In Depth:  Graeme Shanks

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What are 'kidults' and why do they exist?

What are 'kidults' and why do they exist?

Graeme Shanks
Graeme Shanks

According to toy industry research group Circana sales have fallen for a third year in a row. However, a surprising and developing trend is that sales to so-called ‘kidults’ have grown, with an estimated one in five toys and games now being bought by over-18s for themselves.[1]

The research suggests that adults are now turning to their childhood favourites to escape their troubles and comfort themselves with memories of simpler times. A generation deferring thoughts of a Saga Cruise by turning to the Sega Console.

The lost art of authenticity

The lost art of authenticity

Graeme Shanks
Graeme Shanks

If you had to choose between an 18 hour drive and a 3 hour flight to reach the same destination what would you choose? That’s the decision that the newly-announced boss of Starbucks, Brian Niccol, has come under fire for.

He commuted almost 1,000 miles (1,600km) from his family home in Newport Beach, California to the firm's headquarters in Seattle on a corporate jet.

Broken friendships and the power of the gospel

Broken friendships and the power of the gospel

Graeme Shanks
Graeme Shanks

'Nicola and I are no longer on speaking terms’. Those were the chilling and frank words of Alex Salmond in the recent BBC documentary1 exploring the breakdown of the long-term political partnership between him and Nicola Sturgeon.

She in turn spoke about the uneasy feeling that she lives with, when considering that some of the best moments of her life feature the man with whom she is now at odds. Certainly no love lost in this textbook impasse.

Can a Gen Z work ethic advance the gospel?

Can a Gen Z work ethic advance the gospel?

Graeme Shanks
Graeme Shanks

Working nine to five? What a way to make a living. Working life has moved on a lot since Dolly Parton first released her catchy and timeless 1980s hit, 9 To 5. Indeed, fast forward a few generations and it would appear that flexibility has trumped security as the key thing that Gen Z’ers are prioritising when it comes to employment.[1]

Have you noticed that recruitment firms are now fronting their adverts with their ability to perfectly match people to a job that fits with their lifestyle? Have you read about the companies experimenting with a four-day week, complete with flexible start and finish times, a nine-day fortnight, and compressed hours?[2] The desire for flexibility with our employment, it would seem, is here to stay.

Irn Bru and positivity - all you need?

Irn Bru and positivity - all you need?

Graeme Shanks
Graeme Shanks

There’s been a word doing the rounds up here in Scotland recently. I wonder if you have noticed it - or even caught it (wherever you live)! Optimism. That was the strapline to the well crafted adverts for the drink Irn-Bru that were plastered up and down the country in the run up to the men’s football European Championships.

As a nation we embraced the message. Let’s toast to the future being brighter than the past and believe that this time round things might turn out differently. Did they? Well, as we watched Scotland fail to qualify from the group stages of the tournament, it didn’t take long for my can of Irn Bru to taste of tartan tears and for optimism to turn to realism.

Formed by God

Formed by God

Graeme Shanks
Graeme Shanks

Book Review THE GOD WHO DRAWS NEAR

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