Why we need an Apple for financial services – to rebuild customer trust May 13, 2015 Modern life has turned us all into perfectionists. We value companies that make our lives easier, and shun those that don’t. We expect brands to make us feel good and remind us that we’re part of something special. Companies have to deliver great service every time, or face our wrath on social media and risk [...]
Fitness Tracker: How useful is technology in the quest to get healthy? May 13, 2015 Last year I underwent a 10-week fitness program with City gym No 1 Fitness. It involved four personal training sessions a week and eliminating carbs and sugar from my diet. Unsurprisingly, it worked; I ended up fitter than I’d ever been. But how easy is it to get to that level of fitness if you [...]
The real secrets of Silicon Valley May 12, 2015 Beneath the magical veneer, there are business principles everyone can learn from SILICON Valley has become something of a mecca for talented entrepreneurs looking to make their mark. As a professor teaching them, I have had a ringside seat as some of the most driven businesspeople on the planet slug it out. Life here is [...]
Europe and China worries push US lower – New York Report May 11, 2015 Wall closed down yesterday, as investors fretted about Greece’s precarious financial condition and slowing growth in China, while energy stocks fell on weaker oil prices. US stocks, which rallied Friday on a strong jobs report, have been trading at historically expensive valuations, fuelled by ultra-low borrowing costs. Investors took a pessimistic view of Europe, as [...]
How to stop the machines from killing your job May 11, 2015 Invest in skills that complement tech but don’t compete with it. Rapid improvements in digital technology are changing the nature of human work. Computers can now recognise human speech and use it to carry out simple instructions. They work alongside humans in factories, warehouses and fields. And they can parse through large databases in [...]
Angela Ahrendts: The Apple of their eye May 6, 2015 Angela Ahrendts was paid an $83m golden hello when she joined Apple last year. The highly-successful boss left behind a career at Burberry, with her role filled by Chris Bailey. But Bailey soon ran into trouble as his modest-by-comparison pay sparked a shareholder revolt. While Burberry expressed its disappointment at the time, a source close [...]
Can companies thrive in times of uncertainty? May 6, 2015 Resilience lets firms turn disruptions into new opportunities. We live in an increasingly interconnected and volatile world, so companies can find it hard to anticipate risky events that can cause significant financial losses. From minor shipment delays and weather disruptions to a major crisis like Ebola, it’s clear that things can often go wrong. [...]
Europe’s digital single market 16 point plan unveiled: What is it, what does it mean, why does it matter? May 6, 2015 Europe wants to build a digital single market – and now it has a 16-point plan of how it's going to make that happen. What is it? The European Commission intends to bring a whole number of markets that are digital, from ebooks to parcel delivery and video on demand to VAT, in line with [...]
Why lonely Apple Watch owners are sharing their heartbeats with strangers May 6, 2015 If you share a heartbeat and there's no one at the other end to feel it, has that heartbeat been shared at all? Apple Watch users have clubbed together on Reddit to solve that very problem – by creating a board just for those feeling a bit isolated with their newly-acquired Apple Watches. Let's explain: [...]
Former Burberry boss banks big bucks in US May 5, 2015 Apple’s head of retail Angela Ahrendts was awarded pay of $82.6m (£54m) in 2014, according to Bloomberg. It made the former chief executive of Burberry the highest paid female executive in the US last year.