Why 2012 will be Groundhog Year January 2, 2012 WELL good riddance to all that. Few would disagree that 2011 was truly an annus horribilis, a year defined by feckless politicians and unruly mobs. I, for one, felt a sense of relief when the chiming bells heralded the start of a new year; at certain times over the last twelve months, it felt as [...]
Commuters return to hike in train prices January 2, 2012 COMMUTERS returning to work today have been hit by yet another hike in rail fares, after the average ticket price rose by 5.9 per cent with the new year, sending season tickets rocketing. The increases will see the average single ticket rise from £5 to £5.30, and season passes for some popular commuter routes rise [...]
Woes in the UK could last for a while December 8, 2011 THERE is a sense of fin de siècle surrounding Tesco these days. Sir Terry Leahy, who first joined the supermarket giant in 1979, has left the building, with a clutch of his key lieutenants in tow. Sales at existing stores, which have risen inexorably in recent years, are flagging. Its market share, once a source [...]
BRICS expansion isn’t always easy December 7, 2011 Talk about counterintuitive. India, we’re always told, is the place to be for Western companies who want to move beyond mature markets at home. Now Barclays is scaling back its operations there, selling its $580m loan book and $35m credit card portfolio. In recent years, it has been the done thing to try to build [...]
Osborne gets an ‘A’ for moving fiscal goalposts November 29, 2011 IT is a common joke that some tests are impossible to fail – the driving theory exam, for instance, or an A-Level in General Studies. You would expect George Osborne’s fiscal mandate to be slightly more taxing. But you’d be wrong. Because the chancellor’s two fiscal targets test very little, save for his ability to [...]
Trust in the Tinkerer of the Exchequer November 29, 2011 IT WAS a motley crew of beneficiaries the Tinkerer of the Exchequer ushered into the first class cabins of HMS Treasury yesterday. Satellites, waste facilities, broadband networks, supercomputers, world-bleating (beating?) animal health labs, the Kettering Bypass, small shops, the A453 link… “They’re all going to be improved!” the Tinkerer brayed, as he furiously rearranged the [...]
Chin up: four reasons to be cheerful November 15, 2011 LIKE everyone else, we can’t help but feel depressed at the torrent of bad news that each new day brings. Crisis in the Eurozone; nightmare on the high street; jobs bloodbath in the City – the bad headlines never end. So we thought we’d reflect on some of the more positive pieces of news, which [...]
RAPID RESPONSES November 9, 2011 Curing Japan AS A seasoned Japanese business professional, David Crow’s article [The Japanese disease, yesterday] made me smile with agreement, saddened with frustration and duty-bound to build upon its analysis. I commend Crow’s accurate observation of our cultural traits, but I would ask why characteristics which once made Japan great now fail to serve us [...]
RAPID RESPONSES November 9, 2011 Curing Japan AS A seasoned Japanese business professional, David Crow’s article [The Japanese disease, yesterday] made me smile with agreement, saddened with frustration and duty-bound to build upon its analysis. I commend Crow’s accurate observation of our cultural traits, but I would ask why characteristics which once made Japan great now fail to serve us [...]
The Japanese disease: How its corporate culture turns disasters into catastrophes November 8, 2011 IT HAS not been a good few years for Japan PLC. In 2009, its car industry was plunged into crisis after Toyota was forced to recall 6m vehicles following a series of fatal accidents in the US. Then came the tragic Japanese earthquake, which had a chilling effect on businesses. A few months later, Sony [...]