The access of women to power has attracted much attention recently, in light of the non-election of Hillary Clinton. Two authors have penned powerful essays on power and women: Rebecca Solnit, in From Lying to Leering, and Mary Beard, in Women in Power. Snap’s IPO involves nonvoting shares, which means that investors will get a …
Europe through the eyes of Verdun
Last week I visited Verdun, a town in France about a ninety-minute car ride from where I grew up in Luxembourg. It was my first time in Verdun, a charming town with a vibrant center, lots of those boulangeries that I love in France, and a promenade along its river, the Meuse. I came across …
The Tech Revolution, CEO Pay, and the 99%
Much of the corporate value creation today comes from machines, robots, and computers. Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has a market value of 553 billion U.S. dollars, and employs 70,000 people. Boeing, an older and more traditional firm, is valued at 101 billion U.S. dollars, a fifth of Alphabet’s market value, and employs 161,000 …
Silencing the conscientious investor?
In March 2015, eBAY announced a policy for gender and race diversity on its board of directors; hencefort, it will actively search for women and minorities when recruiting directors. This policy is news at eBAY, whose boardroom has traditionally been homogenous. Last year, for example, eBAY’s board counted 10 men and 1 woman. In 2015, …
Dusting off old gender roles
I wonder how Philippe Couillard, the relatively new prime minister of my adopted home province of Quebec, feels about gender roles. Let me elaborate. Mr Couillard, prior to taking up his post, promised that a maximum of 60% of his ministries would be run by men. After his Liberal Party of Quebec won a majority …
Food for thought: Restaurants in Nice
During a recent lunch with my colleagues from the university, the talk turned to food and restaurants in Nice. I could chip in, as I had been doing my homework. Since moving to Nice last fall I have sampled restaurants that were recommended through word-of-mouth, restaurants that I read about, and restaurants that simply looked …
Made in France
Arnaud Montebourg, the minister in charge of all things corporate in France (officially, le ministère du redressement productif), seems much in favour of … all things French. Companies are encouraged to stay in France, to produce locally, to hire locally. Recently, Mr Montebourg questioned the transaction between the French Alstom, which invented the TGV decades …
Giving men a break
In 1977 the United Nations decided to dedicate March 8 to women’s rights. Here in France, as in many other places, women’s rights still have some way to go. French women earn on average 25% less than men. Women are more likely to do part-time work: 82% of all part time work in France is …
Le pacte de wishful thinking?
Since I moved to France, I have heard much about la crise. Newspapers abound with articles and editorials on the topic, people mention it during lunch break and discuss its more or less nefarious impact on their lives. When I was in a store in October to set up my local cell phone, I chatted with the …
Participating in Montreal’s political process
In 2013, I intervened in Montreal’s political process and submitted a petition to my neighbourhood council. The video below (in French) shows me explaining the petition to the mayor and his staff.
What if … it had been Ms Hollande?
Much proverbial ink has been spent on Mr Hollande and the affaire. This weekend, Le Monde had a big debate in its culture pages on how much should be publicly known about the private lives of les politiciens. It made an argument that I have come across various times already, and that relied on the idea …
Food for thought: figs and fennel
The market runs daily in Nice, at the Cours Saleya, a large square in the old town that is across the street from the sea. Pastel coloured houses encircle Cours Saleya, chairs and tables spill out from ground floors where cafés have settled in. The market sells much (and then some) of what I can …
Nice and not so nice.
It has been a month that I moved to Nice for my sabbatical leave. I had barely set foot on the tarmac at the airport that the honeymoon phase set in. How could it not? There is the obvious, especially for someone used to Montreal winters: balmy temperatures that keep thick coats stowed away, the …