TRADITIONAL BUSINESS METHODS STILLWORK
SHOULD GENES BE ‘FIXED’?
CIRCULAR ECONOMICS: GIVING US MORE FROM EVERYTHING HOW SLEEP POWERS YOUR DAY WHAT IS THE ‘GREY BELT’?
Delivering “reach and range” so that our community can be empowered and enthused.
CAN ANALOG METHODS WORK IN 2025’S BUSINESS WORLD?
WORLD NEEDS RESPONSIBLE MINING A STEP IN A BEARISH DIRECTION
GENES BE ‘FIXED’?
It gives me immense pleasure to edit this Winter edition of our Lamwyk Journal This would not have been possible without the support of our brilliant Lamwyk team From the ethics of ‘fixing’ genes to the benefits of circular economics, there are plenty of knotty issues to enjoy mulling over inside this edition.
Lamwyk began as a series of illuminating roundtable think-tank sessions convening leaders in business, scientific and civic spaces. Our members enjoyed intriguing discussions where these experts offered solutions to some of the most daunting challenges facing us all. The reinvigorated Lamwyk Journal continues in that vein.
Curious minds will always find a happy home here I sincerely wish to thank all 73,000 of you who subscribe quarterly to our Journal Your enthusiasm encourages us to find an ever greater range of topics for each edition This Winter edition also explores innovative ways of protecting polar bears from extinction, the vital importance of responsible mining, the many (and often undervalued) benefits of sleep for entrepreneurs and the continually impressive work of the Army Benevolent Fund
All that remains is for me to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a wonderful 2025.
TomO’Brien
EDITOR
Curious minds will always find a happy home here.
Today’s business world is digital-first. In just a few clicks, you can hold detailed business meetings between multiple participants on different sides of the world During those meetings, you can review and edit documents and other media simultaneously. These are wonderful innovations, but do they make traditional business methods such as phone calls and in-person meetings redundant? That way of thinking seems like a colossal mistake New technologies do indeed make business dealings more seamless than ever before However, they don’t replace the basic skills needed to make
sales and build strong client relationships. There’s something about actually speaking to someone and then meeting them face-to-face that helps you get to the heart of mutual challenges and find effective solutions like nothing else.
Picking up the phone gets stuff done. It can also help you to retain customers more effectively than ‘costsaving’ digital solutions such as chatbots Endless chatbots simply frustrate clients, absorb their time, and provide lacklustre client service at best.
You want to show all clients that you regard their time as being as precious as yours and making them wait in a never-ending digital queue fails profoundly on that front Asking clients to repeat the same problem again and again, and again
gets nobody anywhere apart from pushing those clients closer to working with your competitors.
The phone also enables spur of the moment collaborations and progress on ideas. Sometimes, you might have something on your mind about an excellent new product or service and you want to pick-up the phone and see what a trusted partner thinks Scheduling a video meeting can sap the momentum out of these exchanges, leaving you both with a potentially diminished collaboration. There’s also something immensely reassuring about knowing that your calls will be answered warmly or returned quickly Needing to schedule everything puts barriers between individuals that can damage professional relationships, and ultimately, spurn opportunities for mutual growth.
Whilst you can always top-up those relationships on video calls, nothing quite cements deals like food. If you can share and enjoy a meal together, you can enjoy insightful conversations that are free from the ‘busyness’ of modern commercial life
If you’re only interested in speaking to someone for an allotted time period, are they really that important to you? Lunch expands partnerships, deepens trust and gives space for new ideas to form. It also gives everyone involved a much needed break from the constant pinging of social media notifications Technology wonderfully enhances relationships, but old-fashioned methods remain the best ways to form those relationships in the first place. If everything becomes a fifteen minute meeting, an automated message or an email, does anything truly matter anymore? Showing people the respect of giving them your undivided focus and attention during inperson meetings does something much more important than bringing you closer to your sales targets. It increases your long-term mutual growth too.
Picking up the phone gets stuff done.
