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Google becomes Gurgle

Google share price chart

6th April 2008

Google's shares have been hit by the recession now engulfing America. The share price has fallen by 40% in just 5 months. Owners Sergey Brin and Larry Page have seen approximately $16bn (£8bn) wiped off the value of their combined fortune, with Google's market value falling from $232.5bn to $144.5bn.

Google's reliance on the consumer has been blamed - spurred on by the downturn in the global economy. There has also been an exodus of senior staff.

Last month, Sheryl Sandberg, the woman who built the online operations of Google's key revenue generators AdWords and AdSense, left to join Facebook and this week, engineering vice-president Doug Merrill resigned to become president of EMI's new digital business.

Some critics are blaming Google's demise on its lack of focus, now that it has branched out into so many other areas, and away from its core business of search. However the real problem may be that much of Google's revenue come from advertisers paying for their companies to be displayed alongside search results, and if companies cut back on their expansion plans, Google's main source of revenue may dry up.

Google invests in

renewable energy

Google

Google's clean techCompunology initiative will be called called RE<C. PhotograC

Computer search giant Google has announced a drive to develop cheap and clean sources of energy to replace polluting fossil fuels and tackle global warming.

Larry Page, the co-founder of Google, commented:

"We have gained expertise in designing and building large-scale, energy-intensive facilities by building efficient data centres. We want to apply the same creativity and innovation to the challenge of generating renewable electricity at a globally significant scale."

Page said: "With talented technologists, great partners and significant investments, we hope to rapidly push forwards. Our goal is to produce one gigawatt of renewable energy capacity that is cleaner than coal. We are optimistic this can be done in years, not decades."

Google said it was to invest "hundreds of millions" of dollars in renewable energy projects, as well as launching a new initiative to work on the problem itself. Google will focus initially on solar thermal power, wind power, geothermal systems and other "potential breakthrough" technologies.The company's clean technology initiative, called RE<C, aims to develop renewable energy sources that are cheaper than coal, the cheapest, most abundant and polluting fossil fuel.

Larry Brilliant, the executive director of Google.org, the firm's philanthropic arm, said: "The hope is that by funding research on promising technologies, investing in promising new companies, and doing a lot of R&D ourselves, we may help spark a green electricity revolution."

27/11/07

Co-operative partners with Ethical Junction

Co-operative Financial Services (CFS) has announced it will sponsor a leading website and directory for ethically sourced goods – www.ethical-junction.org.
The three Co-operative Financial Services’ brands, Co-operative Insurance, The Co-operative Bank and Internet bank smile, will provide content and support for the Ethical Junction website.
The Ethical Junction website provides information to the public on positively screened companies and organisations and links consumers to ethical and sustainable products and services provided by its members. To become a member of Ethical Junction, organisations must:

  • Demonstrate positive care for the environment
  • Support responsible, fair and sustainable trading practices
  • Avoid business practices causing long term damage for short term gain
  • Operate non-exploitative employment practices and demand the same from their suppliers
  • Promote equality of opportunity and diversity and challenge discrimination
  • Act in a socially responsible manner
Kelvin Collins, Head of Brand Management for Co-operative Financial Services said: " We are delighted to partner with Ethical Junction on its new website. Ethics are at the heart of our businesses and Ethical Junction is an ideal partner for us. Demand from the public for ethical goods and services is on the increase and www.ethical-junction.org provides everyone with a tool that ensures the products they buy meet strict ethical standards.
“We look forward to working with the team at Ethical Junction in the months ahead.”
Ethical and sustainable issues are more important than they’ve ever been and Co-operative Financial Services has demonstrated how taking these matters seriously can be good for business as well as the planet. Co-operative Financial Services operates two distinct ethical policies, both of which have been devised in full consultation with its customers. The Co-operative Bank’s Ethical Policy was launched in 1992 and sets out the companies it will and will not support, whilst in 2005 Co-operative Insurance became the world’s first insurance company to introduce an Ethical Engagement Policy. The policy is used to engage with companies in which it invests in order to improve their ethical and environmental performance.
According to research by The Co-operative Bank, ethical consumerism is now worth in excess of £3.4 billion a year* to the UK economy and is growing. Further research commissioned by Co-operative Financial Services shows that members of the public are choosing products influenced by their conscience with 54 per cent (1 in 2) opting for an eco-friendly product if there was no difference in cost for an alternative and over 82 per cent (8 in 10) choosing to buy an eco-friendly product in order to do their bit for the environment and the fight against global warming.
Steven Knight, CEO of Ethical Junction Community Interest Company added: “We couldn't have hoped for a better strategic partner than Co-operative Financial Services at this point in Ethical Junction's growth - rapidly rising awareness of ethical behaviour relating to business practice, purchasing, the environment and the economy and its positive impacts on society mean that 'being ethical' is no longer a fringe alternative, it's the future.
“This partnership will help us spread the word faster than ever before and give the consumer increased access to the fast-growing range of ethical services, products and choices available today. Behind the scenes at Ethical Junction we are building and promoting collaborations between our member companies and organisations to enable a better and faster response to the rapidly rising demand for ethical products and services. We are currently incubating several exciting projects in partnership with our members.”
Visit www.ethical-junction.org to get an idea of just how many ethical choices we can make - from clothing & fashion to transport and food, and follow the link to www.goodwithmoney.co.uk to find out more about Co-operative Financial Services’ products and services.
And with Christmas in mind, type 'gifts' into the ethicalsearch® engine on www.ethical-junction.org and give ethically this year...
 

