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A low profile legal tussle rumbling through a Swiss arbitration body could have a profound impact on the future wealth of leading European football clubs.
The continent’s top clubs are hoping Competition Commission will rule - before the 2006 World Cup in Germany - that they should get greater compensation for releasing players to the tournament.
“This complaint concerns points of dispute between clubs and national teams, particularly concerning clubs making players available to national teams for free for competitions organised by Fifa,” the competition commission said.
The G-14 grouping of clubs which has brought the action includes 2005 Champions League finalists Liverpool and AC Milan, the 2004 winner Porto, as well as Arsenal, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
‘Huge impact’
Clubs pay superstars high wages and want a share of the huge revenues generated by tournaments such as the World Cup, run by Zurich-based Fifa, and the European Championship, run by Uefa.
“We are still awaiting a decision from the commission in Switzerland, but when they come to their decision I think it will have a huge impact on how international football is run, ” G-14 chief Thomas Kurth told the BBC News website.
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The G-14 Clubs
Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund,
Bayer Leverkusen, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, Paris Saint
Germain, Olympique Marseille, Olympique Lyonnais, Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Porto
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“They are preparing themselves very well to justify the decision they reach. We are eagerly awaiting that neutral decision over whether we are right or wrong.
“It is not about the clubs wanting the countries to pay the players’ salaries. It is about the fact players appear in major international tournaments, and there are huge revenues coming in, yet the clubs see nothing of this.”
G-14 would like the clubs to have a proportional share of the income.
“If the national team game produces huge revenues thanks to club players there should be a pay-back of some kind,” he said.
Insurance costs
Players who are internationalists play 80% of their matches for their clubs, and 20% for their national teams, according to G-14 estimates.
“Yet Fifa and Uefa give the clubs, who are risking the players, 0% of the money they make,” Mr Kurth observed.
G-14’s Thomas Kurth (r) regularly liaises with top clubs
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“Clubs have to pay insurance for the players when they are away on international duty. And if the players come back injured, tired, or out of form, it is another problem for the clubs.”
Fifa figures show the last World Cup in South Korea and Japan in 2002 generated a profit of 140m ($258.6m). This is expected to rise above 200m in Germany.
G-14 also estimates that the central marketing of both the World and European tournaments generates more than 3bn Swiss francs ($2.4bn; 1.3bn) of business.
Fifa and Uefa have pointed out that appearing in their competitions raises the profile of players, and makes them more valuable assets for their clubs.
But Mr Kurth accepts that: “players may take on ‘added value’ from appearing in the World Cup”, but adds that this just means that it is “other clubs who have to pay each other more money in transfer fees for acquiring that added value”.
“Trading in players is not the objective of the clubs. They sometimes need to sell players to balance the books, but it is not the reason for their existence.”
Future of the game
However it does not look like Fifa or Uefa are willing to meet G-14’s demands, whatever the Swiss body rules.
Uefa has refused to acknowledge the existence of G-14 and has warned clubs have to be controlled more closely.
“We have to look after the future of the game as a whole and not just certain clubs,” Uefa stated.
Top G-14 players help attract World Cup audiences at games
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And Fifa’s Sepp Blatter has said “as long as this group is not official they will never be recognised”.
Fifa says it has to defend the interests of the 204 national , not the interests of the top European clubs.
“We need the big clubs but they should also have a bit of respect for the authorities of football,” he added.
Mr Blatter also said the G-14 demands are being addressed to the wrong body.
“Fifa does not sit on the money generated by the World Cup and other tournaments,” he said. “It pays a grand total of $264m to the 204 national s and six .
‘Dialogue needed’
Mr Blatter also pointed out that, under Swiss law, Fifa is a “non-profit” association unlike “billionaire clubs” that “have to maximise their own income”.
Top Italian stars feature among the G-14 collection of club players
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He said claims such as the G-14’s should be addressed, not to Fifa but to the national football associations which receive the vast majority of the funds generated, and select players for international duty.
Mr Kurth says changes to the game should “be as a result of dialogue”.
