   
CEO Picks - The best that international journalism has to offer!
 S30This course examines how conflicts arise over borders   Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching. I got the idea for the course when I noticed that all of the other history courses I taught – on India, the Middle East and the British Empire – featured major border conflicts. These conflicts arose from a variety of issues, whether the borders were historically ill-conceived, politically disputed or cut across contested resources.
Continued here
|
S1Is Your Hospitality Business Ready for a Robot?  As more businesses in the hospitality industry consider robots as a solution to a thinned frontline service workforce, owners and operators must recognize that their investment in a service robot extends beyond the hardware and software. It may require targeted training, small architectural and design improvements to the physical space, an assessment of organizational and managerial readiness, or all of the above. Service robots can help elevate customer service if their purpose is clear, if their physical environment is conducive, and if leadership actively supports staff during the adoption process.
Continued here
|
S2
S3
S4Building a Transparent Supply Chain  One of the most promising applications of emerging blockchain technology is supply chain management. Blockchain—the digital record-keeping system developed for cryptocurrency networks—can help supply chain partners with some of their challenges by creating a complete, transparent, tamperproof history of the information flows, inventory flows, and financial flows in transactions.
Continued here
|
S5How to Hang On to Your High Potentials  Despite high unemployment, the war for talent rages on. Only 15% of companies in North America and Asia feel they have enough qualified potential successors to fill their top jobs, and the picture is only slightly better in Europe. The best weapon companies can wield are programs that develop their “high potentials”—the people they hope to develop into their future leaders.
Continued here
|
S6Improving Your Spatial IQ Can Lift Your Social IQ  The finding: People with strong social skills are better at seeing other people’s perspectives—literally. The research: After taking tests to measure their social savvy, subjects sat before a model of three buildings that were surrounded by seven objects—all triangles, all cameras, or all dolls. The subjects were asked to look at pictures of the buildings […]
Continued here
|
S7The Art and Science of Finding the Right CEO Choosing a new CEO is the most important job of a company’s board of directors. No other decision has such a profound impact on a firm’s strategy and performance. Yet the topic of succession often gets shoved aside by concerns that seem more pressing. No one pays attention until the CEO’s departure is imminent—and by then it’s too late to adequately vet and train a replacement.
Continued here
|
S8The Best Leaders Have a Contagious Positive Energy  The pandemic has taken a significant toll on the well-being and energy of so many. Positively energizing leaders are more crucial than ever. Positive relational energy —the energy exchanged between people that helps uplift, enthuse, and renew them — however, is not the superficial demonstration of false positivity, like trying to think happy thoughts or turning a blind eye to the very real stresses and pressures overloaded employees are experiencing. Rather, it is the active demonstration of values. Numerous studies show that positive energizers produce substantially higher levels of engagement, lower turnover, and enhanced feelings of well-being among employees. In organizations, superior shareholder returns occur, and in some studies, outcomes exceeded industry averages in profitability and productivity by a factor of four or more. Here’s what leaders need to know about positive relational energy, which the authors have found to be the most underutilized yet powerful predictor of leadership and organizational success.
Continued here
|
S9How Social Entrepreneurs Can Have the Most Impact  Social enterprise in the U.S. is a fast-growing, but fragmented, movement. Looking at a recent release of data from The Great Social Enterprise Census, only a fifth are larger than $2 million in budget, just 8% employ more than a 100 people, and 60% were founded in the past 8 years, when the movement really began to gain momentum.
Continued here
|
S10How Exposed Is Your Supply Chain to Climate Risks?  Climate change is posing major challenges to supply chains. This article — based on a collaborative research project conducted by the University of Maryland and supply-chain-mapping firm Resilinc — assessed the climate-related risks of 12,000 supplier sites in the United States, China that serve 100 original equipment manufacturers in the high tech, auto, and consumer goods industries. It offers advice on how OEMS can improve their resiliency to climate-related disruptions.
Continued here
|
S11The Forgotten Strategy Most multinationals see globalization as a matter of replication—spreading a single business model as widely as possible to maximize economies of scale. From this perspective, the key strategic challenge is choosing how much of the model to keep standard and how much to grudgingly adapt to local tastes. But focusing exclusively on that choice is a mistake, for it blinds companies to the very real opportunities they can still gain from arbitrage—from exploiting differences as opposed to similarities.
