DEBATE: Is the Thomas Cook boss right to defend his high pay? October 1, 2019 Is Peter Fankhauser, boss of now-collapsed Thomas Cook, right to defend his high pay and bonuses? YES, says Benedict Spence, a freelance writer. It never sits well, watching those high up the corporate ladder gorge themselves as companies go under. But the case of Peter Fankhauser and Thomas Cook isn’t quite as clear cut as [...]
Tax cuts, not just increased costs, should be on Chancellor’s agenda September 30, 2019 Sajid Javid acknowledges that he is in no small part a product of the City’s big bang. Faced with closed shops in some of the more traditional banks, this British-Asian outsider worked his way up the chain first in an American bank and then in a German one. Many in the Square Mile reckoned they’d [...]
A splash of colour: Art can boost workplace productivity September 30, 2019 Florence Nightingale once wrote: “Little as we know about the way in which we are affected by form, by colour, and light, we do know this: that they have an actual physical effect. Variety of form and brilliancy of colour in the objects presented to patients, are actual means of recovery.” That’s a quote from [...]
A plague on both Trump’s sordid White House and the self-righteous Democrats September 30, 2019 Shakespeare, as ever, said it best. As the eloquent Mercutio lays dying at the hands of Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, his last thoughts are of the unreasoning duel between the two aristocratic families of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets. Aptly summing up the poisonous atmosphere which directly led to his death, Mercutio damns [...]
Alone again? Cities can drive connection in an isolated world September 30, 2019 Walking across London Bridge in the morning is to feel part of a truly connected and global city. The sheer diversity of ethnicities and languages would make it difficult to say in which country this city lay. Most buildings host coffee shops and restaurants bustling with people. Offices are increasingly occupied by small businesses with [...]
The Dragon Awards celebrate the London firms working towards a fairer society September 30, 2019 As well as being the top hub for finance, London is also fast becoming known as a leading centre for responsible business and philanthropy. I strongly believe that we must shape the society in which we want to live, and not wait for it to shape us. Last week at the Mansion House, we celebrated [...]
More heat than light in Thomas Cook debate September 29, 2019 One Thomas Cook was bailed out last week. Thanks to the generosity of friends, family and the Linden Princess Hotel in Rhodes, Thomas Cook’s wedding to Amelia Binch went ahead last Friday. The couple feared all was lost after the travel operator, with whom they had booked a wedding package, collapsed in spectacular style. More [...]
The Labour party is unfit for anything but protest September 27, 2019 These are heady days for political junkies, what with Supreme Court rulings, the hasty return of MPs to Westminster and, through it all, the spectacle of party conference season. The Tory party conference is up in the air since MPs decided yesterday not to allow for a mini-recess that would let the Tories gather in [...]
A good property manager is crucial. Here’s what to look for when hiring one September 27, 2019 Whether you are a property investor, a house builder, resident management company, right to manage company or a residents’ association, property management has never been more important. As more and more people choose to rent or buy leasehold, their expectations of the service they receive are getting higher – and rightly so. There are plenty [...]
How can online-only banks win over cautious consumers? September 27, 2019 The direction of travel for banking is clear – we’re moving away from highstreets and onto smartphones. But tech should not outpace consumer confidence, and lessons on how to do that can be drawn from the payments industry. This week Which? reported that a third of UK bank branches have closed in the last five [...]