Private firms should embrace this new chapter of governance December 11, 2018 Up until now, privately held companies of all sizes have largely been left to their own devices as far as governance is concerned. With the main UK Corporate Governance Code only applying to firms traded on the London Stock Exchange, private companies could broadly avoid letting the sunlight into their internal practices. But this state of [...]
Why today’s workers hold the key to tomorrow’s digital economy December 11, 2018 In the current news climate, you’d be forgiven for believing the world has never experienced a technological revolution before. According to reports, disruptive technologies such as the AI, IoT and Blockchain are set to have a more fundamental impact on the future of work – in the form of the 'intelligent' fourth industrial revolution – [...]
Chief executives can no longer stay out of the political fray December 10, 2018 Activism is everywhere. From our neighbourhoods to boardrooms, national crusades to local causes, there is no shortage of people clamouring to bring pressing, worthy issues to our attention. And business is no exception, hence the rise of a new type of chief executive: the “activist”. This creature takes many forms: publicly outspoken, actively involved in [...]
Today, we are helping to ensure that business is a force for good December 10, 2018 This week sees the launch of the UK’s first set of principles for the corporate governance of large private companies. This is a watershed moment that underlines the key contribution such companies make to the economy and society in general. Business, well done, is a force for good. Business creates the jobs, economic growth, and [...]
Own, loan, or Drover: How the subscription economy is shaking up the car industry December 7, 2018 Felix Leuschner looks far too young to have founded three successful businesses. This German-born entrepreneur was just 23 when he launched what became Europe’s largest marketplace for gaming goods, where players could trade virtual products. After selling that company just nine months later, he moved to London and started a fast-fashion website called Stylistpick, collaborating with [...]
Technology holds the key to workplace wellness and productivity December 7, 2018 Global organisations are investing billions into corporate wellness programmes each year – a trend that isn't going to stop soon. A survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans found that over half of businesses offering this type of initiative experienced less absenteeism and 66 per cent reported productivity gains. However, success is not guaranteed. [...]
Hubris will doom the imperial reigns of Macron and Trump December 7, 2018 A political outsider who came out of nowhere to ride to victory on a populist movement he built himself, to the shock of the mainstream establishment. An expert campaigner who promised that he alone had the easy fixes to the challenges that his country had been grappling with for years. A President who now faces [...]
The golden rule of the office Christmas party: don’t be that guy (or girl) December 7, 2018 The office Christmas party is a minefield. We know this because every year, about this time, an article appears telling you how the office Christmas party is a minefield. Sometimes it offers advice, although those tips are usually either spurious (“remember not to drink too much”) or hand-chewingly obvious (“now is not the time to [...]
Elon Musk could learn a thing or two from Sweden about a healthy work-life balance December 7, 2018 Last month, Elon Musk issued another controversial decree from his Twitter parapet. Appealing to potential applicants to his various companies, Musk made the claim that “nobody ever changed the world on 40 hours a week”. When pressed for details on what would constitute an earth-altering amount of weekly work, he recommended “80 sustained, peaking above [...]
How to conduct a meeting out of the office December 6, 2018 | Sponsored The dreaded conference call… Remember heading to the meeting room and crowding around the speakerphone in the middle of the table? The robotic automated voice telling you that someone is about to join the call? There was nothing quite like the embarrassment of forgetting to press “mute” before saying something about the boss, or suddenly [...]