There are those in the PR industry who argue that Obama is a communications pioneer. They note that he mobilised five million volunteers to attract funds and communicate via social media. That shows communications becoming democratic, decentralized, interactive, more word-of-mouth – even tribal. These fans of Web 2.0 overlook one very big detail. Read on ›

The retail shareholders complaining about Barclays Bank’s deal with Middle East and other investors might well have a point. However it is not one that appeals to me. Read on ›

Today Barclays Bank raised £7.3 billion from Middle East-based investors. That makes Barclays one of the high street’s premier brands, not just in terms of perception, but in terms of reality, along with HSBC. Read on ›

London’s latest shopping extravagnza, the Westfield London Centre, was planned in a boom in another century and opens at the beginning of a recession.

Oh doom, oh gloom, oh glum. Thank goodness, Boris says that view’s nonsense. Read on ›

I am no fan of Jonathan Ross. I’m even less inclined to like or admire Russell Brand. But the vilification of both of them has got out of hand. Read on ›

Yesterday in the midst of recession, Volkswagen briefly became the world’s most valuable company, worth £238 billion. Hedge funds were gambling, which is what they do for a living, that VW shares would fall. Read on ›

It is good to see Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and other interested parties working together to protect free speech online. Yesterday their Global Network Initiative introduced a code of conduct that boosts the credibility of self-regulation on the Web. Read on ›

Today’s article by Juliette Jowit in The Guardian previews the imminent release of Salter Baxter’s eighth corporate responsibility report entitled Sustainability Gets Tough. It reveals the diminishing returns to be had from CSR PR. Read on ›

Britain’s leading environmental campaigner Jonathan Porritt hopes the financial crisis will kill off corporate social responsibility. On his blog he says it is an increasingly empty and illusory notion anyway. But then shoots himself in the foot by saying “I’m in no way seeking to disparage the incredible work of CSR teams in the banking sector”. Read on ›

So, George Osborne admitted on the BBC that he made a mistake meeting Oleg Deripaska on his yacht. It is refreshing and rare for a politician to admit such an error. He has also committed himself on the record to having nothing more to do with party fundraising. Read on ›