Podcasts are a useful medium, even though listener numbers are not always massive. But if considered as an alternative to a series of public meetings, their value is significant. They can be cheaper and gain more listeners than would be attracted to a meeting. They can be a way of collecting together different voices, without […]
The collapse of the Cyprus Co-operative Bank was neither the largest nor the most famous of the banking failures that domino-ed across Europe in the wake of the ‘great recession’. But it carried many of the same characteristics – and illustrated that mutual banks are just as capable as plcs of being ruined by mismanagement
Alistair Hamilton caught people off guard when, after ten years in the role, he resigned as chief executive of Invest Northern Ireland. Despite his previous position as a DUP special advisor, he leaves with a reputation for avoiding sectarian bias. Having said that, businesses in the north west remain strongly critical of Invest NI’s
It now looks as if Brexit will not happen on 29th March, as repeatedly promised. Theresa May has reluctantly agreed that if her withdrawal agreement is not approved by the House of Commons in the middle of March, then MPs will be given two new votes. The first, on 13th March, will be to allow
Congratulations to Declan Hassan for focusing in his Business Matters column this week on the Fort George plan. As he explained, the proposal approved by the Department for Communities is for a new health treatment centre on the river front. Yet this could be located in a variety of other locations on the city-side.
Alan de Sousa Caires has a job that could make other accountants jealous. He is director of finance and business services at BBC Media Action, which is as exciting as it sounds. BBC Media Action is the international development charity arm of the broadcaster, working with governments, NGOs, donors and other broadcasters across Asia, Africa
The prospects for a no deal Brexit have become widely discussed in the last few days, not least with Theresa May’s proposed withdrawal agreement having been decisively defeated in the House of Commons. Her approach is to propose something which is more acceptable to Brexiteers in the Conservative Party and the DUP – but this,
A few days ago I was interviewed by two journalists from China Radio International. They were in Derry to see the border and to listen to local people talking about the potential impact of Brexit. A couple of weeks before that I was interviewed by Bulgarian tv and ten days or so earlier I was
Traidcraft – one of the pathfinders of Fairtrade commerce in the UK – is in crisis. After completing a restructuring exercise the organisation will be employing just 12 staff, down from the 67 it currently has. Twenty two staff have chosen voluntary redundancy, while 45 employees have been issued with formal redundancy notices. In
Countries and regions with poor social mobility are also more prone to corruption, or at least the perception of corruption, according to analysis undertaken by ACCA. These findings – from the report ‘Purpose and the profession: Social mobility and the public sector’ – were unveiled at ACCA’s Public Sector Conference, which took place at Church
United States’ economist Paul Krugman used the term ‘leprechaun economics’ to explain the disparity between Ireland’s national accounts and the less glorious reality on the ground. “Ireland, famously, is a country where GDP vastly exceeds national income, by a growing margin,” he explained. “The reason is a low corporate tax rate, which attracts both real foreign
Whatever happens now with Brexit seems bound to make Irish reunification more likely. A bad Brexit, perhaps with controlled borders, would create economic damage sufficient to encourage voters in Northern Ireland to look south with envy, as the Republic carries on with its fundamentally sound economy. On the other hand, Theresa May’s negotiated Brexit deal