All comment & opinion articles – Page 488

Comment & Opinion

Tales of Titania: Norman Wisdom and blurry Balkans

2011-01-29T00:00:00Z

It is deeply fashionable, at least in PR, to stage your office Christmas party in January, not only harnessing that sense of post-festive irony but also, as Karoline (with a K) says, "because it's cheaper, darling".

Comment & Opinion

Family misfortunes

2011-01-27T00:00:00Z

Snow returned to Grocer Towers today, albeit briefly – but the chill that ran down many a back earlier this week had nothing to do with the mercury falling. GDP shrank by 0.5% in the previous quarter, we learned on Tuesday, confounding predictions – or maybe they were just hopes ...

Comment & Opinion

Moment of clarity

2011-01-26T00:00:00Z

North of the border devotees of Robert Burns were last night raising a glass of something medicinal to toast the great poet and help wash down the traditional feast of sheep’s stomach and mashed turnip. Maybe some subversive types even sparked a cigar.

Comment & Opinion

Shake your moneymaker

2011-01-24T00:00:00Z

They say money talks and bullsh—er, other stuff walks. We saw on Friday evening how cash is king, when Ranjit Boparan drove a coach and horses through the proposed Essenta tie-up. Specifically, a coach filled with money (reportedly lent to him by the good folk at Goldman Sachs).

Comment & Opinion

Third Party: Retailers owe it to staff to help stop violence

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

Seek advice on preventing crime in your store – the consequences of not doing so are far-reaching, says Robert Ryan

Comment & Opinion

Second Opinion: Let’s chuck out this hospital slop

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

The NHS’s cheap, mass-produced food policy needs a complete overhaul, says Joanna Blythman

Comment & Opinion

Careers File: Got the blues? Well, it is the most depressing time of year

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

You are either over the worst already, or it is coming your way on Monday. Either 17 January or 24 January is the most depressing day of the year, according to psychologists. To add to the gloom, they cannot agree on the precise date for Blue...

Comment & Opinion

Whitehall's binge drinking crackdown will be as effective as Cameron’s big society

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

In its juggling act to kickstart the economy, the government is cutting public expenditure… while increasing VAT… at the same time as keeping a lid on inflation. Just like that!

Comment & Opinion

Saturday Essay: Shoppers look beyond price. Brands must too

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

Today’s consumers want a deeper brand experience that includes information and entertainment, says Julia Hutchison

Comment & Opinion

Critical Eye... on druid shrubberies and underwater beehives

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

Bees know the score. One sign (among many) of the coming apocalypse is their mass disappearance, though boffins don't know if they've been poisoned by pesticides, have wearily relocated underwater or been imprisoned by wasps.

Comment & Opinion

Mr Muscle hits back at Challs

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

Sir, We are writing to make you aware of an inaccuracy in your Supplier Spotlight on Challs (8 January). The article claims Buster, Challs International's plughole cleaner brand, is 'the biggest plughole unblocker in the country",...

Comment & Opinion

Tales of Titania: Ambulance-chasing and citrus slop

2011-01-22T00:00:00Z

As fully signed-up members of the ambulance-chasing wing of PR, we're about to pump new promotional life into the corpse of a great British tradition. All hail The Marmalade Initiative, the first and almost certainly last generic campaign to...

Comment & Opinion

Above the argy-bargy

2011-01-20T00:00:00Z

Sometimes it’s better to rise above it. The unseemly spat over pricing between some of the UK’s largest supermarkets rolled on this week, with Tesco unveiling new press ads having a pop at Asda’s 10% price guarantee.

Comment & Opinion

The battle for Northern's soul

2011-01-19T00:00:00Z

The time has nearly run out for Ranjit Boparan to put up or shut up and clarify whether he intends to table a bid for Northern Foods.

Comment & Opinion

When good men do nothing

2011-01-18T00:00:00Z

They say evil prospers when good men do nothing. And by doing very little today, the coalition has managed to upset almost everybody. Retailers in England and Wales are to be banned from selling booze below the cost of duty plus VAT.

Comment & Opinion

Unhappy Mondays

2011-01-17T00:00:00Z

Today is Blue Monday. That’s the most depressing day of the year, if you believe ‘research’ paid for by online travel agents that want you to book some winter sun. Perhaps that explains the tetchiness in the weekend’s exchanges between Tesco and Asda over the latter’s 10% pledge.

Comment & Opinion

Third Party: Obese UK must seize Swapathon opportunity

2011-01-15T00:00:00Z

The Change4Life initiative is a step in the right direction, but we need to do more to tackle the issue, says Sue Davies

Comment & Opinion

Thank you, Hugh, for fighting fish discards

2011-01-15T00:00:00Z

Sustainable policies must be backed by regulatory reform and a wider repertoire of seafood on sale, says Leendert den Hollander.

Comment & Opinion

Tales of Titania: Dioxin quiche and bondage buyers

2011-01-15T00:00:00Z

Karoline (with a K) loves a great big crisis. It means she can double our hourly charge-out rates, swan around like a proper 'consultant' and get the rest of us to do the actual work. So she's bitterly disappointed that none of our clients were...

Comment & Opinion

Second Opinion: Inflation is the big worry this year

2011-01-15T00:00:00Z

Retailers will push the promotional envelope to deliver value to shoppers, says Clive Black