The Academic’s Viewpoint

Save us all from good men

Andrew Kakabadse — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:30:54 GMT

The John Kay review of the UK’s equity markets on behalf of business secretary Vince Cable has just been made public as an interim report. The views expressed came from a good, honest and thoughtful man. Kay emphasises that:· Equity...

Who has the moral upper hand now?

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:35:58 GMT

To counter public disquiet over bankers’ excess and the ever widening poverty divide, prime minister David Cameron gave a rousing speech in defence of capitalism. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears; certainly as far as I'm concerned.The question is not...

When badness is institutionalised

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 10:50:34 GMT

The Occupy London protest has drawn interesting reactions. It certainly has drawn anti-capitalist sentiment from surprising quarters: the middle class, the elderly, as well as the disadvantaged and the young. We are witnessing middle England ready to stamp its feet...

Money, greed and children

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:46:31 GMT

I did not get it quite right. I thought the near to liquid capital in both the City and Wall Street stood at around £450 billion and $2.7 trillion respectively. The latest conversations I’ve had with bankers and fund managers...

Ethics, Morals, Pragmatism: Which Wins?

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:15:14 GMT

“The UK’s Bribery Act shows the way”, so ran the headline of a consulting company’s advertisement of its training programmes in, “cleaning up the culture of the organisation”. A number of other providers have followed suit with similar eye catching...

Smart power at its best, or not

Andrew Kakabadse — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 09:30:56 GMT

This year’s Bilderberg summit closed on 12 June. St. Moritz was abuzz with the prospect of the Bilderberg’s being seen in public. For those who do not know just who these Bilderberg’s are, they are a scattered collection of world...

Are we sleep walking into yet another credit crisis?

Andrew Kakabadse — Mon, 16 May 2011 10:53:53 GMT

Perhaps later this year, perhaps early next year, the recovery should be with us. Our banks and our funds need to win back the confidence to trade. This was a credit led crisis. It will be a credit led recovery. ...

World affairs: not just for politicians and taxi drivers

Andrew Kakabadse — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:20:20 GMT

Ten minutes into a fare with a London cabbie and a penetrating overview of current geo-politics is crafted with solutions to the world’s problems shaped. And all for 15 quid, weaving through the traffic from Paddington to the West End....

Are boards up to the job?

Andrew Kakabadse — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 10:37:29 GMT

‘Caught by surprise!’ ‘Could not have foreseen the scale of events.’How many times have these comments been heard from boards of banks concerning the global financial crisis? Often, is the answer.Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. An international...

Less of the politics, more of the talent drive

Andrew Kakabadse — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:51:50 GMT

“Not enough women on the board,” has become a familiar clarion call with "shocking" figures regularly bandied about as some countries are chastised for failing on gender diversity, while others are held high.Only 8 percent of Australian board directors are...