For more Business News: Google
 

Pure Eco

18th April 2008

Pure Eco - Pure Eco is a company offering environmentally-friendly cleaning and related services in the Birmingham/Solihull area. Their cleaning service uses only products which care for the environment. In addition to cleaning they offer to run errands like collecting shopping and dry-cleaning, an Ecover refill service, food preparation, and a delivery service for Bamboo eco nappies. Pure Eco sounds like a great business to support if you live in their area.

NetRegs

Netregs Home

26th March 2008

NetRegs – www.netregs.gov.uk

If you are looking for some green independent advice on environmental law for your business, then check out NetRegs.  

NetRegs is the primary trusted source of guidance on environmental legislation for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK and offers free guidance by Business Type and Environmental Topic. 

Set up by the UK's three environmental regulators, the site is easy-to-use and all visitors remain anonymous - there is no need to register.

Bags of Change Bags Two Green Awards!

Stylish, hemp-cotton, loyalty scheme shopping bag

Bags of Change has been voted Best Green Company and runner up

Best Newcomer in the 2007 Green England Awards.

“We are especially proud to win in these awards as the Green England

Awards are decided purely on public vote – there is no selection panel

and no fancy awards ceremony. Bags of Change has been judged Best

Green Company by the people that count – green and ethical

consumers,” says Faith Simpson, Bags of Change co-founder.

Bags of Change is a unique scheme to promote

ethical shopping at independent retailers.

Nationwide there are more than 50 affiliated

retailers selling everything from Fairtrade

clothes in Glasgow to organic baby goods in

Whitstable, all offering exclusive discounts and

offers to those who shop with one of the

distinctive Bags of Change bags.

Visit the website Bagsofchange.co.uk to see the full range of ethical

stores – a great place to find planet-friendly Christmas presents.

Green mobile phone company launched

A new mobile phone company has been launched which supports green charities. Green Mobile donates £25 from each new customer to either the Woodland Trust or Friends of the Earth, plus 6% of your monthly bill. The company encourage customers to hold onto their mobile phone for as long as possible to minimise its environmental impact.

Body Shop's

Anita Roddick Dies

  Anita Roddick
 

Telegraph article - 19/2/07

Body Shop taken

over by L'Oreal

17/3/06

High Street beauty products retailer Body Shop has agreed to be taken over by French cosmetics giant L'Oreal in a deal worth £652m.

The offer of 300p a share from the French firm is a hefty premium on its closing price of 268p.

French L'Oreal makes a wide range of cosmetics, including Ambre Solaire sun cream and Lancome lipsticks.

Body Shop - with its ethically sourced products - was one of the icons of the High Street in the 1980s.

Its fortunes have been hit in recent years as rivals started making similar products, but the retailer fought back and now has more than 2,000 stores in 53 countries.

However, in January its shares tumbled nearly 20% after the retailer warned that lower-than-expected Christmas sales in the UK and US would hit profits.

"We have always had great respect for The Body Shop's success and for the strong identity and values created by its outstanding founder, Dame Anita Roddick," said L'Oreal's chairman Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones.

"A partnership between our companies makes perfect sense."

L'Oreal said it planned to operate the British company as a stand-alone business with Anita Roddick remaining in her current role as consultant.

It is expected that Anita and Gordon Roddick, who founded Body Shop 30 years ago and still own 18% of its stock, will make £130m ($228m) from the deal.

"For both Gordon and I, this is without doubt the best 30th anniversary gift The Body Shop could have received," said Dame Anita.

Source - BBC

 

   

 

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