There is no shortage of candidates for the title of the most dangerous business idea of the moment. Management-by-algorithm may remove what humanity there is left in the corporate world. The office-less future may dissolve workers into angst-ridden atoms. I want to suggest a less obvious contender for the title: “social purpose.” The idea of social purpose can be ...

If tech billionaires were targeted by China’s rulers last year, it looks like the millionaire civil servants are next. “Zero Tolerance,” a new five-part documentary jointly produced by CCTV and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the powerful anti-corruption agency, signals just that. In the nine months ending September, CCDI opened about 407,000 cases and punished 438,000 people, the most ...

  It’s official: Americans are paying up for their favourite goods. December saw the biggest 12-month gain in inflation since 1982. Last week, Procter & Gamble Co. raised its sales outlook for the year to the end of June on the back of higher prices. In the three months to December 31, organic sales (which exclude the impact of currency ...

  Bonds are sliding and forecasts for US interest rate increases are escalating rapidly. Borrowing costs have moved up in the UK, South Korea, New Zealand and a swathe of emerging markets. There are outliers, however. Among them, Asia’s two most powerful economies: China, which cut a key rate this week, and Japan, a country that’s battled deflation for a ...

  Bloomberg Natural gas prices in Europe declined as Russia’s shipments increased and weather forecasts pointed to milder temperatures in the region. Orders to send gas through Ukraine via Velke Kapusany, a major entry point in Slovakia, rose to the highest level since January 1, according to data from operator Eustream. Shipments still remain below normal. Above-average temperatures are expected ...

  Bloomberg The UK plans to bulk up the amount of power capacity it has ready for next winter, beyond the amount recommended by network operator National Grid Plc. The government set the target for the 2022-23 power capacity auction 14% higher than National Grid’s recommendation, according to a letter from Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. Under the system, Britain pays ...

  Bloomberg A Kremlin spokesman warned that a US move to put as many as 8,500 troops on alert “exacerbates tensions,” as a top White House official said the reinforcements for Nato forces in Eastern Europe are “ready to go at a moment’s notice.” Evidence also emerged that European governments are split on what Russian actions short of a military ...

  Bloomberg Ukraine’s top military official played down the risk of a full-scale Russian invasion and laid part of the blame for heightened tension on international media, insisting that the threat from the Kremlin hasn’t significantly changed in eight years. Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov pushed back against war-footing rhetoric and called for calm as Russia masses over 100,000 troops, along ...

  Bloomberg The crisis engulfing Boris Johnson escalated dramatically after the police began formally investigating allegations he and his staff held parties that broke the government’s pandemic rules. Johnson is battling for his political survival over a slew of reports about events in his Downing Street office, which were held at a time when social gatherings were banned under restrictions ...

  Bloomberg North Korea appears to have fired two cruise missiles Tuesday morning toward waters off its east coast, according to a South Korean military official, ramping up a barrage of tests this month that have rattled regional security. South Korea was closely monitoring the situation, the official said, without offering further details. The launch comes as North Korea this ...