Wealth Even the largest fortunes can be squandered: Pulitzers, Vanderbilts, Woolworths. UK: “Clogs to clogs in 3 generations”. US: “Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in 3 generations”. Italy: “Stable to stars to stable”. China: “From paddy to paddy in 3 generations”. Same sentiment in any language Guessed the Word? Series 30…
Month: September 2018
Overload US share of global travel market is falling. Overloading tourists, trade show attendees & students with bureaucracy hurts the economy, reduces influence, & deters would-be allies in the fight against terror. Has a veteran of the hospitality business turned inhospitable? Guessed the Word? Series 30 (2/4) …
Retire Who wants to live to 100? A 99 year-old! Retirement can be 30+ years, so pensions need to last. UK now has 15,000 centenarians, eligible for a 100th Birthday card from the Queen, following a Royal tradition since 1917 Guessed the Word? Series 30 (3/4) [pic: Buckingham Palace]
Kilo The Kibble Balance, an exquisitely accurate weighing machineloosens France’s grip on the kiloas it measures mass more accurately. From 1790s, 1 kg = a cylinder of metal (which changes weight as it reacts with air) in a Paris vault. The Kibble, a 1975 British invention, defines weight against the Planck constant, one of…
Guess the Word and Contact Us for prizes! Series 30 starts soon….. 1st letter of each Post Title (in a Series) spells a business word – spelt correctly or jumbled up. Previous answers: Series 29 spelt R-O-P-Y-J-A-D-E (JEOPARDY) Series 28 spelt G-U-I-L-D-B-I-N (BUILDING) Series 27 spelt F-R-U-I-T-E-X (FIXTURE) Series 26 spelt H-O-N-K-W-O-W (KNOWHOW) Series 25 spelt L-O-D-E-M (MODEL) Series 24 spelt G-R-E-Y-S-Y-N …
Enough Enough to remember just 3 words to find anywhere, including street-less villages & uninhabited spots. 2013 invention by London startup used geocoordinates to divide Earth into 57tn squares of 3m x 3m (100 sqft), each with unique word combinations. The system is as accurate as the best GPS. Available in many languages, but oceans…
Double-breasted (DB) suits Too casual for the office till the 1940s, but now doing double the business,the DB suit jacket descends from naval officer uniforms. Key to the image of 1930s gangsters & 1980s bankers, its most iconic wearers are rule-breakers whose names turn up on all-time best-dressed lists. Menswear detail: correct button stance is…
Apprentice Drop out? 29% of UK university graduates earned less than average worker with apprenticeship experience recently – against a backdrop of lowest unemployment level in UK for 43 years, in Eurozone for 9 years and in the US for 18 years Guessed the Word? Series 29 (5/8) …
Jobs theft Did the digital spreadsheet steal jobs? Yes & No. The 1978 invention replaced 2-page spreads in paper ledgers overnight & re-defined accountancy. 400,000 US bookkeeper/ accounts clerk jobs – calculate, fill-in, check, correct – ended. But as accounting became cheaper, more demand & 600,000 jobs for other types of accountant appeared. No need…
Yacht How to transform a superyacht-type firm? ‘Speedboat projects’ run separately from core activities can develop faster. Heritage & tradition are valuable, but sometimes developed markets can learn from emerging ones, not the other way round Guessed the Word? Series 29 (8/8) [pic: Singapore Yacht Club]