We must congratulate the Resolution Foundation for their startling findings about agency workers. They are reaching for the smelling salts in that most maiden auntish manner because they have discovered that there may soon be as many as one million people working in that way. I, on the other hand, think their findings are marvellous […]
Never before has a President-elect faced such pertinent questions about his business, and personal interests, colliding with his role in the Oval Office. So on December 15th, Donald Trump will hold a press conference – his first after many months – to outline plans to distance himself from his business empire. Flanked by his lawyers […]
Much of the reaction to the Government’s plans to reform the boardrooms of UK companies has been dismissive. This was probably inevitable. Anything short of hard limits on employee-to-CEO pay ratios and directly electing workers to boards was always going to be too weak for the trade unions. On the other side of the argument, […]
Furrowed brows and hand-wringing have greeted news of the sale of Skyscanner to Chinese buyers. But there is a hidden gain for Scotland’s fledgling businesses aiming to copy Skyscanner’s achievement. As an example of Scottish entrepreneurial flair and ‘new economy’ success, Skyscanner was the name that sprang immediately to the lips. The Edinburgh-based company has […]
Government intervention for the sake of public appearances is rarely a good idea. So we should all remain sceptical towards – if not downright opposed to – the green paper produced today by the May administration, with the aim of curbing high pay. The Prime Minister appears to have backed down from the more extreme […]
A visionary company, according to James Collins and Jerry Porras, should set itself a BHAG – a Big Hairy Audacious Goal. The idea is to motivate your team by setting out an audacious, contentious and long-term mission statement about where the firm should target its efforts – something like “organise the world’s information” (Google) or […]
Pain, said C.S. Lewis, is bearable if it has a purpose or a deeper meaning. A decade has now passed since the start of the Great Recession, and those who have borne the brunt of it are entitled to ask whether such a purpose lies behind the Western economy’s continuing troubles, and what it might […]
There is no doubt that Britain’s infrastructure is in need of upgrading. Britain’s road, rail and air transport infrastructure scores 27th, 19th and 18th respectively out of 138 countries analysed by the World Economic Forum. There are also well documented problems associated with broadband provision in the UK. According to the Ookla speedtest, the UK […]
Forget, for a moment, the uncertainties surrounding President-elect Donald Trump. Because in the East, the world’s biggest ever credit boom is set to get even bigger. What’s more, it is not being built around the US dollar, but around a new emerging global currency: the Chinese yuan. Constrained in East Asia by a combination of […]
When Theresa May left India last week, completing her first international trip outside of Europe, she boasted that her visit had sealed £1 billion of deals, which would create over 1,300 jobs. “Leaving the European Union”, she declared, “presents us with a world of opportunities.” Even by the ritual hyperbole of these after-action reports, this […]
This is a transcript of a speech given at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet on November 14th. My Lord Mayor, My Late Lord Mayor, Your Grace, My Lord Chancellor, Your Excellencies, My Lords, Aldermen, Sheriffs, Chief Commoner, Ladies and Gentlemen. We meet tonight in a world transformed. A year ago, few among us would have predicted the […]
It is four years ago since I first tipped up at the Centre for Policy Studies with what seemed like a brilliant idea. I had been introduced to the longest-serving Concorde pilot, Jock Lowe, and he had a scheme for expanding Heathrow for the least cost and bother. Jock’s idea was simply to extend the […]
The proposed merger between AT&T and Time Warner is the biggest of big news – and not just in business circles. Bernie Sanders is already fulminating against the deal, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton not far behind. At $86 billion, the planned tie-up between America’s largest telecoms company and one of its largest media […]
These are turbulent times for the UK – and for banks. International banking is probably more affected by Brexit than any other sector – it is our biggest export industry far, it gets its rules and right to serve cross-border from the EU, and it is internationally mobile. Fortunately, our banking sector weathered the initial […]
The tax landscape has changed dramatically in recent years – and public interest in tax matters has reached unprecedented levels. Headlines about aggressive tax avoidance scandals involving tech giants and global coffee brands have helped shape public opinion towards big business. As a result, politicians are working overdrive to try to address public concerns, close […]
In 2006, exploration in Brazil’s Campos Basin discovered pre-salt, an ultra-deep geological layer known to harbour high-grade oil. The announcement was greeted with euphoria. Politicians said the discovery would launch a new era for the country. The former president, Lula da Silva, described the pre-salt layer as a “winning ticket” for Brazilians. Now, ten years later, […]
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