Barrett's gift of the management gab

The Margin hears that Irish-born Matt Barrett, now head of Barclays Bank, has produced a second set of results at the British bank, complete with management jargon. In February he spoke of his vision for a "multi-channel integrated strategy".

Last week, according to the Financial Times, he got down to the brass tacks of banking, with plenty of detail on everything from product upgrades to the nitty-gritty of investment banking performance. "Ultimately, strategic planning has to degenerate into work," he said.

However, the FT said he is still a sucker for management-speak, going on about "short-term optics" and "greater granularity and transparency on cost performance".