Social Media at the Top end of the Food Chain …
Why should social media matter to a business or professional services firm? This is still not an easy question to answer, especially as most of the answers for most senior executives and partners are based on fear, whether of a reputational blunder, of lost time or of a legal liability. Let us be clear. There are risks. And the costs of engagement with social media are high in time. Similarly,...
Read Morecricket broadcasting and commercial suicide
Whiteboard exists not only to promote our opinions but to give a platform to those with something fresh to say of interest to our readers. You can find out why we are interested in the world of cricket at the end but, in the meantime, let Rob Eastaway, an independent consultant and author of several books including the bestselling ‘What is a googly?’, give you his insights on the business of...
Read Morea rude awakening: who is responsible for a generation in financial crisis?
In this latest posting, we share a personal perspective on the credit crisis from one of our team. She raises serious questions about responsibility for the current crisis amongst those in the older generation who had the authority to do otherwise but who were happy to let the time bomb tick away. This contribution is anonymous but it stands for the experience of thousands of young...
Read More‘understandings’ and legal fees
The legal profession in the UK has been feeling the pinch more than most sectors lately. News comes, courtesy of The Lawyer, using the analysis of costs lawyer Jim Diamond (21 September), that ‘magic circle’ partner rates are set to fall by a third in an attempt to compete in the mid-market. Mind you, this does not put them into the Poundland class – you are still going to...
Read Moreeconomic prospects – alphabet soup and weeds in the garden
One year on from the financial meltdown that rocked the global economy, the Financial Times has been reporting that the UK may be heading out of recession. The signs seem positive with industrial output, imports and exports increasing during the last quarter. Are these ‘green shoots’ giving us false hopes? Are they giving us an indication of the shape that this recession will take? Be...
Read Morebrand alienation, gratuitous innovation and the tyranny of ‘healthy eating’
We are a B2B operation rather than a B2C business but we often get involved in issues that drift over the line a little. What often puzzles us as reputational marketeers is how often loyal B2C customers are treated like laboratory rats. Something works well enough but, for some unfathomable reason, somebody has to change it … This posting from one of our team is presented as an example of...
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