Welcome to the Age of Boycotts, where controversy can be a brand’s best friend October 8, 2020 This summer’s hectic news agenda made corporate boycotts the latest hot fashion accessory — and it’s not a trend that looks likely to die any time soon. But rather than panicking and getting ready to fold to the demands of the online (and offline) mob, companies should reframe the risk of being subject to a [...]
The arts are not an optional extra, they are the life and soul of our nation October 8, 2020 If at first you don’t succeed, retrain and move into a more viable vocation. That was the advice of the chancellor this week with regards to the impossible position faced by artists, musicians and actors who have seen their livelihoods decimated since the start of the Covid crisis. ITV may have later clarified that Rishi Sunak’s [...]
Back London today — so that London may back the UK tomorrow October 8, 2020 At the Conservative Party Conference this week, chancellor Rishi Sunak promised he “will always be pragmatic”. Right now, however, the policies governing our towns and cities appear anything but pragmatic. Given that the UK’s major cities, and especially London, are going to be vital in helping our economy recover from the impact of Covid-19, it [...]
Missed 16,000 Covid cases thanks to an Excel error? You need a data literacy lesson October 8, 2020 As has been widely reported, a technical glitch with the NHS Test and Trace system last week meant that almost 16,000 positive Covid-19 cases were not recorded in the official data. The issue lay with Public Health England’s use of Microsoft Excel to transfer lab results into its reporting dashboards. The results were stored in [...]
Be brave Mr Sunak… and keep spending October 7, 2020 Since Rishi Sunak stepped into the suddenly vacant 11 Downing Street back in February, he’s proved a fleet-footed chancellor, earning praise for the speed at which he launched the furlough programme, provided cash support to struggling companies, and stood behind the economy as the pandemic took hold. He quickly realised that extraordinary times required extraordinary [...]
Investing in a greener future: How do we make the sums add up? October 7, 2020 By 2030, the UK will produce enough wind from offshore sources to power every home in the land. That was the pledge the prime minister made to the Conservative Party Conference this week, promising to turn us into the “Saudi Arabia of wind” (a subtle joke? One can never tell with Boris). Household appliances, he [...]
Forget the conventional wisdom, all investors want from the US election is a return to stability October 7, 2020 Even in the post-superpower era, US elections are the most-followed global political event for market participants. In this extraordinary year, fears of delays and legal challenges have driven volatility, while the ghosts of 2016’s polling failure undermine confidence in forecasting methods. Conspiracy theories abound: Trump’s diagnosis is a hoax, designed to boost sympathy. Or conversely, [...]
See A Film Out To Help Out: Five ways to save the film industry October 7, 2020 In this uncertain and unnerving year, there seems to be little light at the end of the tunnel, particularly for people working in the UK’s film industry. This week, Cineworld confirmed its plans to place all of its own cinemas and those of its Picturehouse brand in an unprecedented winter hibernation — meaning the loss [...]
Following the science? This government lacks a basic grasp of the scientific method October 7, 2020 Verification and validation. It is hard to imagine a more nerdy phrase. But it is, in essence, how science makes progress. It is what we have to do to check whether a scientific claim or theory is correct. And it has been seriously neglected during the Covid-19 crisis. Just over a century ago, for example, [...]
Uncle Ben’s purchase consideration increases after rebrand October 6, 2020 Following the global protests over the killing of George Floyd in June, Mars Food was one of several FMCG giants that promised to review its brands that could be seen as racially insensitive, with Uncle Ben’s coming under close attention. When the brand first entered the market over 70 years ago “uncle” was used as [...]