Comment
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Popular 2012 words and their meaning
Journalists, politicians and social commentators were as productive as ever in 2012 in coining new words, terms and expressions that enrich our language. I find the work of wordsmiths interesting as they often combine wit with a good command of...
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Another tough one ahead
The outgoing year was not as bad as it might have been for the world economy. It certainly was not good, either. Slowdowns and recessions were the order of the day. But at least the worst from our standpoint did not happen. The European Union did...
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Ensuring a competitive payment cards market
The payment cards market has once again been targeted for the enforcement of competition rules by the EU institutions. In a recent judgment, the General Court confirmed a 2007 decision of the European Commission finding an association of...
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Handle with care
Manufacturing generates wealth and employment through a series of complex supply chains and associated economic activities, and investment in equipment and people. This creates a positive spill-over which generates economic growth and higher...
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Banks and the sales culture
Today’s bank managers are very different from those of two or three decades ago. Our bankers are now expected to be prime salesmen. They talk about the ‘share of wallet’ they want to grab from their customers’ pockets. They invest in building...
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Location, footfall – and the car
Business has picked up quite briskly all over the island, but particularly in the main shopping areas at Valletta and Sliema. This is only natural with Christmas and new year just round the corner. It also comes in the wake of a survey that...
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Unitary patent protection in Europe
Work on a ‘Community’ patent started in the 1970s, but the resulting Community Patent Convention was a failure as it was not ratified by enough countries and never entered into force. Years later, an attempt to revive the Convention project also hit...
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Women on boards – why a compromise is necessary
Women are known to compromise. We start from an early age when the choice of what career path we will take is influenced by the mentality of those around us that certain careers are better if you eventually need to juggle being a wife, mother and...
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Advantages of a renewable energy legislative framework
In his address to a joint session of Congress in February 2009, US President Barack Obama said: “To truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean,...
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The economic challenges ahead
The 2013 Budget is a bridge that should lead us over the troubled waters that surround us with the hope that we will soon reach the other end and the highway that takes us to the land of economic prosperity. It is up to us to make it safely to the...
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Partisanship must not rear its head
The latest developments in the political sector could impact differently on various aspects of business activity in Malta. The first reaction after Monday night’s announcement by the Prime Minister, once the Government had fallen, that he would...
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Protecting traders against marketing scams
Marketing scams, designed to rob traders of their time and money, are in the European Commission’s line of fire. In a recent communication, the Commission outlined planned initiatives to ensure a safer single market for traders to operate...
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Marketing infant formulas
Infant formulas – milk and soy-based products designed to nourish babies – is an industry reportedly worth $30 billion, and set to rise as the working woman gets busier in every part of the globe. Or will it? Legislation protects the woman’s right...
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Addressing our economic challenges through research
The spillover effect of research and innovation into other business sectors, creating a better economic scenario and a more competitive offering as a country, is known but often forgotten. When research and development is conducted in a successful...
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Retail investment product reform
Investment advisers are confronted with a major dilemma when dealing with clients. When they recommend a financial product that goes on generating a positive return, clients will not thank them – investors take that positive return for granted and...
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Vocational education: learning that works
Politicians, economists and business leaders are eternally engaged in the search for the Holy Grail that will deliver economic growth. They broadly agree that the secret to Europe’s economic success in future must be more investment in education.
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Employers and Budget 2013
In many regards the Budget Speech for 2013 was very much as expected. The Budget should be an economic exercise, being the Government’s main influence to steer the economy. Instead it was couched in political discourse, summarised as “anything we...
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Linking and framing on the web
Linking and framing have little to do with the art of decorating. These are modern words used pervasively in IT jargon. ‘Hyperlinking’ or its shorter version ‘linking’ is a sort of reference mechanism, which the user of a website can use to follow...
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The end of the cheque?
The earliest cheque is said to have been written some 350 years ago: apparently Nicholas Vanacker issued it in favour of a certain Mr Delboe for the amount of £400. The cheque as a payment instrument is therefore almost as old as banking itself. It...
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CSR as a core business value
Nine years ago, my first task as executive head at the CEO’s Office at Bank of Valletta was to coordinate efforts relating to the bank’s community involvement. The bank is now synonymous with the largest, most developed and transparent corporate...
