Viewpoint: Big data and big analytics means better business. 19 October 2012Last updated at 05:26 ET By Paul Kent Global vice president of Big Data, SAS So much data, so little time: The businesses making the most of their intelligence are doing so by tackling mountains of figures Decision-making is the essence of management. Careers and companies are built or buried by the judgments of a few, even a single individual.
Decisions mould company strategy - which markets to enter or what products to develop, for example - and impact company resources. Today, as the world globalises and the pace of change quickens, managers must make high-pressure decisions faster. In fact, 74% of the global executives SAS recently surveyed with the Harvard Business Review stated they "feel under pressure to achieve results in less time than ever before". Savvy managers turn to analysing data - on their customers, operations, risk and more - for guidance. Like the amount of data that organisations store, the value placed on data by firms has grown rapidly.
Better decisions. Mputer science teachers offered cash incentive. 19 October 2012Last updated at 11:32 ET By Judith Burns Education reporter, BBC News Fifty scholarships will be offered to attract top graduates into teaching computer science High-flying graduates are to be given a £20,000 golden handshake to train as computer science teachers. Ministers have asked Facebook, Microsoft and IBM to help design the training for the new teachers. Education Secretary Michael Gove said current information and communications technology (ICT) teacher training courses would be axed from next year. The move "could not be more welcome or more necessary", said Prof Steve Furber of the Royal Society. Major changes to the teaching of computing in English schools are already in the pipeline. Continue reading the main story “Start Quote If we want our country to produce the next Sir Tim Berners-Lee... we need the very best computer science teachers in our classrooms” End QuoteMichael Gove 'More needed' Labour questioned how effective the changes would be.
Viewpoint: More women needed in technology. 11 October 2012Last updated at 19:14 ET By Belinda Parmar Author of Little Miss Geek Lost in stereotypes in this image from her book, Belinda Parmar wants a change in attitude towards women in technology Walk into most tech companies and you'll be greeted by the same picture - a room made up entirely of men. You can practically smell the testosterone. The technology industry is still struggling to shake off the image of the male, pizza-guzzling, antisocial nerd - a perception that initiatives like this month's Ada Lovelace day - which celebrates the role of women in technology - and Lady Geek's "Little Miss Geek" campaign, are striving to change. There is no doubt that tech is overwhelmingly male.
Although women fill close to half of all jobs in the US economy, they hold less than 25% of jobs in the science and technology sector, according to a government report. So long as shiny new gadgets keep flying off the shelves, what does it matter who's making them? Serious money Pink it, shrink it. Viewpoint: Don't stand by, get involved. 11 October 2012Last updated at 19:08 ET By Peter Cheese Chief executive, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Peter Cheese believes getting more young people into work is a business necessity Unemployment among 16-24-year-olds, is higher than ever in many countries around the world.
Peter Cheese, chief executive at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, argues that it's time for businesses to stop standing on the sidelines and get involved. Youth unemployment across Europe is at a historic high averaging above 20%. In Spain and Greece, it is much higher and in the UK less than one in 10 businesses are taking on 16-18-year-olds.
This is unsustainable and the increasingly voiced concerns of "lost generations" may yet come to pass if nothing changes. Businesses in the developed world are increasingly employing higher-skilled workers while what might have been traditional entry-level jobs have, over time, been outsourced or automated. Business necessity Investing. Viewpoint: Why disruption is good for business. 25 October 2012Last updated at 19:02 ET By Genevieve Shore Chief information officer and director of digital strategy, Pearson Initiatives like personalised education are more plausible than ever - but only if information is open and adaptable, Genevieve Shore says The tough economic and business climate, while dispiriting to some, has highlighted the resilience and creativity of many UK businesses. It has enabled many media companies to make tough decisions, changes and investments to position them better for the future.
It has been a period of boom for technology and creative-industry start-ups. It is no coincidence that the UK's innovative creative industries constitute one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK. They now contribute 6% of gross domestic product (GDP) and employ more than two million people. The internet economy contributed £121bn to the overall UK economy in 2010, according to research by Boston Consulting Group.
Why? Consumerisation of learning Finding smart people. Five million paid less than Living Wage, says KPMG. 29 October 2012Last updated at 11:14 ET The vast majority of bar staff do not receive the living wage, the report claimed One in five workers in the UK is paid less than required for a basic standard of living, a report has said. The proportion is much higher among waiters and bar staff, at up to 90% of workers, the research for accountants KPMG suggested. It said that nearly five million people failed to command the living wage - a pay packet that enabled a basic standard of living. The rate stands at £8.30 an hour in London and £7.20 in the rest of the UK.
This rate is voluntary, unlike the National Minimum Wage - the amount that employers must pay by law, which is set at £6.19 an hour for those aged 21 and over. "Times are difficult for many people, but of course those on the lowest pay are suffering the most," said Marianne Fallon, head of corporate affairs at KPMG, which has itself signed up to pay the living wage. Continue reading the main story Why I pay the living wage 'Tough choices'