Why the future is not quite what it used to be
Business gurus, management consultants and journalists are eager to exaggerate the pace of technological change and ignore lessons of the past. Don’t believe everything they say – 747s and nylon shirts are still around today.
Why a privatised railway drew bad reviews
David Hare’s play on rail privatisation, The Permanent Way, offers drama along classical Shakespearean lines – what is foredoomed to fail, fails. However, as an intriguing conversation reveals, Hare seems to have missed a key point.
Give state funding to students not their colleges
Europe once took 75 per cent of Nobel prizes; today the US does. It is less widely appreciated that this is the triumph of autonomous institutions over government-controlled ones.
Miracle on 34th Street
Not everyone likes Miracle on 34th Street. However, as we review the demise of Andersen, and as the lessons of Enron and WorldCom sink in, there are worse ways to end the year than by revisiting the maudlin but incisive economic analysis of one of the most loved Christmas films.
Customer inertia and the active shopper
When human nature conflicts with government policy or business strategy, human nature will usually win. From mobile phones to credit cards, customer inertia remains a dominant influence in many markets.
Boeing and a dramatic change of direction
John used to teach students that Europe could never regain supremacy in civil aircraft manufacture. He was mistaken. What went wrong with Boeing’s strategy?
The end of the pact could turn out to be a blessing
The end of the stability and growth pact will be a victory rather than a defeat if it leads to new ways of monitoring and controlling fiscal policy. John explains the need for governments to delegate responsibility for setting taxes.
Size isn’t all that matters for global economies
For countries as for businesses, small scale is no barrier to success. John explains why size isn’t all that matters.
Television networks are dying in a flurry of reality
Wouldn’t it be better if quality broadcasters embraced a future as publishers of quality rather than broadcasters of rubbish? John illustrates why broadcasters invent markets that suit their organisation, instead of inventing an organisation structure that suits their market.
When natural resources are a curse
It is in human, rather than natural resources, that the origins of material prosperity are to be found. John describes why natural resources may be a burden rather than a blessing for some developing countries.