Businesses need to wake up to the real and present danger of cyber-crime is October 8, 2012 SPEAKING in Budapest, the Foreign Secretary William Hague recently announced that cyber-crime is “one of the greatest global and strategic challenges of our time”. In July, the director general of the Security Service Jonathan Evans stated that cyber security ranks alongside terrorism as one of the four key security challenges facing the UK. There is [...]
The Muslim world is opening up for Western investors October 8, 2012 AS INVESTORS and companies steer a course through social and economic turmoil, it is understandable that they are cautious of new markets. But, despite the volatility of the Arab Spring, it would be a missed opportunity to ignore the Muslim world. There are 1.8bn Muslims globally; the majority are spread across the 57 countries of [...]
Is Osborne right to encourage employees to trade workplace rights for tax-free shares? October 8, 2012 YES Carol Dempsey Employees owning shares in their employer is good for the business and can help drive the right behaviours. At first glance this new proposal seems simple and generous, and will be of particular interest to start-ups. But its success will depend on the detail and consultation will be crucial. For example, since [...]
Rapid Responses October 8, 2012 Public services [Re: Lessons to be learnt from government’s rail franchise fiasco, Thursday] Only the free market provides the incentives necessary to create an efficient operation. It is a public servant’s incentive to create complex organisations that voters can’t always understand and thus the argument will remain better management rather than better incentives. Tobias Wahl There [...]
Mark Rothko painting defaced at the Tate Modern art gallery October 7, 2012 A MULTI-MILLION painting by Modernist artist Mark Rothko was defaced by a visitor to the Tate Modern museum yesterday. The gallery said a man had inscribed a message using black paint in the corner of the 1958 canvass Black on Maroon shortly before 3.30pm before quickly leaving the room. An investigation is currently underway. The [...]
Dear Prime Minister: 45 MPs sign letter criticising BAE/EADS merger October 7, 2012 THE proposed takeover of BAE systems by EADS raises a significant number of issues which have profound consequences for Britain. Not only does Her Majesty’s Government have an obligation to make a political decision on the takeover, as the guardian of the “golden share”, but it also has a duty to safeguard Britain’s national security [...]
India’s long journey towards reform holds lessons for the City’s future October 7, 2012 LOOKING back at Europe from New Delhi – and the City delegation’s business visit to India – it is clear that reform tops the agenda in both places. Whether it is Vickers, Liikanen or Singh, the detailed reasons behind reform may be different. But the desired overall outcome is the same: to create stable jobs [...]
It’s now time for Chelsea and John Terry to say sorry October 7, 2012 FOR the past year, I have often been the only person in a room defending John Terry, the captain of Chelsea Football club and former England captain, against charges of racism. I still believe, as the Football Association (FA) asserted last week, that Terry is not a racist, regardless of the outburst he made against [...]
As the Conservative conference begins, will the party recapture the political initiative? October 7, 2012 YES Alex Singleton It’s easy to underestimate David Cameron and write him off as wishy-washy. But he’s actually one of the most determined men in politics, who will ruthlessly ditch policies that he deems electorally damaging. His reshuffle last month gave a clear indication that he is listening to critics. Some want to write him [...]
Rapid responses October 7, 2012 Dirty subsidies [Re: We just need the political will to reduce destructive energy prices, Friday] Matthew Sinclair’s long rant against climate change policies showed a remarkable ignorance of the economics of energy. As the energy regulator Ofgem has pointed out, the primary driver of electricity price rises over the past eight years has not been [...]