Nicholas Beale

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Nicholas Beale is a British social philosopher and management consultant with particular interests in companies, investment, science and religion.

Contents

[edit] Career

Beale was born in 1955 the son of E.M.L. Beale, FRS. He was a scholar at Winchester College and Trinity College, Cambridge. He was Managing Director of Beale Electronic Systems Ltd 1977-85 and Executive Vice-Chairman Beale International Technology Ltd 1985-88, a consultant at McKinsey 1988-89 and then Chairman of Sciteb 1989- present. He was a director of the First Film Foundation 1991-95 and has been Director of the Sector Dialogue process since 1992. He is an oblate of Alton Abbey 1994-; Freeman of the City of London 1996, Liveryman Worshipful Company of Information Technologists 1997 (Chairman Ethical and Spiritual Development Panel 97-05); FRSA 1991.[1] In the 1980s he served on IEEE Project 802[2] and patented an invention concerning reconfiguring token rings.[3]

[edit] Social Philosophy

The major influences on his thought are John Polkinghorne, with whom he collaborates on the Polkinghorne website and Q&A[4] and Charles Handy to whom his main book is co-dedicated.[5]

[edit] Science, Technology, Society and Religion

Beale collaborated with Simon Peyton-Jones, Harold Thimbleby,[6] Richard Chartres, Steve Shirley and others[7] in exploring the ethical and spiritual implications of the Internet.

He believes that "the scientific and philosophical arguments for the existence of God are almost overwhelming" and his debate on this subject with Prof Colin Howson was published in Prospect.

[edit] Business and Investment

His first publication suggested that while strong managements could, and should, make sufficient long-term investments in R&D, there were significant pressures on companies to under-invest, and that better conceptual tools were needed to understand the value generated by R&D.[8]

He suggests that companies and financial analysts need to focus more attention on the Intellectual Assets of a business (such as Brands, Skills and Technologies) and has outlined some tools for performing such analysis.[9] This line of thinking was developed in a "Sector Dialogue Process" whose Steering Group includes Sir Steve Robson, Sir Richard Sykes, Sir John Parker, Richard Lapthorne and senior Investors from Barclays Global Investors, UBS and Fidelity.[10]

His work on the relationships between Investors and Boards in UK quoted companies led to his publication of Constructive Engagement:Directors and Investors in Action in 2005. This book is primarily descriptive of what Beale sees as best practice in these relationships, including case studies about BP, Tate and Lyle, Vodafone, Shell and the 3 Investors in his Steering Group, as well as material based on interviews with leading UK Directors and Investors. In the conclusions section he advocates a transition from Governance to Stewardship and suggests that board behaviours matter more than processes.[11] The case study on Shell formed the basis of his HBR piece and his Sunday Times article.

[edit] Publications

[edit] Books

  • R&D Short Termism? published in collaboration with the CBI (1991)
  • Cybernauts Awake Church House Publishing (co-author)
  • Recommended practice for dual ring operation with wrapback reconfiguration (co-author) IEEE 802.5c E-ISBN: 0-7381-0301-2
  • Constructive Engagement: Directors and Investors in Action Gower (2005) ISBN 9780566087110

[edit] Other Publications

  • Data transmission system and method US Patent 4709365 (Filed Jun 28, 1985)[12]
  • Sciteb/Sunday Times poll of R&D Effectiveness (1993)
  • "Intellectual Assets" in Professional Investor (1994)
  • Engineering Consensus (ed.) Good Disclosure Practice Code (ed) both in co-operation with the DTI 1992
  • Industry/City Dialogue Guide 1996 (ed.) published in co-operation with the Institute of Directors, the London Investment Banking Association and the Institute for Investment Management and Research
  • The Star Course (with Bishop Geoffrey Rowell)
  • Addressing IMT in NHS Organistions (co-author) published by the NHS Information Authority
  • Rational Values in the New Economy (ed and co-author);
  • "Debate: God and science" with Prof Colin Howson Prospect May 1998 [13]
  • Oil on Troubled Waters Harvard Business Review Nov 2005 pp24-28
  • Power struggle that cut an oil giant down to size Sunday Times 2 October 2005

[edit] External Links

[edit] Notes & References

  1. ^ Entry in Debrett's People of Today 2006
  2. ^ IEEE 802.5-1985 p 13
  3. ^ Data Transmission System and Method cited below
  4. ^ John Polkinghorne official website
  5. ^ Constructive Engagement Dedication page
  6. ^ Partcularly as co-authors of Cybernauts Awake
  7. ^ Who were the initial speakers in the first WCIT House of Lords Colloquium on the Ethical and Spiritual Implications of the new IT and Telecoms Environment
  8. ^ R&D Short-Termism? published in collaboration with the CBI
  9. ^ IQPC Conference on Performance Measurements for R&D
  10. ^ Constructive Engagement dedication page
  11. ^ op. cit. Ch 15
  12. ^ Google Patents
  13. ^ Prospect website
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