Guy Corbet

Company cultures are running on fumes: should we return to the office?

Posted by Guy Corbeton April 10, 2021April 10, 2021in BlogLeave a comment

By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty

We’ve learned an awful lot about working from home. It has given many people the freedom to combine work with more family time. It has been the miracle that has kept the economy spluttering on through the lockdowns.

Many now don’t want to go back to the old normal drudgery of commuting to the office.

In the cold light of day, and in the long run, will that position really be possible to maintain? And are we seeing that company cultures are already running on fumes?

“It’s on all of us.” Three things responsible firms do

Posted by Guy Corbeton November 5, 2020November 5, 2020in Blog1 Comment

By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty

Worlds away, back in March, “it’s on all of us” is how the then-rookie chancellor, Rishi Sunak, set out the challenges ahead. “We want to look back on this time and remember how, in the face of a generation-defining moment, we undertook a collective national effort – and we stood together. It’s on all of us”.

Six steps to prepare for the recovery

Posted by Guy Corbeton May 10, 2020May 21, 2020in BlogLeave a comment

By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty

Survival has been the name of the game, but it is not an end game.

For many firms, the main focus so far has been to batten down the hatches in the face of rising uncertainty.

It is time to start rebuilding. Gradually, the economy will start to splutter back into life. We will be at the foot of a tall mountain.

A new type of corporate citizenship?

Posted by Guy Corbeton March 17, 2020May 13, 2020in BlogLeave a comment

By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty

Too much has been written about what Brexit might or might not mean.

What it does mean is that business, ordinary people and politicians will all soon have a much bigger role in the decisions that shape our everyday lives.

How should the value of a business be measured?

Posted by Guy Corbeton November 20, 2019in BlogLeave a comment

By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty

Just when you think there isn’t room in the world for another business index, the very smart people at communications agency Portland have created the Total Value Index.

It compares the contribution that individual British businesses (and sectors) make to our world, based on their simple proposition that “value = profit + purpose”.

The Grenfell inquiry illustrates the need for an Apology Act

Posted by Guy Corbeton November 11, 2019November 11, 2019in BlogLeave a comment

Is it possible that Dany Cotton, the head of the London Fire Brigade, is so conceited and heartless that she really would do nothing differently if Grenfell played out again?

I don’t know, but I doubt it. It’s hard to believe that anyone could willingly be so crass.

Boeing tried to win the wrong argument

Posted by Guy Corbeton March 26, 2019August 5, 2019in BlogLeave a comment

This blog is based on a short quote which the Financial Times was kind enough to include in “Boeing criticised for not acting faster“.

Boeing appeared to be trying to win the wrong argument.

Having watched the dominoes fall around the world, as successive countries decided to ground the Boeing 737 Max, the US finally followed suit. Two crashes months apart were enough.

The myth of the millennial market

Posted by Guy Corbeton August 8, 2018August 8, 2018in BlogLeave a comment

Basic marketing practice generally means identifying a segment of people with common characteristics and then trying to work out what few triggers will attract as many of them as possible.

Do brands really need a “social purpose” to do good?

Posted by Guy Corbeton June 18, 2018June 19, 2018in BlogLeave a comment

By Guy Corbet, Fourteen Forty

The researchers at professional services firm EY reveal four fifths (82%) of us believe a brand’s values must include a clear purpose. This purpose is critical in deciding whether or not we will buy from them.

Saying sorry can be a good business decision

Posted by Guy Corbeton April 16, 2018April 16, 2018in BlogLeave a comment

By Guy Corbet

A poorly handled first response makes a crisis even worse

The Apology Clause campaign has been set up to make it easier for businesses to behave with compassion when things go wrong, and to help victims have better recoveries.

That is because too often, when it feels like a business should say sorry, it does not. This may be to a customer who has been let down, or someone who might have had a right to expect better than they received.