City Business Library re-opens for business

Picture of City Business LibraryAs a long-standing customer and fan of the City Business Library dating back to my City days, it is good to see them back in business after a move from their previous location.

It is good news on many levels. Before the move they were almost impossible to find in one of the many City of London (also known as the Square Mile) winding back streets. Also they were located in the a basement, which made for a somewhat oppressive atmosphere due to a lack of natural light.

Now they have moved into Guildhall, which is the headquarters for the City of London (previously known as the Corporation of London).

Along with the move they now have a shiny new set of library and IT equipment, making for a very impressive space.

City Business Library Relocation

The City Business Library has moved to Guildhall.

The  new address is: City Business Library, Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH

Directional map showing the new location of CBL (157kb)

Collections

The City Business Library is a public reference library specialising in current business information which is intended to be of practical use. If you need information more than five years old, or you are interested in business history, we advise you to contact Guildhall Library.

If you wish to consult student textbooks, theses and dissertations or academic journals we advise you to contact an academic library.

Company information

We have electronic and printed information on both British and foreign companies. We subscribe to a number of company information database which you can use free of charge in the library.

If you would like more detailed information please download this guide:

Company information UK and worldwide (100kb)

Country information

Our collections include business directories, economic background reports, business periodicals, financial and trade statistics and guides to doing business in other countries.  If you would like more information please download the following guides:

Country information (90kb)

Market research

We have market research reports for both the UK and foreign markets, with an emphasis on consumer goods and services. Many reports are now published only in electronic format and are only available via online subscriptions. However, you can view them free of charge in the Library.

If you would like more detailed information please download this information sheet:

Market research (97kb)

Other collections

We have smaller collections on the following subjects:

  • Management including financial management, human resource management, and marketing
  • Finance & Investment – information on the financial markets including information of interest to private investors
  • Starting a business – download information sheets on:
    Starting a business (88kb)
    Starting an ethical or green business (96kb)
  • Importing & Exporting – download this information sheet on:
    Importing and exporting

Please note that any copying, whether downloading / printing from the databases or photocopying from printed material must be within the Copyright law.

City Business Library RelocationThe City Business Library has moved to Guildhall.

The  new address is: City Business Library, Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH

Directional map showing the new location of CBL (157kb)

See us at our stand at the City of London Meet the Buyers event on 9 March 2010

Collections

The City Business Library is a public reference library specialising in current business information which is intended to be of practical use. If you need information more than five years old, or you are interested in business history, we advise you to contact Guildhall Library.

If you wish to consult student textbooks, theses and dissertations or academic journals we advise you to contact an academic library.
Company information

We have electronic and printed information on both British and foreign companies. We subscribe to a number of company information database which you can use free of charge in the library.

If you would like more detailed information please download this guide:

Company information UK and worldwide (100kb)
Country information

Our collections include business directories, economic background reports, business periodicals, financial and trade statistics and guides to doing business in other countries.  If you would like more information please download the following guides:

Country information (90kb)
Market research

We have market research reports for both the UK and foreign markets, with an emphasis on consumer goods and services. Many reports are now published only in electronic format and are only available via online subscriptions. However, you can view them free of charge in the Library.

If you would like more detailed information please download this information sheet:

Market research (97kb)
Other collections

We have smaller collections on the following subjects:

* Management including financial management, human resource management, and marketing
* Finance & Investment – information on the financial markets including information of interest to private investors
* Starting a business – download information sheets on:
Starting a business (88kb)
Starting an ethical or green business (96kb)
* Importing & Exporting – download this information sheet on:
Importing and exporting

Please note that any copying, whether downloading / printing from the databases or photocopying from printed material must be within the Copyright law.

The Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising

Located in the unlikely setting of Notting Hill, London the the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising is a little gem. It is based on the collection of consumer historian, Robert Opie, who saw the need to record the history of products around us.

“Starting at the age of sixteen with a packet of Munchies, the Collection now extends to all aspects of daily life – toys, comics, magazines, newspapers, technology, travel, royal souvenirs, fashion and design. Robert says, ‘Whilst families tend to save mementos from special occasions, it struck me that little was being done to keep the everyday material. When the thousands of pieces of this social history are assembled into some giant jigsaw, the picture becomes clearer as to the remarkable journey we have all come through’. ”

The collection contains over 12,000 toys and games, posters and magazines, fads and fashions, postcards and packaging. There is a strong nostalgic aspect of the museum as you discover sweets and games from your youth. The history of consumer culture is revealed decade by decade from Victorian times to the present day.

