Marianne Barriaux

McDonald’s is a company on a mission. Tired of being held up as an example of corporate evil and greed, the fast food chain has been hitting out at critics with a series of environmental and social initiatives designed to prove that it cares. Not content with just that, the company is also undergoing a makeover, redesigning some of its outlets in a way it hopes will revitalise the sites and attract more customers.

Women in developing countries find it easier to break through the so-called glass ceiling than their colleagues in the West, according to a global study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm interviewed more than a hundred business people in eight countries, including China, India and Germany, for the report on women’s economic participation for the Women’s Forum held in Deauville, France, last week.