Loss of trust in the business world has brought us to a turning point in the relationship between the board, the management team, regulators and the investment community. But it is vital that confidence returns to replace the current atmosphere of caution. Alan Bird, Robin Buchanan and Paul Rogers ask what company boards must do…
Globalization is a force for good – just look at the evidence, says the economist and leading free trade proponent Jagdish Bhagwati. Contrary to what anti-globalization activists think, this complex economic process actually advances diverse social agendas worldwide. But to reap its full benefits we need to commit ourselves wholly to the idea, or run…
The world economy is set for a powerful and sustained recovery in 2004, says JosĂ©-MarĂa Aznar. But, to create and maintain the necessary global confidence, governments around the world must strengthen their commitment to policies aimed at reducing poverty and at boosting trade, employment and growth The past few years have been a difficult time…
Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will demand partnerships well beyond the political level, says Tom Arnold. People at all levels – not least locally – need to change their attitudes. NGOs, for their part, need to lose their natural suspicion of the business sector’s motives and demonstrate their own professionalism and capacity to deliver In…
Diversity is all very well – but only up to a point. This is the contradiction at the heart of many western liberal democracies. So-called secular values are not always as inclusive – or neutral – as they are made out be, especially when veiled in political rhetoric. So how do we guarantee equal respect…
A world of glaring inequality is never going to be a fully safe world, says Kofi Annan. For millions of people, the threat of terrorism, or of weapons of mass destruction, is remote compared to the daily threat of poverty, hunger, unsafe water, environmental degradation and disease. But is the machinery of global governance up…
Is the world really a more dangerous place than it once was? Or do we just think it is? What factors influence the way in which we perceive risk and how do they affect our decision-making? What are the implications for those charged with protecting us? David Ropeik and Paul Slovic offer some insights into…
Obtaining and sustaining business can be difficult in Arab markets. Mark Ford spoke to a range of information and communications technology companies about their strategies for creating positions in the region’s “new economy” spoke to a range of information and communications technology companies about their strategies for creating positions in the region’s “new economy” –…
Technology has the potential to transform the Arab world. In some places it is already doing so. In others, its use has barely started. Throughout, it will bring huge changes over the next few years – in the way that people live and in the lives they can expect to lead in the future. By…
Nanoscience, the science of tiny things, is leading to some extraordinary developments and applications. Many people believe that nanotechnology is the next big thing. But its business application is only just beginning. Mildred Dresselhaus explains what it is and where it is heading – Nanotechnology deals with objects on the nanometre size scale, typically more…
