Team Sky: Cycling behemoth will leave behind conflicted image of success tinged by “damaging scepticism” December 12, 2018 It’s no wonder some see Team Sky as cycling’s bad guys. Their bus is nicknamed the “Death Star”, their employees wear black and they have conquered all in their path through heavy investment. The shock announcement that their media giant benefactor will pull the plug on its sponsorship at the end of the 2019 season [...]
Theresa May vows to fight no confidence vote, warning leadership contest risks Brexit December 12, 2018 Theresa May has vowed to fight today’s no confidence vote “with everything I’ve got”, as she warned that a change of leadership would delay or even cancel Brexit. Addressing media outside Downing Street this morning after Sir Graham Brady of the 1922 Committee confirmed the 48-letter threshold for a no confidence vote has been reached, [...]
The future of corporate training lies in virtual reality December 11, 2018 Virtual training is being hailed as the “new Powerpoint” for corporates when it comes to training up staff. And as virtual reality (VR) continues to rise in popularity across the social community, it is no surprise that organisations are looking to embrace this immersive technology as a replacement for existing, more traditional methods. No more [...]
Google chief denies tech giant has plans to launch censored search engine in China December 11, 2018 Google's chief executive, Sundar Pichai, has said the firm has "no plans" to launch a censored version of its search engine in China in testimony before US lawmakers at a hearing this afternoon. The comments came despite widespread reports of such efforts, as well as a letter from Pichai to senators in August which that said providing such a service could [...]
The seven trends in the digital sport world to look out for in 2019 December 11, 2018 This has been a transformative year for the digital sport landscape, from tech giants Amazon and Facebook making major rights acquisitions to a rise in behind-the-scenes and self-authored content. Here, Charlie Beall of consultancy Seven League assesses the trends that dominated 2018 and look set to shape the next 12 months. 1. Athletes becoming media As [...]
Bored of Brexit? How the B-word went from advertiser’s dream to branding disaster December 11, 2018 The word “Brexit” is unavoidable. When we pick up a newspaper, turn on the TV, or log in to social media, the B-word follows us everywhere. For many of the world’s largest brands, this would be a dream. The likes of Nike, Coca-Cola and Amazon spend billions of pounds for the kind of ubiquity that [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
John Arne Riise interview: Former Liverpool left-back on retirement, punditry, poker and his ambition to become a manager December 6, 2018 John Arne Riise retired from playing football two years ago. But unlike some, the former Liverpool player did not make a clean break from the sport. He did not crave time away. Far from it. The Norwegian’s enduring love of football has meant he hasn’t gone far since hanging up his boots in June 2016, [...]