Two things struck me during the visit. One, was the increase in size of packages over time. Presumably a combination of wealthier consumers and less frequent shopping. The other was the simplification of branding over time. They have a great series of displays showing the development of household names such as Swan Vesta matches and Branston Pickle over time. With each ‘brand refresh’ the colours and logo’s are made clearer and simpler.

Jacobs Club

The only disappointment for me was not being able to find an example of a Jacobs Club biscuit the dominant brand of the 1980’s with one of the most memorable advertising slogans, ‘If you like a lot of chocolate on your biscuit join our club’.

Jif Lemon

There was a good example of ‘passing off’, known as the Jif Lemon case, where Reckitt & Colman Ltd took Borden Inc to the House of Lords and won.

From an article by Kenneth Choy discussing the tort of passing off:

“In the summer of 1985, Borden began selling its ReaLemon product in its lemon-shaped container in the UK. Reckitt & Colman became concerned and filed a lawsuit to stop the American company. Reckitt & Colman was successful in the lower courts and Borden took the case to the House of Lords.

Explaining the standard, which became known as the classic trinity, Lord Oliver asked:

1. Have the respondents [Reckitt & Colman] proved that the get-up under which their lemon juice has been sold since 1956 has become associated in the minds of substantial numbers of the purchasing public specifically and exclusively with [their] (“Jif”) lemon juice?
2. If the answer to that question is in the affirmative, does the get-up under which the appellants [Borden] proposed to market their lemon juice in [the ReaLemon containers] amount to a representation by [Borden] that the juice which they sell is “Jif” lemon juice?
3. If the answer to that question is in the affirmative, is it, on a balance of probabilities, likely that, if the appellants [Borden] are not restrained as they have been, a substantial number of members of the public will be misled into purchasing the defendants’ lemon juice in the belief that it is the respondents’ Jif juice? (pp.500-501)

Lord Oliver observed that supermarkets tend to sell only one brand and possibly their own house brand of preserved lemon juice. He noted Reckitt & Colman’s survey evidence showing that “a housewife presented with a display of these products in close juxtaposition would be likely to pick up . . . the [ReaLemon] product in the belief that what she was buying was the respondents’ Jif lemon juice” (p. 500) since Jif was the only “lemon-sized squeezy pack of lemon juice on the market” (p. 501).

Concluding that the three elements are satisfied, the Lords affirmed the permanent injunction barring Borden from marketing lemon juice in lemon-shaped containers in the UK.

Had the Jif lemon been a registered trademark, the case would have been much simpler to prove. Infringement is established if it can show that Borden’s ReaLemon container is identical or similar to the Jif lemon and that allowing the ReaLemon container in the market is likely to cause public confusion. Section 18, Trade Mark Ordinance (Cap. 559).

One may ask, if the Jif lemon had been sold since 1956, why wasn’t it registered as a trademark?

The answer is that, had they applied to register the Jif lemon as a trademark, the application would have been rejected by the registrar. This is because a mark that is a symbol of the goods or services it promotes does not qualify for registration. So, the Jif lemon is a symbol of lemon and lemon juice so it cannot be registered. If it is registered, it would prevent others from using a symbol of a lemon to sell lemon or lemon juice. Thus, Reckitt & Colman could only resort to a passing off claim in their fight against competition from ReaLemon. “

Free business news search engine from Northern Light

Northern Light logoI remember Northern Light as one of the key early players in web search. It actually started in 1996, the same year that Google began as a research project by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, at Stanford University

However, for the last few years their services have been reserved for enterprise customers only. The good news it that they recently launched a free business news search engine called Northern Light Search.

It offers you the ability to register for free and set-up daily or weekly alerts on a range of saved searches you create.

However I believe its market research content makes for real killer content, as this is so difficult to find via standard search engines like Google.

Their Market Intelligence Wikis provide an overview of industries and business trends, with a detailed picture of market segments, issues, companies, and government regulatory actions.

“Our editors have been scouring the Web for authoritative analysis and commentary and for useful resources to create these concise, easy-to-navigate market intelligence wikis for the several industries listed below. If your industry is not already covered contact us or contribute to this public wiki!”

