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THE UK'S PRODUCTIVITY GAP: THE LATEST EVIDENCE FROM ECONOMIC RESEARCH
"Productivity is the key indicator of economic health - over the long haul, real income growth and hence living standards must follow the growth of labour productivity."
"But as a new ESRC report confirms, there remains a significant productivity gap between the UK and its main comparators - France, Germany and the United States.<BR>The report summarises the latest research findings on the nature and causes of the UK productivity gap and what policies might be effective in helping to close it:
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WORKING TOWARDS THE WEEE DIRECTIVE
Responsible waste management is a growing priority for both governments and consumers. It will also be moving up the agenda for producers and retailers of electrical and electronic goods as the industry prepares for the publication of the European WEEE (waste electrical and electronic equipment) Directive in early 2005.
"However, with details of the legislation yet to be released, many companies remain uncertain about how they should respond. As the UK's leading packaging compliance organisation, Valpak is offeri
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R&D INVESTMENT IS GOOD FOR BUSINESS AND GOOD FOR THE ECONOMY
Pharmaceuticals and Aerospace continue to hold to uk positions for r&d growth in 2004
"The UK has maintained its world leading position in Research and Development (R&D) investment in the pharmaceuticals, health, biotechnology and aerospace sectors, and is second only to the US, according to figures published recently by the DTI. <BR> The fourteenth annual R&D Scoreboard from the DTI shows that companies who invest in R&D benefit from higher sales growth and increased share price, as a resul
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UNIQUE TECHNIQUES TO REVOLUTIONISE SHIP BUILDING
The Lairdside Laser Engineering Centre (LLEC) recently demonstrated its new laser technology to Merseyside Shipbuilders.
"The centre, in Birkenhead, held a seminar for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as part of its new 'Laser Initiative' project, aiming to encourage the use of laser processing as a means of improving and expanding Merseyside businesses. The seminar outlined the benefits of laser technology in the shipbuilding industry. <BR> Experts from the laser industry answered questions at the semin
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GOVERNMENT TO OFFER MORE GENEROUS AND TARGETED SUPPORT FOR SMALL FIRMS
"The Government recently welcomed and accepted Teresa Graham's recommendations on the future of the Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG), designed to maximise the support that the scheme offers to small firms. "
"Key recommendations include expanding lending limits to £250,000 per business, reducing bureaucracy surrounding the scheme, and raising the turnover limit to £5.6 million for all eligible businesses. <BR> Welcoming the report on behalf of Government, the Chancellor of the
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WORKING HARD?
Manpower reveals why employees put <BR>in extra effort at work
"Over 90 percent of British workers regularly put more effort into their job than is expected of them, and over two thirds regularly do unpaid overtime. Leading employment specialist Manpower has revealed exactly why these workers go above and beyond the call of duty. <BR> Surprisingly, we're not all in it for the money. Only 10 percent of the 1,113 people surveyed by Manpower selected financial reward as the reason they put in extra effort
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ASI INSTRUMENTS ANNOUNCES HIGH ACCURACY TRANSMITTER
"ASI Instruments, a leading manufacturer of state-of-the-art level instrumentation for detection and measurement of dry bulk solids, announced the LaserTrak 200 laser transmitter at the recent MINExpo International 2004, the mining exposition. "
"Designed for measuring bulk solids at distances of up to 200 feet (60 meters), the LaserTrak 200 uses an extremely small wavelength. This means it has virtually no beam divergence and can be narrowly focused even over long distances. The device's all-digital des
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"CBI PLEDGES TO FIGHT ""TOOTH AND NAIL"" AGAINST EU PROPOSALS ON WORKING TIME"
"The CBI has pledged that Britain's business community will fight ""tooth and nail"" against proposed EU restrictions on working hours, announced recently. "
"John Cridland, CBI Deputy Director-General, said: ""This is an attempt to broker a compromise that has completely backfired. The proposals show a clear misunderstanding of the UK's industrial relations culture, which serves this country well. <BR> ""It is good that the Commission is allowing the opt-out
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ONLY 7 PERCENT OF MANUFACTURERS EFFECTIVELY MANAGING SUPPLY CHAIN
"Deloitte recently released the second report from its global manufacturing benchmarking initiative, entitled ""Mastering Complexity in Global Manufacturing."" "
"The study reveals that only 7 percent of companies are effectively managing their supply chain. These 'Complexity Masters' profit margins are 73 percent greater than manufacturers with poor supply chain performance and less complex environments. In contrast, 84 percent of manufacturers with over $200m in revenue rated themse
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HYPERX(TM) SAVES CARDIFF'S PEDESTRIAN AREAS
"Another successful application of Nortech's HYPERX(TM) Automatic Vehicle Identification system has been installed in Europe's youngest capital, Cardiff, which reqularly attracts thousands of visitors and tourists from all over the world as well as the South Wales reqion itself. "
"As with many other cities, there has been a move towards pedestrianisation in the city centre. This improves safety for pedestrians and lowers congestion and traffic throughout the busy shopping area. The main shopping street,
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| Brains and beauty |
Furness and West Cumbria’s West Coast is about to experience a major investment that will strengthen the tourism and industry s ...
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| National Stadium, Beijing |
At the pinnacle of its construction, the National Stadium in Beijing had 7,000 workers toiling over the infrastructure. ...
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No smoke without fire
It seems that commentators, industry heads, central bankers and, dare I say it, Industrial Focus’s own journalists have made so ...
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Innovation for the nations
Hope for the future has arisen from the turmoil of the last few months, as industrial technologies have spun out some marvels o ...
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Supposedly the construction
materials of the future, composites are increasingly seen in
applications where optimum efficiency is paramount including
aircraft construction and renewable energy. As two research
examples show in this video, composites really are the future
for efficiency.
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