James Mills is a web developer in the North East of England and founder of Refresh Teesside »
Mike Hughes is the Head of Business for the Evening Gazette. He will be blogging on all matters of importance to Teesside businesses - and some that are just worth knowing »
Jez Davison, business writer at the Evening Gazette, is a regular blogger on all things business - particularly finance, entrepreneurship and the state of the Teesside economy » 
Karen McLauchlan is the Evening Gazette's deputy business and features editor - with special interest in all things industry, property and arts related » 
Deloitte, which has 23 offices across the UK including Newcastle, is among the country's leading professional services firms » 
ClimateNE & Climate Change Schools Project support the move to a low-carbon, resilient economy and help businesses avoid risk and realise commercial opportunities. Posts by Jen Atkinson, Krista McKinzey and Harriet Thew » August 2010 Archives
Stress tests won't calm lending nerves
Posted by on August 3, 2010 9:30 AM
Cash-strapped Teesside firms won't be celebrating the dubious 'achievement' of Britain's big four banks passing Europe's much-hyped stress-tests.
Designed to reassure investors over the health of Europe's financial sectors, the exercise was a box-ticking formality for RBS, Lloyds, HSBC and Barclays, which had already faced much tougher scrutiny from the Financial Services Authority (FSA).
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Rock sell-off questions
- Tags:
- Northern Rock
Posted by on August 3, 2010 9:55 AM
On the face of it today's results from Northern Rock are very much in line with what we expected.
Although apparently incongruous, it is not surprising that Northern Rock Asset Management - the 'bad bank' where the most toxic of its loans are deposited - has raced into the black ahead of the 'good bank' which made a relatively small loss of ã143m.
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Posted by Jeremy Middleton on August 5, 2010 9:04 AM
There has been, what seems to be, a universal outcry over a recently published report that says a million UK citizens cannot read.
But there is other criteria that is as important as the ability to read and write when recruiting new staff.
Potential recruits, as well as being sound in the three Rs, also need to demonstrate aptitude, enthusiasm and common sense.
What I hear on a regular basis from people in the business community is that a big problem is a lack of motivation.
There is a tendency among a significant proportion of young people, starting work for the first time, to want to come in late and leave early.
This attitude is perhaps fuelled by the fact that the school or college day is usually shorter than traditional working hours.
In fact, one high school head teacher has advocated that teenage pupils should be given an extra two hours in bed to boost their learning abilities, claiming that continuous early starts created "teenage zombies" in the classroom.
He said research showed allowing teenagers to begin lessons at 11am had a "profound impact" on learning
But this is the wrong sort of message to be sending out to students.
Whether at school, college or university, they need to be helped to prepare for the hours that will be expected of them when they get out into the world of work.
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Great expectations, an even bigger disappointment
Posted by on August 10, 2010 11:29 AM
The visit of Business Secretary Vince Cable to Teesside last week sparked hope that he would announce a much-publicised tie-up between Corus and Thai steel giant Sahaviriya Steel Industries (SSI).
The two companies are thought to be in advanced negotiations to strike a deal that will see SSI buy the mothballed Teesside Cast Products (TCP) plant in Redcar. But although due diligence is ongoing, Dr Cable confirmed that a sale has not yet been agreed.
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A question of balance
- Tags:
- banks
- credit crunch
- lending
Posted by on August 10, 2010 11:34 AM
The banking sector was thrust firmly into the spotlight last week as the 'big four' announced bumper profits in a return to health after the financial crisis.
The encouraging news from HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and Barclays has boosted hopes that the pain of 2008 is over and that the taxpayer could make a profitable exit from the Government's bank bail-outs.
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Posted by Jeremy Middleton on August 25, 2010 2:40 PM
Due diligence and research are vital whether buying or investing in a company or contemplating a new service, product or business plan.
Even if an in-depth study unearths unpalatable information, at least you know precisely what you are dealing with.
This information can help to map out a reasoned strategy or investment figure that reflects a company's current abilities, future capabilities and/or actual worth.
A survey by a North East council on how much visitors to the area spent during a trip there revealed that it was a derisory average of ã1.70.
This sum was just enough to buy a couple of ice creams or pay for parking at the seaside town of Redcar.
The local authority has drawn up major regeneration plans to breathe new life into the area with a hub for creative and hi-tech industries and a new sea front attraction of a vertical pier.
Thanks to its research, the council now knows exactly what it is up against and that the status quo is not an option.
Knowledge can never be under-estimated and is an essential tool in the world of business and commercial planning.
It can prevent costly mistakes being made and steer companies or would-be investors away from proceeding with ideas that would not be feasible.
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