Business comment, opinions on the business news

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - The eurobloc continues to languish May 20 2013

BUSINESS surveys suggest that the eurozone economy is flatlining at best, but this ought not to be a major surprise.Read

COLUMN: Carole White - Glimmers of hope and opportunity May 20 2013

THE Bank of England is offering a ray of hope for the UK economy by issuing a slightly improved outlook for inflation and growth for the first time since the financial crisis. This is cause for optimism, the recession might have been a difficult period for many but as a result the economy is laden with new opportunities for entrepreneurs.Read

COLUMN: Ross Smith - Blow for Boris good for North May 15 2013

SO the London Mayor’s grand plan for a new airport in the middle of the Thames Estuary turned out to be more Fantasy Island than Boris Island.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - Are we nearly there yet? May 15 2013

ANOTHER week, another post-crisis high for developed stocks (and another all-time high for the S&P500).Read

COLUMN: John Anderson - Complaints can help businesses May 15 2013

YOU’LL be hard-pushed to find anyone who jumps for joy when receiving a complaint, most are accepted with a lack of enthusiasm, but a change of attitude towards them could actually help your business.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Hebden - It need not be a taxing affair for businesses May 14 2013

THE public debate on corporate tax avoidance has raged over the past few months and several companies’ reputations have been dragged through the mud.Read

COLUMN: Kevin Rowan - Importance of picking right target May 13 2013

THE Government’s focus on showing how tough they are on migrant workers and people in receipt of benefits is either a clever distraction from the real issues or a politically prejudiced and vindictive assault on easy and vulnerable targets.Read

COLUMN: Bernie Callaghan - ‘Upskilling is key to success’ May 10 2013

THE “University of John Lewis” caught the imagination of the media last week. The retailer’s decision to offer some of its staff the chance to study for “degrees” reinforces the growing importance of work-based qualifications.Read

COLUMN: Jonathan Walker - City will come to light again May 08 2013

DURHAM will once again be bathed in glorious light when the on-switch for Lumiere 2013 is thrown later in the year.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - It’s not all thanks to the banks May 08 2013

HAVING saved the world in 2008/9, the big central banks’ financial fire-fighting morphed into a more cyclical, pro-growth stance that has extended into 2013.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Hebden - Leaving EU a disaster for the North East May 08 2013

THE debate over Britain’s future relationship with Europe was back in the headlines yesterday with the intervention by Lord Lawson of Blaby.Read

COLUMN: Kevin Rowan - Creating a perfect storm for UKIP May 07 2013

THE warning signs have been there for some time. Last month one poll showed that the general public has lost confidence in politics providing solutions to the failing economy.Read

COLUMN: Carole White - Engage your team to reap reward May 06 2013

AS a business owner or manager your workforce is one of your biggest costs and potentially is one of your best assets if you create an engaged culture amongst your employees to such an extent that they do things beyond what is expected of them.Read

COLUMN: John Anderson - Will scheme extension make a difference? May 01 2013

IT was announced this month that the Bank of England is extending a lending scheme which was designed to help businesses and households.Read

COLUMN: Sarah Green - Maker Faire inspirers youngsters Apr 30 2013

HAVING last week focused on the dismal lack of engineering content in the new curriculum, I felt duty-bound to this week highlight some of the fantastic work being undertaken in the region to excite young people about science.Read

COLUMN: Kevin Rowan - Nothing to be smug about . . . Apr 29 2013

THE toxic chancellor, George Osborne, won’t need much encouragement to take up the invitation from Rob Carnell of banking group ING to “allow himself a moment of smugness” following the news that the UK’s GDP managed growth of 0.3% in the first quarter of this year.Read

COLUMN: Lucinda Beaumont - Is shale gas the 21st Century’s Holy Grail? Apr 29 2013

THE UK is running out of energy. And very rapidly indeed, if the chief executive of Ofgem is to be believed.Read

COLUMN: Dr Simon Parry - Giving students a Flying Start Apr 25 2013

ONE of the first lessons I learnt when I qualified as an accountant was how different studying the theory of auditing was, to walking into a client’s office and trying to work the auditing software.Read

COLUMN: Sarah Green - Curriculum shake-up doesn’t go far enough Apr 23 2013

THIS is a key moment for the education system in England. The consultation on the proposed National Curriculum from 2014 is closing and now the Government will decide on its next steps.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - Precious metals are not a foolproof hedge Apr 22 2013

RECEIVED wisdom has taken another knock in the last week. We may not have expected events to unfold quite as they did, but we have long felt that the conventional view of the crisis and its aftermath needs rethinking.Read