The government’s restaurant tipping crackdown is a far worse idea than you think May 4, 2016 Not content with setting the wages in future of up to 20 per cent of the private sector workforce through its National Living Wage, the government has now decided to clamp down on tipping practices in restaurants – opening up a new front in pay regulation. The business secretary Sajid Javid wants steps taken to [...]
There’s little logic to 2016’s shareholder revolts against big executive pay-outs May 4, 2016 Reporting of the crisis at BHS has focused as much on the ethics of Sir Philip Green’s behaviour as it has on the plight of the company itself. Sir John Collins, who put Green’s name forward for a knighthood, has said he should be stripped of it if his handling of the beleaguered company is [...]
After a difficult first quarter for UK-based banks, is the outlook finally beginning to brighten? May 4, 2016 Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says Yes. There is no doubt things are tough in the banking industry. But while performance in the first quarter was poor, it was generally ahead of expectations, which serves to underline the level of pessimism surrounding the sector. Progress has been slow since the financial crisis, and there [...]
Britain’s challenger banks had a bumper 2015 – but now they’re facing the challenges of scale May 4, 2016 Amid the misery and bad news associated with UK banks since the crisis, one of the positive rays of light has been the challenger banks. They have grown quickly, with several listing last year as the sector continues to attract both customer and investor interest. The challengers have also long been feted by politicians as [...]
The apprenticeship levy could be a disaster May 4, 2016 Manufacturers have a strong track record and a vested interest in providing quality apprenticeships in the UK. Which is why it’s worth listening when they say that there are serious flaws in the Government’s new apprenticeship levy that could derail the scheme when it is rolled-out. In its current state the levy will be detrimental [...]
You being bored at work is probably the least of your employer’s worries May 3, 2016 Let’s be honest – if you’re reading this it’s probably because you’re bored at work. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Take a moment, however, to consider the plight of the Frenchman whose own crushing workplace ennui has led to him taking his former employer to court. We all get bored at work. We all manage to [...]
Shining a light on pay disparity can be the harbinger of change May 3, 2016 With his recent £70m pay check, Sir Martin Sorrell has cast himself once again as either pantomime villain or Hero of New Capitalism. Whichever side you take, WPP’s employees and the wider world now know his salary, which colours the extent to which we agree with his L’Oréal worthy proclamation: “I’m worth it”. Changes for the good in pay [...]
Just what has the EU got against e-cigs? May 3, 2016 The e-cig is one of the great success stories of our time. For decades, public health officials have worried about the effects of tobacco smoking, and market-driven innovation has ridden to the rescue. What a triumph the e-cig, or vaping, could prove to be. Public Health England concluded last year that these little devices are 95 [...]
Investors win as activism invades the boardroom May 3, 2016 Activist investors have become a fixture in capital markets over the last several years, causing many to raise questions about the long-term value of a style of investing that puts a premium on short-term gains. It’s a phenomenon S&P Global Market Intelligence has studied closely to better understand the relationship between activist investing and corporate [...]
The problem with Ukraine and Iraq isn’t Putin and Islamic State: It’s that both countries are basket cases May 3, 2016 “The gods help them that help themselves.” – Aesop When it comes to the seemingly intractable crises in both Ukraine and Iraq, a comforting, if wholly untrue, narrative has taken hold. The chaos that has laid low these two plucky, overmatched, but deserving states is entirely the fault of the world’s two most obvious Bond [...]