Continued here
|
S12It's Not Necessarily Best to Be First The finding: People are less likely to choose the highest-rated option in a quality ranking if it appears first on the list. The research: Working with Anna Dixon, the director of policy for the UK’s King’s Fund, Elena Reutskaja and Barbara Fasolo conducted focus groups on how people selected hospitals for nonurgent care. The team […]
Continued here
|
S13Build a Winning AI Strategy for Your Business  Artificial intelligence is a kind of catalyst; it’s the next wave of truly transformative technology with potential we cannot yet fully envision or appreciate. Companies will start by using this new technology to do “old things” before discovering the new opportunities it creates. So, how should they go about this process? They should: start by experimenting, deploy for productivity, transform experiences, and then try to build new things. Throughout this process, they should prioritize security and responsible use.
Continued here
|
S14Developing a Successful Business Strategy in China  China is more important than ever in the global economy, which means that many companies have to develop a strategy for doing business there. But that’s hard to do, because in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic the number of foreign journalists, businesspeople, academics, and executives on the ground has diminished dramatically. In 2019, there were roughly 3 million foreigners based in China, but today that number is said to have dropped to as low as 50,000. As a result, the world’s “ground-feel” for the country has never been worse. So how best to proceed if you’re a global business that has decided China needs to be a part of your future, or if you’re on a China-based team that is supporting global HQ in that decision? The author, a China expert, describes some key steps that companies can take to develop the right China strategy during this moment of opacity and flux.
Continued here
|
S15Do You Really Understand Your Best (and Worst) Customers?  Most companies analyze financial performance by looking at geographic segments, product lines, or channels. These perspectives overlook the fact that aggregate revenues are dependent on individual customers, and that’s why analyzing the business by looking at its customers can provide managers with useful insights. This process, called a customer-base audit, can be a tool for businesses as they seek to answer five questions: Who are our best and worst customers? How is customer behavior changing? How does a cohort of customers change over time? How do different cohorts behave differently? And when you put the answers to these questions together, what do they suggest about the health of the business?
Continued here
|
S16SoulCycle's CEO on Sustaining Growth in a Faddish Industry  After hearing from friends that SoulCycle’s very first studio was different from other cycling studios, Whelan decided to give it a try. One visit was all it took for her to appreciate the full sensory experience, the charismatic instructor, and the passion of the client community. A few years later she joined the company, which today operates 74 studios.
Continued here
|
S17A Simple Tool for Making Better Forecasts  One of the most basic keys to good decision-making is accurate forecasting of the future. In order to bring about the best outcomes, a company must correctly anticipate the most likely future states of the world. Yet despite its importance, companies not only routinely make basic forecasting mistakes, they also shoot themselves in the foot by applying procedures that make accurate predictions harder to achieve.
Continued here
|
S18How to Stop Overthinking and Start Trusting Your Gut  Intuition is frequently dismissed as mystical or unreliable — but there’s a deep neurological basis for it. When you approach a decision intuitively, your brain works in tandem with your gut to quickly assess all your memories, past learnings, personal needs, and preferences and then makes the wisest decision given the context. The author offers strategies to learn how to leverage your intuition as a helpful decision-making tool in your career: 1) discern gut feeling from fear, 2) start by making minor decisions, 3) test drive your choices, 4) try the snap judgment test, and 5) fall back on your values.
Continued here
|
S19Are You Data Driven? Take a Hard Look in the Mirror. The term “data driven” is penetrating the lexicon ever more deeply these days. Data Driven was the title of my latest book, and recent academic work shows that companies that regard themselves as “data driven,” are measurably more profitable than those that aren’t. So becoming data-driven is clearly a worthwhile endeavor. Yet for all the attention, I’ve yet to see any clear criteria by which leaders can benchmark themselves and their organizations to figure out what they need to do better.
Continued here
|
S20S21Leadership: Sad Facts and Silver Linings An industrial-products maker faced substitute product invasions from new markets. It shifted from an engineering to a market orientation—over five years. First, it launched trial balloons: assessing long-term competitive outlook, hiring outside senior marketers, and assigning one marketer a budget to develop products for a threatened market niche.
Continued here
|
S22 What (Not) to Say When Navigating Parental Leave  The winter 2024 issue features a special report on sustainability, and provides insights on developing leadership skills, recognizing and addressing caste discrimination, and engaging in strategic planning and execution.The winter 2024 issue features a special report on sustainability, and provides insights on developing leadership skills, recognizing and addressing caste discrimination, and engaging in strategic planning and execution.While welcoming a child into the world is one of the greatest experiences most parents ever have, for organizations it can be a time fraught with fears and sensitivities. If managers aren’t mindful, an employee might choose not to return once their parental leave ends — but managers have much more influence over this decision than they realize.
