May 17 2013 11:37 BST Barnes Noble: a real page-turnerThe continuing melodrama at Barnes & Noble is a page-turner. But wise readers will keep Leonard Riggio, founder, chairman and largest shareholder of the US bookseller, in mind even while the Microsoft rumours percolate. A report last week had Microsoft - already an investor in Nook (Pearson, parent of FT, |
May 16 2013 09:59 BST Education: Institutions poised to capitalise on an expanding middle classAlong the six-lane highway that runs through Rio's vast southwestern district of Barra da Tijuca, it is easy to spot the influence of Latin America's wealthy northern neighbour. US restaurant chains such as Outback Steakhouse and shopping centres including a New York City-themed mall surround the aptly named Avenida dasBy Amy Stillman |
May 13 2013 20:49 BST Shortlist for Lloyds chairman 'not long'Tony Watson has faced some corporate governance challenges in his time. The former head of Hermes Pension Management used to make a living out of challenging company boards over pay and management appointments. But now - reincarnated as the senior independent director of Lloyds Banking Group, and the man whoBy Patrick Jenkins, Banking Editor |
May 13 2013 19:23 BST Pearson under fire over inaccurate test results in New YorkPearson is facing criticism over inaccurate test results in New York, a development that could cause the city to terminate its testing contract with the global education group. The company, which owns the Financial Times, runs and manages about 100m tests globally each year, with about a fifth of theseBy Robert Budden, Chief Media Correspondent |
May 11 2013 01:58 BST Cengage weighs up restructuring optionsCengage Learning, the indebted US education company controlled by Apax Partners, said on Friday it was considering restructuring options including a possible voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The company, which Apax and OMERS Capital Partners of Canada took over in a leveraged buyout just before credit markets soured in 2007,By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in New York |
May 09 2013 20:18 BST Retailer leaps on Microsoft Nook bid talkBarnes & Noble shares surged almost 22 per cent on Thursday after reports that Microsoft was looking to acquire the digital assets of Nook Media, its joint venture with the US bookseller. According to leaked internal documents obtained by technology industry website TechCrunch, Microsoft is proposing a $1bn offer toBy Anjli Raval in New York |
Apr 22 2013 23:44 BST Brazil education groups in $2.5bn tie-upBrazil's two largest private tertiary education companies have agreed to combine in a private equity-backed deal that will create the world's biggest for-profit operator by market capitalisation. Kroton Educacional, part-owned by US-based private equity firm Advent International, will pay $2.48bn for rival Anhanguera Educacional Participações, part-controlled by BlackRock of theBy Joe Leahy in São Paulo |
Apr 22 2013 23:09 BST Apax in media shake-up for digital pushApax is merging its media group with other sectorial teams as the buyout fund moves away from investments in traditional media companies and focuses on digital platforms. The British group's 13 media investment professionals are being reallocated to the retail and consumer team in Europe and to the business servicesBy Anne-Sylvaine Chassany, Private Equity Correspondent |
Apr 19 2013 16:45 BST Penguin agrees ebook pricing deal with EUPenguin has become the fifth and final publisher to reach a settlement with the EU over ebook pricing, a move designed to "clear the decks" ahead of its planned merger with Random House. Penguin, which is owned by Pearson, parent company of the Financial Times, will not restrict the abilityBy Robert Cookson in London and James Fontanella-Khan in Brussels |
Apr 15 2013 19:02 BST Pearson to sell BDFM stake to Times MediaSouth Africa's Times Media Group has reached an agreement with Pearson to acquire the UK-listed company's 50 per cent stake in their publishing joint venture BDFM. The deal would give Times Media full ownership of BDFM, which publishes the Business Day newspaper and the Financial Mail weekly magazine. BDFM alsoBy Andrew England in Johannesburg |
