CONFERENCE WHISPERS October 4, 2011 The cat(s) that got the cream Cats abound at this year’s Tory conference. First Theresa May, the home secretary, used her speech to claim that a convicted Bolivian illegal immigrant had been allowed to stay in Britain because he owned a British pet cat. The delegates lapped up this tale of human rights madness, but [...]
Osmond’s APR expects lift from Cat deal September 29, 2011 APR Energy, the temporary power business owned by entrepreneur Hugh Osmond, expects a surge in new business after it signed an emerging markets development deal with Caterpillar. The five-year contract will see APR work with Caterpillar and Florida agent Ring Power, with Caterpillar supplying mobile generator sets to APR Energy. APR will gain access to [...]
A downhill struggle: a first timer’s ski odyssey September 25, 2011 AS a country, we are obsessed with what separates us. North-South; rich-poor; black-white; upper, middle or working class. I’ve always thought that skiing holidays, for the Brits at least, offer one of the most reliable dividing lines. Personally, I would do away the census and ask one question: have you been on a skiing holiday [...]
The robotic killers that could take over Blue Peter September 25, 2011 Animals aren’t high-tech enough. They don’t have screens. You can’t easily upgrade them. Last night I spent six hours trying to control a fox with my iPhone, with limited success. Don’t take my word for it – ask the makers of Blue Peter. They have decided not to relocate the show’s famous menagerie in the [...]
Bagpuss to get new owner after £4m bid September 20, 2011 HE MAY be an “old, saggy cloth cat, baggy, and a bit loose at the seams,” but Bagpuss’ owner has agreed to sell him for £4.2m. The announcement that media rights owner Coolabi has agreed to a 7.75p a share deal with North Promotions sent its stock tumbling by almost a quarter yesterday, as the [...]
Politicians don’t know how incentives work September 20, 2011 THE chancellor George Osborne and business secretary Vince Cable believe that Britain’s economic problems are partly to be blamed on poorly designed incentive schemes. They believe that senior businessmen are “rewarded for failure”. If this were true, it would indeed be a problem. But the idea is preposterous. Why would the owners of a company [...]
Poverty of debate is holding us back September 18, 2011 IT is obvious that companies need to work harder to make sure that all their employees deliver the goods. This must apply to everybody, including CEOs, who are hired by shareholders to maximise their value. They should be paid a lot if they do well and fired without massive payoffs if they fail. It should [...]
Groupon boss in spotlight as IPO halted September 7, 2011 THE SPOTLIGHT has fallen on Groupon boss Andrew Mason as news of the deal website’s postponed float begins to sink in. Its ambitions of achieving a $20bn valuation have been put on indefinite hold, with Mason’s souring relations with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) thought to be among the reasons. Tensions have been simmering [...]
theatre HIGHLIGHTS THIS AUTUMN eight of the best September 1, 2011 THE TEMPEST Theatre Royal, Haymarket Ralph Fiennes, soon to be starring in his own film version of Shakespeare’s play Coriolanus, takes on the iconic role of Prospero in this must-see production (see right). It’s the first major London staging of the Bard’s mysterious final play in years, and also happens to offer the prospect of [...]
ONE MAN IN A BOAT FOR SOLO WORLD RECORD BID August 29, 2011 HE HAS already crossed the Tasman Sea and the Atlantic and survived two hurricanes in his attempt to complete one of the last remaining world firsts. Now Olly Hicks of executive search firm Oliver Stanley is counting down the days until his most extreme mission yet: an 18-month journey to become the first person in [...]