Society

Spain policy paralysis sets up dangerous dynamic

21 Dec 2018

Rising support for anti-immigrant Vox makes life harder for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who was already struggling to pass a budget. That’s bad news for the labour market. Growth is slowing and politicians are unable to enact reforms that might help the unemployed.

Cox: France’s Macron can’t turn 41 fast enough

21 Dec 2018

The tail end of the president’s 40th year proved more eventful than he bargained for. The “gilets jaunes” caught him unawares and hardened the perception of him as an aloof dauphin. Business is still hopeful, but Macron needs more than rich Parisians’ backing to reform France.

Ted Baker is stuck in a bear hug trap

4 Dec 2018

Ray Kelvin’s habit of embracing employees has become a liability for investors. If an internal probe shows he is culpable of more than unwanted coziness, the fashion brand could push its largest shareholder away. Even if he holds on, Ted Baker will grapple with other challenges.

Cox: Why I’m relocating to Paris in the year ahead

4 Dec 2018

Riots on the Champs-Elysées are not the best advertisement for President Emmanuel Macron’s fight against illiberalism at home and abroad. But homegrown protests like those of the “gilets jaunes” come with the territory in the global centre of the resistance – my new home.

French riots present Macron with stiffer test

3 Dec 2018

Previous presidents faced protests like the “yellow vests” who rampaged through Paris. As before, the supposed cause - fuel taxes - masks other grievances. But Emmanuel Macron lacks heavyweight ministers or credible opponents. That makes him a lightning rod for public discontent.

Americans spend faster to die younger

29 Nov 2018

Life expectancy has fallen for the third year in a row. Yet the U.S. lays out far more money than other countries to foil the Grim Reaper – and the amount is rising. The issue isn’t just what’s spent but where. More on basic public health and education would be a good start.

Hadas: How to stop radical CEOs from going rogue

28 Nov 2018

Renault and then Nissan hired Carlos Ghosn to subvert conventions. But the will to transgress is hard to keep within boundaries. Companies have four defences against talented but errant bosses: bureaucracy, conscience, boards and punishments. All of them can be strengthened.

Review: New tech brings golden age of media

16 Nov 2018

The internet has provided ample fodder for the endless debate over culture versus commerce. In “Digital Renaissance,” business professor Joel Waldfogel says consumers have more good music, movies and television shows than ever to choose from, and haven’t bankrupted industry.

Corporate America leads the country to the polls

5 Nov 2018

Walmart, Tyson Foods and hundreds of other firms are making it easier for employees to cast a ballot in the U.S. congressional elections. A mishmash of state laws and the lack of a national holiday makes voting a challenge. This initiative shows how companies can be good citizens.

Facebook’s Africa friends need heart, not darkness

5 Nov 2018

Cameroon used a fake cannibalism video Mark Zuckerberg’s $430 bln outfit left on its pages to justify a military crackdown. Facebook has not done enough to combat online abuse as social media booms on the poorest continent. But effective monitoring would hardly break the bank.

Dick’s fires starter pistol for smart-gun market

2 Nov 2018

The $3.6 bln U.S. retailer that ditched AR-15s in February would support selling guns that can only be fired by their owner, an idea the industry traditionally hates. The previous stand on safety dented sales but helped profit. If this one takes off it could be good for both.

Google staff protests point to growing labor clout

2 Nov 2018

They were aimed at the company’s failures in tackling sexual harassment. Ditto at McDonald’s a few weeks ago. When executives at such different firms have to listen, though, it’s another sign – backed up by the latest U.S. jobs data – that workers are becoming a scarce commodity.

Exclusive: FedEx drops NRA deal by snail-mail

30 Oct 2018

The shipping giant is ending discounts for the U.S. gun-lobby group’s members, eight months after other firms ditched similar schemes. FedEx says it’s an economic decision, not a response to mass shootings. Even so, it suggests offending the NRA is no longer bad for business.

Khashoggi showcases moral trilemma of big business

26 Oct 2018

Total sent its CEO to Riyadh for Saudi’s flagship conference despite its role in a Saudi journalist’s death. HSBC fielded a big team, too. Firms strive to be larger, profitable and ethical, but often only achieve the first two. Profit’s lead over ethics appears to be narrowing.

Hadas: Six economic reasons to hate Uber

25 Oct 2018

Economists are wrong to drool over the car service provider as an exemplar of free markets. This financial zombie has destructive effects on transit, a dysfunctional strategy and an antisocial approach to regulation. Also, it hurts its workers and makes investors look foolish.

Cannabis is like bitcoin, only with revenue

15 Oct 2018

Stocks of producers like Tilray and Canopy have risen faster than the digital currency did, fueled by Canada’s imminent legalization. Today’s valuations make no sense and accounting is patchy. Unlike bitcoin, these pot companies have real sales – but that only fuels the frenzy.

Review: Forget robots, capitalism is the future

12 Oct 2018

Ex-Fed boss Alan Greenspan and journalist Adrian Wooldridge have penned a fast-paced history of the good wrought by American entrepreneurs. But their solutions for today’s perceived stagnation – less welfare and fewer regulations – undervalue the adaptability of their subjects.

Amazon gender-diversity fail shows limits of tech

10 Oct 2018

The $900 bln e-commerce giant scrapped a résumé-reviewing computer program after discovering it was prejudiced against women. Algorithms and machine learning hold promise, but are limited by programmers’ own biases. Weeding out such regressive traits requires human intervention.

Hadas: Nobel rewards pointless economic modelling

8 Oct 2018

Paul Romer won half the 2018 prize for recognising that education and governments help growth. William Nordhaus won the other half for condemning man-made climate change. Obvious? Maybe, but their work has complex equations. Unfortunately, these obscure more than they clarify.

Facebook is late to fight second existential crisis

5 Oct 2018

User and government annoyance at poor security, low-quality content and excessive advertising is as big a danger to Mark Zuckerberg’s company as the 2012 growth of mobile. Facebook finally appears focused on the threat, but it won’t be as easy to solve.