“It can’t be done unilaterally, like Uefa did when they got rid of the second round group phase in the Champions League,” he adds.
“But we have been forced to undertake our claim in Switzerland and now wait to see what happens.”
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firm Equitable Life is in “serious talks” about a sale of all or part of its business, but says it refuses to rush into any deal.
The group, reporting its annual results for 2005, said it was now more stable and secure than when it last reported.
Excess realistic assets, the key measure of its solvency, have risen to 669m ($1.17bn), up from 455m in 2004.
Equitable nearly in 2000 when the insurer said it could not afford to keep some of its pension promises.
The insurer now says it could operate securely as a closed with-profits fund, paying policyholders their benefits as they were due.
‘Willing sellers’
The group said its with-profits fund yielded 10.1% during the year, and as a result it was paying bonuses of 4.5% on with-profits pensions policies, up from 3.5% last year, and 3.6% on life policies, up from 2.8% in the previous year.
“We are willing sellers if a deal can be done but we are not forced sellers and we are strong enough to run off the with-profits fund,” said chief executive Charles Thomson.
“The society is once again more stable and more secure than the last time we reported. I believe we’re nearly out of the woods.”
But as a mutual, he added, any move to sell the company would have to be in the interests of policyholders, and any change would need to be approved by them.
European probe
In January, it was announced that the Equitable Life scandal was to be examined by the European Parliament.
The investigation will focus on whether the failed in its regulatory duty and may call on UK Treasury officials to testify.
More than 200 MEPs signed the petition calling for the investigation into the scandal, which hit a million savers.
Many Equitable Life policyholders lost a substantial portion of their life savings when the insurer had to cut payouts to stay afloat.
The European Parliament’s investigation is the latest in a long line of inquiries into the Equitable scandal.
Read source of it on the site
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Holidays-to- company Saga has been sold in a 1.35bn ($2.43bn) management buyout deal backed by private equity firm Charterhouse.
The news comes just a few weeks after the company announced it was planning a share flotation.
The sale will see staff at Saga receive a one-off bonus of 1,000 for every year they have worked at the company.
Saga was founded in 1951 as a single hotel in Folkestone, but now has a database of 7.6 million customers.
The firm has expanded from a holiday business into insurance, services, magazine and radio.
Saga employs about 2,500 people and earlier this year reported an annual turnover of 382.7m and profits of 81.6m.
Close decision
“There has been enormous interest in this business from both private equity and public markets,” said chairman Roger De Haan.
“It has been a very close-run decision between the two options, but we feel that a management buy-out, supported by Charterhouse, is in the best interests of the shareholders, employees and customers.”
Following the buyout, staff will also get the chance to become shareholders in the company.
The Saga management team will remain the deal.
Read more on site
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UK insurance firm Royal & Sun Alliance has said it is shifting 1,100 UK jobs to India in a move which should save it more than 10m ($18m) a year.
It said the jobs will be over the next two years.
RSA added that the jobs would cover a range of front and back office functions, including call centre posts.
The insurer is the latest firm to move jobs to Asia to take advantage of low wages. Rival insurer Norwich Union aims to move 7,000 jobs overseas by 2007.
‘Greater
“As far as possible the reduction in UK jobs will be managed through natural turnover and redeployment,” said RSA’s UK chief executive Duncan Boyle.
“We work in a very competitive environment and processing some of our work in India will not only help us control costs but will also give us greater flexibility,” said Mr Boyle.
RSA has been shedding thousands of jobs as part of a major restructuring intended to refocus on general insurance.
The firm has also sold its life business and other assets to strengthen its finances.
threat’
In recent years, thousands of jobs have been moved overseas by UK companies seeking to benefit from cheaper labour costs.
Trade unions said RSA’s decision meant further bad news for the UK’s service sector.
“This announcement clearly shows that offshoring presents an unprecedented threat to UK jobs and the economy,” said Amicus national secretary David Fleming.
“Over 8,000 job losses have been announced over the last few weeks,” he added.
Last month, insurer Norwich Union said it was moving 950 call centre jobs to India and Sri Lanka, and that it intended to have 7,000 staff working in India by 2007.
