» Business Change

I admit it, I’ve become a diehard rugby fan, and I support Harlequins.  It seems I became a supporter at a pretty good time because in the last three years (since I have been going regularly) I have seen them first win the Amlin cup, then the Premiership last year and this year the A […][...] read more » It is amazing what a bit of trust can achieve

I was out walking the other day, doing my daily constitutional, when I spied another walker ahead of me on the path.  I thought “I wonder if I can catch them up by the top of the next hill?” and upped my pace.  Bit-by-bit I cut their lead and and eventually overhauled them.  A pointless […][...] read more » The race you didn’t know you were in

I was listening to a politician talking and noticed her use of the word “reform” and that got me thinking.  They always talk about reform, which suggests that they are making things better for us, but I suspect that if you asked most voters they would say they either saw no change or no change […][...] read more » What a difference a word makes

I was out walking a week or so ago when I came across this unusual sight.  I don’t recall ever seeing a daffodil blooming in mid-January and it was made even more striking by a blanket of snow.  I have no idea if this plant will survive its premature growth spurt.  I suspect it will […][...] read more » It is all a matter of timing…

I read two interesting and contrasting articles today talking about two corporate giants, Microsoft & Google.  They both have very strong cultures and it is interesting to examine the impact of them.  I’m not pretending this is an in-depth analysis, just an interesting raising of the corporate veil to give a glimpse at what lies […][...] read more » A tale of two cultures…

It appears that Apple’s time as the unchallenged ‘cock of the walk’ is over.  They became the most valuable company ever with a value of $622 billion last year.  People queued for days to pay premium prices for their every new offering, it was a gold mine!  However, although the iPhone 5 still sold well […][...] read more » Every Dog has it’s Day

In 1979 China legislated to stop families having more than one child.  It was hailed as a success and reportedly stopped the birth of 250 million children between 1980 & 2000, paving the way for China’s current prosperity. However, it is now possible to see some of the other, unintended fruits of this decision.  Families […][...] read more » The Law of Unexpected Consequences or the Little Emperor Syndrome

I was out walking the other day I came across this.  The picture isn’t quite as clear as I thought, so let me explain what I was looking at.  This is a stump of a tree that has been blown over and its trunk sawn off.  Growing over the stump is a colony of fungi, […][...] read more » Starting over

George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, yesterday appointed Mark Carey as the new governor of the Bank of England. He was previously the governor the Canadian central bank, but also worked in the private sector for Goldman Sachs.  So he is a man with a serious background in the banking but also an outsider.  […][...] read more » Radical change at the Bank of England

I was listening to one of my favourite radio shows, Desert Island Disks, the other day and the guest was Blanche Marvin, a theatre critic, actress, and producer.  Kirsty Young asked her about her childhood and she said she never talked about that.  When pressed further she said that it had been unhappy so she […][...] read more » A fresh start?