麻豆社

Irresponsible lending by banks has been fingered as being one of the main causes behind the Great Recession. This week central bankers, at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), agreed on new rules aimed at reining in commercial lenders, but some economists have said they will not prevent another crisis. Lesley Curwen puts the criticism to Stephen Cecchetti, the Head of the Monetary and Economic Department at the BIS.

As the world's economy struggles to recover, there is concern over whether the price of oil is hampering growth. With the oil producers' group Opec marking its 50th birthday, Jonny Dymond speaks to its secretary general, Abdullah al-Badri, about whether it has been a force for good for consumers as well as producers.

And if you are over the age of 30 you may remember the day when people were just 'people', rather than 'consumers' or 'customers'. Our trend spotter, Peter York, says the rise of marketing, and more particularly the language of marketing, has changed the way we speak about the world around us.