Originaly from: page
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Bass speakers booming, wheel arches well flared and outsized rear spoilers standing tall and proud - accessorised or “maxed-out” cars are a colourful sight on today’s UK roads.
From Weston-super-Mare to Southend, the South Wales valleys to Aberdeen, go to pretty much any town centre on a weekend evening, and you will see - and, as likely, hear - young men driving around together in their highly modified, brightly painted small hatchbacks.
As if on a Scalextric track loop, many seem to just drive, or as they would say “cruise”, continuously up and down the main drag, from one roundabout to another and then back again in their pride and joy Citroen Saxos, Ford Fiestas, Peugeot 106s or Vauxhall Novas.
Yet far from racing around, almost all drive at a very sensible pace, as after all, many have spent thousands of their hard-earned cash on their much loved cars, and don’t want to squander their no-claims bonus.
So much money is in fact spent on car modifications or accessories in the UK today that the industry is now worth a cool 320m a year, according to the scene’s bible, Max Power magazine.
That 320m includes everything from in-car CD players and speakers, to replacement alloy wheels, car body-kits, expensive paint-jobs, and dare I say it, the old classic - furry dice to hang from your rear view mirror.
Go-faster kits
One of the biggest beneficiaries of the booming car accessories industry has been Halfords, which earlier this year floated on the London Stock Exchange and enjoys an annual turnover in excess of 500m.
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UK CAR ACCESSORIES FIGURES
8 million drivers have air fresheners
4.5 million add stickers to windows or bumpers
2.3 million have personalised number plate
2.1 million have dashboard figures, such as nodding dog or dancing Elvis
Source: Halifax car insurance
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“There is a growing enthusiast segment for products such as alloy wheels, body kits, and performance styling etc, with the primary customer audience being aged between 18 - 34,” says a Halfords spokeswoman.
“The younger, primarily male customers have increasing disposable income, the car park is getting older - ie more older cars in circulation - so there are a greater range of cars available to enhance.”
But with one Welshman recently being reported to have spent more than 16,000 modifying his 3,000 Vauxhall Corsa, why exactly do car modification addicts do it?
Image enhancement
Paul Symons, a 20-year-old student and Ford Fiesta owner, from car modification hotspot Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, says it is all about wanting to portray a certain image.
Welshman Ian Williams spent 16,000 on his 3,000 Corsa
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“There are lots of lads in the town who don’t really earn much, but spend almost all of what they do on their cars.
“I haven’t done anything externally to mine - my car is pretty standard - but I put in a nice CD player and some six by nines [big speakers].
“The scene is really big in Weston, but no one races around, they drive slowly with the music blaring. It is all about image and being seen, like an extension of someone’s clothes.
“It’s mainly lads from 17 to 23, you don’t get many older than that.”
Yet far from older people being immune to a bit of car customisation, it appears that middle aged men are equally susceptible, buying everything from speed camera detection systems, to satellite navigation systems, or chipping their engine management systems to give extra power.
Personal touch
Women by contrast, and that is women of all ages, appear completely immune. And while men exclaim over every possible extra, most females don’t have the slightest interest. That is not to say they do not appreciate expensive cars, just that they don’t give a monkeys about turbochargers, rear spoilers or the power output ratio of the car stereo.
Nigel Wonnacott, spokesman at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, says the car accessories industry allows people to better express themselves through their cars.
“More and more people are certainly choosing to add their own touches to their cars,” he said.
“The thing to remember is that while for many people a car is simply a way to get from A to B, for others it becomes an expression of the kind of person they are or want to be.
“They want to make their cars more individual or extroverted, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with someone wanting to make their car look more sporty. It only goes too far if their driving also becomes extreme.”
Original article
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Italy’s largest bank, Unicredito, has struck Europe’s biggest-ever cross banking merger deal with German bank giant HypoVereinsbank.
The all-share offer for HVB and its Austrian and Polish subsidiaries is worth 19.2bn euros (12.8bn; $23.2bn).
“We are creating the first truly European bank,” said HVB chief executive Dieter Rampl.
