Sunday 23 November 2008

Chemical Industry Training courses

We are pleased to announce that we will be running 2 open training courses in March 2009 in conjunction with Robert Milner Associates. The courses will be held at Runcorn Heath, and the dates are being finalised.

Rob's will cover his expertise in Market Research and Analysis.

I will be running an event on Purchasing and Supply Chain Management in the Chemical Industry. What I am not sure about at the moment is the precise title. I am torn between doing a standard event, and tailoring an event to meet the needs of the Industry in the current downturn. If you have any views, I would be delighted to hear them.

Further details to follow.

Thursday 13 November 2008

Why didn't we see the crash coming?

Well, it is clear that some people did.
Michael Lewis, who wrote the excellent "Liar's Poker" about Wall Street in the 80's has written an illuminating piece for Conde Naste talking to some of the people who thought that the recent boom was built out of not sand, but hot air.

Very interesting. Click here

Wednesday 12 November 2008

What crisis?

Just back from a course in Cairo with oil and gas companies. They were most interested in this "credit crunch" affecting the West. They have heard about it, but it in no way impacts their lives. I am tempted to say yet, but for the moment at least it is passing by the Middle East.

What is effecting them is the sudden exodus of Indian workers, who are apparently packing up from the ME and heading home to India. The booming Indian economy is driving up wages, and the poor exchange rate is making it attractive for many Indian ex-pats to return home - either to work or set up their own businesses. This is creating a vaccuum of skilled personnel in the ME, which is being filled by contracting with Indian firms. So, the same people doing the same jobs on higher wages, with the profits going to India. Interesting.

What will also be interesting is if the gap is filled with Chinese workers - that would change the look of the Middle East.

Monday 3 November 2008

The Gold Rush

Now that Beijing is behind us, activity is really beginning to speed up for London 2012 - at least if the flurry of notices being published on the compete4 website is anything to go by. With the credit crunch beginning to bite on the rest of the economy, there must be even more attraction to gaining business on London 2012. That is one project that the government and country still need to ensure works, and is in a strange way not a discretionary public expenditure.
If you have not registered by now, you should have a look.