Clifford Chance loses top spot, but global reach means it will still flourish July 7, 2009 IT WAS never going to be a great result, but even so the news that partner profits at Clifford Chance were down a whopping 37 per cent in the year ending in April compared to the previous one revealed the once globe-conquering law firm to be uniquely exposed in the financial crisis. A reordering of [...]
Bonuses done right are an essential tool July 2, 2009 SO bonuses are back. This is great news for many readers of this newspaper, the majority of whom work in financial services; but many others will find this return of the mega-payout to be entirely offensive. After all, the “bonus culture” – when huge financial rewards are meted out, regardless of real, long-term performance – [...]
Failure to take tourism seriously is a big mistake July 2, 2009 WHICH industry is worth £114bn, is responsible for 2.65m British jobs and represents 8.2 per cent of UK GDP? Perhaps surprisingly the answer is the tourism industry. So, given the clear importance of this key economic activity, it is surely worrying to consider that tourism bosses believe their business interests are not taken as seriously [...]
Why small caps can help you profit when big business can’t June 29, 2009 WITH so many blue-chip stocks’ share prices plunging to penny stock levels, it is small wonder that the FTSE 100 companies are no longer the relatively safe trading bets that they once were. And these sprawling multinational companies have found it difficult to become leaner operations in the face of declining global demand. It is [...]
A City restaurant in the crypt of St Paul’s spells an identity crisis June 29, 2009 THE RESTAURANT AT ST PAUL’SST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL, ST PAUL'S CHURCHYARD, LONDON EC4M 8AD (entrance through north-west crypt door)Tel: 020 7248 2469Web www.restaurantatstpauls.co.uk Cost per person without wine: £20 ONCE, stepping down into the crypt of St Paul’s Cathedral must have been a spooky experience. All those corpses and bones – even if they do belong [...]
WHAT THE OTHER PAPERS SAY THIS MORNING June 23, 2009 FINANCIAL TIMES GCL-POLY TO BUY SOLAR ASSETS FOR $3.4BNGCL-Poly Energy, a Hong Kong-based power plant operator, said yesterday it would pay HK$26.4bn (£2bn) to acquire solar assets from its chairman as it seeks to expand in the green energy sector. The company said it would buy Jiangsu Zhongeng, a supplier of polysilicon and wafers used [...]
Pamper your feet with the best pedicures in London June 22, 2009 Spa Studio at the LanesboroughThe Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA. 020 7333 7700 THE SETTING: The Lanesborough is London’s last word in hotel luxury. The spa is a hidden chamber in the depths of the hotel appointed with perfect European luxury and taste. THE PEDICURE: The Foot Loose and Fancy Free package (£85) begins [...]
Pamper your feet with the best pedicures in London June 22, 2009 Spa Studio at the LanesboroughThe Lanesborough, Hyde Park Corner, SW1X 7TA. 020 7333 7700 THE SETTING: The Lanesborough is London’s last word in hotel luxury. The spa is a hidden chamber in the depths of the hotel appointed with perfect European luxury and taste. THE PEDICURE: The Foot Loose and Fancy Free package (£85) begins [...]
Britain needs a real digital revolution June 16, 2009 YET another wasted opportunity: that must be the verdict on the government’s ludicrously over-hyped Digital Britain report. Neither of the two main relevant public policy issues was addressed satisfactorily: the quality of Britain’s communication infrastructure, which is scandalously poor; and the BBC’s destructively anachronistic dependence on the taxpayer. Our broadband and telecoms systems are not [...]
Unstoppable flu pandemic will boost vaccine drugmakers June 15, 2009 AT the weekend, there was confirmation of Britain’s first swine flu victim, just three days after a decision on Thursday by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to officially declare an influenza pandemic – the first since 1968. It might seem ghoulish to say so, but the prospect of a drawn-out battle against what WHO director-general [...]