The tie-up is likely to involve about 9,000 job cuts, mostly in Germany and Eastern Europe, HVB’s unions have said.
The merger will give Unicredito a strong presence in Germany and in Eastern Europe, where bank lending is growing at a faster pace than in the 12-nation eurozone.
Analysts believe it may trigger more European banking mergers.
Job cuts
Unicredito will issue five new shares for every HVB share, valuing the German parent bank at 15.4bn euros.
Unicredito is making the same offer to shareholders of HVB’s subsidiaries Bank Austria Creditanstalt and BPH in Poland, with a cash alternative.
More European banking mergers could follow
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The two banks expect the merger to result in cost savings of nearly 1bn euros a year by 2008.
Unicredito’s boss Alessandro Profumo will be chief executive of the combined bank, while HVB’s Mr Rampl will become chairman.
In separate interviews, Mr Profumo and HVB union representative Klaus Gruenewald have suggested about 9,000 jobs could go, about 7% of the combined banks’ nearly 130,000 staff.
“There won’t be cuts overnight, but rather a reduction,” Mr Profumo said in an interview with La Repubblica newspaper.
Banking analysts have been anticipating consolidation among European banks since Spanish group Banco Santander Central Hispano bought a UK lender, Abbey National, for 8.5bn in 2004.
The battle for Italy’s Banca Antonveneta is another sign that consolidation is indeed taking place. It has two suitors - Netherlands-based ABN Amro and Banca Popolare di Lodi. ABN Amro raised its offer on Friday.
Investors approve
Mr Profumo is due to give more details of the merger plan on to banking analysts in Milan on Monday.
Unicredito expects the merger will be have a positive effect on its earnings per share from 2007.
The response from investors has been upbeat. Shares in both banks rose more than 2% in heavy trading early on Monday.
But some warned that problems at HVB - which has written off 5.7bn euros in bad loans in the last year years - may not yet be solved.
Unicredito could “create a great bank” as the merger brings strong benefits, said Riccardo Lagorio, a fund manager at Banca Profilo. “The risk is that the situation at HVB is worse than people thought”, he added.
HVB’s largest shareholder, the Munich Re insurance firm, has given a broadly positive response to the merger proposal, saying it would “carefully review” the offer.
Munich Re owns 18.3% of HVB, which in turn holds 10% of the reinsurer.
“People are really positive about the deal,” said one Milan-based stock trader.
German investment house WestLB upgraded its recommendation on HVB to neutral from underperform, and traders expected more upgrades could follow.
And some information of .
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France’s BNP Paribas has moved closer to buying Italian bank Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) after it won support from the board and key shareholders.
BNP bid 9bn euros ($11bn) for BNL on Friday as the lender tries to become the biggest bank in the eurozone.
If successful, the sale would end a period of Italian banking mergers that have damaged the nation’s credibility.
A number of scandals have sprung up around the takeover of BNL and another Italian lender, Banca Antonveneta.
The head of the Bank of Italy, Antonio Fazio, was forced to resign following allegations that he favoured a domestic buyer in a tussle for control over Banca Antonveneta.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
‘Not hostile’
However since then, Antonventa was bought by Dutch bank ABN Amro, and the Bank of Italy blocked an earlier bid for BNL by Italian insurer Unipol.
That has cleared the way for France’s BNP to table its bid for BNL, a move the Italian lender said was “not hostile and values all shareholders in the same way”.
Unipol, which owns a 10% stake in BNL, has given its backing to the BNP bid, giving the French company a stake of close to 48%.
Insurance company Generali owns 8.7% of BNL and also has said it will support the bid.
The move by BNP shocked many observers who had expected Spanish lender BBVA, which had initially been up against Unipol in the first round of bidding, to return to the fray.
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John Collins has defended his management style while admitting that he is not flawless after a delegation of players complained to his boss.
Hibs players met chairman Rod Petrie on Monday to voice their concerns while manager Collins was out the country.
“Nobody is perfect,” said Collins. “I’m a young, new manager and make mistakes just like senior managers make them.
