In English for the first time, read The Truth About IKEA November 17, 2010 WITH an insider’s knowledge, Johan Stenebo’s controversial book is a remarkable, personal view inside a company that overtook Argos as the UK’s largest home furnishings retailer in 2009 but, after 67 years, only disclosed its profits for the first time last month (worldwide net profit £2.2bn in the year to 31 August 2009). In these [...]
Ten tips for increasing your efficiency September 29, 2010 1. DO THE NASTY JOBS FIRST Start your day with the tasks that are usually at the bottom of your list, says Anne Watson, author of How to Succeed with NLP: Go from Good to Great at Work. “Usually these will be jobs that someone else wants you to do and that person is probably [...]
The Co-op boss who is on a mission to rejuvenate an iconic organisation September 19, 2010 IT IS EASY to see why Co-operative Group chief executive Peter Marks is so excited about the new £180m head office that will open on a 20-acre site in the centre of Manchester in 2012. The current 1960s 13-storey building across the road seems to be made almost entirely of linoleum and plywood. I have [...]
BP is given a day to meet US demands July 8, 2010 THE OBAMA administration ratcheted up the pressure on BP yesterday after Admiral Thad Allen sent a letter to the embattled oil giant demanding that he be notified of every move it makes in responding to the Gulf of Mexico spill disaster. Allen, who is leading the Gulf operations for the US government, told BP that [...]
BP is given a day to meet US demands July 8, 2010 THE OBAMA administration ratcheted up the pressure on BP yesterday after Admiral Thad Allen sent a letter to the embattled oil giant demanding that he be notified of every move it makes in responding to the Gulf of Mexico spill disaster. Allen, who is leading the Gulf operations for the US government, told BP that [...]
A book by two bloggers is wise but concise May 5, 2010 REWORK BY JASON FRIED AND DAVID HEINEMEIER HANSSON Vermillion Books, £10.99 THIS is perhaps just the sort of book you would expect from internet entrepreneurs famous for a blog (called 37 Signals); rather than convoluted arguments, re-heated out-of-context quotations from Machiavelli or Nietzsche and endless, bulletpointed arguments, it’s a collection of short, sharp and thought-provoking [...]
Ash crisis sees the capital lose £100m April 25, 2010 LONDON has lost up to £100m from tourist spending as a result of the six-day flight disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano eruption. Visit London, the online tourism website, said yesterday that visitors arriving by air would have spent up to £17m a day in the city but that the airspace closure caused London an [...]
Warburg, maker of the modern City July 4, 2010 WITH a tan topped up over the weekend by a stay on a Greek island and his TV don’s hair – which looks like a tame version of Melvyn Bragg’s – a crisp white shirt, relaxed manner and a gentle Scottish accent, Niall Ferguson is without doubt a smoothy-chops. He’s also one of the best-known [...]
Warburg, maker of the modern City July 4, 2010 WITH a tan topped up over the weekend by a stay on a Greek island and his TV don’s hair – which looks like a tame version of Melvyn Bragg’s – a crisp white shirt, relaxed manner and a gentle Scottish accent, Niall Ferguson is without doubt a smoothy-chops. He’s also one of the best-known [...]
Pru told to list its Asian unit June 2, 2010 PRUDENTIAL is facing calls to realise the value of its Asian business through a stockmarket listing after its $35.5bn (£25bn) play for AIA lay in tatters yesterday. Chief executive Tidjane Thiam and chairman Harvey McGrath, who are fighting for their professional lives along with the rest of the board, will come under pressure to provide [...]