As the US slaps a 522 per cent tariff on Chinese steel imports, should the world fear a new trade war? May 20, 2016 Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Things could be much worse than they presently are. In the century to 1950, world tariffs averaged 20 to 50 per cent. Now they average 1 to 3 per cent. But protectionism ain’t dead yet. We’ve seen it aplenty from populist presidential hopefuls Donald Trump [...]
Toilet brushes, tables and mysterious purchases: should MPs treat expenses the same as the rest of us? May 19, 2016 Is a toilet brush a legitimate expense claim? MPs must reconsider what they claim for In this, the era of austerity, the UK public have been accustomed to hearing that we are only ever a few steps away from falling off a metaphoric economic cliff. “We are all in this’ together,” is the message from our politicians. [...]
From principles to communication: Six ways to transform your team’s performance May 19, 2016 In today’s world the role of a leader is to create a high performance environment where success is inevitable. Effective team working doesn’t happen by chance or by using a strategy of hope. As a leader you have to create your team and then sustain high performance. The secret of building a high performance team [...]
Burberry needs some raw executive talent May 19, 2016 Burberry, the iconic luxury fashion brand, unveiled a three-year turnaround plan yesterday, promising “to drive revenue growth, improve productivity and deliver at least £100m of cost savings.” With the company’s value down by more than 20 per cent over the last couple of months, the stock should have been ripe for a bounce – but [...]
Five reasons why investing in Iran is too great a risk for British firms May 19, 2016 This morning, in a giant ballroom in one of London’s most luxurious hotels, executives from leading corporations will gather for a major investment conference. In some ways, the conference will be like dozens that take place across London each year. However, this one has an unusual and ominous twist: it is organised precisely to encourage [...]
History suggests robots won’t cause mass unemployment: But is this time different? May 19, 2016 Martin Ford’s book, The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of Mass Unemployment, makes for scary reading. Ford argues that any job that is in some way routine will eventually be automated. In Ford’s new world, intelligent algorithms will eat their way through white collar employment, making legions of occupations obsolete. And this [...]
How the government can put rocket boosters beneath the UK’s nascent space industry May 19, 2016 In a day dominated by pomp and pageantry, there was a surprising amount for techies to get excited about in the Queen’s Speech yesterday, with a whole bill dedicated to space travel, drones and self-driving cars. Far from being only relevant to sci-fi fans, however, the UK’s space sector is serious business. It is worth at least [...]
After the Queen’s Speech set out ambitious social reform plans, would Brexit put the government’s agenda at risk? May 19, 2016 Therese Coffey, Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal, says Yes. This Queen’s Speech contained some ambitious proposals to strengthen the social fabric of our country, from prison reform and boosting social care, to measures to increase school independence and expand the National Citizen Service. But these policies, aimed at helping the poorest and neediest in our country, [...]
Workplace pensions: In praise of the humble master trust May 18, 2016 I woke up this weekend to a series of vaguely apocalyptic headlines about workplace pensions, master trusts in particular. And today none other than the country's most revered pensioner, Her Majesty The Queen, has opined on the topic. Being managing director of Smart Pension, a provider of workplace pensions via our own secure master trust, I must speak [...]
Has the Queen’s Speech delivered? May 18, 2016 With so much focus on the EU referendum, this year’s Queen’s Speech was an opportunity to return the spotlight, if briefly in the short term, onto the domestic agenda and delivering the plan set out in the manifesto. It’s clear that the reforming zeal will focus in the next year on the rehabilitation revolution, with [...]