Business comment, opinions on the business news

COLUMN: Sarah - Linking up is vital to our future Mar 05 2013

IT may seem an obvious statement that improving connectivity between two countries can provide a significant boost to trade.Read

COLUMN: Kevin Rowan - Austerity a very risky strategy Mar 04 2013

SOONER or later something has got to give, the almost weekly reminders that the current economic policy is not working are met with an apparently harder and harder line from the Government, led by the Chancellor, it seems the ‘man is not for turning’.Read

COLUMN: Bernie Callaghan - Heartening unity of all sectors Mar 01 2013

ADVANCED manufacturing in the North East is producing some surprisingly positive statistics. Read

COLUMN: James Ramsbotham - Travel the world to boost trade Feb 27 2013

I LOVE to travel – see the world, experience new cultures and, most importantly, establish relationships useful to North East businesses.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - Europe is worth a little risk Feb 27 2013

WHAT could an ex-communist, a stand-up comedian, an eminent economist and a former cruise-ship crooner possibly have in common? Read

COLUMN: Sarah Green - Coalition must cut regulatory red tape Feb 26 2013

IN A recent Government survey of British businesses, more than half of firms said the high level of regulation in the UK represented an obstacle to their success.Read

COLUMN: Lucy Armstrong - Leaving something of value Feb 25 2013

IT’’S not the fact that you have left, but what you have left behind.Read

COLUMN: Kevin Rowan - Let us be clear what is at risk Feb 25 2013

IN THE backwash of the debate about an EU referendum some employers were given the opportunity to postulate about ‘red tape’ being such a burden as to affect the competitiveness of businesses.Read

COLUMN: Robert Macleod - Have you taken the right steps? Feb 22 2013

EQUALITY Act 2010 became law almost three years ago, yet a recent Government survey found that more than 80% of private sector businesses – construction included – either had not heard of the act or knew very little about it.Read

COLUMN: Bill Midgley - Interview techniques as crucial as a killer CV Feb 21 2013

DURING a recent discussion with a group of students, the issue of preparation for the world of work came up ... or to be more precise, the lack of preparation.Read

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - Nothing to fear from inflation Feb 20 2013

AT a recent investor conference in and around the Gulf, one macro question surfaced repeatedly: isn’t the inevitable consequence of all that Western debt, quantitative easing and “currency wars” a wave of inflation?Read

COLUMN: Barrie Hensby - Ambition shines through the gloom Feb 20 2013

SO, the first month of another year has been and gone, and as has become the regular pattern over the last few years, the economic news that filtered through during those 31 days has been enough to make even the hardiest of souls think about getting back into bed and never coming out again.Read

COLUMN: Kevin Rowan - Poundland exposes job policy Feb 18 2013

MOST people appreciate that there are two broad categories of welfare support.Read

COLUMN: Bruce Jobson - A nagging suspicion of being laughed at Feb 16 2013

A HORSE, a horse, my kingdom for a horse ... Shakespeare’s famous words may seem a long-ago cry from the last of the Plantagenet rulers but in the modern era, the supermarket is king.Read

COLUMN: Dr Ray Lowry - It's all in the lead-up to the punch line Feb 14 2013

PEOPLE often ask me where I get my funny stories from. I get them from all sorts of places. Some are re-workings of actual events, a few are other people’s stories retold by me and others are a mixture of fact and fiction (often an old joke adapted for a modern audience).Read

COLUMN: Andrew Miller - Is it time for a rethink on economic thinking? Feb 13 2013

FINANCIAL analysis is not a science. But its evolution sometimes echoes the process of scientific discovery – perspectives can change abruptly and profoundly. Is a paradigm shift at hand?Read

COLUMN: Amy Michie - Region has advantage of space Feb 13 2013

HERE in the North East we have the potential to literally build economic growth.Read

COLUMN: Bill Midgley - Region is united in sycophancy Feb 13 2013

WELL into the new year and already it is business as usual. Sterling is in freefall, the balance of payments deficit widens, fuel costs have increased and we look to be heading for round three of economic depression.Read

COLUMN: Nigel Begg - Connecting with others a faster way Feb 13 2013

SESSION Initiation Protocol – more commonly referred to as SIP – is one of the fastest growing technologies today with many businesses choosing to migrate away from traditional ISDN lines in favour of SIP trunks.Read

COLUMN: Robert Gibson - A baby challenge for our businesses Feb 13 2013

WE are all of us delighted to learn of a new arrival in the world. Proud and tired Mums and Dads. Then, the difficult part starts – juggling career and child care.Read