Why we’re letting Virgin staff take as much holiday as they want

 

Flexible working has revolutionised how, where and when we all do our jobs. So, if working nine to five no longer applies, then why should strict annual leave (vacation) policies? Read about Richard Branson's newest bright idea. Read more.

Dubai’s luxury shopping scene

Derek Khan is a lifestyle consultant and personal shopper for some of Dubai’s wealthiest and most famous residents. With a little black book full of VIP contacts from around the world, he does much of his shopping at the Dubai Mall, one of the world’s largest shopping centres.



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How immigrants will reshape workforce

Over the next two decades, the largest generation in America's history—the Baby Boomers—will reach retirement age and leave the workforce. Together, immigrants and their children will play a pivotal role in reshaping the workforce and sustaining the demands of a growing economy for decades to come. As major demographic shifts radically reshape the American population, immigrants and their children will strengthen the overall shared prosperity for the country as a whole.

Generation Like

In this eye-opening follow-up to FRONTLINE’s classic documentary The Merchants of Cool, author Douglas Rushkoff returns to the world of youth culture.
He explores how the perennial teen quest for identity and connection has migrated to social media — and how big brands are increasingly co-opting young consumers’ digital presences on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
“Today’s teens don’t need to be chased down by corporations,” says Rushkoff, who interviewed everyone from actor and social media superstar Ian Somerhalder to YouTube sensation Tyler Oakley

Merchants of Cool - How Teens run the Economy

They are the merchants of cool: creators and sellers of popular culture who have made teenagers the hottest consumer demographic in America. But are they simply reflecting teen desires or have they begun to manufacture those desires in a bid to secure this lucrative market? And have they gone too far in their attempts to reach the hearts--and wallets--of America's youth?

Take a closer look at the complex world of selling "cool" in a Frontline documentary. Click here to watch ->

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Tesco: ugly and misshapen fruit and veg will go on special offer

Wonky carrots and blemished apples thown away by supermarkets will be put on special offer as Tesco plans to 'educate' public that it is good food.

Misshapen fruit and vegetables which are thrown away by supermarkets will be put on special offer and the public need to be "educated" that it is good food, Tesco has said. 

Matt Simister, the group food sourcing director at Tesco, said that British customers "always pick the cream of the crop" when they shop leaving "old, ugly and misshapen" produce to go to waste.

To Persuade People, Tell Them a Story

Turns out that narrative Is a Powerful Way to Get a Message Across.

Paul Smith had 20 minutes to sell the CEO of Procter & Gamble, and his team of managers, on new market-research techniques for which Mr. Smith's department wanted funding. 

As associate director of P&G's PG +0.85% market research, Mr. Smith had spent three weeks assembling a concise pitch with more than 30 PowerPoint slides.

On the day of the meeting, CEO A.G. Lafley entered the room, greeted everybody and turned his back to the screen. He then stared intently at Mr. Smith throughout the entire presentation, not once turning to look at a slide. 

Gold actually does grow on trees

Scientists find small deposits in gumleaves.

Australian geochemists publish paper showing how trees act 'as a hydraulic pump … drawing up water containing the gold'

Contrary to popular belief, gold does grow on trees.

Scientists from Australia’s national science agency, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), have proved that the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees contain minute amounts of the precious metal that have been naturally absorbed.

Also: Listen from the BBC

Women, Be Ambitious!

The UK's most powerful women share their advice on ambition and self-belief. A truly feel-good video!

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US borrowing crisis 'days away' from danger, says World Bank head

The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, has warned that the United States is just "days away from a very dangerous moment" because of the government's borrowing crisis.



He urged US policymakers to reach a deal to raise the government's debt ceiling before Thursday's deadline.

The US Treasury will start to run short of funds if no agreement is reached for it to borrow on financial markets.

Remember When Nokia Also Made Paper, Galoshes and Gas Masks?

Nokia started as a paper company. It was 1865, and the mining engineer Fredrik Idestam established a wood pulp mill next to the Tammerkoski Rapids in the southwest of Finland. A few years later, he opened a second mill, this one located on the banks of the Nokianvirta River — a river, apparently, named for an animal: a small mammal related to the weasel and the wolverine.

Salmonella in Spices Prompts Changes in Farming

IDUKKI, India — Spices grown in the mist-shrouded Western Ghats here have fueled wars, fortunes and even the discovery of continents, and for thousands of years farmers harvested them in the same traditional ways. Until now. 

Science has revealed what ancient kings and sultans never knew: instead of improving health, spices sometimes make people very sick, so Indian government officials are quietly pushing some of the most far-reaching changes ever in the way farmers here pick, dry and thresh their rich bounty. 

China thirsty for wine

Tom Brook profiles a documentary in the market for distributors at Cannes that examines China’s growing interest in fine French wines. China’s economic ascendancy has created a thirst for luxury goods – and produced a bubble in wine prices. But whereas the buyers of the most expensive wines in the West tend to be investors, the Chinese are buying them to drink. 

Directors David Roach and Warwick Ross’ film Red Obsession examines the effect of China’s new wealth on the wine industry in Bordeaux, on domestic drinking habits and on China’s perception abroad.



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Changes in fish market that may change your diet

Fish are getting more expensive, but they do not all move at the same speed

IT IS a good time to be a fisherman. The global fish-price index of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) hit a record high in May. Changing consumer diets, particularly in China, explain much of the sustained upward movement. High oil prices, which increase the cost of fishing and transportation, also add to the price of putting fish on the table.

Not all fish are created equal, however.

UK wages decline among worst in Europe

Wages in the UK have seen one of the largest falls in the European Union during the economic downturn, according to official figures.

Figures from the House of Commons library show average hourly wages have fallen 5.5% since mid-2010, adjusted for inflation, which is the fourth-worst decline in the 27-nation bloc.

By contrast, German hourly wages rose by 2.7% over the same period. Across the European Union as a whole, average wages fell 0.7%.

Delay on plain cigarette pack decision 'sad day for child health'

Scientists and campaigners say lives will be lost and accuse ministers of bowing to tobacco industry lobbying. 

Lives will be lost as a result of the government's decision to kick the notion of plain packaging for cigarettes into the long grass, say scientists and campaigners who accuse ministers of bowing to tobacco industry lobbying.

Why is art so expensive?

While the world economy languishes, paintings and sculpture continue to command dizzying prices. Georgina Adam explains how competitive billionaires, new wealth and the fashions of the super-rich keep values sky high. 

The Untouchables

FRONTLINE magazine examines why no Wall Street execs have been prosecuted for the financial crisis.


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French economy returns to recession

French president Francois Hollande has introduced
reforms aimed at boosting the country's economy

France has entered its second recession in four years after the economy shrank by 0.2% in the first quarter of the year, official figures show.

Its economy shrank by the same amount in the last quarter of 2012. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

France has record unemployment and low business and consumer confidence.
Separate figures showed that the recession across the 17-nation eurozone has continued into a sixth quarter.

Home gadgets becoming quieter by design to save us from noise pollution

As the number of gadgets and appliances in our homes has increased - so too has the noise level.
Lara Lewington looks at how manufacturers are focusing their attention on technology to make their products quieter.


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