Weekend Round-Up October 18, 2009
Telegraph
Why bad bosses like Basil are also nastiest There's a reason Basil Fawlty bullied Manuel. Aggressive bosses who are overwhelmed by their own inabilities are more likely to lash out than competent leaders, says a study by the University of Southern California published in the Psychological Science. It seems the combination of power and incompetence makes a nasty cocktail. In an experiment where volunteers had to punish mistakes by using a range of horn blasts, the lowest at 10 decibels, the highest at 130 decibels, those who felt the most powerful but least able were apt to go for the ear splitting blast. Volunteers who felt neither powerful nor capable used quieter forms of punishment, as did confident volunteers. The "combination of having a high-powered role and fearing that one is not up to the task...causes power-holders to lash out", according to Serena Chen, co-author of the study.
Working mothers do not harm children, says a study. But is abuse of maternity leave setting back working women? Women who abuse maternity leave -- 'working the system' to take advantage of paid leave following a round of redundancies or to re-train in another career -- could be undermining working women generally. Long maternity leave can also make it harder for women to get "back in the saddle", says author Suzanne Doyle-Morris. Oft-lauded Sweden is held up as the icon of childcare leave because the 18-month time off is split between parents. But how many men will take the time off?
FSA orders banks: end era of easy mortgages The FSA's Mortgage Market Review looks set to do away with "higher risk" mortgage lending practices, but will likely keep 100 per cent mortgages for fear of killing off first-time buyers' hopes of getting on the property ladder. The review will target specialist non-bank lenders that are seen as responsible for the worst debts, while buy-to-let and sub-prime mortgages will be more tightly regulated.
£5.5bn plan for power station An ambitious application will be submitted today for Battersea Power Station, with owner Real Estate Opportunities and Treasury Holdings hoping to do for the London landmark what the Sydney Opera House has done for Sydney or the Guggenheim for Bilbao.Probably of more interest to London mayor Boris Johnson, it's hoped that the new shops and flats complex will create some 15,000 jobs.
News of the World
Brawl Mail Royal Mail chief Adam Crozier has promised to draft in 30,000 casual staff to offset the disruption caused by postal worker strikes in the run up to Christmas.
The casual staff will be used to clear the existing backlog, not perofrm the roles of striking union members who have walked out -- 5,000 postal managers will be going back to the floor to sort and deliver mail during industrial action.
The Mail on Sunday
"Rent-a-director" service for firms. Want to boost the experience and acumen of your firm's staff but struggling to appoint a non-executive director (NED)? Bedfordshire based recruitment company Russam GMS may have come up with an interesting short-term solution in the form of freelance non-exes. These so-called "Nedworkers" can be hired on a day-to-day basis by fledgling companies keen to harvest the knowledge and advice of a senior business manager. and help to fill-in the gaps in businesses with their skills and experience. Despite charging up to £500 a day for their services, Nedworkers have already proved a hit with a number of small firms.
People Management
Government stalls plans to allow workers time off to train. The government has delayed until 2011 legislation that would allow workers to take time off to pursue training programmes. Under the EU's Agency Workers Directive, staff members are entitled to request time off from their employer in order to undertake civic duties or career advancement training. The delay means that staff working for firms who employ less than 250 personnel will not be given the right until October 2011 at the earliest. The move has been welcomed by business groups.
The Observer
Race bias in Britain's workplaces BNETUK blogged on the racial bias against black, Caribbean men last week. Now it transpires an undercover governmental investigation has unearthed a clear bias to 'white applicants'. By sending out the CVs of false job applicants with equal qualifications but names from ostensibly different communities revealed that the candidate with the most 'white-sounding' British name, Alison Taylor, received pick-up from her application nearly twice as quickly as those with Asian or African-sounding names. Employment minister Jim Knight is said to be considering barring discriminating companies from bidding for government contracts.
Industrial blackspots show jobless total is 3m Britain's North-South divide is widening as a result of unemployment, says a study in The Observer. "Dole queue blackspots" centre around Wales, the West Midlands and Scotland -- traditional metal-bashing areas that also bore the brunt of the last big UK recession. Could a weaker pound help exporters from the regions get back on their feet?
"Banks were behaving like monopolies... People were paid ludicrous amounts in relation to what they actually did", says economist Roger Bootle. Yet bailed out Royal Bank of Scotland's earmarked £1.8bn for bonuses and salaries to investment bankers this year.
The Sunday Times The Sunday Times has published a number of articles around women being under-represented in senior business roles. Two City fund managers explain how they cope with the rigours of the job -- one by setting aside time for her family, the other by being a working machine.
But many women in the City and in other lines of business find themselves cowed by the attitudes of their male colleagues. Business is still a man's world, apparently.
Debenhams chairman John Lovering quits John Lovering is expected to announce he will stand down next year. Lovering has been in the job for over six years and during that time took the company public. He was also instrumental in reviving the retailer's fortunes from three profit warnings since floatation. The department store chain's upcoming results are expected to show year-on-year profit increases of between £10m and £20m.
Microsoft will open own shops The software giant will launch Windows 7 in its battle againt the growing momentum gained by rivals such as Apple and Google. A side-bar to this campaign will be the opening of it's first foray into retailing. The location for this momentous shift in business strategy? The well-known shopping destination of Scottsdale, Arizona. In The Observer, John Naughton tells of the Tupperware-style parties Microsoft is encouraging its employees and fans to hold in their own homes.
Keep up cash flood, urges MPC's Adam Posen Bank of England economist Adam Posen has come out in favour of an increase on the £175bn quantities easing commitment given by the banks, as Ernst & Young is expected to predict yet another variation on the alphabet classification of the recession. The investment bank predicts a VW recovery, describing a saw-tooth pattern, bumping along the bottom for the next 12 months.