Flux Business goes on during flux &uncertainty, and the best firms seize the opportunities arising. We all crave certainty. But what is certain, apart from death & taxes? ‘In or Out’ is the binary position on Britain’s exit from the EU. Would the only deal acceptable to all be so vague & meaningless it’s as…
Month: February 2019
Typeface Do typefaces have intrinsic meaning or price tags? Many pricey brands have changed logos to simple all-capitals sans-serif, crisp-angle letters; signifying luxury by no-nonsense boldness, not fussy extras or standing out. Surveys show we view sharp, chiselled fonts as more high-end. Luxury is about timeless, enduring value – current yet classic, expensive but worth…
Audit firms Does it matter if the UK’s Big 4 audit firms become the Big 3? Already many struggle to find one that is un-conflicted & up to the job. Less firms = less choice, less competition, lower quality, higher prices. Like Big Banks, auditors should be made to plot their own death – how…
Face to face Face to face encounters forge the best partnerships. Digital networking has its place, but actually being in the room makes all the difference. Being out & about & following up leads brings possibilities to us – new ventures, jobs, orders. Let’s show up – who knows what might happen? Guessed the Word? …
Guess the Word and Contact Us for prizes! Series 38 starts soon….. 1st letter of each Post Title (in a Series) spells a business word – spelt correctly or jumbled up. Previous answers: Series 37 spelt R-E-C-I-T-A-L (ARTICLE) Series 36 spelt C-O-M-E-O-U-T (OUTCOME) Series 35 spelt Y-E-T-I-D-U-E-L (YULETIDE) Series 34 spelt T-I-D-Y-R-U-N-S (INDUSTRY) Series 33 spelt V-I-E-W-E-R (REVIEW) Series 32 spelt C-I-G-L-O (LOGIC) Series 31 spelt P-O-N-Y-M-A-C (COMPANY)…
Leave In UK & US, poverty has flipped from Reason to Leave to Reason Not to Leave,despite widening opportunity gap between dynamic & struggling areas. Should policymakers re-vitalise poor areas? Or incentivize people to move? Fewer Americans moved States in 2017 than in any of the previous 50 years Guessed the Word? …
Apart World economies growing apart. GDP growth 2007 to 2018: US 17.1%, Europe 11.6%, Japan 6.7%. But US outperformed mostly due to problems elsewhere. What next? US lose momentum? Or rest of the world catch up? Will affect financial markets, trade wars, currencies, politics. What should investors do short-term & long-term? Guessed the Word? Series 37 (1/7) …
Tiffin Collect, deliver, return: 200,000 tiffins daily5,000 Mumbai dabba-wallas take hot lunch from home to school/ office by train, cart or bicycle for ₹500 rupees (£5 / $7) a month. Without computers or client phone numbers, they achieve Six Sigma competence level by scribbling alphanumeric codes on tiffins. Every tiffin changes hands >5 times on…
Insurgents Highly-skilled people from consulting firms have dispersed into insurgentsoffering dynamic, versatile & value-for-money services. Professional gig workers are thriving in stealth, snatching work from industry giants, who are more fragile than agile. >1/5th of UK projects, worth £2bn ($2.6bn) go to independent consultants. Global consulting = £180bn ($232bn) a year Guessed the Word? …
Counterfeit Big fines for counterfeit goods on Chinese e-commerce sites from 1 Jan 2019, up to 2m yuan (£228k, $295k). So fakers now hawking their wares on social messaging networks as ‘friend-to-friend’. Global trade in bogus goods 2013: £355bn, 2022 est: £764bn. China and Hong…