This is very good news! Google has many tools and much creativity that it is directing at money-making ventures, and rightly so.However, it is also a leader in its field and, as such, needs to be a leader in these areas as well.It is not enough to talk about doing good!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:The fight against child pornography is getting an assist from technology designed by Google to help identify copyright-protected clips on its YouTube video-sharing site.Four Google employees used their "20 per cent time" - during which the company encourages them to pursue unofficial, out-of-the-box projects - to customize the copyright software for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's program for identifying children in sexually explicit photos and video.Software...
If the Pope were really ashamed he wouldn´t have those running his church in the US still in their posts. Those are the ones that moved their criminals around from parish to parish in order to avoid taking responsibility, with the additional scandal that these continued in their criminal activities with new unsuspecting children.And the US is not the only country where the Pope´s priests are running wild.Less talk of shame and more action!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Pope arrives for first U.S. visit, vows to keep pedophiles out of priesthood.Pope Benedict XVI arrived Tuesday in the United States to a presidential handshake and enthusiastic cheering, a warm welcome that followed the pontiff's candid admission hours earlier that he is "deeply ashamed" of the clergy sex abuse scandal...
Como consecuencia de lo que explica mi compañero Enrique esta mañana sobre el aumento de los precios de los alimentos, en un discurso interesante de Robert Zoellick, Presidente del Banco Mundial, analiza las subidas de los precios de los productos básicos de alimentación y concluye que los pobres del mundo ha perdido siete años en su desarrollo.Esto es importante ya que muchos de los pobres del cual habla están al límite de su consumo de nutrición y, por lo tanto, no se pueden permitir el lujo de una reducción.Ver Artículo...
Un estudio muy interesante de McKinsey Global Institute nos habla de los 1.000 millones de ciudadanos de China que serán urbanos para el año 2030. En ese momento, se habrá visto una migración del campo a las ciudades de casi 500 millones de personas.Esta migración no sólo impactará a ese país pero al resto del mundo también. La población urbana necesitará trabajo y, muy importante, necesitará alimentación, sin hablar de las otras necesidades y, también, de las presiones políticas potenciales.Preparando estos cambios demográficos, el gobierno chino está considerando cómo aprovechar mejor los recursos que se utilizan y esto también será fundamental.Ver Artículo...
Un estudio estadounidense, donde saben mucho de esto, concluye que los trabajadores obesos están costando a las empresas más de €28.000 millones al año. Dicen que el porcentaje de obesos ha duplicado en los últimos 30 años, llegando al 34% de la población. ¡34%!Con la desaparición de la dieta mediterránea y la incorporación de costumbres estadounidenses en términos de alimentación, esto ya es un problema aquí, y será cada vez más.Ver Artículo...
Muhammad Yunus, el Premio Nobel de la Paz y fundador del banco innovador de los microcréditos, Banco Grameen, ha publicado su nuevo libro titulado en inglés: Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism.Primero, da una descripición muy interesante de sus inicios con el Banco Grameen, y luego da su visión de cómo el futuro se podría manejar para mejorar la vida de muchos.Introduce el concepto de negocio social, Social Business, que son organizaciones diseñadas para ayudar a personas mientras también generan beneficios, como el propio Banco Grameen.Ver Artículo...
While rumour should not be the basis for decision making, it is good to see the head of an asian company considering his responsibilities and taking action.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-hee said Friday that he will consider structural and management changes -- including his own position -- over a corruption scandal that has rocked South Korea's biggest industrial conglomerate."I will deeply think about reshuffling the corporate management structure and the management lineup, including myself," Lee told reporters after a second round of questioning by an independent counsel probing allegations of bribery and other wrongdoing.Asked if that meant he would resign, Lee said he "will think about it."The independent counsel, sanctioned by South Korea's National...
What are the anti-trust authorities going to do here, where the number one and the number two, who together control the overwhelming majority, start collaborating?Some are already working out ways to get around this.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Yahoo and Google, the world's two biggest search engines, have announced a two-week experiment that will see them share advertising space.During the pilot, Google will be able to place ads alongside 3% of search results on Yahoo's website.Analysts say the move is designed to frustrate Microsoft, which has offered to buy Yahoo for $44.6bn (£22.6bn), or extract a higher offer. See full...
I wonder where the mea culpa is for having been at the helm when the highest inflation in 15 years appears.Does not Mr. Trichet realise that his inaction in not increasing rates since when he took his post was directly responsible for where we are today?An inconvenient fact so not to be mentioned!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:The global financial turmoil could last longer and have a broader impact on the eurozone economy than previously expected, the European Central Bank warned onThursday, even as it underlined its hard-line stance on inflation by leaving interest rates unchanged.Comments by Jean-Claude Trichet, ECB president, highlighted the risks and uncertainty the Frankfurt-based institution sees surrounding the eurozone economic outlook. But with inflation at 3.5 per cent, the...
