La Vie en Rose

It was the weekend of grand slams. First Saturday evening when France beat England, the last obstacle between them and the Six Nations trophy, then Sunday when the UMP party received a similar hammering at the hands of the Socialist party who drove home a decisive victory of 23 out of 26 regoinal councils in the run off elections. Whilst rugby supporters nurse their happy hangovers, pundits mull over the politicial ashes and await to see if Sarkozy 2.0 will be a calmer more statesman like brand. Less than half the population voted however, signalling a large sense of apathy amongst some and strong anger amongst others towards modern politics and the incumbent party in particular. Le Figaro shows the new political map whilst also providing a background to the movers and shakers in Monday's cabinet reshuffle. Charles Bremmer at the Times gives a pithy view on the underside of this result.

Yes we can - No we can't.

In what was more a speech about the state of the President than the Nation, President Obama's first State of the Nation speech saw him rallying Democrats to stay with his ambitious legislative agenda and trying to maintain public confidence in his administration. Using a tone that was both relaxed but defensive, he fired salvos against both Republicans , lobbyists, banks - "as popular as root canal" and "TV pundits" but accepted that some of his political setbacks had been merited. The agenda is very much a domestic one and in case anyone misunderstood the question, to quote Clinton's administration, 'It's the economy, stupid'. Interactive news and analysis, as always from both the BBC and NY Times.

Big Mother is watching you !

There's a lot of talk about the use of social media, in particular the creation of a professional profile via your digital identity, leveraging business opportunities through the online brand communities and networks, viral marketing, customer empowerment etc. etc. However, we're also familiar with the downside; that same digital identity being hijacked, abuse of copyright protection and amongst others, consumer vigilantes. Now here comes the latest danger to social media........ your own mother. Don't say you weren't warned....

A New Year

Hello to one and all, near and far. As we see in the New Year, there’ll be some taking trains and planes to return to the alma mater, here in Lille and others on their way to pastures new be it for an overseas internship or a partner institution to study. As for me, I’m wading through learning agreements and it occurs to me that far from being something administratively mind-numbing, these documents underline the fact that the world is now truly a global village and that to work and succeed in this environment, we need to be sensitive to the cultural and professional dynamics that surround us. This we can only gain through personal experience. Anyone living or having lived in a foreign country for a certain period of time, exposed to its culture and behavioural patterns; their relationship with the environment, their attitude to problems and problem solving, their notion of time and deadlines, in particular the concept of ‘no’, how they communicate with each other and how they view us back here, will have seen many of their own preconceived, stereotyped views dragged into the quagmire of oblivion. Within this context, the term culture shock takes on all its meaning. Living, working, studying abroad can be intimidating, lonely and disorienting but also exhilarating and a real renaissance. Survive this experience and you will return with the skills and experience to better understand and interpret this global market place and its business environment. After all, few of you will spend your future professional lives in one country only. So my new year wish to you all is Go North, Go South, Go East or Go West but GO! Live the challenge to the full, enjoy the serendipity of new experiences and know that whatever the problem or the opportunity, we’re always here for you back at the ranch. Out of sight, maybe but never out of mind.
SEMPER IMIM !
Happy New Year to you all

For the Child in all of us

As we approach Christmas at the speed of sleighbells, I wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas both to those within the walls of the Alma Mater and to those far and wide. Out of sight but never out of mind. Semper Imim. In the interests of broadening our business horizons, I'd like to recommend you the corporate website of a rather distinguished international business traveller, see below. A master of multi tasking, he needs neither Blackberry, Facebook nor Google calendar to manage all his tasks. He understood the importance of the Knowledge Economy, long before the term came into being and has a keen insight into customer needs and more importantly, their expectations, with a particular interest in the pre-school and tween segments. A multicultural manager, he shows strong critical analysis and problem solving skills and has avoided many a diplomatic incident through skilled 3rd party negotiations. His green credentials are as spotless as his means of travelling. He thinks nothing of crossing several time zones faster than you can say You Tube and leaves no carbon footprint. A responsible manager, he works with animals and the vertically challenged. The DNA of his brand would encompass benefits that are functional, emotional and pyschosocial with values that focus on shared happiness and giving. His corporate colours are red and white, he has a slight weakness for cake and whisky, but the odd carrot is also welcome. He's truly multinational but definitely Glocal.

For the child in all of us, may he or she NEVER disappear. A very Merry Christmas to you all. Enjoy !

http://www.noradsanta.org/

What on earth ?

Stand up environmental specialists......., thought so. For those looking for some background to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, starting tomorrow in Copenhagen, look no further than the UN's official site or the UK's Daily Telegraph for its FAQ. Eleven days to save the world? No, more realisically, eleven days during which 192 nations and 100 visiting heads of state will try and thrash out a comprehensive international deal to tackle climate change; one more effective than the Kyoto Protocol. The conference aims to agree targetted cuts in carbon emissions, develop low carbon economies, forest protection and funding for climate change preparation. Emissions need to drop significantly by 2014 but to do so requires formal, legalised agreements and money, a thorny issue. Political understanding, compromise and commitment are going to be the watchwords over these coming days. The US has a big hand to play in this particular game of poker and it's going to be interesting to see how the more developed gas guzzling nations persuade the newly industrialised not to make the same mistakes of over reliance on fossil fuels, whilst cleaning up their own copybook. This would be to underestimate efforts already made by a number of BRIC countries. Away from the official sites and soundbites, Greenpeace is running its own daily information as is the lively site tcktcktck. Both were behind the ageing heads of states campaign placed throughout Copenhagen International Airport.

Dubai's Déja Vu

The expression, you'd think they'd have learnt by now springs to mind as we read that City watchdog, The Financial Services Authority is said to be looking at exposure losses for UK Banks that have invested in Dubai World, the holding investment company wholly owned by the Dubai Government. Many were surprised as they thought that the structure of the islamic bonds or Sukuks implied state backing. However, as the Dubai stock market slid by 7%, the government has confirmed that Dubai World is not a government department and that it will not jump in to save the company - the creditors need to take responsbility for their actions. Dubai has been hitting the headlines regularly from its controversial workforce building those skyscrapers to its environmental record in constructing that palm and more recently the bling, bling reputation it gained with its avalanche of shiny celebrities used to promote the place. For those looking for a more detailed view, check out the FT, Le Figaro or the UK Times or the BBC who come up with a background view on what went wrong. Dubai World's website announces that the sun never sets on Dubai,. Their mission is to generate global socio-economic growth and sustainable stakeholder wealth through diversified investments, executing innovative projects and key strategic partnerships.

As someone once said, if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.........