Interview
Seeing the wood for the trees
The recent boom in CSR activity has seen many companies falling over each other to advertise their socially responsible credentials – and none more so than the energy giants. Is it simply the stuff of marketing genius, or are there greater gains to be had? Becky Done talks to Mary Francis CBE, chair of the Corporate Responsibility Committee at Centrica
Regardless of size, most companies can now boast their own committee dedicated to tackling impact across at least one strand of corporate social responsibility – usually the environment. Centrica is no exception – a recent billboard...
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Lead Story
Smarter investor
Investor activism seems to be hitting the headlines harder than usual. Is it about poor returns in unsettling times or something more fundamental? Ruari McCallion tries a bit of speculation
Luqman Arnold has called for the break-up of Swiss bank UBS into various constituent parts. One may agree that he has a point; losing the odd billion or so on currency speculation may be unfortunate, but to take a $37 billion sub-prime...
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BoardRoom matters
Risk management: compliance requirement or business decision-making tool?
For many, risk management is seen merely as another corporate governance headache. Stephen Roberts examines how you can move beyond compliance and make risk management work to your advantage
This year sees the tenth anniversary of the release of the Combined Code. When it was first published in 1998, it provided many UK listed companies a regulatory requirement to demonstrate how they were actively identifying and managing...
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BoardRoom matters
Maximising the benefit from your AIM advisors
In the third of our series focusing on AIM advisors, Barry Gamble reveals what your broker can offer you
The responsibility of the broker to an AIM company is to ensure there is, as far as possible, an orderly market in the shares of the company. The AIM rules require an AIM company to retain the services of a broker at all times.
Brokers are...
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BoardRoom matters
Should I stay or should I go?
The question posed by The Clash in 1982 is increasingly being asked in the boardrooms of some of the UK’s top companies, driven by growing concerns about the British tax system. Sue Bonney, head of tax at KPMG Europe LLP, examines some of the issues boards are facing
The business community has been voicing concerns about the UK corporate tax system for some time now.
But the level of dissatisfaction reached a new high this spring when two FTSE250 companies (Shire Pharmaceuticals and United Business...
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BoardRoom matters
You can lead a horse to water...
With so many leadership courses on the market today, providers are resorting to increasingly unusual methods to stand out from the crowd. Becky Done asks whether offering horse whispering is just a clever marketing tool, or if it could actually bring value to the boardroom
UK plc is suffering a critical shortage of effective leaders, according to a survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Two-thirds of UK organisations lack highly effective leaders, and consequently, 85 per cent of...
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BoardRoom matters
A gallop through leadership
With companies spending more than ever before on leadership development, Philip Beddows asks what qualities define great leadership – and whether heavy investment to nurture them is paying off
A professor from one of the world’s leading business schools recently introduced the subject of leadership with the statistic that a Google search on ‘leadership’ resulted in approximately 200,000 references and, on Amazon, over 35,000...
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BoardRoom matters
Environmental issues for business
The rapid growth of environmental law and policy in the UK may be welcome by environmental lawyers, but it can be something of a headache for businesses. Simon Triggs and Robert Tilling untangle the latest legislation
Reams of new legislation and policy initiatives have emerged at national and European level over the last few years and it can be difficult for directors to keep up with the changes. Although some environmental issues can be delegated to...
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BoardRoom matters
CSR: the DNA of business
Caroline Walker, group head of CSR and environmental affairs at Premier Farnell, recommends how to deliver a successful CSR initiative. Sheridan Winn reports
As the CSR debate gathers momentum in the boardroom, it is no longer only governments, activists and the media that hold companies to account for the social consequences of their actions. Increasingly, customer and employee pressure is...
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Lifestyle
Virgin Wines recommends...
How to match wine and food
Partner wines with the weight of the food
A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon needs a big piece of steak to do it justice, so don’t try to partner it with a light meat or fish such as chicken or cod, as the wine will simply...
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Regional focus
Meeting in...Moscow
Lonely Planet’s Tom Hall reports on doing business, Muscovite-style
Moscow is an exclusive place these days. Local tastes have gone upmarket – you’re not anyone unless you can secure a table at the latest exclusive nightspot dressed in western high-end brands with money to buy the best of everything....
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Lifestyle
Porsche Cayenne GTS
Shopping for a luxury SUV? Richard Bott finds out why Porsche’s offering should top your test drive shortlist
As a brand, Porsche set out to be the definitive article in every sector of the market in which it competes – easy to say and very difficult to pull off. The fact that it achieves this pretty much across the board is more than impressive....
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Lifestyle
Fast facts for investing in...property
The property market has stalled dramatically in the wake of the credit crunch. But for the shrewd investor, there is still money to be made
International investment in current residential hotspots
Montenegro – Spectacular coastal, lake and mountain scenery and highly affordable property are making Montenegro one of the most sought-after second...
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