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Issues are presented concerning the acquisitions and mergers activity which has occurred in the alcoholic beverages industry in September 2001. The deals completed by Allied Domecq in Germany and Spain are discussed.

Issues are presented concerning the merger and acquisition activity which has occurred in Poland in the year to August 2001. The influence of consolidation in driving the acquisitions market forward is discussed.

Mid-market mergers and acquisitions have been slow in the software sector for the first half of 2001, but this is changing. Two deals have taken place in France and the United Kingdom in June 2001 that indicate the market is improving.

As all readers of Acquisitions Monthly know, international M&A is an enormously sophisticated business, keeping hordes of experts, both legal and financial, in employment. Any given merger will have been [...]

Bigger is 'bootiful' when it comes to public-to-privates in 2000, as the recent turkey-fight over 'the 134m [pounds sterling] take-private of Bernard Matthews demonstrates. Take-privates now provide a substantial proportion [...]

Liberalisation of the European postal market is driving a strong trend of logistics deals, the bulk of which are mid-market sized. Deutsche Post is the major player in the process [...]

An analysis of acquisition in the internet sector is presented. The growth of lastminute.com and its acquisition of French Degriftour Group for 58.9m pounds sterling represents a trend towards consolidation of internet firms.

An overview of the mid-market aerospace deals in the first half of 2000 is presented. The value of deals fell, possibly due to the rise in cost of aviation fuel, but smaller deals in outsourcing went ahead.

A review of Newcastle upon Tyne's corporate activity reveals that whilst most areas are flourishing and deal values are getting higher, there is a noticeable absence of management buyouts.

Despite the effects of takeovers and privatisation of PLCs in Yorkshire there is still substantial corporate financial work in the area. The loss of PLC status is not always detrimental to a company's operation.

A presentation of recent mid-market acquisitions in the UK technology industry reveal that despite lower interest in internet acquisitions many are still being concluded as relevant companies mature.

Premier food company, Ranks Hovis McDougall Europe, is to be purchased by Doughty Hanson, a private equity company, with a view to expansion. The price of 1.1 billion pounds is subject to shareholders' and European regulatory approval.

The government plans to impose legislation governing how takeovers are managed despite having its plans rejected by the House of Lords. The Lords agreed to a Conservative amendment but Labour did not accept it.

Almost 2,000 teachers in state-schools transferred to the independent school sector in 2002, while only 650 teachers moved in the opposite direction, according to the Independent Schools Council. Private schools are also increasingly popular among parents, who send their children to private schools because of the smaller classes and their dissatisfaction with the state sector.

An examination of the Labour Government's Building Bridges scheme, which it introduced as a replacement for the Assisted Places Scheme - which subsidised pupils at private schools - when it was abolished in 1997. Since 1998 over UKPd4 mil has been invested in the Building Bridges scheme, through which state and independent schools work together on educational projects, however, ministers believe that the scheme is so successful that they plan to increase its budget to UKPd2 mil/yr by 2005-2006.

The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, an exam watchdog has introduced tests to help gifted and talented children. The series of tasks are designed to motivate pupils working above national curriculum test levels. There are optional tasks in maths, English and science at key stages 2 and 3.

The Boarding Schools' Association is pushing the government to amend legislation to allow three-yearly reports to be published. The move follows mistakes in drafting the new National Care Standards Commission aimed at protecting boarders' health and welfare. As the rules stand, schools can hide a critical report and the commission cannot publish its findings.

The Association for Science Education is considering advice for members over the fear that unruly students will disrupt practical science sessions making them too dangerous. Experiments are being replaced by paper-based learning because of unruly pupils potentially throwing dangerous chemicals or lighting gas taps. Classroom assistants could help by providing another pair of eyes during practical sessions.

Tina O'Brien and Bruno Langley, the actors who play Sarah-Louise and Todd in Coronation Street, have been recruited by Manchester council as part of a campaign to inspire children to improve their GCSE results. The scheme is aimed at boosting pupil morale and rewarding pupils for their efforts to date.

Bristol University has been accused of favouring the poor over the rich. However, research into the university system as a whole gives a different picture, with privately-educated students over-represented at elite institutions.