It was clear at the time, and we said so, that this decision was a blatant attempt to appease an ally who scandalously held up anti-terrorism cooperation so that their involvement in corruption would not see the light of day.Nevertheless, this is not just a problem about the company. The ally is riddled with this sort of behaviour and noone wants to call them to account.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Ministers on Thursday night vowed to drive through unprecedented statutory powers to shut down investigations on national security grounds, just hours after the High Court said the government had broken the law by scrapping a probe into arms deals between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia.Two top judges delivered a fierce rebuke to the government for “failing to recognise the rule of law”...
Why is he not saddened by what has been going on in Tibet?Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:The head of the International Olympic Committee has said anti-China protests had created a "crisis" but that the Games in Beijing would "rebound".Jacques Rogge told a meeting of national Olympic committees in Beijing that the Games would succeed.But Mr Rogge urged China to respect its "moral engagement" to improve human rights ahead of the Games. See full...
A good decision!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, Downing Street says.However, he will be at the closing ceremony when the Olympic baton will be passed to London.A spokeswoman said Mr Brown had never planned to attend the opening ceremony and was not boycotting the Games. See full...
Good idea......well done!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will not attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, an aide has said.The decision was due to "schedule issues" and had been made months ago, said UN spokeswoman, Marie Mukabe.Meanwhile, Buenos Aires is braced for Friday's Olympic torch relay after anti-China protests in other cities. See full...
The 2008 Factbook for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has appeared and gives a useful análisis of the state of the world. In these volatile times, well worth a...
Me preocupa que unos listos hayan inventado un mecanismo que se salte la ley. Ellos tendrán que justificar científicamente, con estudios creíbles, por supuesto, no los que acostumbraban, que lo exhalan los consumidores no es nocivo para el resto de nosotros.No es el humo lo único que molesta pero inhalar las sustancias nocivas que existen aunque no se vean.Si lo puden justificar, pues adelante. Hasta que la sociedad no diga lo contrario, los fumadores tienen el derecho de matarse con estas drogas, ¡pero a nadie más!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroVer artículo:Ya es posible fumar en el avión y en otros lugares donde el tabaco está prohibido sin que las alarmas anti-tabaco salten. La nanotecnología lo hace posible gracias a un cigarro sin humo: tiene nicotina y no precisa combustión. La...
The US Treasury Secretary launched this blueprint today for how to upgrade the financial regulatory system.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroGo to full Blueprint, in pdf...
This is good news. This sort of behaviour needs to have costs, economic and otherwise!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:The Swedish lorry maker AB Volvo has agreed to pay millions of dollars in fines in connection with an inquiry into Iraq's UN oil-for-food programme.It will pay a $7m (£3.5m) fine to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and $4m in civil fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission.The firm will also pay $8.6m - the amount two of its subsidiaries had made in profits from the programme. See full...
Another European company that thought they could have an edge engaging in corrupt practices.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:The Swedish lorry maker AB Volvo has agreed to pay millions of dollars in fines in connection with an inquiry into Iraq's UN oil-for-food programme.It will pay a $7m (£3.5m) fine to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and $4m in civil fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission.The firm will also pay $8.6m - the amount two of its subsidiaries had made in profits from the programme.In return, the units will not face prosecution for at least three years.See full...
Si continuamos con el progreso que estamos experimentando, también será el reto del siglo XXII.Sólo tenemos que dejarlo a las acciones voluntarias de los empresarios, ¡como hemos hecho hasta ahora y desde el último siglo!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroVer artículo:Cada vez son más las mujeres que ocupan puestos directivos, que llenan las aulas universitarias, cada vez las diferencias salariales parecen menores y cada vez resulta más sencillo conciliar la vida familiar y laboral, pero todavía queda mucho camino por recorrer. Un año más, el Día Internacional de la Mujer se convierte en la ocasión perfecta para continuar reivindicando medidas destinadas a erradicar las diferencias entre sexos. Organizaciones de mujeres, organismos internacionales y organizaciones sindicales alzan la voz...
Un estudio de la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT) nos presenta el estado de la mujer en el mercado del trabajo a nivel mundial.Es verdad que más mujeres están entrando al mercado de trabajo, pero su nivel de desempleo sigue siendo más alto que el de los hombres y sus trabajos son mucho más precarios.Una cosa es celebrar el día internacional de la mujer trabajadora y otra es ver avances. Nos falta todavía en el segundo de estos.Resaltamos dos cosas sobre la parte supuestamente desarrollada del mundo, que se ven en el cuadro. Uno es la poca diferencia que tiene el mundo desarrollado comparado con el promedio mundial. Segundo, es el poco movimiento que se ha visto en los últimos diez años.Ver Artículo...
It is good that someone is mentioning the unpleasant facts.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Haile Gebrselassie says he could go back on his decision to withdraw from the marathon at this year's Olympics.The 34-year-old, who suffers from asthma, had announced that he would not race in the showpiece event because of the high pollution levels in Beijing. See full...
