Being educated as a biologist with a special interest in evolution has left an indelible imprint  on my psyche. Like all of us, I suspect, the core of my education has moulded the way that my mind looks at problems and issues. There are many parallels between the world of biology and that of business [...]

Sitting on the tram this morning, flicking through my e-mails and preparing for the busy day ahead, I began to muse on the incredible impact that information technology has had on my life. Doing this sort of communication was inconceivable even when I had my first management role. My own personal secretary was highly skilled [...]

The blogosphere has been driven into a foment over the last week or so by a paper by Groeneveld et al entitled ‘Increasing Use of Cardiovascular Devices and Rising Health Costs’. Its conclusions are interesting but, I suggest, not conclusive of anything which should prompt policy makers to ask further questions. Discounted for inflation the [...]

Patient safety and public perception: transparency, transparency, transparency…
In scanning the disparate output of the EU machine I came across a thought provoking survey of EU citizens on the subject of patient safety. Perception surveys are scientifically questionable as  they deal in the currency of (often poorly informed) individual’s views. Politically and from a policy perspective [...]

Like much of the business community I have had plenty of time for thought and reading. A 24 hour trip to Milan has turned into a five day marathon. Both reading and experience have stimulated thoughts about the operation of markets.
Firstly, after several hours on Thursday, I managed to secure a hotel room in Milan [...]