Barclays’ Diamond snubs top job interview with Bank of America October 19, 2009 BARCLAYS Capital president Bob Diamond snubbed an opportunity to be interviewed for the top job at Bank of America (BoA), City A.M. can confirm. Diamond was approached by BoA’s board and asked if he would be interested in replacing outgoing chief executive Kenneth Lewis. But he refused because “he’s got a great opportunity where he [...]
Timing is everything when you choose to study for an MBA October 14, 2009 RESOLVING to take significant time out of your career to study for an MBA is one of the biggest decisions you can take, and one that involves a whole host of other choices – what kind of MBA to take, what school and even what country to study it in, and, perhaps most importantly, when [...]
J&J sees a profit rise, as sales dip October 13, 2009 Johnson & Johnson, the US healthcare firm, posted weaker-than-expected quarterly sales yesterday as sales of prescription drugs and cardiac stents disappointed. While third-quarter profit topped analyst forecasts, that was largely because of cost cuts and lower taxes. Generic competition and safety concerns have undermined sales of many major products for the firm. Anaemia medicine Procrit, [...]
Let’s unleash the human spirit to create and build October 12, 2009 Whatever else you may want to say about Barack Obama’s award of the Nobel Peace Prize, it is clearly a nod to the enormous power of language as a healer of divisions. Time will tell whether he stops the fighting in Israel, discourages Iran from bomb plans, engages effectively with the Muslim world, heals the [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPER SAY THIS MORNING October 11, 2009 THE SUNDAYSThe Sunday TelegraphBORIS JOHNSON WARNS EU TO KEEP OUT OF THE CITYBritain’s financial sector, which creates billions of pounds in revenue for the Treasury, is under threat from European legislation and an increasing tax burden on high-earning individuals, a report from the Mayor of London’s office says. The report, released this week, says that [...]
When it comes to the crunch, this is too trite October 8, 2009 TheatreTHE POWER OF YESThe National Theatre*** “THIS is not a play,” the narrator announces ominously as the curtains open. Instead it is a “story” of the credit crunch conducted through interviews with key financial figures, including mathematician Myron Scholes (Malcolm Sinclair) co-father of the Scholes-Black option-pricing model which underpinned much financial wizardry, FSA head Adair [...]
Jaguar gets 500m new bank funding October 7, 2009 BELEAGUERED carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) yesterday revealed it has secured £500m of new funding, easing the pressure on the company after a dramatic slump in car sales during the recession. JLR, which is owned by India’s Tata Motors, said the monies included a £175m loan from the State Bank of India and a new [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING October 7, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMESMICROSOFT NEARER TO EU DEALMicrosoft yesterday scored an important breakthrough in its long-running battle with European regulators, paving the way for an end to a highly charged dispute that has hung over the US?software company for much of this decade in one of its most important markets. The EU’s antitrust watchdog said that it [...]
Q & A : WHERE HAVE THE STRIKE THREATS COME FROM? October 7, 2009 Q. WHAT ARE THE UNIONS OPPOSING?A. On Tuesday, British Airways announced it was cutting 1,700 jobs and was introducing a two-year pay freeze for cabin crew as it looks to cut costs in the downturn. It also said it would recruit new staff on different terms and conditions to current employees. Unite has denounced the [...]
Finsbury chief executive departs September 30, 2009 Cake and bread maker Finsbury Food yesterday announced that chief executive Martin Lightbody stepped down with immediate effect after the group reported a 65 per cent fall in year end pre-tax profit. Lightbody will be replaced by chief operating officer John Duffy. Finsbury posted pre-tax profits of £5m for the year to 4 July, compared [...]