What will the US do about tax inversion? August 31, 2014 Burger King drew the ire of many Americans this past week by announcing a plan to move their corporate headquarters to Canada from the United States after purchasing the Canadian doughnut chain Tim Hortons. In doing so, Burger King stands to save at least $8.1m a year in taxes. The company remains adamant that Uncle [...]
Nick Clegg almost gets it right on drug policy August 31, 2014 Earlier this month, speaking to The Sun newspaper, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg made a bold statement on Britain's drug policy: "At the moment, we are doing an utterly senseless thing — chucking the people who need treatment behind bars so they simply become even more vulnerable to the criminal gangs who exploited them in [...]
How to give a compelling speech and not just make noise August 29, 2014 Have you ever walked away from a big speech or a presentation feeling puzzled? Lots of things were said, lots of words were used, a number of points were covered, and you were there for over an hour – yet you can’t remember a thing that was said. Too often speakers and presenters fail to [...]
In pursuit of premium – City & Gild August 29, 2014 As brand consultants, our singular task when all other non-constants shift like the sands – taxation, distribution, clients, EBITDA target – is to unearth that golden nugget of truth from which a body of rich and juicy “reasons to believe” can be crafted. These can in turn inspire and inform the essence of the brand; [...]
Douglas Carswell Ukip defection is a wake up call but not a nightmare for Cameron – The Word From Westminster August 28, 2014 He knew the day would come, but David Cameron will most likely wake to an uneasy calm this morning, rather than the pit-of-the-stomach sense of impending doom he probably expected. Because while Douglas Carswell’s defection to Ukip from the Conservatives dominates the headlines, the Prime Minister’s party seemed to be united behind him as well [...]
Amazon’s Twitch purchase heralds a new age of creative consumption August 28, 2014 It's enough to make an accountant develop a nervous one. This week Amazon snapped up Twitch, a video platform and community for computer gamers, paying the princely sum of $970m (£585m) in cash. That’s a lot of money for something many people have never heard of – more than three times the amount Amazon spent [...]
Confessions of a working mum: Kids back at school and all my troubles begin August 28, 2014 Back to school. Three little words that excite all squabble-weary parents at this time of year. For me, the relief is accompanied by a kind of dread at the thought of re-entering the world of timetables, permission slips and after-school clubs. For those of us who favour a free-wheeling approach to parenting, school life only [...]
Don’t fear a stock correction: Markets are regaining a sensitivity to danger August 28, 2014 Congenital insensitivity to pain is a rare and dangerous disorder that causes those afflicted by it to, quite literally, feel no pain. This happens because of a genetic malfunction that prevents “pain signals” from being transmitted to the brain. At first this may sound pretty appealing, but a moment of consideration soon reveals the pitfalls. [...]
As Tory MP Douglas Carswell defects to Ukip, will this prove disastrous for David Cameron? August 28, 2014 Mike Smithson, editor of PoliticalBetting.com, says Yes. The big consolation for David Cameron and his party is that, although Ukip did exceedingly well in the May European Parliament elections, it has struggled in other contests elsewhere where there was a different voting system. In the first past the post local elections, Ukip dropped 6 per [...]
Don’t fear a stock market correction: We’re regaining our sensitivity to danger August 28, 2014 CONGENITAL insensitivity to pain is a rare and dangerous disorder that causes those afflicted by it to, quite literally, feel no pain. This happens because of a genetic malfunction that prevents “pain signals” from being transmitted to the brain. At first this may sound pretty appealing, but a moment of consideration soon reveals the pitfalls. [...]