Dynamic new French President Nicolas Sarkozy has added his voice to the calls for education reform. Like those of Gordon Brown and his team in the UK change is desired. Sarkozy sent a 30 page letter to teachers to catalyse change. The Economist notes his laments: not enough respect or authority in the classroom (pupils, …
Continue reading Enlightenment of education in France too?
Stop working (and living) in a chemical fog
I’ve always taken issue with closed environments like office buildings, airports, hotels and conference arenas. Invariably the first noticeable thing on entering them is teh whiff of chemistry. Its either materials used, cleaning agents or just stagnant, fetid air. It slows down life and in some cases can cause more sever ailments. BusinessWeek offers a …
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The banana – a modern agricultural scandal
This report by The Ecologist is an eye opener, even for the eco-aware. It describes the banana industry today through the supply chain from plantations, with virtual slavery and toxic chemical use, through the monopolistic supply chain to the supermarket. The author points out “As the pursuit of competitive production has fuelled the race for …
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World Investment Prospects to 2011: Foreign Direct Investment and the Challenge of Political Risk
The Columbia Program on International Investment and the Economist Intelligence Unit published World Investment Prospects to 2011: Foreign Direct Investment and the Challenge of Political Risk. The report contains the first authoritative data on FDI flows for 2006 and forecasts flows until 2011, with 2007 set for a new record. It pays special attention to …
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Marketing junk food to children
A special report by Ethical Corp Magazine summarises the global weight of junk food marketing aimed at children. This revealing article is peppered with data on this billion dollar advertising niche and offers some links with more advice.
Integrity for success
I came across a recent compilation of presentations from various events entitled Integrity: A Positive Model that Incorporates the Normative Phenomena of Morality, Ethics, and Legality (page down to find link to full study). The authors present a positive model of integrity that provides powerful access to increased performance for individuals, groups, organizations, and societies. …
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Why snap decisions work
BusinessWeek reviews Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of The Unconscious which discusses the science cited behind the bestseller Blink. The book helps understand how and why intuition works, but perhaps fails to elaborate on associated processes that help it work well – like being well informed. The social profile in which the scenarios work also offers …
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Carlyle’s seedy connections …
Carlyle, the large successful private equity firm, has always been a cause for concern because its claim to excellence at its inception a decade ago was the raft of politicians on its board. The New York Post revealed recently that it paid $12.3 million in fees to a company tied to former state Comptroller Alan …
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Disclosure and transparency in private equity
Here is a link to the consultation report by Sir David Walker on the UK private equity industry: Disclosure and Transparency in Private Equity. It offers a profile of the current industry and recommends guidelines for improving transparency. It does not focus on tax treatment, though there are implications for this. Ethical Corp magazine reviews …
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Hello world!
Finally we’ve installed a blog. So let’s start blogging …