Today I'm angry about.....

[TANGODANCER]

Been following the Post Office/Horizon scandal for a number of years with some professional curiosity. The excellent Mr Bates v Post Office nailed it. But there clearly needs people held to account, because some of the statements made are just untenable. I don't for one minute believe, between Fuji and POL, that problems with the software and that remote access was a thing, weren't apparent from a very early stage...

100%

It really is time for those at the head of large business to be fully accountable for their watch.

Or, as the Musketeers motto would have it: "One for all, and all for Me.!" .....

[Harry Genshaw]

Been following the Post Office/Horizon scandal for a number of years with some professional curiosity. The excellent Mr Bates v Post Office nailed it. But there clearly needs people held to account, because some of the statements made are just untenable. I don't for one minute believe, between Fuji and POL, that problems with the software and that remote access was a thing, weren't apparent from a very early stage...

100%

It really is time for those at the head of large business to be fully accountable for their watch.

Stripping the big guys of their knighthoods and various gongs for a start. Then go after the bonuses and pensions.

[TANGODANCER]

It really is time for those at the head of large business to be fully accountable for their watch.

Stripping the big guys of their knighthoods and various gongs for a start. Then go after the bonuses and pensions.
[/quote]

Aye, the Days of Wine and Roses are over; it's a can of Lager and a bunch of dandelions time.

[BWFC_Insane]

Been following the Post Office/Horizon scandal for a number of years with some professional curiosity. The excellent Mr Bates v Post Office nailed it. But there clearly needs people held to account, because some of the statements made are just untenable. I don't for one minute believe, between Fuji and POL, that problems with the software and that remote access was a thing, weren't apparent from a very early stage...

100%

It really is time for those at the head of large business to be fully accountable for their watch.

Ultimately the only way we see change is if we start holding shareholders to account. Because the ‘head’ and directors may do bad stuff but their motivations are usually driven by shareholder and investor behavior. The problem is that it’s all driven by increasing shareholder returns. Nobody is ever happy with profit anymore. Everything has to get bigger and it’s driven by a bunch of folks who’s only contribution to the world is putting money behind stuff and killing it if it doesn’t print them more money at a fast enough rate.

[Worthy4England]

I doubt you could really hold shareholders to account in something like this. Generally they're at arms length from the operation of the company and mainly have zero control, outside of the group whose bonus structures involve equity. But I don't see an easy route, coz many of peoples pension funds are also tied in, so it would need some careful planning. The fact quite a lot of companies are buying back their own shares tells you how much they're actually raking in.

[BWFC_Insane]

I doubt you could really hold shareholders to account in something like this. Generally they're at arms length from the operation of the company and mainly have zero control, outside of the group whose bonus structures involve equity. But I don't see an easy route, coz many of peoples pension funds are also tied in, so it would need some careful planning. The fact quite a lot of companies are buying back their own shares tells you how much they're actually raking in.

Maybe holding to 'account' was the wrong wording. But you could apply some 'social value' weighting to investments and heavily penalise investments where these things happen....(you could - it won't happen but for me should) - in the similar way that climate change is incentivised through green initiatives.

Ultimately until you attack the problem from the top, shareholders, board down - the drive will not coming from those running the show but from above - and usually that is 'more money please and deal with any issues so we don't have to'.

I'm not citing this specific example either - but generally. From this, water companies, tech industry etc...its clear that the culture is driven by the need to keep reporting 'more' and that doesn't come from only from those day to day running them.....

[Worthy4England]

But there's only one shareholder in POL...the govt.

But when it comes to other companies, the problem is if they don't grow (reporting more), then people switch their investments, so it's not a static body of people. Obviously a bit different in relation to institutional/activist investment, but reality is, if I hold 200 shares in Southern Water, they don't come with any useful rights as a small investor. The choice is to retain the 200 shares or flog them. At no point could I actually influence the company. It's legally pretty clear that the actions of the company are the responsibility of the Directors/Board..m