Tom Allason

Extract . . .

Courier service Shutl promises a revolution in online delivery. It's about time, says founder Tom Allason Tom Allason's elevator pitch begins with an anniversary. “Give or take a couple of days, he says, e-commerce is exactly 16 years old. In that time the internet has evolved from 30,000 pages to well over a trillion, while e-commerce has ‘moved light years’. What's interesting, he says, is that "the one thing that hasn't changed at all is delivery. Consumers still wait days for delivery, which takes place at a time determined by the courier company."

Link
http://www.director.co.uk/ONLINE/2010/08_10_tom-allason-shutl.html

3-D Printing Spurs a Manufacturing Revolution

Extract . . .

“Businesses in the South Park district of San Francisco generally sell either Web technology or sandwiches and burritos. Bespoke Innovations plans to sell designer body parts. The company is using advances in a technology known as 3-D printing to create prosthetic limb casings wrapped in embroidered leather, shimmering metal or whatever else someone might want.”

Link
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/technology/14print.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Report on bank small business lending decisions 'a pointless exercise'

Extract . . .

“Senior figures in the credit referencing industry have said a move by major banks to have the creditworthiness of their business customers independently profiled is "a pointless exercise" that brings nothing new to the lending deadlock. The move is an attempt to defuse the row over small businesses' access to finance.”

Link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8000675/Report-on-bank-small-business-lending-decisions-a-pointless-exercise.html

Peter Jones claims youth enterprise schemes 'put good money after bad'

Extract . . .

“Dragon Dens' Peter Jones says the Government should roll out his enterprise curriculum into secondary and primary schools rather than fund promotional campaigns like Make Your Mark, run by Enterprise UK.”

Link
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/8000531/Peter-Jones-claims-youth-enterprise-schemes-put-good-money-after-bad.html

Mortgage lending reflects 'weak market'

Extract . . .

“Number of mortgages for house purchases rose 7% in July, but loans to first-time buyers fell by 2%, the Council of Mortgage Lenders says 'Demand for mortgages remains weak, despite loans for house purchases rising by 7% to 56,000 in July compared to the previous month', according to latest figures published by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.”

Link
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/sep/13/mortgage-lending-weak-market

Fame & Fortune: Matt Dawson

Extract . . .

“Matt Dawson, 37, was a member of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning team and is England's most capped scrum half.”

Link   
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/fameandfortune/7999085/Fame-and-Fortune-Matt-Dawson.html