There’s poetry in the business world: How a humanities degree can enrich a career in commerce March 22, 2015 You can move from Shakespeare to supply chain management without being miserable. Some careers follow a straightforward and happy pattern. Many of my business school friends started life as management consultants, did an MBA, and became investment bankers – or vice versa. Or they moved from fund management into industry. Or from equities into debt. [...]
How to deal with workplace dismissal March 19, 2015 An office fracas between employer and employee can be contained. We all know that when a business has an explosive falling out with one of its key members of staff, sides can be taken quickly and the rumour mill can go into overdrive. But in these cases, there are ways that both parties can preserve [...]
How psychology can make you a better negotiator March 18, 2015 Use empathy and build trust to get better results in negotiation. What can help make you a better negotiator? The common advice is to research your opponent and do your homework on what they want to achieve from the negotiations. But it’s also crucial to recognise the psychology behind the bargaining process. Several studies have [...]
Buy-to-let: It’s not all about capital growth March 17, 2015 The stability of rents against average incomes makes for an attractive proposition. The UK – and London in particular – has been the beneficiary of large inflows of global capital into property in the last few years. While most of these funds have flowed into commercial real estate, a growing proportion is being directed into [...]
Lessons from flexible workspaces March 17, 2015 Even established companies can re-create the environments that let startups thrive. For years, truly modern workspaces were the sole domain of Californian tech giants such as Google and Facebook. Smaller businesses were resigned to drab serviced offices or onerous, equally uninspiring, fixed leases. But with more innovative workspaces opening across the capital, London’s small [...]
Dollar surge: Just how much stronger will the currency get? March 16, 2015 The US Fed meeting this week will have big implications Yesterday saw some respite for those worrying about a surging dollar, as the euro rose just under 1 per cent to the $1.05 mark. But this did little to change the wider picture. Partly driven by divergent monetary policy paths in the US and the [...]
Arun Jaitley: The real man behind India’s growth story? – CNBC Comment March 16, 2015 Many people credit India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi with igniting fire in the bellies of his country’s citizens. He has made bold promises to transform and revolutionise India into a business-friendly, tech-savvy, industrial nation — he’s India’s version of the staunchly pro-business former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, if you will. But if you follow [...]
How to make the most of strong trends with breakouts – DailyFX Tips & Picks March 16, 2015 WITH trends picking up steam over the last couple of months, we have seen the return of an old and familiar trading strategy: breakouts. The breakout was one of the first trading techniques I learned and it’s one of the easiest to understand. The idea is that the price trend of the asset we want [...]
Avoiding political clashes at work March 16, 2015 Consider an office policy, and don’t assume others’ points of view in the run-up to the election. It's often said that you should never discuss religion or politics in public, but this may well prove hard over the coming months. As the General Election campaign builds momentum, high profile individuals (and there are many [...]
There’s still value in pitching – even if you won’t win March 15, 2015 Don’t listen to Sun Tzu, says James Wilkins. A failed pitch could still open many doors. The art of War by Sun Tzu states that you should only fight the battles you know you can win. The same might be said of pitching to new clients. If you know you’re unlikely to be successful, it [...]