This week’s news in brief
CSR academy plans
Plans for an academy for corporate social responsibility (CSR) – due to be
launched in July – have moved a step closer after the minister for CSR called
on organisations to put themselves forward as potential partners. Stephen Timms
said: "I am confident this will play a significant part in ensuring that
CSR becomes an integral part of the way we do business." Â www.dti.gov.uk
14,000 jobs to go
The new chairman of the combined Inland Revenue and Customs service is set
to cut around 14,000 jobs. David Varney – the outgoing chairman of mobile phone
company MMO2 – will lead the Government’s planned merger of the services, with
a remit to drastically reduce headcount and shave £200m off existing budgets.  www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
E-learning difficulties
The majority of organisations find it difficult to implement e-learning
within their training and development initiatives, according to new research.
Carried out by Ashridge Business School, E-learning: the Findings and the
Future shows that while 86 per cent of organisations believe that e-learning is
an effective approach, 82 per cent said it is hard to introduce. Â www.ashridge.org.uk
UK managers on top
UK managers are among the best paid in Europe, but this is probably due to
the high concentration of company headquarters in the country. A Watson Wyatt
report looking at compensation trends for senior executives across 17 European
countries, shows the best-paid top managers – chief executives and general
managers – are based in the UK, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and Austria. Â www.watsonwyatt.com