Ford Motor Co. rolled off its production line in the United Kingdom. As a fact, the first Rover Freelander 2 is now being manufactured at Jaguar’s Halewood Factory on Merseyside. Said move from the carmaker is seen as a crucial step to bolster the economy of the region.

Ford purchased Land Rover in 2000. Since then, the carmaker has been banking on said brand to augment its dropping sales. This is because Ford’s mighty competitors are attacking the market from all sides to yield a bigger slice in the automotive market. Moreover, Ford UK brands also experiences the fatal threat that shakes its US parent.

To pave way for a tighter competition, Ford is making swift moves to recover. It is actively involve in different movements. It is also introducing power lineup. And now, it is spreading its wings to different territories. The carmaker also ensures the quality of Land Rover Freelander auto parts to generate the quality that is distinctively Ford’s.

Some analysts are wondering whether Ford has enough finances to hang onto Jaguar and Land Rover. In an interview professor David Bailey of Birmingham Business School stated that Ford UK was “hanging in the balance.” Bailey also noted, “”Unless they improve dramatically they (Ford) can’t guarantee that they can hang onto the UK brands. Behind all of this is Ford’s enormous restructuring problems - sales are down enormously in the North American market, they are looking to cut costs massively over they next two years.

Nonetheless, the production of Freelander at Halewood is expected to make massive turnaround. According to Eddie O’Hara, Labour MP for Knowlsley South, the area was confident that the new Freelander was a winner. He anticipates that the production of said vehicle can go for at least 9 years.

Roger Maddison of union Amicus said that the production marked a great day for Halewood and for the UK car making industry which needs some good news. He added, “The Freelander has been designed and will now be built in the UK and so is extremely important for the UK’s car manufacturing capability as well as the future of Land Rover in the UK.”

With house costs looking like they are in a constant downward drop, many people are in that headset of buy or not to buy. With leading people in the mortgage and housing industry saying the best move at the present is to rent for a time and see how the market develops. Obviously for those trying to get onto the property ladder there is hope that the stupid trend of disproportianate property prices that has developed through the irresponsible behaviour of all the major and lesser lenders will finally turn the other way. At the other side of the scope those that have just got on the property market with house prices bloated by the surplus of credit, they are praying that costs wont drop to much and interest rates will remain low so that they wont plunge into negative equity and not cope with the repayments. As always those that have been on the market for a while are in a more positive place though interest rates affect us all.

It seem’s though that the those that we give some credit in being responsible e.g. mortgage lenders and bank managers have no personal attachment in the individuals they are lending cash to and are in fact just aiming for the profit line, if this isn’t the case then surely the cash wouldn’t have been loaned out to individuals that really couldn’t keep to the repayments in the beginning. But of course who am I to comment, after all the heads of any of those banks will get a preposterous bonus for just appearing in a position of irresponsibility and we cant do anything about the situation, other than hand over the keys to our houses that we can no more afford or lash out rent in excess of a mortgage repayment but be unable to save enough to build up the 5 – 10% down payment (not including solicitors fees, removal, and survey fees, but hey, maybe I’m just being pessimistic!). If you take the stupidly rich out of the figures and look at the true figure of what individuals are earning in this country (meaning anywhere other than the bubble that is London) £20,000 anually between a couple is more normal than £20,000 each. How then are house prices in the state they are? Again we need to look at how the banks are speculating our credit to make themselves (sorry, I mean the share holders!) more by selling it on, to the largest bidder, and every party in government and out of it, lets these people (whose main objective as a business is to make money for themselves) destabalise parts of the economy?

It is worth getting an engineer in to do some certified PAT Testing to make sure your property is completely safe.

Entrepreneurship in the UK could be affected by the recent credit crunch, it has been claimed. According to Richard Litchfield, managing director of small business support service Eastside Consulting, a lack of credit and the high cost of borrowing may result in fewer people taking the gamble of setting up a business of their own.

He believes that the impact of the credit crunch on enterprise will be largely determined by its effect on the mortgage market, suggesting as he does that entrepreneurs are often reliant on their homes to finance their ventures.

