Oct 5, 2021No smoke without ireShareholder primacy is dead. Long live shareholder value primacy. The past few years have seen a very welcome growth in the number of corporates claiming to have a core purpose that is beyond simply lining the pockets of their shareholders or indeed, their senior executive teams. The latter’s remuneration is…Decelerator3 min read
Jul 30, 2021Might efficiency be the enemy of productivity?Might efficiency be the enemy of productivity? I’m a bit of a contrarian at heart, especially when it comes to received wisdom on business. You know, how businesses should and shouldn’t operate and the singular focus on profit maximisation. Or pay people more, work them harder and you’ll get better…Deceleration3 min read
Jun 3, 2021A Vision for Good GrowthThere are definitely pros and cons of living in Switzerland. The flag for example is a big plus (apologies, I couldn’t resist that one). But one new con that I can add to the list of many pros, is negative interest rates. That’s right, you have to pay Swiss banks…3 min read
May 4, 2021Vexed about the VaxThere are relatively few times when old age is actually an advantage. One such example is that it nudges you ahead in the queue for the COVID-19 vaccine, especially if you live in a richer country. But we’ll come to that. Now that I’m approaching 50 (from the wrong direction)…Vaccines3 min read
Apr 1, 2021Fab(er) news: Danone’s CEO just got sackedNo, I was not at all happy to read the headlines two weeks ago that the most progressive CEO in the world today, Emmanuel Faber had been forced out of Danone by so-called “activist shareholders”. Faber had been a long time champion of stakeholder capitalism and was a strong proponent…Business3 min read
Mar 4, 2021Is the Corporate Union making a comeback?It was back in the summer of 2018 that I first got excited about the latent potential of employee activism. In the June 2018 Bullog I wrote about the Google Walkout and Microsoft workers protesting about the technology support the company was giving to the Trump Administration’s immigration policies which…Business4 min read
Mar 4, 2021Casino Capitalism: Is it time to Stop the Games and play for real?The myriad shortcomings of global capitalism is a recurring theme these monthly epistles. I often say that I’m not anti-business — just anti-business-as-usual. However, the eyebrows of even the most vociferous supporters of the current economic system must have been raised this past week and with the GameStop investment fiasco. …Business3 min read
Jan 4, 2021Brake or Break? A new pace for business in the new yearEven if you’re not a huge fan of Formula One racing, it’s easy to get caught up in the thrill and excitement of watching the skilful Lewis Hamilton, now heading the list of the greatest F1 drivers of all time. Yet, any of one of these F1 heroes will tell…2 min read
Dec 3, 2020The Swiss DichotomySwitzerland is something of a dichotomy for me. I’ve now lived in the country for more than a decade, but still struggle with coming to terms with some of its inherent contradictions. In some ways it’s a very progressive culture, with a well-functioning direct democracy, a very high quality of…3 min read