“But one things for sure, every decision I make is thought through with care and attention.”
Interview: Hibernian manager John Collins
Interview: Hibernian captain Rob Jones
Collins has led Hibs to victory in the CIS Insurance Cup since taking charge in October and leads his side out on Sunday in the Scottish Cup semi-final against Dunfermline Athletic.
And it appears that media stories about dissent among some players were not discussed when he met with his players on Thursday.
“It’s been a different week, an interesting week, a learning process,” said Collins.
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What happens in the dressing-room, stays in the dressing-room
Hibernian captain Rob Jones
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“But the most important thing, and the thing we are focussed on at the football club, is winning the cup semi-final.”
Asked whether he was disappointed to learn of the delegation of players, Collins said: “It’s done and there’s nothing I can do about it.
“The only thing you can do is move on and get the players ready for Sunday.
“Nothing surprises you in football. It is a unique business. It was our football club this week. It will be somebody else’s next week.”
Collins admits that some might not have taken to the changes he and coach Tommy Craig have made since taking over from Tony Mowbray.
“We have certainly changed a lot of things at the football club, but everybody does that,” said the renowned fitness fanatic.
“There are 30 players in the dressing-room, but only 11 can start. You can’t make everybody happy.
“We’ve only had one player out injured all season, so we must be doing something right by keeping everyone fit and healthy and able to last the season.
“We’ve already had a successful season and want to have an even more successful one.”
However, asked whether a small group was exerting influence in the player camp, Collins said: “You said it, not me.”
The Hibs manager was sure that he had the backing of Petrie and insisted that he was committed to the Edinburgh club in the long-term.
“I had a terrific chat with the chairman yesterday,” he said.
“Everything went as I thought it would go.
“He has supported me 100%.
“I will do my best every day and, if I do that, I can put my head on the pillow every night.”
Meanwhile, club captain Rob Jones refused to be drawn on whether he had been part of the player delegation and whether problems remained.
“We have had a great training session and everyone is focussed on Sunday,” said the defender.
“We all want to be going in the same direction.
“But what happens in the dressing-room, stays in the dressing-room.”
Source:
And some information of .
Opportunity
Although most companies main concern is their bottom line profit, more and more are becoming aware of their place in the community.
And many are taking up the opportunity to spend a day out of the office to work with people in the local area who could use their help.
In the case of Middle Row School in London, they needed help in creating a new wildlife area - and a company of insurance brokers stepped up to the challenge.
The wilderness was the invention of the school’s former headmaster but it fell into disrepair over time and couldn’t be used by the children in the state that it was in.
Impact
On the day, the area is a hive of activity and everyone pitches in.
But lessons are still going on while the work’s in progress, as all sorts of wildlife have crawl out of the pond.
The school children here have never seen a newt before - they’re not that common in the middle of suburbia.
The atmosphere’s a relaxed one but headmaster Jonathtan Cooper is quite sure that the project’s worth a day out of the classroom.
“Having the opportunity for business to come into schools can have a very quick and direct impact on the lives of the children and their education.
A variety of skills are used
|
“The impact of their work is huge and will have an effect on the children’s learning for the next year or so - it’s fantastic, and we’ll work hard on maintaining it.”
Benefit
For staff from Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, the largest UK supplier of insurance and employee benefits, the day’s activities come as a breath of fresh air.
Karen Maynard says: “It’s a day to come out and work in the local community, working with the school.
“The kids are lovely; they’re enjoying it so much and you can see they’re going to get a lot of benefit out of this after we’ve left.”
Halla Melcon, an account handler at the company, agrees: “At the end of the day, it’s great getting the team out here, from different departments in the company as well, all pooling together to do something that you wouldn’t ordinarily do.”
Joined up effort
This sort of project doesn’t’ t happen by accident - several bodies have to pull together to make it work.
The company provides the time, the staff, and the budget for tools and plants.
They are in touch with a group called London Cares, which is part of the Business in the Community charity - who in turn work closely with Kensington and Chelsea Volunteers Bureau.
They’re in touch with organisations, like the this school, who need help from the corporate sector.
