Coronavirus: Could the crisis accelerate the need for ESG communications? April 2, 2020 As Britain digests daily press conferences about Covid-19, the words and actions of business leaders are starting to come under increased scrutiny. As small businesses across the country seek banking loans to stay afloat and employees face being furloughed or even made redundant – what leaders do today and how they communicate will have a [...]
Coronavirus: Imagine if the state could respond like this all the time? April 1, 2020 The effort has been extraordinary. Within a few days, entire hospitals have been constructed from scratch. Vast numbers of intensive care units and ventilators have been assembled at speed. The NHS, once a byword for bureaucracy, has been swift and nimble in getting ready for the Coronavirus emergency to come. Processes that would normally have [...]
Beware the corona crisis power grabs April 1, 2020 IN THE midst of the financial crisis of 2008, Rahm Emanuel, soon-to-be chief of staff for US President-Elect Barack Obama, famously announced that “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before.” Emanuel was [...]
A home working revolution? Not so fast, people love the office April 1, 2020 Chances are you are reading this from home. You are definitely reading it on an electronic device. A mere four weeks ago, you could have been leafing through the print edition or scrolling on the Tube, the bus, or your walk to work. No more. Measures to restrict the spread of coronavirus have meant hundreds [...]
Ethical investment funds — not making the grade? April 1, 2020 Survey after survey has shown that people want their money invested ethically. But what does that mean? And, crucially, do so-called “ethical” funds provide what savers are looking for, or is there a mismatch here? Ethically-labelled investment funds have a list of exclusions — various types of company that they will not invest in because [...]
Covid-19 might lead to long-term action on climate change April 1, 2020 As greenhouse gas emissions plummet due to the commercial standstill caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, there remains a glimmer of hope that at least one positive may arise from this terrible situation — we may yet manage to slow the onset of climate change. From reports of air pollution levels dropping between a third and [...]
DEBATE: Do we need a Keep Calm and Carry On approach to coronavirus communications? April 1, 2020 Do we need a Keep Calm and Carry On approach to coronavirus communications? Yes, says Emma Wood, an account director at integrated branding agency me&dave. It takes more than a series of directives to engage people and inspire them to act. And statistics will only go so far. We need to help people envisage things [...]
We cannot let this lockdown eliminate our civil liberties April 1, 2020 As we enter the second week of lockdown, there is already the possibility that social distancing measures could last until June, perhaps longer. Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England gave the stark warning to the nation on Sunday that: “we must not then suddenly revert to our normal way of living”. [...]
Once we reach a social distancing tipping point, more restrictions won’t help at all April 1, 2020 How long should the lockdown last? Should it be tightened or relaxed? An abstract concept from both epidemiology and network theory can give a powerful insight into these highly practical problems. This is the concept known as the “threshold”, sometimes called the critical point or the tipping point. The basic idea is a very familiar [...]
Brands that put staff and customers first see popularity soar April 1, 2020 As Britain settles into its second week of lockdown, daily life has become almost unrecognisable. The retail industry has been hit hard as a direct result of enforced closures and decimated consumer demand, leading many businesses to issue profit warnings, withhold rent and lay off staff. However, there are brands who have reacted well to [...]