Monthly Archives: July 2010

British graduates glimpse the future, beyond the post-colonial world

Last week Kevin Ball mused on the future of graduate employment: One of the axioms of British thinking about its response to globalisation is that the knowledge economy is going to save us from the Brazilian/Russian/Indian/Chinese hoards who are going … Continue reading

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Now we will have to manage older workers properly too

There is already some animated discussion on Twitter about the end of the default retirement age. As Laurie Anstis says: I suppose technically the abolition of the default retirement age counts as de-regulation, but employers won’t see it that way. … Continue reading

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Will business pressure blow the immigration cap?

The government’s proposed immigration cap, one of the Conservatives’ flagship policies, seems to be falling apart months before its implementation date. That it has caused tensions within the Coalition is not really surprising. What will most probably kill it, though, is the opposition from business. … Continue reading

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GPs and the Lancelot Spratt school of management

Here’s a great counterblast from Kevin Ball in response to the know-nothings who keep banging on about how the NHS doesn’t need management. As he says, the government is about to ask a group of people, many of whom have little enthusiasm for management, … Continue reading

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Speed cameras – an ideal source of funds for cash-strapped councils

Back in the early 1990s I was working for a company which had a very generous car scheme. Not only could you choose pretty much whatever car you liked within a certain price range but the firm paid all your petrol … Continue reading

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Tribunal cases – should you settle or fight?

Times Higher Education reports that St Andrews University spent £204,000 fighting a constructive dismissal claim and a subsequent appeal. It won the case but the employee concerned would probably only have received £20,000 if the university had lost. In other words, … Continue reading

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Does the public sector need hired guns?

A row has broken out in the Guardian’s public sector management section. Last week, interim manager Hilary Husbands wrote an article arguing that public sector managers who have bottled out of making radical change should be replaced by bolder interim managers who … Continue reading

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Undercover Boss – in Tower Hamlets

Thanks to Charlie Duff for reminding me that Undercover Boss is on again tonight. In theory, it should be impossible to make a programme like Undercover Boss. Even in large organisations people should know what the man or woman at the … Continue reading

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NHS trust spits out seasoned corporate troubleshooter

After just six months in the job, the chairman of one of the worst performing NHS trusts in the country has resigned. Nothing odd about that, you might think, until you realise that the man in question is a well-respected corporate … Continue reading

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Spending cuts – the ripple effect starts

The ripple effect from the government’s spending cuts is staring already. Cancelled projects and a general slowdown in public sector spending have hit the share prices of BT, Logica, Connaught and Cable & Wireless Worldwide (CWW). While some of its business is … Continue reading

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