Funerals enter the digital age and kick up an ethical storm

Is it ethical to charge people to watch a funeral using digital video conferencing?  That is the question facing stakeholders in the funeral service in Southampton.

Tesco creates waves in seaside holiday town

A fascinating business story buried in the home news section of the Independent today.  Supermarket giant Tesco has bought the Lyme Bay Holiday Village, only to immediately close it. 

Local councils may takeover struggling post offices

A really interesting development in the story of the struggling UK post office network today. It seems that local councils may finance and control some of the post offices that Royal Mail has earmarked for closure due to sustained losses.

Can you guess - what is Britain’s fastest-growing sport?

Friday evening is approaching yet again.  And it turns out that by participating in my regular Friday exercise I’m taking part in Britain’s fastest-growing sport.  A sport that also claims to be “recession-proof”.

What do the record profits of Royal Dutch Shell tell us?

The Anglo-Dutch oil firm Royal Dutch Shell has reported annual profits of £13.9bn, a record for a UK-listed company.  Not everyone is pleased, of course! Some trade unions have objected to the level of Shell’s profits at a time when consumers and businesses have to cope with the effects of high oil prices.  One union leader described the level of profits in the oil industry as, “quite frankly obscene.  Shell shareholders are doing very nicely whilst the rest of us, the stakeholders, are paying the price and struggling.”

An important new report on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Just a quick glance through the Economist’s recent survey of Corporate Social Responsibility throws up some fascinating facts and issues for discussion.