Mr. Spitzer in his resignation speech stated that he has always believed that, in all matters, a person needs to take personal responsibility for his actions, regardless of power and position, and that he was not going to be an exception. Sounds very nice!What he really means is that a person takes responsibility for his actions, but only when he is caught and then only after waiting a couple of days to test the political fallout, before taking responsibility.Not exactly the same thing!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Gov. Eliot Spitzer, whose rise to political power as a fierce enforcer of ethics in public life was undone by revelations of his own involvement with prostitutes, resigned on Wednesday, becoming the first New York governor to leave office amid scandal in nearly a century.The...
Un interesante estudio para 2008 de ICSA, la consultoría de recursos humanos, en colaboración con la escuela de negocios, ESADE, y con Laboris.net, nos detalla las desigualdades que siguen sufriendo las mujeres en el mundo del trabajo, en oportunidades y en salario.El estudio analiza la presencia de la mujer en distintas direcciones de la empresa, nos detalla las diferencias en salarios entre el hombre y la mujer en los mismos puestos y, además, nos da unos interesantes comparativos con nuestros países vecinos, Francia e Italia.Por supuesto que llega a la conclusión de que las mujeres directivas cobran menos y tienen menos presencia. ¡Nada nuevo! Es verdad que parece que esta diferencia está bajando algo, todavía muy poco y muy despacio, como vemos en el cuadro.Ver Artículo...
Given that the European Audit Office has raised questions about the books for 13 years running, is it so surprising that MEPs don´t want their expenditure and hiring practices looked into and transparent.They should be ashamed of themselves.And we are supposed to respect and treat seriously this lot!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Senior members of EU Parliament reject ombudsman's request for more information>Members of the European Parliament have rejected greater transparency with regard to their expenses and staff again.The European ombudsman, the administrative watchdog for the EU, decided in September that MEPs should provide details of their wage bills and expenses claims.In a reply last Friday, the Financial Times reports, a group of senior MEPs who run the house refused, on the...
Given all the failures that this company has demonstrated with its lack of adecuate corporate responsibility and ethics, it sounds good.Let us wait for the action rather than just the words!Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:It would be hard enough under any circumstances to become the first outsider named to lead a 161-year-old global conglomerate, but Peter Löscher faced a unique challenge last summer when he assumed the reins at Siemens AG -- the German-based engineering and healthcare giant.The 49-year-old president and CEO of Siemens -- who spoke recently at the Wharton Leadership Lecture series -- openly acknowledged that his first and most difficult task after taking the job last July was dealing with the aftermath of a scandal that included allegations of bribes to foreign...
And to think that the leadership of this bank is still firmly entrenched and unlikely to budge.The funniest part about this whole disastrous episode is that these bank directors are currently out touting for new equity.It seems to me that any shareholder who stumps up more capital for this senior management to play with should be on the line to go as well.Failures should have consequences and major incompetence, should be cause for dismissal. That is what we should be seeing here.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:French bank failed to follow up 75 warnings on Kerviel's rogue trading, independent SocGen board members concludeSociété Générale failed to follow up 75 warnings on the rogue trading by Jérôme Kerviel which led to a trading loss of €4.9bn ($7.2bn), a report written by an...
Los lectores de estas páginas saben que estamos muy a favor de los derechos de las mujeres, y hablamos reiteradamente de la necesidad de hacer cumplir sus derechos en el mundo laboral y profesional.La igualdad de la mujer en sus puestos de trabajo, en sus salarios y en su potencial de crecimiento es innegociable, no sólo porque lo dice la ley, pero porque es lo correcto.Ver Artículo...
This is good news.While I am highly critical of Liechtenstein, it is important that evidence obtained was not achieved through illegal means. Tainted evidence is inadmissable.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:HMRC confirmed this week that it had paid a former employee of Liechtenstein bank LGT for the details of account holdersMPs are to investigate the decision by HM Revenue & Customs to pay an informant £100,000 for the bank account details of taxpayers with cash stowed in the tax haven Liechtenstein.‘I am certain that at some point they will be required to come and explain what they are doing to Parliament. I would expect both the Treasury Committee and the Public Accounts Committee to look into this,’ Labour Treasury Committee member Jim Cousins said.See full...
That is a good idea.....let´s agree to allow just a little bit of criminal activity running through their banks´ books.Onésimo Alvarez-MoroSee article:Liechtenstein has called for compromise as Germany leads hunt for billions of euros hidden from the tax authoritiesLiechtenstein has called for a compromise with European countries amid a world wide tax fraud investigation of its banks after a tax evasion scheme hiding billions of euros from tax authorties was unveiled.Lichtenstein Prime Minister Otmar Hasler said in Brussels yesterday the principality wanted to reach a ‘reasonable agreement’ with neighbours who are calling for greater transparency as they hunt for the hidden billions, according to Agence France Presse.See full...