New Zealand dollar: Rock star no longer – CNBC Comment July 20, 2015 It’s that time of the year again – the excitement of the Ashes is palpable. There are a lot of cricket fans in my office and, although I can’t count myself as one of them, a crash course has taught me that the Antipodean teams often win. Indeed, Sunday marked a crushing defeat for England [...]
Adulterers beware: 40m users of cheating website Ashley Madison hacked July 20, 2015 Hackers are threatening to reveal the details of millions of users of the extramarital dating website Ashley Madison, which is soon to embark on a multimillion-pound float in London. A cache of date stolen from the site, which is owned by Canadian company Avid Life Media, includes databases and financial information. Avid said it was [...]
Europe should rediscover its confidence in battling against China’s protectionism July 19, 2015 “Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing I can do. Because then they will act.” – former GE chief executive Jack Welch Beyond doubt, we are not living through a golden age for Europe. But just as feckless champions of the EU as a superpower have been found intellectually wanting, so [...]
Capitalising on rugby fever to the max: MaxiNutrition’s Mark Morgan on a huge year for the sports supplement maker July 19, 2015 The carnival is around the corner. In a few short weeks, the spotlight will fall on England as it stages an event widely recognised as the third biggest sporting festival on the planet. The Olympics and football’s World Cup may dwarf all others, but for those associated with it, this autumn’s egg-shaped jamboree promises a [...]
A lesson from Putin: Three Ps to stay in power – pride, propaganda and perspective July 17, 2015 Western sanctions over the Ukraine crisis, the tumbling price of a vital commodity, and a currency in freefall with record high interest rates. Russia’s economy has leaped from one catastrophe to another. Yet one thing remains: President Vladimir Putin holds the reigns. Putin’s approval rating is now at a record 89 per cent. And while [...]
BBC shows the strain over Tory reform plan: “Aunty has very much pulled up her sleeves” July 16, 2015 The BBC ramped up its fight with the government yesterday as a groundbreaking Conservative review threatened the broadcaster’s size, funding, content and regulation. Culture secretary John Whittingdale revealed a green paper on the future of the corporation, questioning whether it should aim to be “all things to all people”, attacking its “regressive” licence fee scheme [...]
Golf Comment: Spieth delights again but Zach is danger man July 16, 2015 PERFECT weather yesterday made St Andrews look very beatable but the Old Course started to show its teeth in the afternoon and the forecast suggests today could be very tough. Dustin Johnson showed that he has forgotten his disappointment at the US Open by playing beautifully, although I was even more impressed with Jordan Spieth. [...]
Get what you want at work – by asking for it July 14, 2015 Communicate your worth and don’t apologise for it A management position opens up, and Plato and Aristotle both ask to be considered. Plato, placing a supreme value on truth, relies on his track record to do the talking. But Aristotle knows better. He emphasises his own credibility (ethos), puts forward a consistent, well-evidenced plan [...]
Golf Comment: Spieth’s no Open and shut case July 14, 2015 THERE’S no question who the favourite is for the Open Championship, but there is very good reason to doubt that Jordan Spieth will be able to complete the third leg of a Majors grand slam at St Andrews this week. Yes, Spieth is on the crest of a wave. His recovery from a bad first [...]
Gender pay gap: Why Cameron’s announcement is good news for the economy July 14, 2015 Like David Cameron, I want to look back at the gender pay gap in the same way we look back at women not voting and working – as something archaic, delusional and fundamentally wrong. Cameron’s announcement that large firms will have to disclose the average salary for both male and female employees will highlight the [...]