Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Malchkeon's Seats

the Points Guy: “If you’ve checked in online for a flight or selected your seat in advance, you may have been presented with a visual seat map — either allowing you to choose which available seat you would like or showing you where on the plane you will be sitting. Some seat maps are very easy to read because all seats are either the same or very similar. While others are much more complicated because there is a huge difference between the different seats in the cabin. You may already know this, but before we get into the complex seat maps, here are some basics…” [Note – a must read guide to choosing your seating location on a wide variety of carriers.]


Chapeau Chapeau to Jacinda and her Wellbeing Budget (a world first). Spending increasing substantially more on mental health (the scourge of our times) and child poverty.  A ‘surprisingly obvious’ creative way of reframing government decision making (another scourge of our times).



The New Zealand Prime Minister has emphasised measuring social disadvantage as well as economic progress.  Yes!

As she said “Nobody wants to live in a country where, despite a strong economy (thank you John Key and his National Party – I said that, not Jacinda) families are homeless, where our environment is being degraded and people with mental health issues do not receive the support they need”.

At last a 30 something year old mother and leader realising it’s about and/and, not either/or.  (UK and US parties to note – stop choosing retreads and invest in a youthful leader.)

Keep the economy growing and take responsibility for bringing everyone along on the journey.  Work hard, be happy, live longer, live better.

Now I’m unconvinced by Ms Ardern’s plans for sustaining economic growth and developing New Zealand’s entrepreneurial skills, but I’m on board with her compassionate leadership.

She is committed to increasing spending on mental health by NZ$ 2 billion over four years, including serious money for suicide prevention (yet another scourge of our times, particularly in New Zealand) and a 10 year target to halve the number of children living in poverty.

The government also factored in other Wellbeing indicators, such as life expectancy, education levels, air qualities and a sense of belonging.

(Now let’s hope the All Blacks threepeat in Japan at the Rugby World Cup – where New Zealand’s happiness/wellbeing index will go through the roof!!)


Radicals Roaming ROMA .... image by Annie Leibovitz of AVALON FAIR


ASIC puts shrinks in the boardroom - The Australian Financial Review



ASIC puts shrinks in the boardroom

The Dutch central bank pioneered the idea of bringing behavioural science and organisational psychology into its supervision of financial institutions and now Australia's securities regulator is dipping its toe in the same water.



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Regulatory intervention in the corporate sector is moving to a new level of intrusiveness, with the securities regulator inserting a psychologist in the boardrooms of some of the country’s biggest companies.
Leading non-executive directors are sharply divided over the controversial move by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to have an organisational psychologist observing the inner workings of 21 major companies.
A smaller subset of this group of companies, including the big four banks and AMP, were the subject of more intensive scrutiny including interviews with chairmen, chief executives and directors in charge of key board committees.
ASIC chairman James Shipton says the regulator wants to better understand a firm’s business models and risk management processes.  David Rowe
One director tells Chanticleer the move could be risky for ASIC because it runs the risk of being too directly connected to critical decision-making by boards and, therefore, less able to remain independent. “It could dilute their effectiveness as a regulator,” he said.
Another leading company director was upset about the possible interference in the board’s governance deliberations, even though the organisational psychologist says nothing during board meetings.