Portfolio: Business
the appointment: “I see my task as FSB how they can produce new ideas, inno-
professor to be an academic champion vations to produce better products and
>>
newsdigest
for small business. Although small busi- deliver better services.”
UNEmPLOymENT INcREaSE
nesses are important, vital even, for eco- The Centre for Entrepreneurship
The number of people out of work in the
nomic and social well being, they tend to at Aberdeen Business School, Robert
UK in the three months to September
be overlooked. Yet small businesses rep- Gordon University has an enviable track
jumped by 140,000 to 1.82 million – the
resent some 95 per cent of all businesses; record in teaching and research. In a highest in 11 years. The unemployment
provide more than half of all jobs in the recent study of the international impact rate rose to 5.8 per cent, up from
UK and half of all revenues. So in fact, of entrepreneurship research in all the
5.4 per cent in the previous quarter.
large businesses are the exceptions and top management journals, it had two
Unemployment in Scotland was up
small businesses are the norm. studies included in the global top 20. Its
by 13,000, to 4.7 per cent. Enterprise
Minister Jim Mather said: “The Scottish
“Consequently, my job will be to papers are amongst the most read and
Government has already taken steps to
improve our understanding of the small the most cited in British academic jour-
support Scottish business and families
business sector and small business own- nals. in the current challenging conditions.
ers to try to ensure that our customers, “But our new FSB chair is rather Within our fixed budget and the powers
our suppliers and our politicians are fully different in that it recognises our abil-
available to us we have set out steps
aware of the critical part played by small ity from the perspective of small busi-
to keep Scotland’s economy moving
businesses in our economic and social ness owners rather than an academic
forward as part of the Scottish Economic
Recovery Plan.”
development. viewpoint,” said Anderson. “RGU was
“My particular research interest is ranked the top modern university in
BaNk TUSSLE
the social aspects of small business. I am Scotland and runner-up to St Andrews
Two former bank executives hoping
interested in how small business is under- as Scottish university of the year. Much to derail Lloyds TSB’s takeover of HBOS
stood, but I am also fascinated by the way of this acclaim is due to our links with
refused to back down despite Gordon
many small businesses work together to industry. So this chair is especially
Brown’s dismissal of their calls for the bank
overcome the problems they face because important to us because they, the practi-
to stay independent. Sir Peter Burt and Sir
George Mathewson said they remained
they are small. I am intrigued by the way tioners, are the ones who actually make
committed to their campaign to force out
they are part of our society; embedded things happen. So we believe this col-
the bank’s chairman and chief executive
in the local and addressing local needs, laboration will synthesise our academic
and to keep HBOS as a stand-alone bank.
but nonetheless part of globalisation. expertise with the real life experience of Separately, a proposed Bank of China bid to
Our studies have shown how small busi- small business owners and will allow us
buy HBOS was called off – it was “given the
nesses are flexible and especially good at to develop a full and richer understand-
cold shoulder” by the Treasury, reported The
adapting to changes. We have also seen ing of this vital sector.”
Scotsman.
HM
PaSSENgER dEcLINE
Airport operator BAA said this winter will
Not for broadcast
be “tough” after announcing reduced
passenger figures. The economic
downturn accelerated the slump in
passengers at Edinburgh, Glasgow and
Channel 4’s new £50 million innovation fund promises opportunities for
Aberdeen airports last month, with their
annual total down by 2.4 per cent to 20
digital entrepreneurs in Scotland, writes William Peakin
million. This compares with a 1.6 per cent
fall in the year to September.
B
eing ‘employee number one’ is week by Tom Loosemore, head of 4iP, TaRgET INdIa
a coveted claim among business who was speaking at a conference on
Scottish companies were urged to
start-ups that go on to great things (even media literacy (see p60) organised by
target India at the first UK India Business
Steve Jobs, co-founder and current CEO Ofcom Scotland. With Stuart Cosgrove,
Council (UKIBC) Scottish parliamentary
affairs reception. A key objective of
of Apple can only claim to be employee Director of Nations and Regions for
the event in Edinburgh, hosted by Jack
number two). Channel 4, also based in Glasgow and
McConnell MSP, for parliamentarians
At 4iP – not exactly a start-up, but on the steering group of 4iP, it ought to
and business delegates, was to increase
potentially the incubator for many – put Scotland in a strong position to take trade flows between India and Scotland
employee number one is Ewan Macin- advantage of the initiative.
by highlighting and dismantling the
tosh, based in Glasgow. 4iP is a £50 mil- Channel 4 says the fund aims to
bureaucratic and regulatory barriers to
lion creative fund launched by Channel deliver “publicly valuable content and
entry into India.
4 that aims to “re-invent how publicly- services on digital media platforms with
gRaNITE hEaRT
valuable content is conceived, funded significant impact and in sustainable
Sir Ian Wood pledged £50 million of his
and delivered for British audiences on ways. It represents one of the biggest
estimated £890 million fortune to create
new media platforms.” It is a collabo- and most exciting calls-to-action for a new “beating heart” of Aberdeen. Sir
ration between the broadcaster, which new and emergent digital media com- Ian wants to fashion a new city-centre
is putting in £20 million, and a series panies in the UK.” For the broadcaster
square above the valley containing
of regional development agencies and it is “part of a critical process of evolu-
Union Terrace Gardens, the Denburn dual
carriageway and the main Aberdeen-
funding partners from around the UK. tion: from a publisher broadcaster into a
Inverness rail line.
Macintosh’s status was revealed last multiplatform network; from a commis-
|
www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 17 November 2008 |
59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74