Posts Tagged ‘Business’

Thanks to an early-morning TfL fail, I unfortunately missed the first ten minutes of the Gorkana breakfast briefing with Andrew Clark, Business Editor and Heather Stewart, Economics Editor at The Observer.  The parts I did catch however were extremely useful and I’ve included some of the key points below:

Links between The Guardian and The Observer:

- Apart from specific editors like Andrew and Heather, many of the journalists at Guardian Media Group are seven-day operatives specialising in key subject areas.  Their main areas of focus are breaking news throughout the week and working on Sunday news and features

- When pitching, you will need to specify which paper you think your story would be suited for

- Links from the Observer Business section to the rest of the paper – many of the stories are consumer-focused and easily accessible and so depending on the angle of the article the story can be moved into the main section of the paper

- Online: If a story is urgent the team will publish early online, however they do plan stories with a Sunday publication date in mind

Working week:

- Work from Tuesday – Saturday

- Tues/Weds – Conduct majority of briefings with PRs, finding story leads

- Thurs – Star to plan for weekend edition

- Fri – Planning for lead news and features

- Deadline: Saturday around 12:00 p.m.

- In terms of submission planning meeting for features take place Thurs/Friday, breaking news jus goes straight to the relevant journalist

What makes a good Observer story:

- Fits in with the broader news agenda

- Features with spokespeople who are willing to think outside the box (Roger Carr, CBI)

- Stories around current topical issues (e.g. Lord Davies Women in Boardrooms report)

- Political/green/CSR issues always of interest

PR-able sections:

- Punditry throughout the section – spokespeople who are willing to be controversial and have a strong opinion

- Case studies are always welcomed

- Success stories/company results  - don’t have to be a listed company, can be a company that is doing things differently etc.

- Don’t tend to run bylines/features although if you think your company/spokesperson is prolific enough then feel free to pitch!

- Observer podcasts –pitches can be sent to Paul Maynard

- Engaging with the team – like to speak to CEO level, but any credible players within the business world will be considered.  Happy to meet with PRs first to build a rapport

Specific pitching - The UK Budget:

- The team envisage that there will not be many shocks in the upcoming budget, will me more focused around key themes such as unemployment and the action the government plan to take to alleviate the situation

- Do not bombard the team with 5+ comment emails during the day.  They prefer more though-out, opinionated comment the day after the event

Earlier this week, I was at a lecture at the RSA where Sky’s Adam Boulton was in conversation with Stephen Green, chairman of international banking group HSBC. They had both just returned from the G20/G8, which provided a backdrop to discussions on financial turbulence, money and morality. The presentation was especially interesting as it took a long-term historical view: King Edward III was noted as the first British sovereign to default on his debts; Franciscan thinking from the middle ages on poverty versus wealth was quoted; the ebb and flow of world trade was examined. You can watch the RSA’s video of the talk here. Well worth a look.

Mr Green was questioned on his book, Good Value: Building a Better Life in Business. He gave his perspective on the current macroeconomic climate, talking about a clear rebalancing to the East. He says ‘emerging markets’ is a misnomer, preferring the re-emergence of markets. China was the world’s largest economy until 1820 – before the growth of super powers – and was the dominant economic power in 18 of the last 20 centuries. Over a generation, he says, we will see the rise of the ‘new G20’ states, and the relative marginalisation of the G7/G8.

However, he is positive about the opportunities for business offered by this rebalancing. Companies that plan responsible, sustainable business strategies, in tune with the cultural needs of growing markets will thrive. Real CSR will have real impact.

As a spokesperson for the global banking community, Stephen Green is impressive. Highly engaging and authoritative, without a hint of arrogance. He expertly batted away questions inviting comment on BP’s current problems and focused on broad issues of strategy and morality. As an ordained Anglican priest, his views on ethics in business are especially interesting. From a reputation manager’s perspective, he is a valuable asset. A thought leader with original, coherent thoughts and a distinctive view of the world. Good value.

I’ve had a client over from the US this week and chatting with him has really brought it home to me what a strange few days it has been. First we elect two BNP members to the European Parliament, despite widespread outrage and condemnation of their policies.

Then our tube drivers go on strike, which although is massively inconvenient for many (not me, god bless Streatham’s surplus of overground stations) does seem to bring out a real stoicism in Londoners. Whatever the city’s faults, its citizens rarely let things faze them and just shrug and carry on with their business in the face of adversity.

Will this stoicism last another 48 hours though? Fighting for bus space is no fun and I wonder how people will view the dispute between LU and tube workers on Thursday evening? I broadly support the right to strike but when tube workers do so the impact is such that I suspect public sympathy will be scarce. Especially when you see that they earn a decent wage (£40K) for a 35 hour working week.

