Brexit 2019: the end is nigh
If Brexit is to succeed, an awful lot of improbable things will have to right. For it fail, a lot of probable things have to go wrong. The Europeans do not want to damage the integrity of the single market. Theresa May is head of a minority government. The Democratic Unionist Party, on whose support […]
The art of negotiation
27 against one is not good odds. Theresa May is not a good negotiator, nor a good dancer, but people are starting to feel slightly sorry for her. She stubbornly refuses to give up on a job she is totally and obviously unsuited for. But, negotiating one against 27 is not an easy task, especially […]
I’m just popping out for the rest of the day
Have you blessed the world with your progeny? If so, you may find yourself under pressure to attend a nativity show or carol concert at this time of year. Obviously it won’t be exactly fun, but probably more fun than work. What are your rights if you want take a day off to attend the […]
Good for business?
Paul Polman was chief executive for ten years at Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch consumer-goods group. He was also a champion of business ethics and corporate sustainability. But after shareholders revolted against his plan to move the group’s headquarters to Rotterdam, his position ironically became unsustainable and he is leaving the company at the end of the […]
Business: what’s the point?
In a new book, by Colin Mayer, professor at the Said Business School, Oxford, the author says that the modern company has turned into a “money monster”, enslaved to the doctrine of shareholder value. It is the latest challenge to the principle enunciated by Milton Friedman, the economist: namely, that “there is one and only […]
Annoying habits of highly effective people
Everyone seems to like writing about the life of corporate titans. Readers are expected to marvel at the stamina of Tim Cook. Apple’s chief executive rises at 3.45am to deal with emails. Spare a thought for his underlings, whose iPhones buzz at 4am every morning. Some subordinates may have the fortitude to sleep through it […]
