It’s around three and a half years since Britons voted in a referendum to leave the European Union by a narrow margin of 52 to 48. That alone should have told UK’s lawmakers how divided opinion is on the issue of whether to leave the 40-year old union with the European Union. After all these… Continue reading Businesses Brace for Brexit Doldrums
In March 2018, President Trump said that “Trade wars are good and easy to win.” As economies and markets roil in the throes of the year-and-a-half long US-China trade war, it is perhaps time to ask who is a trade war good for and what impact it is having on business and ordinary people. By… Continue reading Just Who Is a Trade War “Good” For?
It has been several months and quarters of agony for the Indian automobile industry, what with vehicle sales falling. The rapid growth rate registered in the 2004 to 2013 period seems to have sputtered to a slow growth, if that. Newspapers and magazines are suddenly full of news about falling vehicle sales and job losses;… Continue reading Stuck in the Slow Lane
While the news in and out of India in recent days has been, quite rightly, hogged by the Kashmir issue, I would like to draw your attention to the economic slowdown in India. There probably isn’t a soul anywhere in the world who hasn’t heard of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to foreign investors, “Make… Continue reading A Made-in-India Economic Slowdown
The recent wave of protests in Hong Kong are making news headlines for a variety of reasons. From the draconian nature of the extradition bill proposed by Mainland China, to the intensity and massive turnout of the protesters, to the violent reaction by the Hong Kong police, everything was captured by television news channels. The… Continue reading From Gateway to China to Getaway Island?
If you happen to own Arendt’s books and read them a long time ago, it’s time to dust them off your bookshelves and read her all over again. I regret I did not read her earlier, but I am glad I have discovered her wonderfully sharp intellect and detailed expositions of totalitarian regimes now. Why… Continue reading The Relevance of Hannah Arendt
Sharing an article that I just wrote for LinkedIn on brand purpose, since there is so much discussion around it these days. I came across a 1970 article by Milton Friedman in The New York Times that spurred me to put my thoughts down on the subject and refute some of his theories or arguments.… Continue reading Why Brand Purpose Must be Aligned with Business Purpose
If, after watching news of the recently concluded G20 Summit, you got the impression that the global economy is chugging along fine and that countries were getting along fine, you can attribute it to one person: the world leader with the world-leading tweet! After firing off a set of confrontational tweets in customary style, Trump… Continue reading G20: A Summit in Need of Statesmanship
I don’t know about you, but the year 2015 was defined for me by images of hordes of people clambering on to boats to take them across the Mediterranean. Many making it to their destination and many others meeting a watery grave. Since then the sea has become a sort of metaphor for the European… Continue reading After the Financial Crisis, the World at Cultural Crossroads
For an election that concerns 28 nations, the EU elections usually attract little attention. Until this year, when it was heartening to see a larger voter turnout. And, as is usually the case in the event of a large voter turnout, this time too it is a mandate for change. The most recent Eurobarometer polls… Continue reading Time for Europe to Seize the Day
Peripatetic Perch 