Work in progress: Time to party? May 8, 2014 There was a time when popstars could be seen opening office blocks in London, while developers threw lavish Cristal ‘n’ caviar evenings to celebrate the sale of £50m mansions. Post-crash, these soirees dried up after they were criticised by some as distasteful in the economic climate. But last week, the Malaysian-owned Battersea Power Station Development [...]
Four skills all business leaders need May 8, 2014 In today’s challenging environment, the role and expectations of leadership are changing WHAT do Margaret Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi and former GE chairman Jack Welch have in common? According to a recent PwC survey, they have all exhibited leadership skills that today’s global chief executives most admire. Yet the demands of leaders today have evolved since [...]
London faces chaos as black cabs go head to head with Uber May 8, 2014 London’s black cabs are on the war path against innovative taxi app service Uber, promising to cause widespread disruption across the capital in early June. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) argue that Uber’s drivers are using an app to calculate fares. It is currently illegal for private vehicles to be equipped with taximeters. However, [...]
The ECB’s new press chief just killed the Draghi tie guesses game May 8, 2014 It’s that Thursday of the month again, and finance Twitter is getting ready for the big event. Many would traditionally have spent the morning making their forecasts. Not on the subject of European Central Bank policy (their monthly decision is out at 12.00pm), but on what colour tie President Mario Draghi would be wearing at [...]
How executive pay regulations can increase inequality – not reduce it May 7, 2014 IN JUST two months, Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century has taken the world by storm. In it, he argues that substantial increases in inequality can only be reversed through government intervention. Piketty’s own suggestion is a 2 per cent annual wealth tax, and income tax rates of up to 80 per cent. In [...]
Three ways to make better decisions May 7, 2014 Intuition will only get you so far – businesses can learn a lot from the Catholic Church In his 2005 book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell argued that many of the best choices are made in microseconds – snap judgements based on intuition. The application of this idea to business decisions has been controversial ever since. Can [...]
Long row in prospect as Man City reject Uefa deal May 7, 2014 MANCHESTER City are on course for a summer-long battle with European governing body Uefa over their proposed punishment for breaking new financial fair play (FFP) rules. Uefa have offered City a settlement comprising a €60m (£49m) fine and a restriction on the size of squad they can use in next season’s Champions League – but [...]
Osborne hits back at Labour in Pfizer row May 6, 2014 CHANCELLOR George Osborne yesterday launched a scathing attack on Labour’s track record, in an increasingly bitter political row over the proposed takeover of UK drugs giant Astrazeneca. Using language that flirted closely with protectionism, which he has so far avoided, Osborne attacked Labour’s free trade approach to foreign takeovers during its 13 years in office. When [...]
Labour’s rent control plans would be a nightmare for tenants May 6, 2014 AS PART of its campaign against the “cost of living crisis”, Labour has stepped up with an offer to help struggling renters. Sadly, at best its proposals are a non-solution, and at worst a nightmare for tenants. The rent regulation that Ed Miliband plans to introduce would see three-year rental contracts become the norm, during [...]
Three things leaders do before work May 6, 2014 High achievers make the most of the quiet early hours to read, reflect, and exercise By the time most of us wake up (around 6.40am, according to a 2010 study on average sleep times by technology company Philips), many highly successful people have already responded to dozens of emails, calls, and started planning out the [...]