In brief

[QQ]KPMG Consulting has warned that retailers are more at risk than other sectors of the economy of running out of time if Britain says “yes” to the euro. EMU specialist James McDougall said: “Unless British retailers begin detailed planning now to ensure that they can start conversion straight after a referendum, there is a serious danger that many will fail to complete the task within the government’s planned time scale.”[QQ] [QQ] Former MP Michael Portillo and Keith Burgess, master of the Guild of Management Consultants were the keynote speakers at the Master’s Dinner last month. Burgess spoke of the Guild’s intention to petition the Court of Alderman in order to become a City Company, and its responsibility to increase its charitable and educational activities. Portillo took the opportunity to voice concerns over the single currency: “It means one interest rate for Euroland. But one size doesn’t fit all, and the policy would be wrong for most places most of the time. As with the ERM, people could lose their homes, jobs and businesses.” Public sector workers are to be hit hard over the Millennium weekend, as Hay Management Consultants reveals that 85 percent of public sector organisations are cancelling all holiday over the period.[QQ] [QQ] International recruitment and selection is a boom area according to the Institute of Personnel and Development. Professor Paul Sparrow, author of the IPD’s guide to this market, said: “The need for international exposure is being extended beyond general managers to more junior employee groups and technical specialists.” [QQ]Teleconomy Research has surveyed the Times top 500 companies and found that they fail to take the customer’s needs into consideration when developing a website. It criticises the lack of quality information online when compared to the sheer amount available.