excess of £30,000 per annum in waste management costs” due to this new innovative system. This is very significant move for a large multi national  hotel company and is cost effective, as disposal of waste is becoming more expensive: “food waste collection and disposal costs are increasing at an alarming 20 per cent per year”. The aim is to reduce this and to become  landfill free. Landfills are unsustainable and an inefficient way of disposing of waste and possibly one of the most environmentally damaging things we do.

There are many websites that offer practical and free advice for businesses and the hospitality sector on getting rid of waste efficiently, recycling and reducing the amount of waste they produce, including-

http://www.wrap.org.uk/hospitality/

http://www.nisp.org.uk/

http://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/

It is certainly worth implementing some of the suggestions found here and investing in systems such as waste2water as the savings in the long term are major, not just in terms of money but also the environment.

The Hilton Hotel at London Heathrow airport is also planning to install light sensors and LED lights to save on energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint; they are setting a trend that hopefully many will follow.

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