The BVI Virgin Islands are in the news again for all the wrong reasons, as the outgoing British governor Gus Jaspert has blasted the territory as playing host to a ‘plague of corruption’ and accused the government of actively working to facilitate and foment this to their own ends. Denials came swift, as expected, but […]
Virgin on the ridiculous Read More »
Back in 2015, a disgruntled employee of the supermarket group Morrisons was given an eight-year sentence for leaking the payroll data of roughly 100,000 employees online and to newspapers. It was ruled that Andrew Skelton clearly had an axe to grind with Morrisons when he leaked the sensitive data of those 100,000 employees. Five years
Cyber Wellbeing: a corporate necessity? Read More »
‘Panda diplomacy’ is China’s long-standing policy of loaning (never giving) giant pandas to zoos worldwide, bestowing ‘friendship’ upon the host country in return for a tacit acceptance of China’s policy elsewhere – for who could turn down a panda? In practical terms however, China prefers to build its brand through financial and trading support, particularly
Norway and China: Polar power? Read More »
Tax havens, offshore havens and low-regulation havens are all well established in the world of international business, even if they are not universally liked. With the looming final advent of Brexit on December 31, however, the UK could be about to adopt a fourth variant of the term: a data haven. While governmental defenders would
Data haven: a Sealand of hope and glory? Read More »
Aston Martin are likely to be feeling rather shaken and stirred at the moment, as the car company is at the centre of a controversy over commissioning, and self-preparing, a report dismissive of green/electric vehicles, and with the communications firm involved being registered under the name of the wife of a senior Aston Martin official.
Driven to distraction… Read More »
One hundred years ago, the appropriately named Thomas Looney put forward the theory that the plays of Shakespeare had in fact been written by Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford. A not inconsiderable achievement, given that for the last one-third of the plays he would have been dead. But the ‘Oxfordian theory’, absurd as it
“I say, there is no darkness but ignorance…” Read More »
A common question asked of KCS is, “Who are your competitors?”. While the stock answer would be to mention the giants-by-size Kroll or Control Risks, or the notorious more discreet firms Hakluyt or Diligence, in truth neither division quite hits the mark. KCS is a firm occupying a very particular market position, in a very
“Although she be but little, she is fierce…” Read More »
As news of a potential Covid-19 vaccine raises the world’s hopes, it is important not to lose sight of the long-term impacts of the virus and the very real consequences of still living a socially-distanced, ‘static’ personal and professional life for many months to come. Understandably, businesses will be slim-lining and restructuring their operations in
Business generation in a pandemic Read More »
Earlier this year, against the backdrop of runaway COVID-19 infections, Russian citizens voted in a referendum that will reset Putin’s residential term limits. The result was never in any doubt. A large public campaign promoting the “Yes” vote and swathes of the opposition banned from campaigning or boycotting the event entirely proved the death knell
Decline and Fall: Democracy in Modern Russia Read More »
Another day, another regime change. Hand-picked president Sooronbay Jeenbekov, intended to stay in position for decades and enable his predecessor to influence things from behind the scenes, has voluntarily resigned after Kyrgyzstan was rocked by political protests and violence. Jeenbekov stated that he could not permit bloodshed against his own people, so has gone and
Kyrgyzstan: Silk Roads to crossroads Read More »