Topics Covered:
Accounting & Taxation
Aerospace & Defense
Agriculture
Automotive & Transportation
Banking & Financial Services
Chemicals & Plastics
Energy & Utilities
Environmental
Health Care
Insurance
Internet
Oil & Gas
Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology
Private Equity & Venture Capital
Retail
Software, Computers, & Services
Telecommunications & Equipment

Northern Light screen shot

Many thanks for this tip to Warren Cheetham,  CitiLibraries|The New Townsville City

London demographics from the GLA

One question that comes up frequently in the Business & IP Centre is, ‘where can I find demographic information for London’.

As part of my recent visit to the GLA (General London Authority) City Hall I discovered their Data Management and Analysis Group (DMAG) publish useful demographic information.

Even better these are all free and available as pdf’s from their website.

Subjects covered include:

* Diversity
* Education
* Elections
* Focus on London
* Health and disability
* Labour market
* Population
* Poverty

Here is a list of some of their more recent publications:

Census Information Note
Pay Check 2007
GLA 2007 Round Ward Ethnic Group Population Projections
Council Tax Analysis
A Profile of Londoners by Country of Birth
Claimant Count Model 2008: Technical Note
GLA 2007 Round Demographic Projections
Greater London Authority Constituency Profiles
Family Resources Survey 2005/06: Results for London
London Borough Migrations 2001-06
Social Exclusion Data Team Workplan

London Demographics

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) on YouTube

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) have adopted YouTube as a communications vehicle, but I was.

Even more impressive is the fact they have created their own (pretty slick channel). As they say on their page, ” Videos produced by UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) the Government organisation that helps UK based companies succeed in international markets. We assist overseas companies to bring high quality investment to the UK’s vibrant economy.”

You can even watch Lord Digby Jones who opened the Business & IP Centre back in March 2006.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLib00ZxX4s]

tellyAds – an archive of UK television adverts

Another great find for those researching television adertising and consumer tastes courtesy of Phil Bradley’s blog.

As they say on the tellyAds website;

“Why sit through hours of telly just to catch your favourite ad? We’re collecting as many current UK commercials as we can, so you can watch the ones you like when you want to watch them.”

They currently have over 5,666 adverts to date, including such classics as the Go To Work On An Egg series featuring Tony Hancock, and my current favourite musician Regina Spektor.

However as they seem to be concentrating on recent ads they don’t currently have any of the Cadbury Smash classics from the 1970’s, recently voted the most popular UK ads of all time.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=zbU2PY8PI9w]

British Standard for a cup of tea – BS 6008

1018292_cup_of_teaI have been attending some of the workshops we provide at the Business & IP Centre. I think it is good to sample one’s own products from time to time. Rupert Lee’s workshop on Science & Technology Information for Business provided some unexpected information. For instance I didn’t know there was a British Standard for a cup of tea (BS 6008 to the cognoscenti). I suppose it is the logical result of something the British do best, tea and bureaucracy.

However, more usefully I did learn that standards are a useful source of business information which is often overlooked.

If you are really keen you can read all 11 pages of report from the British Standards Institution

1 Scope and field of application
This International Standard specifies a method for
the preparation of a liquor of tea for use in sensory
tests, by means of infusing the leaf.
2 Definitions
For the purpose of this International Standard, the
following definitions apply.
2.1 liquor
the solution prepared by extraction of soluble
substances from dried tea leaf, under the conditions
described
2.2 infused leaf
tea leaf from which liquor has been prepared
NOTE In the tea trade in the United Kingdom, the term
“infusion” is used with the meaning of 2.2, but, to avoid confusion
with the more general usage of this word, the expression “infused
leaf” has been used.
3 Reference
ISO 1839, Tea — Sampling.
4 Principle
Extraction of soluble substances in dried tea leaf,
contained in a porcelain or earthenware pot, by
means of freshly boiling water, pouring of the liquor
into a white porcelain or earthenware bowl,
examination of the organoleptic properties of the
infused leaf, and of the liquor with or without milk
or both.
5 Apparatus
5.1 Pot, of white porcelain or glazed earthenware,
with its edge partly serrated (see Figure) and
provided with a lid, the skirt of which fits loosely
inside the pot.
5.2 Bowl, of white porcelain or glazed earthenware.
NOTE Various sizes of pot and bowl can be used, but it is
recommended that one of the two sizes shown in the annex, and
depicted in the figure, be adopted.
6 Sampling
See ISO 1839.
7 Procedure
7.1 Test portion
Weigh, to an accuracy of ± 2 %, a mass of tea
corresponding to 2 g of tea per 100 ml of liquor
(i.e. 5,6 ± 0,1 g of tea for the large pot or 2,8 ± 0,05 g
for the small pot described in the Annex) and
transfer it to the pot (5.1).
7.2 Preparation of liquor
7.2.1 Preparation without milk

