They used to say you could tell the health of an economy by its hemlines; they got higher as confidence increased. If the reverse holds true, we can expect a boom in Victorian-style, ankle-length skirts any time, such is the lack of confidence in the world economy. The IMF seems pretty certain that there will be a long and painful recession starting this year.
Strangely, this is good news for some sectors. It may be a bad time to be selling cars, but it's a great time to be selling confidence and especially any kind of cosmetic enhancement. Technological advances have made procedures such as "lunchtime liposuction" possible, not to mention more acceptable; and a looks-are-everything celebrity culture has also had an impact. We're all under pressure to look younger and fitter. But ask anyone who's had something "done" and most will claim the motivation was self-confidence.
After years of sniggering at the US for its obsession with perfect teeth and wrinkle-free brows, we're now blowing over £500m a year on cosmetic treatments in the UK. And, as we reveal in "Facial discrimination", this is not entirely down to footballers' wives. In a recent poll by the IoD, 40 per cent of respondents admitted they would consider having such a treatment to boost their career or business. In this article, we consider whether this is a good thing for British boardrooms.
In the meantime, you will have noticed that we've given the magazine a "facelift". Hopefully you'll enjoy this new, improved Director. I can't promise that reading it will make you feel younger, fitter or stronger. But I can promise an emphasis on the best business journalism, covering the who, what and when of business, with practical, how-to guides, inspirational profile interviews and entertaining features on all the major topics from corporate governance and leadership to finance and people issues. There's also a Review section, packed with film, theatre, music, art and restaurant reviews.
The Director website has also been tweaked, to make it easier for you to keep up to date. You will also find extra content and analysis of the major business stories. As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts.
Richard Cree