Professional Services

We have a somewhat complex relationship with leadership in the UK. Whilst by nature we tend to be a largely compliant nation, rarely has public opinion of our constitutional leaders been lower - and criticism louder. Furthermore, resentment of the part played by financial leaders in the economic crisis has been exacerbated by media reports of the pay offs and bonuses handed to banking bosses.

Last week, JP Morgan recorded a profit of $6.5 billion for the three months to the end of June, up 31 percent from 2012. Meanwhile, Wells Fargo also reported a 20 percent rise in profits to $5.27 billion.

10. Agricultural Bank of China

China
$111,493 million

The talks, aimed at removing trade and investment barriers, come at a time when tensions remain raised over claims surrounding the actions of the US National Security Agency.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel was keen to stress on Thursday however that the talks remain the "highest priority".

The Group has announced that it is planning to buy a controlling stake in Thailand's Bank of Ayudhya. Japan's biggest lender has agreed to buy a 75 percent stake in the Thai bank for up to $5.6 billion.

The deal would also see General Electric end its investment in Ayudhya, which goes back to 2007 when it bought a 33 percent stake in the bank.

Japanese financial firms have been increasingly expanding into South East Asia, attracted as they are to strong growth opportunities.

You want to grow your business and you’re pretty clear on what you need from your employees. Hard work. Efficiency. Innovation. Motivation. Results. But what do your employees need from you? If you’re thinking in practical terms—a steady paycheck, a quiet workspace, more training—you’re wrong. Well, at least you’re only partly right. Before they can meet your deepest needs, you have to meet theirs.

• Safety
• Belonging
• Mattering

Let me set up a common (and alarming) scenario I’m seeing at more than a few enterprises: while IT is slow to move mission-critical applications to the cloud due to fears of security vulnerabilities, outages, or costs, business units within the same company are already procuring cloud applications without even involving IT - even for critical and sensitive applications. In fact, through a recent survey conducted by my company, SailPoint, we found the selection and deployment of cloud applications is increasingly becoming a business-led process.

I once worked on a project on which, during interviews, both parties to a large supplier-distributor business relationship described the other as a “blood-sucking weasel”. This was an extreme case, but most firms involved in business relationships probably can cite an example of an important relationship that was constantly under strain. William Blake, the English poet and painter, has been quoted as saying “He hasn’t an enemy in the world – but all his friends hate him”.

The economy grew by one percent between January and March, compared to the previous three months, indicating an annualised growth of 4.1%, the cabinet office said, adding to hopes of a recovery in the world's third-largest economy.

The data follows a series of aggressive policy moves aimed at spurring growth in Japan's economy. Since the re-election of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in December last year, Japanese policymakers have introduced a slew of measures aimed at reviving the Japanese economy from years of stagnation.