Jo Daniels from London Cares says: “The two sort of work in synch. We get the community need - there’s obviously a need there - then there’s a need with the businesses, and it’s our role at London Cares to match those two together.”
Student Guide
Working together is key
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On Thursday ten people employed by one of the UK’s leading insurance brokers will be working on renovating the playground at Middle Row School in North London instead of spending the day at work.
The event has been set up by London Cares, an organisation which aims to get volunteers from London business involved in projects to help the community.
All sorts of businesses support London Cares.
They include Accenture, Aviva, Bain & Co, BBC, BUPA, Boston Consulting Group, The Body Shop, the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), Diageo, EDF Energy, Eversheds, Grey Worldwide, HBOS, HSBC, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, Marks & Spencer, Pareto Partners, PKF, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Zurich Financial Services.
Just think…
Why do you think businesses encourage their staff to get involved with projects like this?
What’s in it for business?
Staff develop new skills
By going out to work in a different environment, people have to work in different ways.
they learn to work together more effectively
they learn to work with other people
they develop leadership skills
they learn new practical skills
The business’s image improves
When potential customers see a business working to help the community, they are more likely to buy its products than one of its competitors.
Businesses work hard to develop a good reputation because of the effect that is has on customers.
Working with London Cares gives these opportunities several times a year so people in the locality become increasingly aware of the business.
 |
Spring Clean 2004
Teams will be able to refurbish buildings such as community centres and schools, clear playgrounds, spruce up parks and more to brighten the local area and clear away those winter-time blues!
|
The business is more attractive to employees
People want to work for businesses which look after them.
Although pay is important people want other things from employment.
Events put on through London Cares add to working life by injecting fun and something different.
It also helps to keep staff who might not find these opportunities elsewhere.
Staff morale is always higher when they feel the business cares about individuals not just what they produce.
Just think…
Explain how each of these factors helps the business.
Why is it important to motivate staff?
Why do businesses want to maintain a good reputation?
How does the community win?
The organisations which are helped by businesses involved with London Cares receive all sorts of support which means that they can achieve their objectives more effectively.
A school with a smart new playground gives children a more exciting time.
Local schools get involved too
|
Often people from businesses use their professional skills to help voluntary organisations so a they might be able to run their finances more effectively, set up new administrative systems or create a strategic plan.
A London Cares event often has a high profile so people hear about the organisation.
It can make the voluntary organisation more efficient.
Professional help is often too expensive for small voluntary organisations so the scheme really helps them.
People who work for voluntary organisations can learn from the professionals and therefore become more effective.
It gives people who work for the voluntary organisation confidence in what they do. They often find out how to have more influence.
Just think…
Why are voluntary organisations important for the community?
Why do you think it can be difficult for people who work for these organisations to keep up to date with the skills that they need to make the organisation work effectively?
Why do links with business make an important contribution?
Win - Win - Win
The community wins because the services from the voluntary organisations improves.
The business wins because it has happy employees and a good image with customers.
The voluntary organisation wins because it can carry out its activities more effectively.
Originaly from:
, and more another.
, and more another.
And some information of .
Opportunity
Although most companies main concern is their bottom line profit, more and more are becoming aware of their place in the community.
And many are taking up the opportunity to spend a day out of the office to work with people in the local area who could use their help.
In the case of Middle Row School in London, they needed help in creating a new wildlife area - and a company of insurance brokers stepped up to the challenge.
The wilderness was the invention of the school’s former headmaster but it fell into disrepair over time and couldn’t be used by the children in the state that it was in.
Impact
On the day, the area is a hive of activity and everyone pitches in.
But lessons are still going on while the work’s in progress, as all sorts of wildlife have crawl out of the pond.
The school children here have never seen a newt before - they’re not that common in the middle of suburbia.
The atmosphere’s a relaxed one but headmaster Jonathtan Cooper is quite sure that the project’s worth a day out of the classroom.
“Having the opportunity for business to come into schools can have a very quick and direct impact on the lives of the children and their education.
