Introducing business and the economic environment with Darling’s debt dilemma

I really like this cartoon version of the impossible task facing the Chancellor as he prepares his budget. How to solve the riddle of balancing out the need for spending with the need to raise revenue in order to repay the borrowing - which could be seen as a mega-version of how to cope with cash flow problems. This animated cartoon, which runs through the figures and the options, would be a good introduction to the issues and could start off a discussion about the impacts on businesses and their customers over the next few years. The BBC’s Recession Tracker gives up-to-date figures for all the key indicators of inflation, unemployment, gdp growth and so on, providing good back up, and the ‘UK Economy’ page has good coverage and comment on the latest developments.

Marketing analysis: the UK supermarket battleground [3 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Unemployment & Business [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Inflation [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Business Cycle and Economic Growth [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Retrenchment [4 Apr 2012]
Inflation for Business Students [27 Mar 2012]
Business legislation - the cost to businesses [5 Mar 2012]
Pampering - demand booms as consumers seek an affordable treat [4 Mar 2012]
Economics for Business: Is an economic recovery underway? [28 Feb 2012]
Would you work harder - for nothing? The hidden costs of employment fear [29 Dec 2011]
Unemployment and motivation [28 Dec 2011]
The human story of long-term unemployment [15 Dec 2011]
Strategies to revive the High Street: Mary Portas reports [13 Dec 2011]
Optimism and expansion in consumer leisure markets [2 Dec 2011]
Batten down the hatches - strategies for the next downturn [24 Oct 2011]
Shoppers switch stores as income patterns change [11 Oct 2011]
Stakeholders gripped by the bad news coming from BAE Systems [28 Sep 2011]
Recruitment challenges from the skills gap [25 May 2011]
Economic Environment: Debt bombshell [28 Apr 2011]
Private v Public Sector - A Clash of Two Cultures? [20 Apr 2011]
Is the golf business coming out of the bunker? [7 Apr 2011]
Recession?  Hair today, gone tomorrow [6 Apr 2011]
Is the role of inflation over inflated? [30 Mar 2011]
AQA unit 4 - some really good evidence here [29 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Economic Growth GDP [15 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Private and Public Sector Pay [14 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Inflation (CPI) [13 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Unemployment [13 Mar 2011]
The Profit Margin Bloodbath of UK Recession [6 Mar 2011]
Britain is back in recession (well, consumers think we are) [23 Feb 2011]
Government and the Economy lesson plan [30 Jan 2011]
2011 - A chance for retailers to slip in some sneeky price rises? [14 Dec 2010]
Its curtains for UK consumer spending [12 Dec 2010]
Business Pricing Tactics Under Scrutiny [12 Dec 2010]
Euro Disney - an HRM & Finance Nightmare? [24 Nov 2010]
Recession-proof production at Fiat [20 Nov 2010]
JCB - A Great Case Study for Business Students [19 Nov 2010]
Cash flow Clue-doh! The Mystery is Revealed… [2 Nov 2010]
Start-ups - a surge in new businesses post recession [2 Nov 2010]
Sectors of the Economy - Online is Worth £100bn [30 Oct 2010]
Google, Profits and Diversification [16 Oct 2010]
Who ate all the pies? [17 Sep 2010]
Businesses prepare for the double-dip [13 Sep 2010]
Can small firms shrug off their recession trauma? [2 Sep 2010]
A beginners guide to GDP [30 Aug 2010]
Fiscal Policy - Where Does the Government Raise Finance? [30 Aug 2010]
How inflation affects consumers [27 Aug 2010]
Inflation and profit margins - lessons from the market [27 Aug 2010]
Recession Strategy - Manufacturing Emerges Leaner and Fitter [25 Aug 2010]
Nissan profits from a recovery in demand [30 Jul 2010]
Betting firm cries fowl and turns to offshoring [26 Jul 2010]
Can performance-related pay motivate the SCD celebs? [18 Jul 2010]
Dark days for the UK nightclub market [21 Jun 2010]
A significant rise in unemployment ahead for the UK [16 Jun 2010]
Emerging Stronger - How UK Businesses Responded to the Recession [14 Jun 2010]
Supermarkets set for a new price war? [13 Jun 2010]
BUSS4 - Recession Strategy Lessons from Four Female Entrepreneurs [6 Jun 2010]
Emerging from Recession - Manufacturing Leads the Way [1 Jun 2010]
Strategy Case Study - Vauxhall/Opel restructuring [24 May 2010]
BUSS4 UK Recession - Data Burn [15 May 2010]
UK Recession - Hotels Suffer Despite the Trend towards Staycations [3 May 2010]
Why Coffee Shops did so well during the UK Recession [25 Apr 2010]
A good example to use when explaining what firms do as they come out of a recession [22 Apr 2010]
Girl Power [12 Apr 2010]
Recession Survival Strategies Cost UK SMEs £16bn [31 Mar 2010]
UK Recession - What Happened to Redundancies? [30 Mar 2010]
Unilever in the recession - the CEO on strategy [25 Mar 2010]
How firms can make the most of the recovery [20 Mar 2010]
Measuring changing shopping habits and inflation [15 Mar 2010]
Wipeout Challenge - UK Recession [15 Mar 2010]
Motivation and management at John Lewis [11 Mar 2010]
Data watch - what happened to consumer spending in the UK recession? [4 Mar 2010]
BUSS4 and British Airways - a marriage made in heaven [1 Mar 2010]
Whiteboard Challenge - Drawing UK GDP [28 Feb 2010]
Recession strategy - what happens when a market dives by 30%+? [28 Feb 2010]
HRM priorities as firms exit the recession [27 Feb 2010]
Strategy in a recession - cost optimisation not cost minimisation [25 Feb 2010]
An interesting way to describe the Business Cycle [25 Feb 2010]
Strategy in a recession - Don’t Panic Mr Mainwaring! [25 Feb 2010]
Strategy in a recession - global innovators keep investing [25 Feb 2010]
Customers have changed during the recession - how does marketing respond? [19 Feb 2010]
Strategies for the Recession - Insights from Six Restaurant Group CEOs [19 Feb 2010]
BUSS4 - winning insights into recession strategy from annual reports [18 Feb 2010]
A CEO’s take on the effect of the recession on UK restaurants [18 Feb 2010]
Marketing strategy in a recession - is attack better than defence? [17 Feb 2010]
Advertising in the recession - perfect storm or perfect opportunity? [17 Feb 2010]
Branded coffee shops prove resilient to the UK recession [17 Feb 2010]
Recession turns the UK into a fast-food nation [16 Feb 2010]
Strategic reaction to the UK recession - notes and observations [9 Feb 2010]
UK companies conserve cash in the recession - bad news for shareholders? [8 Feb 2010]
Strategies in a recession - pay freezes stay in place [8 Feb 2010]
Taking Demand-based Pricing To Extremes [8 Feb 2010]
Business strategies as we emerge from the recession [7 Feb 2010]
Government support for apprenticeships [6 Feb 2010]
UK Recession - Some Winners and Losers [5 Feb 2010]
Companies that thrived in the UK recession - theme activity [1 Feb 2010]
Recession Tracker for UK Economic Data [1 Feb 2010]
Opportunities for Poundland in the recession [1 Feb 2010]
Video case study - substitute goods benefiting from the recession [1 Feb 2010]
9 business survival tips for getting through the recession [1 Feb 2010]

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