Why CES 2020 shows the UK is a tech superpower January 8, 2020 The UK’s position as Europe’s leading tech superpower is being reinforced and demonstrated at Consumer Electronic Show (CES) — the world’s largest tech show — in Las Vegas this week. As the UK investment minister I’m delighted to be leading a powerful delegation of UK tech companies ranging from startups hosted by the Future Worlds [...]
The world needs business to step up and reclaim its higher purpose January 8, 2020 Should a company’s responsibility begin and end with shareholders, or extend to customers, communities, and the environment? While hardly an original question, last year saw a renewed focus on debate around the purpose of business — and with sustainability already in the January headlines, from fires in Australia to new figures on climate change, expect [...]
Creepy micromanagement won’t drive productivity — try trusting staff instead January 8, 2020 Calling all employers: what was in your Christmas stocking? Did you find the latest gadget designed to enhance productivity? The innovative device, featured in the media during the festive season, is a toilet with a downward sloping seat. The company which makes it, StandardToilet, has conducted extensive tests. A slope of 13 degrees is exactly [...]
Qassem Soleimani’s death is the UK’s first test of post-Brexit foreign policy January 8, 2020 It would be safe to say that the last thing our new government expected at the start of 2020 — flush with enthusiasm for its domestic agenda — was a foreign policy crisis, much less so one sprung upon it by the reaction of the mercurial Trump administration. But in truth, the drone strike on [...]
Labour refuses to learn the lessons of defeat January 8, 2020 Having overseen Labour’s worst defeat since the 1930s Jeremy Corbyn called for “a period of reflection”. Unfortunately, this overlaps with the campaign to replace him, so instead of ruminating on the reasons for their electoral humiliation Labour MPs are busy pandering to a party membership that still thinks Corbyn was right and the voters were [...]
Three New Year’s resolutions for the wealth management industry January 8, 2020 The year ahead has the potential to be a defining one for the wealth management industry, following a difficult 12 months that have seen client confidence rocked by a number of high-profile issues. Whether it’s the suitability of investment products, exorbitant and opaque fees, or the need to build a better and more inclusive dialogue [...]
How to ask your boss for a pay rise in 2020 January 8, 2020 January is one of the busiest hiring months of the year, as many people re-evaluate their career options over the holiday period. Perhaps you enjoy your current job and don’t want to leave it, but would quite like a pay rise. If you believe that you’re working above your pay grade and are consistently producing [...]
Retail landscape will continue to evolve January 7, 2020 At first glance, the £50m deal to convert a north London retail park into a warehouse and logistics hub is a perfect representation of the forces upending an embattled sector. The relentless rise of online shopping and home delivery means plots like the Ravenside site in Edmonton, snapped up by warehousing giant Prologis, is worth [...]
Want to improve the civil service? Get rid of poor performers and hire some fresh talent January 7, 2020 Dominic Cummings has, once again, taken aim at the establishment — this time the civil service. In an unorthodox job advert last week, he declared his intentions to hire “an unusual set of people” to revolutionise government. Predictably, retired grandees of the profession are up in arms. Whenever anyone calls for Whitehall reform — and [...]
Five political risk predictions for a new era January 7, 2020 As Jules Verne’s unmatchable adventure Around the World in Eighty Days so eloquently put it: “Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real.” Fresh off my firm’s victorious analysis of both Brexit and the outcome of December’s British General Election, we sincerely hope that the new year continues to affirm for us Verne’s [...]