Continued here
|
S23The gaming industry is aiming for subscribers. Will gamers play along?  In 2023, Netflix made a big push into the gaming sector, launching the first public tests of its cloud-streamed games to select consumers in Canada and the UK. This year, the streaming-media giant is doubling down on its move into the global gaming market, replicating the revolutionary business model that turned the film and television industries upside down. The long-anticipated move presents a major revenue opportunity to capitalise on the gaming world's increasing embrace of subscription services.The writing has been on the wall since games started moving from physical to digital formats nearly two decades ago. Experts say it now seems all but inevitable that a subscription-based format will be the future of the world's most lucrative entertainment format – whether gamers are ready.
Continued here
|
S24The mystique of France's 442-year-old 'Ratatouille restaurant'  The mythology around one of Paris's most famous restaurants, La Tour d'Argent, is legendary and far-reaching. The restaurant in the 5th arrondissement overlooks the Seine River and the Notre Dame Cathedral, and is often described as "the oldest restaurant in Paris" with a history that dates to 1582. It is famous for its signature duck dish, which is prepared theatrically in the dining room, and its 300,000-bottle wine cellar.If the restaurant's claims are to be believed, it's here that King Henry III picked up a fork for the first time and popularised its use in France.
Continued here
|
S25Nine of the best TV shows to watch this February  The fourth instalment of the series that focuses on a different world-changing figure each time – Einstein, Picasso and Aretha Franklin so far – gives us two towering figures in the US Civil Rights movement. Kelvin Harrison Jr (Chevalier) plays Martin Luther King Jr and Aaron Pierre (The Underground Railroad) is Malcolm X. Each was assassinated at just 39 years old, but had already made an immense impact on the country. The men met only once, and the series follows parallel storylines. Their wives are played by Weruche Opia as Coretta Scott King and Jayme Lawson as Betty Shabazz, powerful women in their own right, whose points of view are included. The main actors have some tough acts to follow, including David Oyelowo as King in Ava Du Vernay's Selma and Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's Malcolm X, but this series has been widely praised already. Variety said that its depiction of the main characters "highlights their full and colourful humanity as revolutionaries, fathers and husbands".Genius: MLK/X premieres 1 February on National Geographic Channel in the US and will stream from 2 February on Disney+ and Hulu.
Continued here
|
S26Argylle film review: Dua Lipa stars in 'shoddy' and 'derivative' Bond pastiche  Matthew Vaughn certainly loves James Bond pastiches. His last three films – Kingsman: The Secret Service, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The King's Man – were all homages to the 007 franchise, and his new film, Argylle, goes a step further. It's a James Bond pastiche inside a James Bond pastiche.More like this: - Could Lily Gladstone win the best actress Oscar? - The real-life story behind Dr Strangelove- 25 films to watch in 2024
Continued here
|
S27West Side Story's Anita: The character that set Chita Rivera's career - and US theatre - alight  The world of musical theatre is in mourning for Chita Rivera, who has died at the age of 91. Although the Broadway legend had a stellar career spanning seven decades, she will perhaps be best remembered for playing the role of Anita in the original production of West Side Story which debuted on Broadway in 1957. Rivera also played Anita when the show came to the West End of London in 1958.Her portrayal of a sparky, sarky, independent-minded Latinx woman was, for that time, radical. Latinx representation – both in terms of characters and actors playing them – in mainstream shows was relatively scarce. But here was a Puerto Rican woman playing a Puerto Rican character in an electrifying Broadway hit.
Continued here
|
S28Teens on social media need both protection and privacy - AI could help get the balance right  Meta announced on Jan. 9, 2024, that it will protect teen users by blocking them from viewing content on Instagram and Facebook that the company deems to be harmful, including content related to suicide and eating disorders. The move comes as federal and state governments have increased pressure on social media companies to provide safety measures for teens. At the same time, teens turn to their peers on social media for support that they can’t get elsewhere. Efforts to protect teens could inadvertently make it harder for them to also get help.
Continued here
|
S29Eating disorders are the most lethal mental health conditions - reconnecting with internal body sensations can help reduce self-harm  Did you know that anorexia is the most lethal mental health condition? One person dies from an eating disorder every hour in the U.S. Many of these deaths are not from health consequences related to starvation, but from suicide.Up to 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men in the U.S. will develop an eating disorder by age 40, and 1 in 2 people with an eating disorder will think about ending their life. About 1 in 4 people with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa will attempt to kill themselves, and those with anorexia have a risk of death by suicide 31 times higher than peers without the disorder.
