Black Monday and why confidence is the key to revival October 18, 2012 TODAY is the twenty-fifth anniversary of Black Monday, when stock markets around the world spectacularly crashed and the FTSE 100 plunged from over 2,300 to depths of near 1,500. Although 1987 is long ago, and we’ve reasonably moved on to consider more recent financial disasters, Britain’s return to confidence then holds lessons for politicians and [...]
Is the coalition right to force firms to disclose the number of senior women they employ? October 18, 2012 YES Eleanor Tabi Haller-Jorden Gender diversity in business leadership offers opportunities for new perspectives, innovative thinking, and increased competitiveness. Our research has found a clear and positive correlation between women board directors and enhanced corporate financial performance, particularly when the commitment to gender diverse leadership is sustained over time. But the impact of women board [...]
Rapid responses October 18, 2012 Greek reform [Re: Greece must stop hitting snooze and wake up to economic reform, yesterday] Although Matthew Melchiorre is right to criticise Greece’s politicians for failing to reform their state, he misses a bigger issue. Politicians aren’t operating in a vacuum. Much of the Greek public – quite unlike the Estonians or Irish – doesn’t accept [...]
Greece must stop hitting snooze and wake up to economic reform October 17, 2012 WHEN the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and European finance ministers meet today at the European Union (EU) summit, they are bound to butt heads over the decision to release Greece’s next €31.5bn bailout installment. The prospect of default may be a possibility once again. European leaders and international lenders will likely come to an eleventh-hour [...]
Obama has reopened the campaign by denying Romney a knock-out blow October 17, 2012 TUESDAY night’s presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney may have had the occasional spark, but it lacked fireworks. Rather than a dazzling spectacle, it was noteworthy for two – or perhaps three – lacklustre performances. Having been overwhelmingly trounced by Romney in the first debate, this was the President’s chance to stop the [...]
Banks will protect your reputation in the online market October 17, 2012 PEOPLE are becoming increasingly empowered in their interactions with companies. But this is only the beginning. Soon, people will be using the assets of their reputations to make all their dealings with businesses easier. And banks are well placed to be the custodians of this data. For example, buying a car is currently a headache. [...]
As Gatwick looks to build a second runway, does expansion make good business sense? October 17, 2012 YES Corin Taylor London needs more aviation capacity without a doubt. And a second runway at Gatwick would help to address that crunch, though it would not be enough to solve the shortage on its own. Gatwick is growing healthily again, and should be able to attract enough new passengers to justify a new runway. [...]
Rapid responses October 17, 2012 Printing the future [Re: Two technologies that will create jobs and change the world, Tuesday] If 3D printing truly fulfils its early promise it will be part of a wider economic transformation that goes way beyond the sort of cosy regulated world envisaged by the left-wing Work Foundation. It could potentially replace the manufacturing industry as [...]
Forgetful IMF economists should remember their financial crisis failures October 16, 2012 IN THE boom decade of the 2000s, corporate rebranding was all the rage. Some were successful. Others are best forgotten, like PwC’s proposal to call its consulting arm Monday. But as the world’s economic recovery gathers momentum, perhaps it is time to revive the practice. A prime candidate is the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The [...]
Why the future of Europe doesn’t lie with the failed EU October 16, 2012 YOU might remember Daniel Hannan as the Conservative MEP who tore Gordon Brown to pieces on the floor of the European Parliament for his spending spree with our money. Until then, Hannan had been a rare voice in the wilderness, attacking the EU since he became an MEP in 1999. Although he has now been [...]