It’s time for some Eastern exposure February 24, 2010 THE financial crisis has only highlighted China’s position as the next economic superpower. Increasing investor interest in the world’s most populous country is underlined by tomorrow’s launch of fund management firm Fidelity’s China Special Situations Fund, which is run by its star asset manager Anthony Bolton. He plans to invest in Chinese companies that are [...]
An MBA is the gateway to the international marketplace February 24, 2010 AN Australian-born executive based in London and married to a South African banker, Nick Kontopoulos could be seen as the very essence of today’s globe-trotting business internationalist. However it wasn’t until his MBA studies led him to China that he thought that he might end up living and working there. Kontopoulos, a marketing business developer [...]
To get on the right MBA course, be prepared to jump through hoops February 24, 2010 Taking a two year break from your career to study, and spending tens of thousands of pounds in the process, is up there with buying a house or getting married when it comes to serious, life-changing decisions. In the past decade the commercial success of MBA courses has seen them proliferate at hundreds of institutions, [...]
PROACTIVE APPLICANT | MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN February 24, 2010 IF you want to be a successful MBA candidate, then you should make sure that the people who run the course know you even before you send in your application. When your CV drops on the doorman, that shouldn’t be the first time it has heard from you. Most schools have online application forms, but you [...]
GETTING PICKED | ARE YOU DESIRABLE? February 24, 2010 GETTING on to an MBA course is not just about what it offers you, but what you can offer it. Business schools will put together cohorts that don’t simply contain the best candidates, but the right cross-section of nationalities, backgrounds and experience to build the most dynamic team. Programmes are generally structured in such a [...]
Business needs to win back public trust February 24, 2010 LET’S be blunt: there’s a serious problem with corporate governance. Corporate trust is being eroded and unless something is done, this trend will continue. Edelman PR publish an annual Trust Barometer, which tracks public trust in major institutions across all sectors. The latest barometer shows – unsurprisingly – that trust in politics was “volatile”, while [...]
Confusion over tax regime is damaging UK February 24, 2010 ON Monday, the prime minister released a draft Tax Framework for Business at a global trade conference, apparently aimed at reassuring multinationals, worried about the UK’s tax policy. The problem with this framework is that it offers no guidance at all on the direction of travel. Rather, its statements are a mixture of vague aspirations [...]
A brilliant debut novel that tells of tragedy in the City rings all too true February 24, 2010 THIS BLEEDING CITY BY ALEX PRESTON Faber, £12.99 You’d have thought the time had passed for another book about the City and its pre-crunch pulse of money, aspiration and the personal damnation all that can lead to. Certainly, there have been countless stories about “what really went on” – the strip clubs, the arrogance, the [...]
OUT OF OFFICE February 24, 2010 PRIVATE LIVES TO OPEN AT VAUDEVILLE Noel Coward’s play is sure to be a hit when it opens next week, starring Sex and the City’s Kim Cattrall and Spooks’ Matthew McFadyen. It is the story of Elyot and Amanda, who were formerly married. Now both are honeymooning with their new spouses and run into each [...]
Rathbone warns of uncertain year ahead February 24, 2010 RATHBONE Brothers has warned that the year ahead would be unpredictable with an election ahead and low interest rates. The wealth manager said pre-tax profit from continuing operations last year fell 30 per cent to £29.5m from £42.3m. It said its bottom line was badly hit by a drop in net interest income, as low [...]
