About this blog
KPMG’s leadership blog brings you insight, opinion and debate from our senior partners and industry experts. Hosted by KPMG UK Chairman John Griffith-Jones, we’ll be discussing the issues that matter to your business and the trends that could shape your future decision making. Feel free to post your own comments on any of the topics discussed and further the debate.
United Kingdom
The business benefit of benchmarking sustainability performance
By Vincent Neate, KPMG’s UK head of Climate Change & Sustainability
KPMG and SAM (Sustainability Asset Management) recently published their 2012 Sustainability Yearbook, which recognizes the companies around the globe that are sustainability leaders.
A new perspective on the changing business environment
By Yvo de Boer, Special Global Advisor, Climate Change & Sustainability
Over the past two decades, we have recognized that the way we do business has serious impacts on the world around us. It is now apparent that the state of the world affects the way we do business. The central challenge of our age – maintaining human progress while minimizing resource use and environmental decline – can simultaneously be one of the biggest sources of future success for business.
Water, water, everywhere…
By Adam Bates, Global Head of Innovation, KPMG
Last year the United Nations estimated that the world’s population had passed the seven billion mark. The excellent BBC website tells me that I when I was born I was the 3,019,907,734th person alive on the planet and the 76,654,641,382nd person to have lived since history began. If ever I thought I was in any way remotely important, then that news certainly put me in my place!
QE – not a silver bullet but few other options
By Andrew Smith, Chief Economist, KPMG in the UK
Almost two years ago, the Monetary Policy Committee took an unprecedented step and cut interest rates to 0.5%, at the same time unleashing a multi-billion pound programme of asset purchases – known (simply!) as quantitative easing (QE) – to support the economy. Since then, GDP growth and inflation have moved erratically and output remains 4% below its pre-recession peak. This week, I was struck by how calmly the announcement of a further round of QE and continuing ultra-low rates was reported. It’s almost like this is the norm – but it’s not normal. These are desperate measures in extraordinary times. It is worth considering how we got here, and does QE really help?
Investing in young people
By Oliver Tant, Head of Audit
I’ve been reflecting on the findings of our recent survey of students and parents, looking at changing behaviour as a result of increased university costs. Although the effects of rising university fees are not unexpected, it is still a shock to read that while 71 percent of respondents (including 78 percent of school leavers) believe that going to university is as important as it ever was, 19 percent of parents were prepared to admit that “part of me hopes my child won’t get in or hadn’t got in to university because of the costs I could face.”
Portas Pilots have potential, but risk failure through under-funding
By Helen Dickinson, Head of Retail
Mary Portas has begun her mission to rescue Britain’s ailing high streets. On offer is the chance for town centres across the UK to bid for a share of £1 million funding, together with support from Whitehall and Portas, to help transform a small number of local high streets into modern community hubs.
Read the leaves to realise the risks in 2012
By Adam Bates, UK head of KPMG’s Risk Consulting practice
The World Economic Forum, which started its annual meeting in Davos today, recently published its “Global Risks 2012” report. It considers the views of 469 risk experts with the objective of identifying the trends and impact of 50 different global risks. However, the key question for businesses is – to what extent can they influence or have any control over the main risks as identified by the Report?
KPMG@Davos – The crisis of capitalism
By John Griffith-Jones, Chairman, KPMG in the UK
Well I’ve arrived in Davos where it is snowing, looking disarmingly beautiful and the scene is set to have another go at airing the problems of the world. As it happened, I had only got as far as City Airport in London before I met up with some key British journalists so we had a preliminary skirmish about Greece before even leaving the UK. In one respect at least the Greeks are fortunate. They are going to get more free publicity than they could ever afford to pay for – but maybe not all of it quite as good as they would like!
Meanwhile, there is the other small issue of the crisis of capitalism to tackle tomorrow. I think it will be important that the captains of industry do not get into inadvertently hypocritical mode by promising to change everything for the safety and sanctity of the Swiss Alps. I expect the folks back home will be more interested in their follow-up actions than they are in their words.
Read all the latest from KPMG at Davos
Follow Davos developments as they happen at World Economic Forum Live
How retailers can ensure the price is right
By Helen Dickinson, Head of Retail
After a Christmas season that saw many retailers turn to more drastic promotional activity and discounting to attract consumers, retailers have already begun thinking about their pricing strategy for the forthcoming year. 2012 is expected to be another tough one for the sector where volume growth will be pretty hard to come by. Getting pricing right for both your target market and your business model will be the key to survival and optimising profitability. Effective discounting must form part of a long term strategy, which must be sustainable.
Businesses’ doors must be open to all, not just the few
By Michelle Quest, Head of People
It’s great to see that over 100 companies (including KPMG) have now signed up to the Deputy Prime Minister’s Business Compact to ensure that businesses’ doors are open to all, not just the few.
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