Groundbreaking technology is opening a new era of improvements to the genes in our bodies Sometimes we are so unwell that only treatments capable of re-working our genes could provide us with both improved life expectancies and quality of life. Recombinant DNA sits at the heart of medical innovations in this area. Here’s how it works;
Human DNA is cut with a special enzyme to extract a gene. That gene is then inserted into another organism’s DNA molecule (known as a vector). This vector is often (but not always) a virus This process forms recombinant DNA which is then inserted into a host organism such as a yeast cell The new strand of DNA emerging from the host organism is specially engineered to fulfil certain objectives Our Spring 2024 edition of this Journal looked at one of those objectives: creating more effective cancer treatments. There are many others stretching from human biology through to agriculture and supplying the food we eat every day.
This colossal progress in medicine doesn’t come without equally significant ethical and social concerns. Society’s concept of medicine looks set to change from treating illnesses to transforming how our bodies function
Groundbreaking technology is opening a new era of improvements to the genes in our bodies.
in order to prevent and maybe even cure the previously untreatable and incurable Many individuals feel that humans shouldn’t have the right to transform their bodies in such a manner, and that we should accept that divine beings have a plan for all of us. Attempting to alter that plan becomes unacceptable for those people.
It seems as though the entire purpose of medicine is to help people to enjoy happier and healthier lives If recombinant DNA can stop painful side effects from medical treatments, reduce or remove painful symptoms from illnesses and give people longer with their families, surely those are all excellent things
It will take some time for recombinant DNA-based treatments to become both widespread and affordable.
Sadly, the very most innovative healthcare tends to be very expensive Society is imperfect and sometimes economic realities can perpetuate unfairness. However, surely this technology is worth pursuing if it can gradually improve more and more lives, reduce suffering and reach ever wider markets?
Billions of mobile phones ring every minute around the world While ringtones are now ubiquitous, wide public knowledge of how mobile phones and other electronic devices are manufactured is much tougher to find. Very often, the minerals that power our devices are sourced from countries whose governments refuse to respect human rights. Worse still, wealthy businesses with elegant head offices in prestigious cities can sometimes knowingly turn a blind eye to abuses committed on extractive sites because raising issues would lower their profits.
This approach is phenomenally shortsighted Building strong relationships with the communities impacted by extractive practices can build long-term links that position businesses as positive global actors. Communities that produce resources should share in the wealth they work so hard to create. This helps local residents to improve their lives, start businesses and build stronger communities together with large multinationals Abuse of human rights robs people of these opportunities, strips them of their dignity and colossally damages larger companies’ global reputations.
Businesses should take particular care to avoid the following practices, which can significantly harm local communities and the health and wellbeing of those who live in them;
Bribery - Bribery is never, ever acceptable and (quite rightly) remains a criminal offence in many countries. It involves offering payments and gifts to officials in order to corrupt procurement procedures and win undeserving contracts Instances of bribing officials to award contracts to companies who then deliver shoddy, environmentally damaging works can set
communities back generations Far too often, corrupt procurement practices have led to projects which have knowingly neglected to secure local water supplies and have jeopardised local health. All businesses should champion internationally-recognised transparency standards to beat bribery and demonstrate their abhorrence of corruption in all its forms.
Inadequately compensated land acquisitionCommunities have the right to choose not to sell their land, and if they do choose to sell it, should receive fair market rates for their assets.
Far too often, communities in resource-rich areas have been deprived of their land without consent or for negligible rates. No corporate executive would sell their house for a fiver, and shouldn’t expect anyone else to leave their homes for a pittance (or worse still, absolutely nothing) either. It is also vital to ensure that areas of outstanding natural beauty or that are home to protected species are left untrammelled by resource extraction The world’s biodiversity is precious and should never be neglected
Discriminative hiring and working practices - Anyone working on your sites should be paid a sensible wage and given basic rights - such as breaks. Companies should also take great care to ensure that extractive sites are not exploiting children. Workers should be free to form unions and should never face harassment, abuse or assault while on your site Just because these workers may live thousands of miles away from your head office, they have just as much right to workplace protections as your CEO
Everyone deserves safe places to work, live, drink and eat Businesses should do everything they possibly can to build those spaces for them so that communities around the world can grow together.
