The Academic’s Viewpoint

Andrew Kakabadse

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Save us all from good men

No director has been brought to justice for their reckless gambling of our collective wealth

The John Kay review of the UK’s equity markets on behalf of business secretary Vince Cable has just been made public as an interim report. The views expressed came from a good, honest and thoughtful man. Kay emphasises that:· Equity...

Tags: casino-like ways, equity markets, john kay, leadership, reckless behaviour, vince cable

Who has the moral upper hand now?

What a twist of fortune that the bastion of greedy capitalism is morphing into the champion of the people

To counter public disquiet over bankers’ excess and the ever widening poverty divide, prime minister David Cameron gave a rousing speech in defence of capitalism. Unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears; certainly as far as I'm concerned.The question is not...

Tags: bankers' excess, leadership, moral capitalism, oligopolistic control, president obama, widening wealth gap

When badness is institutionalised

The last defence of oligarchic shareholder value capitalism

The Occupy London protest has drawn interesting reactions. It certainly has drawn anti-capitalist sentiment from surprising quarters: the middle class, the elderly, as well as the disadvantaged and the young.  We are witnessing middle England ready to stamp its feet...

Tags: bonuses, debts, leadership, occupy london protest, political vacuum, shareholder value, the city

Money, greed and children

Bankers have trillions of dollars worth of investment waiting in the sidelines while the youth languish

I did not get it quite right. I thought the near to liquid capital in both the City and Wall Street stood at around £450 billion and $2.7 trillion respectively. The latest conversations I’ve had with bankers and fund managers...

Tags: city, leadership investment in waiting, liquid markets, management, quantitative easing, wall street

Ethics, Morals, Pragmatism: Which Wins?

What we have today is the most impractical situation of all: the immorality of preaching a false ethic

“The UK’s Bribery Act shows the way”, so ran the headline of a consulting company’s advertisement of its training programmes in, “cleaning up the culture of the organisation”.  A number of other providers have followed suit with similar eye catching...

Tags: bribery act, corruption, ethics, leadership, morals, offshore accounts

Smart power at its best, or not

The Bilderbergs - Just what is their reach?

This year’s Bilderberg summit closed on 12 June. St. Moritz was abuzz with the prospect of the Bilderberg’s being seen in public. For those who do not know just who these Bilderberg’s are, they are a scattered collection of world...

Tags: bilderbergs, conspiracy theorists, force for good, leadership, secret society, smart power

Are we sleep walking into yet another credit crisis?

Funds are waiting to invest in the same short term derivatives that led to this global financial crisis

Perhaps later this year, perhaps early next year, the recovery should be with us.  Our banks and our funds need to win back the confidence to trade. This was a credit led crisis.  It will be a credit led recovery. ...

Tags: capital, confidence, credit, finance, funds, multimillionaires, short-term derivatives

World affairs: not just for politicians and taxi drivers

Is the boardroom equipped to understand geo-political developments and stand up to politicians?

Ten minutes into a fare with a London cabbie and a penetrating overview of current geo-politics is crafted with solutions to the world’s problems shaped. And all for 15 quid, weaving through the traffic from Paddington to the West End....

Tags: bribery, geo-politics, leadership, legislation, politicians, revolution

Are boards up to the job?

If boards are a collection of part timers, why have them at all?

‘Caught by surprise!’ ‘Could not have foreseen the scale of events.’How many times have these comments been heard from boards of banks concerning the global financial crisis?  Often, is the answer.Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.  An international...

Tags: boards, chairman, leadership, management, non executive directors, risk

Less of the politics, more of the talent drive

The assumption that having more women on the board will improve performance is challenged

“Not enough women on the board,” has become a familiar clarion call with "shocking" figures regularly bandied about as some countries are chastised for failing on gender diversity, while others are held high.Only 8 percent of Australian board directors are...

Tags: boardroom, campaign, directors, gender diversity, leadership, legislative, performance, political, talent

About Author

Andrew Kakabadse is professor of international management development at Cranfield School of Management and vice chair, supervisory board of The Academy of Business in Society. His research covers boards, top teams and the governance of governments. He has published 36 books, over 210 articles and 18 monographs.

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