Sir Victor Blank ("Business must start a giving revolution", 24 February) raises a timely issue but does not go far enough.

Job tsar's appointment raises fresh questions over David Cameron's choice of key advisers

Measure would allow greater flexibility over tax thresholds and steal Lib Dems' thunder

Comment

Outlook Albert Edwards at SocGen is an engaging character. Sometimes described as an uber-bear, he pokes fun at any outbreak of hope. Concessions to optimism are for fools. Hell in a handcart is the future. If you're lucky.

The cigarettes giant British American Tobacco still managed to fire up its rewards to shareholders despite a continued decline in smoking in western Europe and the United States.

The founder of Quarto Books, known for its illustrated "how-to" non-fiction guides, yesterday signalled he is ready for a new chapter as he is quitting as chief executive after 36 years.

From 6 April, it will be possible to invest in Seed Enterprise Investment Schemes, which are designed to get people to invest in the next generation of entrepreneurs. Investors who put money into a start-up with SEIS status will get up to 50 per cent tax relief.

A US university has revealed that hundreds of degrees given out over the past 10 years should never have been awarded, and may be revoked.

When James of Vitry, new Bishop of Acre, arrived at his see in 1216, he apparently wasn't terribly impressed. The earlier Christian Crusades had left behind a string of Crusader statelets down the Mediterranean coast and Acre, close to Jerusalem, had become the most important port in the region, a gateway for pilgrims and a centre for trade. Piety it didn't do nearly as well. In fact, Bishop James thought it was all a bit Gomorrah-on-Sea, distressing proof that the ideals of the earlier Christian adventurers had been corrupted by economic power and pragmatic exchange. In the last of his interesting series The Crusades, Thomas Asbridge showed us a rather literal token of this accommodation between theological purpose and day-to-day profit – gold coins minted by the Crusader knights in imitation of Egyptian Islamic originals. When it came to cash they were open to multi-faith dialogue, however intransigent they might be when on their knees praying.

Welcome to the corporate Premier League, John Browett. The Dixons Retail boss has been poached by Apple to run its fast-expanding retail operation and shareholders are anything but happy about his departure. The fact that he has more or less kept the show on the road is seen as no small achievement.

Gyms offering potentially unfair contracts which customers are unable to cancel are being investigated by the Office of Fair Trading.

Outlook: Welcome to the corporate Premier League, John Browett. The Dixons Retail boss has been poached by Apple to run its fast-expanding retail operation and shareholders are anything but happy about his departure. The fact that he has more or less kept the show on the road is seen as no small achievement.