“The issue comes back to what affect the credit crunch has on the wider economy,” Mr Litchfield confirmed.

“If we find that a much higher number of people are defaulting on mortgages and losing their jobs, then you’ll find that that this will feed into the enterprise marketplace. Less people will be in a position to take the entrepreneurial risk.

“In a sense, the indirect asset base of the SME marketplace is the houses of the business owners, because they’re often used as security. And just on a psychological level, if people have more equity in their house they’re more likely to be willing to take an entrepreneurial risk.”

However, Mr Litchfield emphasised that the most common way to finance an entrepreneurial venture remains the support of friends and family - as well as drawing on the help of those more easily led.

“[The] first place to go is FFF: that’s friends, family and fools… If people have either savings, or family and friends with a bit of capital that will back them, then that’s 100 per cent the most common way to start any business,” he said.

In addition to this, there are a number of other opportunities - and further small business advice given by the expert includes the notion that the most obvious course of action is often the most sensible.

“Beyond that there is a wide range of different sources of finance, and different agencies to assist people raise the finance. Loan finance is perhaps the most obvious, and people should start by visiting their local bank,” he commented.

Another tip for entrepreneurs looking for finance given by Mr Litchfield is to attempt to secure money from high net worth individuals - otherwise known as business angels.

This could be achieved by pitching ideas to wealthy individuals, local to the entrepreneurs who operate in the same sector. Regional Development Agencies were also suggested as good starting points.

Disclaimer:

This article has been written for information and interest purposes only. The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author only, and should not be construed as advice or used to make financial decisions. Expert financial advice should always be sought and any links contained within this article are included for information purposes only.

is in south yorkshire that has a population of over 525,000. recently, Sheffield has seen some extensive redevelopment & now has some pretty modern structures, including the Millennium Galleries.

Unlike numerous massive cities, sheffield has a diverse geography. its situated at the confluence of 5 rivers & most of the city is built on hillsides with views into the city centre or out to the country side. with an estimated two million trees, Sheffield boasts more trees per person than any european city. In fact, 61 % of the city is green space.

Sheffield won world wide fame throughout the nineteeth century for its production of steel. in actual fact, most innovations in the steel industry were developed in sheffield, including crucible (now the name of one of the city’s theatres) & stainless steel. however, world wide competition caused a decline in these popular local industries during the seventies & 1980s. at this time, the coal industry collapsed nearby, which caused massive unemployment & affected Sheffield’s population.

In recent years, Sheffield’s economy has recovered &, thanks to its booming music & film scene, it has become renowned as a cultural centre.

As we have already mentioned, Sheffield is a city of culture. This means that it has got plenty of snazzy museums & galleries to explore.

One of the finest museums is Bishop House. built around 1500, Bishop House is the most well preserved wood framed home in Sheffield. it is located at the top of Meersbrook Park & has been home to numerous different families over the years[/MARK Now its open as a museum & contains some beautiful period furniture, which gives you a real feel ofold england.

Sheffield boasts some pretty greenery to enjoy & it’s one of the most green cities in the uk. In fact, it has 78 public parks & ten public gardens to explore, which means that it’s a fantastic city for lovers of the great outdoors.

Alternatively, you could pay a visit to Sheffield’s excellent stores In the city centre, you will find a wide range of high street stores, which include makeover & hmv. in addition to these, you will also find a vast range of designer stores.

Sheffield is renowned for its nightlife, especially its nightclubs. in fact, the super nightclub Gatecrasher began here. However, it has nightclubs that cater to other types of music too, including numerous metal clubs.

In addition to exciting nightclubs, Sheffield also boasts a handful of snazzy bars & wonderful live music venues, which means that it can cater to every taste.

Sheffield has fantastic road links and can be reached easily from most major uk cities. as well as this, the city is well-served by rail, with regular trains running from Sheffield train station to a wide range of locations throughout the uk.

There is also an airport close by, Doncaster Sheffield Airport. The airport is situated 18 miles from the city centre and is served mainly by cheaper airlines, including Thomsonfly.