Are you getting enough sleep? So many business ‘influencers’ promote a culture where sleep is seen as a bad thing, and the less of it you get, the more money you can make. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Here’s why some extra shut-eye could do far more for your business and overall health than those all-nighters.
Your body needs time to recharge every night Clearing out harmful chemicals and replacing them with nutrients is key to ensuring that you wake-up ready and refreshed for the next day. Sleep is also crucial for controlling your glucose levels and blood pressure. Regularly sleeping for less than 6 hours a night disrupts this process and, therefore, can cause serious health struggles over time. Chronic lack of sleep can increase your risk of heart troubles, stroke and diabetes amongst other health challenges.
If you’re constantly tired, you’ll never be able to fully concentrate on projects you’re working on That increases your risk of mistakes which could prove hugely expensive in the long-term Imagine missing a key detail on a contract and either losing revenue or seeing your costs skyrocket Your decision to power through and complete that deal on hardly any sleep would become a lifelong regret Nobody needs regrets like that A good night’s sleep will help you to approach projects with laser focus and prevent mistakes before they prevent your commercial growth
You wouldn’t attend a meeting having not brushed your teeth, with plaque all over your mouth However, many people attend meetings without even realising that there’s plaque all over their brain Sleep is crucial for clearing plaque-forming proteins that can damage both your memory now and your brain health later in life Sleep also strengthens neural networks to ensure that you can recall crucial information in a flash
Being snappy isn’t the way to build a successful business However, far too many entrepreneurs lack sleep and find their problem-solving skills diminished They then find themselves with shortened tempers, minimal patience and prone to escalate what could have been a calm chat into a huge row. Don’t turn disagreements into expensive burnt bridges. Proper sleep helps you to regulate your mood and put everything into perspective.
Sleep regulates your hormones too and is a key factor in relieving stress Cortisol is a key hormone that regulates your body’s response to stress Too much of it can completely overwhelm you and plunge you into a seemingly neverending cycle of stress and worry A good night’s sleep prevents this excessive release of cortisol, helping you to reduce your stress levels and react much more calmly to challenges that might arise during the business day Nobody needs to get upset over an email; life’s too short.
Quality sleep means that you’re actually sleeping and not just sending emails or checking social media while sitting in bed. Everyone has to switch-off at some point and if an urge to immediately respond to emails and notifications is stopping you from sleeping, you’re missing out on this crucial opportunity to rest and recover. Making sure that you’re not sleeping next to your devices and avoiding caffeine before bed can help you get the rest you both need and deserve
‘Hustle culture’ of sleeping as little as possible will only lead you one way: to A&E Ensuring you get at least 7 hours of sleep each night will help you to do more, make more friends and sell more the next day whilst preserving your long-term health
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) predicts that global polar bear populations will decline by 30% by 2050,
As they wander around their Arctic homes, polar bears leave footprints wherever they go. These prints provide researchers with an invaluable source of data enhancing their tireless work to conserve multiple species of these wonderful animals. Studying these snowy footprints also provides crucial additional context to traditional methods of gathering these data, which are invasive, expensive and time-consuming
Traditional methods for tracking polar bears often involve finding and physically interacting with polar bear populations; techniques which are arduous and not always well received in already icy environments Worse still, certain populations are exceptionally elusive This leaves researchers staring into chasmic holes in data about some of the rarest and most at risk polar bear subpopulations Joining dots then becomes more cumbersome and the efficacy of desperately urgent conservation strategies melts.