Fill the pot containing the tea with freshly boiling
water1) to within 4 to 6 mm of the brim
(i.e. corresponding approximately to 285 ml in the
case of the large pot and 140 ml in the case of the
small pot described in the Annex) and put on the lid.
Allow the tea to brew for 6 min, and then, holding
the lid in place so that the infused leaf is held back,
pour the liquid through the serrations into the
bowl (5.2) corresponding to the pot selected. Remove
and invert the lid, transfer the infused leaf to it and
place the inverted lid on the empty pot to allow the
infused leaf to be inspected. In the case of fine,
powdery dust grades, special care should be taken
and a sieve may be required.
7.2.2 Preparation with milk
Pour milk free from any off-flavour (for example raw
milk or unboiled pasteurized milk) into the
bowl (5.2), using approximately 5 ml for the large
bowl and 2,5 ml for the small bowl described in the
Annex.
Prepare the liquor as described in 7.2.1 but pour it
into the bowl after the milk, in order to avoid
scalding the milk, unless this procedure is contrary
to the normal practice in the organization
concerned.
If the milk is added afterwards, experience has
shown that the best results are obtained when the
temperature of the liquor is in the range 65 to 80 °C
when the milk is added.
While addition of milk is not essential, it sometimes
helps to accentuate differences in flavour and
colour.

Finally a consumer rating site with real information

I can’t understand why this has taken so long because it is such an obvious use of the interactive power of the Internet.

For years we have had shopping comparison sites such as Kelkoo and PriceRunner, but the consumer rating sites such as Ciao! and reviewcentre have been blighted by a lack of opinions. But now there is a new kid on the block in the shape of Wize.com. It is still in beta and is rather U.S. biased but the sheer number of opinions puts it head and shoulders above the competition.

For instance the Toshiba Satellite A135 PC Notebook has 39 reviews, and the Apple Nano has over 3,000 reviews.

Toshiba laptop Apple Nano

Social marketing ratings from Hey! Neilsen

Hey! Nielsen is a new free service from the well known market and audience measurement provider Neilson Company.

They are asking registered users to give their opinions on TV, movies, music, personalities and the Internet.

Assuming the site is successful and once it has been running for a while it could be a good source of what’s hot and what’s not in terms of entertainment. It is a classic case of a win win, with Neilsen acquiring useful market research for free, but also making the results available for free.

For instance you can already chart the rapid demise of Britney Spears standing amongst her fanbase by looking at chart of her rating over time.

Britney – who’s popularity is now in free-fall.

It is interesting they haven’t included blogs which are already well covered by Technorati.

City Business Library – Under One Roof with guest speaker Jo Fairley of Green & Black’s chocolate.

Wednesday 1 November 2007

Jo_FairleyWhat an inspiration Jo Fairley is. Not only did her partner found the Whole Earth but when he refused to sell chocolate because “it contains added sugar”, she set up Green & Black’s the worlds first organic chocolate.

Here is a snippet of their ground-breaking story:

It all started back in 1991 when Craig Sams, founder of Whole Earth – the pioneering organic food company – was sent a sample of dark 70% chocolate made from organic cocoa beans. His wife, environment columnist for The Times and confirmed chocoholic, Josephine Fairley, found the half eaten bar on Craig’s desk and sampled some for herself. The intense flavour was unique and unlike anything she had tasted before. Jo was convinced other chocolate lovers would appreciate it in the same way she had and they set about making the world’s first organic chocolate. The final product was a high-quality, bitter-sweet dark chocolate bar, packed with 70% cocoa solids – enough to make chocolate fans sit up and take notice..

FairTrade_logoAs the brand began to gain a loyal following, Maya Gold was added to the range in 1994 – the product of a holiday Jo & Craig made to where they discovered cocoa farmers were being penalised, as some larger confectionery companies tried to drive cocoa prices down. They agreed to pay the farmers a fair price for their crops and created the flavour of Maya Gold to capture the taste of the rainforests where the cocoa is grown. This way of doing business didn’t seem different to them – it was what came naturally but it subsequently earned them the UK’s first Fairtrade mark.