News in brief: South Asian awards get funding boost, report says innovation must continue and more
THE UK’s only trade association for South Asian fashion and beauty companies – which holds an annual awards ceremony – has recieved a £40,000 boost to help promote the event.
Bradford-based Asian Style Awards is a company dedicated to promoting Asian style, beauty and fashion.
It is governed by the Asian Style Awards Association (ASAA) a not for profit organisation.
The South Asian fashion and beauty industry is worth an estimated £3bn in the UK.
Partnership Investment Finance, which granted the cash, is a £37m investment fund aimed at supporting growing businesses in Yorkshire and the Humber. It aims to encourage enterprise and economic regeneration by providing equity investments and loans to eligible businesses in the region’s Objective 2 areas.
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INNOVATION is the key to UK business success and investment must continue despite the tough economic conditions according to a new report.
A new CBI/QinetiQ report, examining innovation across a broad spread of service sector firms, reveals how creative innovation has given many of the UK’s most successful services businesses the edge over their competitors.
CBI Director-General Richard Lambert is urging businesses to keep taking risks with new ideas even during an economic slowdown.
The CBI and QinetiQ study found that company culture and market forces are the two main drivers of innovation in the services sector.
Having a positive attitude to creativity, risk and failure is vital, and firms that are always willing to learn are also the ones most likely to succeed.
Key recommendations in the CBI/QinetiQ report include using the tax system as a tool to encourage innovation, by making it more forgiving and flexible and Increasing the proportion of the government’s annual purchasing budget going on innovative services.
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A-LEVEL students from Lawnswood School spent a day in the life a lawyer and juror as part of an educational scheme designed to give better understanding of the legal profession.
The scheme, which is organised by the Leeds office of law firm DLA Piper, saw students from the city school tour Leeds Combined Court and sit in on some real cases.
The Lawnswood students then returned to the firm’s Princes Exchange office before playing the part of the jury in a mock trial at the old borough court room at Leeds Town Hall.
Lawyers acted out a trial scenario, playing roles including counsel, witnesses, and defendant, with DLA partner Paul Stone playing the part of Judge.
After careful deliberation the students reached a verdict before taking part in further exercises and discussion groups aimed at developing their listening, reasoning and speaking skills.
