In an earlier blog I said that subject of ethics in business had been occupying my mind, especially the failure of Carillion and the noise around the use of single use plastics. I wrote about Carillion in the earlier piece and so I am coming back to plastics. Pollution caused by waste plastics has been … Continue reading Convenience sells, convenience costs
Food Waste
According to the Food Standards Agency, In the UK, we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink from our homes every year, the majority of which could have been eaten. It was all over the news and so it must be true. That sounds terrible. Stacked up in metre blocks it would form … Continue reading Food Waste
Milton Friedman is out of time
The current economic and social system in which we live, at least here in the anglo-american parts of the globe, is coming to an end. News of its demise may be a little premature yet I can hear its rattle. It is simply unsustainable. Inequality in wealth is growing both in absolute and relative terms. … Continue reading Milton Friedman is out of time
The man who enjoyed his work
My friend's brother, Chris, was most disappointed that I have changed my job. He has been telling everyone that I was the only person he knew who actually enjoyed his work and now that I had retired, or at least semi-retired, his story was ruined. I told him I was sorry and went on to … Continue reading The man who enjoyed his work
Is open plan a bad thing?
According to the Harvard Business Review, it is easier to focus in a coffee shop than in an open-plan office. This is yet another attack on a style of working that has been very much in vogue. Walls have been ripped down and we have all been expected to work with colleagues as far as … Continue reading Is open plan a bad thing?
Tight security
It is a long time since I have been to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. So long in fact that I ended up at the Cricket Ground. Fortunately they are only a short walk away. The last time was when I went to see Newcastle United get beaten two nil but that could have … Continue reading Tight security
Recognition
This week is National Customer Services Week, or CSW, an opportunity to celebrate the relationship that all businesses have with their customers. I have been a member of the Institute of Customer Service for many years now and this week is one of the highlights of their calendar. More details can be found here. This … Continue reading Recognition
Memory foam
What is all the fuss with memory foam? How hard is it to remember that you are an oblong? These days you can’t watch television for very long before seeing an advert for a memory foam mattress. I don’t get them to be honest. I have slept on a few and found them not to … Continue reading Memory foam
Social Trust
According to the The Behavioural Insights Team, social trust is one of the most important measures that most people have never heard of. Until a few days ago I was one of them. I first came across the term in the book ‘The Social Animal’ by David Brooks. I would recommend it highly by the … Continue reading Social Trust
Hard cyber
I’m not sure if cyber is a word that is used much outside the pages of a William Gibson novel or the Cyber security industry itself. It may not be many people’s vernacular yet it is a word that has come to dominate a lot of my time, both as an employ of the local … Continue reading Hard cyber
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 