With an estimated cost to business of £100m over the two day strike, what do you think? Justified action or holding bosses to ransom? To paraphrase Alan Sugar I’m going to get me a cushion and sit on the fence. Ask me again tomorrow evening though and I may have shifted to the political right a little.

Everyone knows that we have to reduce our carbon emissions. You can’t read a newspaper or a blog post without coming across the words ‘climate change’ or ‘carbon emissions’, generally accompanied by a subtext of a flashing yellow warning light and an alarm. The UK’s target is to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. Things need to change, and if we are to hit the targets that we’ve been set, they need to change fast. But how is it going to happen?

Last week I attended Hot Property, a seminar on low carbon sustainable building. Organised by the Bath Ventures Innovation Centre’s Low Carbon South West network, Hot Property brought together academics, architects, engineers and businesses to talk about how to address the ambitious property sector target of 0% carbon buildings by 2016 (and 0% new build by 2019). In much the same vein as the recent eWEEK UK launch, there was much talk of the need for a fundamental paradigm shift – and the fact that it has to happen urgently. The country needs to change its attitudes and behaviour towards energy usage. No small feat when you consider exactly how huge a task this is across all sectors of society; individuals, businesses, public and private, and across all industry sectors; energy, manufacturing, property, IT, transport and so on.

A quick word about eWEEK UK. eWEEK UK is debuting at a time when one might question the sanity of launching of a new publication in an economic downturn. But as editor Peter Judge pointed out, there’s never been a better time. Online only, and employing a small team of permanent and freelance journalists, it can get news out as it happens, without worrying about the costs and turnaround time associated with a print publication. And the philosophy underpinning it has never been more timely: sustainable IT. Climate change and the economic downturn means that businesses, as well as individuals, need to embrace sustainability. This isn’t just green IT, but operating at a more sustainable level (both financially and environmentally) on a day-to-day basis. IT contributes towards carbon emissions, and if we are going to stand any chance of reaching the targets, then there has to be a paradigm shift in the way IT works.

Image royalty free courtesy of The Stock Exchange

I wasn’t sure how much relevance low carbon building might have for me, and perhaps that is telling within itself. We all live and work in buildings so it has relevance for everyone. Cities account for 2% of our landmass, but are responsible for 75% of greenhouse gases. New build can improve this, but retrofitting (improving the carbon emissions of existing buildings) is also just as, if not more, important. And that is down to the individual.

Here’s a few facts (if you know your green stuff, you’re probably aware of these):

• 30% of our topsoil is gone
• Acidification of the oceans, if it continues, could mean the bottom of the food chain disappearing – a truly scary thought
• If the US carries on consuming at the same levels, it would need 6 planet earths to support it. The UK would need 3 and Somalia one-quarter

The challenge is that lowering carbon emissions is complex, because it needs to be addressed at political, social, cultural, and infrastructure levels. There is a lack of ‘joined up’ thinking – no one is talking to everyone else. Fiscal and infrastructure policies are not connected with food and transport networks, for example, and this causes policy conflicts when it comes to trying to address carbon emissions. And of course everything is interconnected, at both a global and a local level. For example, if we were to use the Thames Barrier to stop rising sea levels flooding London, we risk drowning Holland. Every decision, big or small, affects someone somewhere.

The upshot is that capitalism needs to take responsibility. Whilst it is sometimes hard to talk ‘green’ without sounding evangelical, slightly mental or like a tree-loving hippy, the bald truth is that “the battle against climate change will be won or lost in towns and cities”. Whilst there are businesses, engineers and academics all conducting research into technologies and methods to lower building carbon emissions, the biggest question is how are these developments going to make their way into the market – and into the mainstream?

If people realise that by investing in home renovations to improve their house’s carbon emissions, they can cut their heating bills, would they be more inclined to put money towards this rather than buying a new kitchen? Or a new car? Is it the fact that the benefits are so intangible, that as individuals we will be forced to pay a price (rising energy prices anyone?) in order to rethink our energy use habits? And when is the government going to get involved and provide some kind of cohesive forum in which policy, planning, research and implementation can come together to start making things happen? It was refreshing to hear business people, designers and developers talking about how to save the planet, but when – and how – will they finally be heard? The problem is that no one seems sure how to make this happen on a national scale. Despite the fact that there are pockets of people talking, at the moment they are only talking about it to other people who are interested and who care.  There was no representation from the government or local authorities at the Hot Property seminar, which begs the question of how this forward thinking, and the technological developments that accompany it, will make the leap from discussion to implementation.

Kate Gordon, kgordon@ruderfinn.co.uk