A variety of skills are used
|
“The impact of their work is huge and will have an effect on the children’s learning for the next year or so - it’s fantastic, and we’ll work hard on maintaining it.”
Benefit
For staff from Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, the largest UK supplier of insurance and employee benefits, the day’s activities come as a breath of fresh air.
Karen Maynard says: “It’s a day to come out and work in the local community, working with the school.
“The kids are lovely; they’re enjoying it so much and you can see they’re going to get a lot of benefit out of this after we’ve left.”
Halla Melcon, an account handler at the company, agrees: “At the end of the day, it’s great getting the team out here, from different departments in the company as well, all pooling together to do something that you wouldn’t ordinarily do.”
Joined up effort
This sort of project doesn’t’ t happen by accident - several bodies have to pull together to make it work.
The company provides the time, the staff, and the budget for tools and plants.
They are in touch with a group called London Cares, which is part of the Business in the Community charity - who in turn work closely with Kensington and Chelsea Volunteers Bureau.
They’re in touch with organisations, like the this school, who need help from the corporate sector.
Jo Daniels from London Cares says: “The two sort of work in synch. We get the community need - there’s obviously a need there - then there’s a need with the businesses, and it’s our role at London Cares to match those two together.”
Student Guide
Working together is key
|
On Thursday ten people employed by one of the UK’s leading insurance brokers will be working on renovating the playground at Middle Row School in North London instead of spending the day at work.
The event has been set up by London Cares, an organisation which aims to get volunteers from London business involved in projects to help the community.
All sorts of businesses support London Cares.
They include Accenture, Aviva, Bain & Co, BBC, BUPA, Boston Consulting Group, The Body Shop, the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), Diageo, EDF Energy, Eversheds, Grey Worldwide, HBOS, HSBC, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, Marks & Spencer, Pareto Partners, PKF, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Zurich Financial Services.
Just think…
Why do you think businesses encourage their staff to get involved with projects like this?
What’s in it for business?
Staff develop new skills
By going out to work in a different environment, people have to work in different ways.
they learn to work together more effectively
they learn to work with other people
they develop leadership skills
they learn new practical skills
The business’s image improves
When potential customers see a business working to help the community, they are more likely to buy its products than one of its competitors.
Businesses work hard to develop a good reputation because of the effect that is has on customers.
Working with London Cares gives these opportunities several times a year so people in the locality become increasingly aware of the business.
 |
Spring Clean 2004
Teams will be able to refurbish buildings such as community centres and schools, clear playgrounds, spruce up parks and more to brighten the local area and clear away those winter-time blues!
|
The business is more attractive to employees
People want to work for businesses which look after them.
Although pay is important people want other things from employment.
Events put on through London Cares add to working life by injecting fun and something different.
It also helps to keep staff who might not find these opportunities elsewhere.
Staff morale is always higher when they feel the business cares about individuals not just what they produce.
Just think…
Explain how each of these factors helps the business.
Why is it important to motivate staff?
Why do businesses want to maintain a good reputation?
How does the community win?
The organisations which are helped by businesses involved with London Cares receive all sorts of support which means that they can achieve their objectives more effectively.
A school with a smart new playground gives children a more exciting time.
Local schools get involved too
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Often people from businesses use their professional skills to help voluntary organisations so a they might be able to run their finances more effectively, set up new administrative systems or create a strategic plan.
A London Cares event often has a high profile so people hear about the organisation.
It can make the voluntary organisation more efficient.
Professional help is often too expensive for small voluntary organisations so the scheme really helps them.
People who work for voluntary organisations can learn from the professionals and therefore become more effective.
It gives people who work for the voluntary organisation confidence in what they do. They often find out how to have more influence.
Just think…
Why are voluntary organisations important for the community?
Why do you think it can be difficult for people who work for these organisations to keep up to date with the skills that they need to make the organisation work effectively?
Why do links with business make an important contribution?
Win - Win - Win
The community wins because the services from the voluntary organisations improves.
The business wins because it has happy employees and a good image with customers.
The voluntary organisation wins because it can carry out its activities more effectively.
Read http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/working_lunch/3756629.stm
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