Corporate Colonialism

At its peak, the English East India Company (EIC) was not only the first multinational company of its day, but was also the largest corporation of its kind: the EIC surpassed the scale and power of many nations, effectively becoming the governing authority of India, one of the most economically productive regions of the era. Furthermore, even though the East India Company’s monopoly on trade waned in … Continue reading Corporate Colonialism

From Blockbuster to Bust: Lessons for Companies Facing Innovation

We’ve all heard of the video rental giant – Blockbuster. Its Founder David Cook opened nearly 10,000 global stores and generated billions in annual revenue. Yet in the early 2010s, the name disappeared from high streets, with its last corporate-owned store shutting in 2014. How did a company that dominated its industry fail so spectacularly, and more importantly, how can companies today learn from its … Continue reading From Blockbuster to Bust: Lessons for Companies Facing Innovation

Revolut: Disrupting traditional banking or becoming just another bank?

“We change the way you do money” is the slogan that greets visitors to the website of Europe’s largest startup, Revolut. But does the company uphold its promise? Founded by Nik Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko in 2015, their fintech company Revolut had one aim: to transform the way we spend and transfer money abroad. Initially, the platform enabled travelers to pay in 90 countries without a foreign … Continue reading Revolut: Disrupting traditional banking or becoming just another bank?

Benefits of R&D

Enhanced productivity arises from the efficient combination of inputs and is driven by new ideas, technological breakthroughs, and improved business models. This transformation fuels economic growth and elevates living standards and well-being. Research and Development helps to generate results in the advancements and improvements in technology, as well as deepening capital. How can Research and Development be used to drive economic growth? Research and Development … Continue reading Benefits of R&D

AI and The Future of Finance

The Beginning – Discovering a Foreign Field: Samik Chandarana, now Chief Data and Analytics Officer at JP Morgan, never planned to enter the world of finance. His journey in fact began far away from the trading floors of London, in the vibrant music scene at Manchester University. Deeply involved in the techno genre, by the late 1990s, Samik and his friends even released an album, Loop 82 – The New Style Swing, which can still be found on Spotify today. Although music was his … Continue reading AI and The Future of Finance

The Revival of US Protectionism

Throughout American history, trade policy in the United States has oscillated between periods of protectionism and free trade. Protectionism is a form of economic policy that involves reducing international trade through the imposition of tariffs and other barriers to imported goods in order to support domestic production. Tariffs, the most widely known form of such a policy, are taxes on imported goods that a government … Continue reading The Revival of US Protectionism

Does the gig economy support sustainable economic growth?

The launch of Uber in 2009, heralded the birth of the so called “Gig Economy” involving the exchange of labour and resources through a digital platform that could actively match buyers (riders in the case of Uber) with sellers (the drivers). On such platforms, workers perform smaller jobs, commonly referred to as ‘gigs’, instead of, or perhaps on top of, a full-time job and are … Continue reading Does the gig economy support sustainable economic growth?

Amazon: A Failing Company?

Amazon was founded on July 5, 1994 by Jeff Bezos from his garage in Bellevue, Washington. The company originally started out as an online marketplace for books. However, it has quickly grown into the largest online shopping site globally now worth about $1.75 trillion. In 2023, Amazon made $575 billion through global retail sales. Despite this massive amount of revenue generated on a yearly basis, … Continue reading Amazon: A Failing Company?

Gaming Economics: Fortnite

Fortnite, developed by Epic Games, has had a profound economic impact on the modern gaming industry, disrupting traditional revenue models and breaking many records. As the most popular ‘battle-royale’ game, which is a last person standing multiplayer competition, Fortnite has achieved immense success. In 2019, Epic Games generated $3.7 billion and $5.5 billion in 2022 despite the most popular platform only being released in September … Continue reading Gaming Economics: Fortnite

Gaming Economics: FIFA

“EA Sports… it’s in the game.” You may recognise that iconic line which is heard as you reload FIFA – perhaps after a frustrating rage quit from a difficult round of FUT Champs! Since its kickoff in 1993, FIFA has firmly established itself as a global sports gaming sensation. Whether you’re a devoted football fan, a casual player, or someone uninterested in the sport, you … Continue reading Gaming Economics: FIFA