According to research carried out by the University of Middlesex, proper whistleblowing procedures in schools could help prevent child abuse. However, only 19% of schools have proper procedures in pklace which would allow parents to report their concerns about other children.

The League Against Cruel Sports has attacked top public schools for encouraging pupils to hunt with dogs. Schools being attacked include Marlborough College and Ampleforth, with plans to name and shame more.

The scarcity of suitably-qualified science teachers bodes ill for UK industry. Of teachers teaching physics at key stage 4 in England, two-thirds do not hold a related degree.

UK entrants to the international science Olympics in Taiwan are almost all from private schools. Of the UK physics team travelling to Taiwan for the contest in summer 2003, four out of five are from the independent sector.

Ampleforth School, Catholic school in rural North Yorkshire, UK, will become totally co-educational in order to prepare its pupils for modern university life. Along with this expansion will be a UKPd5 mil investment in boarding facilities.

An essay-writing competition organised by the Boarding Schools' Association has revealed that many children attending boarding school feel that they have been 'sent away' by their parents. The aim of the essay competition was to determine whether the reality of boarding is any different from the myths associated with the system.

Graham Able, headteacher of Dulwich College, a private school, is the chairman of the Headmasters? and Headmistresses? Conference. Able would like to have closer links with other associations, and not just those in the private sector.

According to Derek Bell, the Association for Science Education?s chief executive, the establishment of regional and national science learning centres will not resolve the current science teacher recruitment crisis. The setting-up of the centres will cost GBP51 mil.

According to Graham Able, new chairman of the Headmasters? and Headmistresses? Conference (HHC), private schools should stop awarding scholarships to rich, intelligent children. The HHC represents private schools, with research showing that GBP103 mil in scholarships and GBP107 mil in bursaries was given out in 2000-2001.

Carol Evans, president of the Girls' Schools Association, has launched an attack on the government's policy of fostering partnerships between independent and state schools. She criticised apparent discrimination against teachers in the independent sector, which are not eligible for initial teacher training, funding for the National Professional Qualification for Headship or New Opportunities Fund money for ICT training. Evans said the independent-state partnerships are not two-way.

Robert Hill, a new adviser to Charles Clarke, used to be a National Union of Public Employees activist. But his trade union credentials are of no consequence to those who know him well. They claim that he is 'gung-ho' for privatisation and unlikely to be conciliatory towards unions.

Boarding schools are increasingly being forced to cancel activities which they claim helped to differentiate them from other schools because of increasingly litigious parents. Many activities can only be pursued under the supervision of a teacher, which limits the times when such activities can take place. The change is a result of parents being increasingly likely to sue in the event of something going wrong.

Leading biologists have expressed concerns at the lack of fieldwork carried out by pupils, which they claim will prevent the country from developing the next generation of ecologists and conservationists needed to help protect the environment. According to the Field Studies Council, timetabling pressures and health and safety concerns are the main reasons for the lack of fieldwork. In addition, pupils are now able to access more information via the Internet and on video.

Exam boards are braced to receive a deluge of complaints from students and teachers after only 1,945 students have had their grades improved by a regrading inquiry. Only 168 students saw their A-level results improve enough to qualify for their top choice university. Three boards reviewed over 300,000 entries in 31 subjects.

The French media saw a shake-up in late August when Vivendi Universal announced that it planned to sell its consumer press division to the Socpresse group. Socpresse is part of [...]

Arriva, one of the UK's biggest ames in passenger transport, is to expand into Italy after purchasing the country's largest privately owned bus operator. The group will pay up to [...]

The UK Commons science and technology select committee has described secondary science teaching as pointless, tedious and in danger of killing all interest in the subject. The committee has called for at least UKPd120 mil to be earmarked for investment in improvements to school laboratories and prep rooms.

Even with its recent increase in fees, Eton College is not the most expensive private school in the United Kingdom. The school that is now attended by Prince Harry does not even make the top ten in most expensive schools. Tuition rates for various British private schools are discussed.

Hyprotech, an engineering software unit of AEA Technology of the UK, is to be sold to US player Aspen Technology for 67.5m £ in cash. The deal, which was due [...]

A new plan by the British government will distribute money to schools according to need. Each school will receive basic funding per student and than extra will be given to schools with special needs.