eDNA gleaned from those bearish footprints enables researchers to track these subpopulations without needing to interact with their polar friends themselves. As a result, they gain a far clearer picture of the genetic diversity and resilience of these species as a whole than traditional methods could ever have painted. Better still, unlike traditional methods, sourcing and analysing eDNA doesn’t require experienced scientists. Members of the community, NGOs and others can follow these polar paths and discover vital data without requiring expert assistance
With The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) predicting that global polar bear populations will decline by 30% by 2050, it is essential that anyone with a passion for conservation can positively contribute to these precious populations’ survival
The world’s economy is currently linear, following a takemake-consume-waste pattern. Raw materials are taken out of the earth and made into products which are used and then thrown away. Worse still, planned obsolescence is factored into the design of numerous products. This strategy designs products with the specific intention that they stop working efficiently or break after a specific timeperiod. Consumers are then encouraged to spend more money buying a new version of something which could have lasted for far longer if designed optimally. The waste from discarded products then produces tonnes of methane and greenhouse gases as it decomposes These emissions contribute significantly to climate change, which costs the global economy $16 3 million per hour, according to the World Economic Forum
Thankfully for our planet, there is an alternative that transforms waste into economic benefits for communities around the world. Circular economics advocates a world where products are refurbished, re-used and leased until they have reached the end of their natural lives. At that point, these products can be broken down into their raw materials to make new ones. Veering our economy away from waste and toward re-use is vital for giving the next generation a safe world to live in. At the time of writing this article, Hurricane Milton had caused hideous damage across America’s Gulf Coast, leaving 2.4 million Florida residents without power for days We cannot allow natural disasters to become a normal part of everyday life around the world
In addition to minimising the risk of complex climate challenges, better products with longer life spans simply give consumers more value How many of you have gone through cupboards and even entire sections of garages, full of things that you no longer need or want? How much value does binning all of this stuff waste? By finding innovative ways to re-use these products we can ensure that others can benefit from things we no longer want.
Likewise, we can enjoy things that they once enjoyed while spending less on the products we use every day. If products don’t need to be made from scratch whenever they’re sold, they cost less.
That’s why everyone can access, use and enjoy what they need at affordable prices in a circular economy. They also get more value from nature by replacing damaging pesticides with regenerative farming practices which conserve soil for future generations. Surely, that's better than piles of expensive waste and shortages of life's essentials?
Whenever Local Authority budgets are under strain, the arts always seem to be first on the chopping block for funding cuts In Spring 2024, Nottingham City Council announced that they were cutting all grants to cultural institutions, while Birmingham City Council approved a 50% cut in those grants this year, increasing to a total removal of funding for Birmingham’s previously regularly funded cultural institutions in 2025. This trend is horrendous because it risks depriving generations of young people of opportunities to improve their skills and build successful careers for themselves While some institutions can raise funds through their own independent commercial activities, others will struggle and some may be left facing closure.
Art (and particularly theatre) is often misrepresented as a hobby for wealthy individuals with no bearing on the rest of society The same people who express this view also then express enormous shock when they observe young professionals attending job interviews without basic communication skills. Theatre could have fixed that.
If you can speak in front of hundreds of people in a play, then you can engagingly address a boardroom full of shareholders If you can paint a picture of that boardroom, then you can probably also design the company's logo and branding. Likewise, if you can learn the selfdiscipline needed to master a musical instrument, then the core skills required to analyse
an investment report in meticulous detail aren't a million miles away either
As well as boosting confidence and public speaking skills, performing helps young people to speak clearly and precisely That avoids a deal going south many years later because a client misheard them over the phone or during a meeting. Although it may seem old-fashioned, clear elocution is integral to helping the next generation to make their voices heard on the world stage
Those voices are only enhanced by the broad array of cultural perspectives that the arts provide. Embracing other people’s culture is key to understanding their viewpoints, values and moral references. Strong interest in culture also encourages foreign
language learning too. Those perceptive cultural insights and strong language skills make international business a whole lot easier
The arts are vital for innovation too If society can't satirise itself and broadcast its own flaws, then it can't work on those flaws in pursuit of a better tomorrow for its citizens. As the old saying says: ‘you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone’. Both Local Authorities and Central Government in the UK should work together to protect and support our creative industries now, before the wider economy rues their decline in years to come
Everyone should have access to healthy lifestyle choices, no matter where they live
Access to fresh fruits and vegetables is a health priority for all of us. Sadly, those living in busy and densely populated urban areas can find their access to freshly grown and healthy produce severely limited. Lack of access to this fresh food can contribute to significant health challenges, such as obesity. Affected areas such as Oldham saw adult obesity increase by 34% in just seven years from 2015-2022. The team at Northern Roots in Oldham are confronting this challenge by putting agriculture and its tasty produce at the heart of their diverse communities The Northern Roots project will create the largest urban farm and eco-park in the UK It is supported by both Oldham Council and the Towns Fund, set-up by the previous UK government to distribute levelling up cash to innovative and regenerative projects around England
Urban farming doesn’t simply pioneer agricultural techniques that protect rather than damage soil (such as no-dig methods of planting). It also opens a world traditionally seen as rural to communities and young people who may not otherwise be guaranteed exposure to the natural world. The first phase of the project already includes a fully-functioning apiary, where young people can learn all about beekeeping, and local businesses can benefit from multiple environmentally supportive commercial opportunities. This phase also brought local communities and businesses together in constructing two 18-meter polytunnels and outdoor growing, as well as planting hedgerows and trees.
