BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF


The musical Chicago comes to the New Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham next month. The production, starring Ali


Bastian as Roxie Hart, Stefan Booth as Billy Flynn, Tupele Dorgu as Velma Kelly and Bernie Nolan as Mama Morton, runs from 5 to 12 March. For tickets call the Box Office on


0844 871 3011 or book online at www.atgtickets.com/birmingham


A Lichfield-based website designer has warned businesses that they may be unwittingly breaking the law if their internet presence cannot be accessed by disabled people. Nick Keeley, of Alien Web, said that some 600,000 disabled people in the UK were likely to encounter difficulties with websites that were not user friendly to them.


He said that among the


biggest problems was using confusing colours, and added that many people suffered some form of colour blindness. “It’s all about contrasting


colours – what may appear as a dark background and bright text to you might be a jumbled mess of white to another,” he said. He added that among the


biggest mistakes businesses made when creating websites was to try and adopt a Hollywood blockbuster approach, by including “lots of videos and moving things”.


The number and value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) involving British targets has dropped by 25 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2011, which recorded the lowest number in 17 years. And Grant Thornton's


corporate finance team expects the negative trend to continue in the first half of 2012, with cross border transactions providing the only bright spot. There were 448 M&A


transactions worth a total of £18.1 billion in the UK in Quarter 4 2011, the lowest number since Quarter 3 1994, when 440 deals worth £4.2 billion were recorded. The latest figures represent a 25 per cent drop compared to the previous quarter (Q3 2011: 594 deals worth £24 billion). For the entire year, the total


value of deals dropped to its lowest level since 2003 and amounted to less than half of the 2007 peak. In 2011, 2,342 deals with a total value of £82.3 billion were recorded, representing a 12 per cent drop in value compared to the previous year, when 2,423 deals with a total value of £93.6 billion were recorded. (2003: 2,750 deals worth £79.6 billion).


14 CHAMBERLINK FEBRUARY 2012


agreement with Birmingham- based Daden Limited to develop a versatile 3D immersive visual analytics application which can be used for the joint analysis and understanding of a wide variety of data. The project, established through the BAE Systems Investment In Innovation 13 programme, will create a system that allows participants from across the globe to get together to analyse and see shared information.


‘The system will enable users to combine different data sources in a form that makes sense to them’


David Burden, Daden's managing director, said: “Organisations are increasingly overwhelmed by large amounts of data from different sources that they need to understand, combine and interpret - either individually or as a group. “Trying to derive meaning from


this unstructured data is difficult and requires both analytical processes and intuitive human understanding. “The system will enable users to combine different data sources in a form that makes sense to them. It will allow the user to look at the data from different perspectives in a 3D immersive environment, helping with retention and recall while supporting decision and sense-making.”


Daden's 3D immersive visual analytics application - making sense of data Investment in Innovation 13 is a BAE Systems’


programme for SMEs and academia which supports the research, development and integration of new technologies to meet customers' existing and emerging requirements. Financial investment is supported with specialist facilities and expertise, providing access to a broad knowledge base and partner network.


HSE changes to impact on firms


Changes in how businesses interact with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will impact upon all workplaces, according to a Birmingham lawyer.


Chris Hopkins (pictured), a


barrister at Pinsent Masons, says the first set of changes effect how businesses report work-related safety incidents including fatalities. From September 2011, the


previous system of telephone reporting has gone altogether except for fatal and major injuries/incidents. Businesses must now notify HSE of all other reportable incidents using one of the seven online forms available from the HSE's website– www.hse.gov.uk.


Mr Hopkins adds: “These changes are intended to increase efficiency and reduce costs while ensuring that a telephone service


remains in place for those reporting the most traumatic events. “A further change in reporting


procedures is likely to take effect in April 2012. At present, businesses must report less serious incidents to the HSE where they result in employees or the self-employed being away from work for more than three consecutive days following the incident.


“This period will increase to


seven days with reports having to be made within 15 days of the incident rather than the current 10, which should help relax the regulatory burden especially for SMEs.


“Businesses will have to take


care, however, to ensure they do not lose sight of their reporting requirements altogether since it will remain a criminal offence not to report an incident where required to do so. “The final change involves the


proposed introduction of new fees chargeable by the HSE to employers.


“Significant changes in how


businesses interact with the HSE are on the cards and dutyholders should take steps to acquaint themselves with these now and how they will impact upon their organisation.”


Daden wins BAE project B


AE Systems, the global defence and security company, has signed an


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