The future looks bright for university graduates May 21, 2019 This month, university students across the country are being tested on their chosen field of study. As if the exam season weren’t stressful enough, final-year students also have to deal with acute cases of so-called employability anxiety. This generation is already described as the “most anxious in history”, so adding extra stress makes for a [...]
Are emerging markets ready to fight back? May 21, 2019 You know there’s an underlying problem when investment firms start to cut exposure to a particular asset class. Goldman Sachs’ decision last week to slash exposure to emerging markets is an indication of the current situation for these economies. The bank’s asset management arm said that it had scaled back its “overweight” exposure to emerging [...]
Brands, forget about customer loyalty and trust. Just make stuff that people want to buy May 20, 2019 If you're a harassed brand manager, a chief marketing officer with a case of the shakes, or a branding agency strategist for whom visiting Twitter is like playing Russian roulette, here’s the good news: the average person couldn’t care less about your brand. I mean really, they don’t care. Don’t interject by stating the name of [...]
To avert the deluge, business must unleash its heroic spirit May 20, 2019 After us, the deluge. These are the words not of our Prime Minister, but from another troubled time and uttered by Madame de Pompadour, the lover of King Louis XV of France. The French Revolution would prove the prophecy. And for revolutionaries since, the idea of the deluge has inspired. Karl Marx went as far [...]
DEBATE: Are workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) being attacked unfairly? May 20, 2019 Are workplace non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) being attacked unfairly? Trevor Bettany, partner at Charles Russell Speechlys, says YES. Workplace NDAs have long been used to enable employers and employees to protect their reputations and move on following the breakdown of a working relationship, by providing assurances that neither party can discuss details of the often-disputed complaints. [...]
Walking the walk: The City is on a journey to revolutionise transport in the capital May 20, 2019 For Londoners, complaining about public transport is as commonplace as complaining about the weather. The City of London is the most accessible part of the capital, served by 15 Tube stations, seven Tube lines, eight mainline stations, multiple bus routes, and a fast-evolving bicycle network, but with a working population of 513,000 and home to [...]
The secret to the productivity puzzle? Work fewer hours May 20, 2019 The UK faces a tough productivity problem. According to the Office for National Statistics, British productivity has improved by just 0.5 per cent per year since 2008, and lags 15 per cent behind other G7 countries. Productivity is measured as value added per hour worked. Obviously it rises if we produce more value – which [...]
Opinion: Don’t be so quick to abolish no-fault evictions – it is easy to be beguiled by the myth of the underdog May 17, 2019 Everyone loves an underdog. The David and Goliath narrative was prominent in the reporting of the Government’s proposal to abolish Section 21 Notices, which residential landlords can use to end assured shorthold tenancies (“ASTs”) without the tenant being at fault. I would like to sound a dissenting note. Since 1997, the law has gradually moved [...]
Tried-and-failed plan to nationalise energy in the UK is a step backwards May 17, 2019 Last week, I ventured to Athens for this year’s Atlas European Liberty Forum conference, which brings together free market groups, not just from Europe, but from all over the world. It’s always a remarkable experience, which puts into perspective the battles for freedom we face here in the UK. You meet people – particularly young [...]
Debate: As National Vegetarian Week ends, will this group outnumber meat eaters in the next decade? May 17, 2019 As National Vegetarian Week ends, will this group outnumber meat eaters in the next decade? YES – Sophie Lewis is chief strategy officer at marketing agency VMLY&R. If you’d asked me two years ago, my answer would have been in the negative, but we’ve reached a cultural tipping point when it comes to both vegetarians [...]