Phase 2 of the project will see the urban farm expand over another 4 acres, giving space to involve local people in a much wider range of regenerative farming techniques and providing even more ‘Made in Oldham’ produce for sale
Healthier lifestyles and stronger communities can only follow from Northern Roots’ agricultural innovations Everyone should have access to healthy lifestyle choices, no matter where they live Broadening that access will help a healthier UK to build a more resilient economy, despite the increasing wider geopolitical turbulence afflicting much of our world.
The Army Benevolent Fund does wonderful work every day of the year They ensure that soldiers, veterans and their families can access help in a range of areas whenever they need some support. These areas include supporting service personnel with their mental and physical wellbeing as well as finding employment, quality housing and comfortable care for them throughout their lives
Whilst the media is full of commentary about defence spending and priorities, much less is written about the wellbeing of those who sacrifice everything in service of their country. Some service personnel face significant struggles in adjusting to life on Civvy Street, as the battles they fought continue long after the public has consigned those events to history textbooks
These veterans urgently require support from trained specialists who can empathise with their traumatic experiences and provide them with tools to help manage their mental health. The Army Benevolent Fund provides grants to a number of organisations which provide this vital support.
They also help the (shockingly) more than 2,000 veterans and their families who are facing homelessness It is outrageous that after they have served their country, their country then leaves these families on the street. Much more needs to be done at policy level to protect veterans from homelessness and help to address the challenges that can leave them in poverty after leaving the Armed Forces. The third sector can only do so much to support families requiring assistance and urgently need Central Government to provide
veterans with more support in finding and maintaining safe and comfortable housing
Remembrance is not just for November. Policymakers and the public more widely must ask themselves what they are doing to help serving and veteran military families throughout the year.
Developers are familiar with the term ‘green belt’. This term covers land on which development is restricted and often prohibited in order to preserve the UK’s countryside and provide wildlife with space to thrive Land protected under the green belt has posed a significant challenge to multiple UK governments: how can they preserve the country’s precious biodiversity while fulfilling an ever-growing demand for affordable housing? The Labour Government’s response to this dilemma has been to create a brand-new term: the ‘grey belt’ ‘Grey belt’ land refers to ‘poor quality and ugly areas’ of the green belt, which could be converted into comfortable and affordable housing
without damaging the natural world.
So what qualifies as a ‘poor quality and ugly’ area? Disused car parks, roads, petrol stations, wastelands and properties which have fallen into disrepair would all meet this definition. The Government has added an important caveat that an absolute minimum of 50% of any homes created through developments on this land must be affordable.
To qualify as affordable, homes must be let or sold at a discount of 20% or more on market rates If councils cannot meet housing targets, then they must redesignate land which currently falls under ‘green belt’ restrictions as ‘grey belt’ in order to increase their capacity for home-building.
Councils will have a considerable degree of discretion over which sites they choose to make available for these new developments
While this adaptation of historic designations is ambitious and is hoped to contribute to the creation of 1.5 million new homes across the UK over the next few years, there are serious questions over whether that number will sufficiently ease housing crises across the country. Research from leading think tank Centre for Cities indicates that the UK currently accommodates 4 3 million fewer homes than it needs to meet demand This demand will only increase over the next five years, making further reform of the UK’s planning system
which builds on ‘grey belt’ thinking essential to transforming housing crises into homes
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