Continued here
|
S31How Black male college athletes deal with anti-Black stereotypes on campus  In an effort to avoid stereotypes about Black male athletes, such as being labeled a “dumb jock,” Spike, a college football player, says he wore athletic clothes to class as little as possible. “I mean, granted, I’m a 6-foot-4, 240-pound Black kid on campus, so it’s kind of hard to get away from that,” he said. “But I didn’t want any, you know, significant confirmation that I was an athlete. So, I just wore like a collared shirt, jeans and nice shoes every day.”
Continued here
|
S32S33S34S35Middle East conflict: Joe Biden must weigh the risks of using force in an election year  The recent drone attack that killed three US soldiers has placed Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict in the Middle East under renewed scrutiny. Under pressure from critics demanding a hard-hitting response, the president has vowed to “hold all those responsible to account”.Recent polls suggests the US public is divided about the Gaza conflict. According to a poll last month, 39% of voters favour a continuation of Israel’s military campaign, while 44% say that Israel should stop to avoid mounting civilian casualties. Another poll suggests that the sympathies of those who voted for Biden in 2020 are evenly split between Israel and the Palestinians.
Continued here
|
S36S37Wetlands are superheroes: expert sets out how they protect people and places  In the past, wetlands were often seen as undesirable landscapes – waterlogged areas that were difficult to navigate, impossible to build on or farm, and a source of pests such as mosquitoes. But the view on wetlands has shifted as we have learnt how important these ecosystems are for essential “services”. They purify water and provide habitats for plants and animals.Wetlands are also critical for supporting some people’s livelihoods, particularly in developing countries, including water-scarce countries like South Africa. Wetlands provide over 1 billion livelihoods globally; 660 million people depend on them for aquaculture and fishing. Livestock owners rely on wetlands as a water source for their animals.
Continued here
|
S38S39How climate activists finally seized the issue of adaptation in 2023  The idea of adjusting our lives to face up to the reality of a changing climate was, for a long time, seen as defeatist, or even a capitulation to fossil-fuel interests, by many within the European climate movement. Such “adaptation” was viewed with deep scepticism.But 2023 challenged such assumptions. In autumn, activists ramped up protests against ski resorts and the winter-sports industry for their seemingly endless appetite for winter sports infrastructure. Environmentalists occupied the Girose Glacier in southeastern France to denounce plans for a new cable car. Deep scepticism was also expressed over whether holding preseason sporting events following the partial destruction of the Théodule Glacier in Switzerland.
Continued here
|
S40S41S42Super Bowl ads: It's getting harder for commercials to score with consumers  With the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers set to face off in the 2024 Super Bowl, another conversation now begins in earnest about the TV commercials that will run during one of the most-watched television events of the year. And while some of the usual suspects will once again advertise on-air to the more than 110 million viewers watching the game in the U.S., other regulars will be noticeably absent.As professors who study marketing and business ethics, we’re keenly interested in Super Bowl advertising. So we looked at the roster of advertisers in search of trends.
Continued here
|
S43Brigid's Day: how a festival of fire and fertility connects Christian Ireland with its pagan past  Brigid’s Day is the first traditional festival of the calendar year in Ireland and has been for centuries. However, it was only in 2023 that the government officially recognised Brigid’s Day as an official holiday. The Celtic year was traditionally broken up by four festivals, known as the quarter days: Imbolg, Bealtaine, Lughnasa and Samhain. Imbolg (also spelled Imbolc) is celebrated on February 1 and signals the beginning of the Celtic season of light, a time for renewal and essentially a new year.
Continued here
|
S44Suffering in silence: Men's and boys' mental health are still overlooked in sport  Postdoctoral Scholar of Masculinities Studies in Education, University of Calgary For men and boys, caring about sport typically conjures images of passionate competition and fighting for the win. This understanding of care leaves little room for self-care, health and safety, and emotional vulnerability — topics that are fraught with risks for boys and men in a sport culture of hypermasculinity.
Continued here
|
S45Fear of ageing is really a fear of the unknown - and modern society is making things worse  For the first time in human history, we have entered an era in which reaching old age is taken for granted. Unlike in ages past, when living to an older age was a luxury afforded mainly to the privileged, globally around 79% of women and 70% of men can expect to reach the age of 65 and beyond.Society’s focus on youthfulness and capability can cause anxiety about becoming weak and unwanted. Adverts for anti-ageing products are everywhere, reinforcing the idea that growing older is inherently unattractive.
Continued here
|
S46How the social structures of Nazi Germany created a bystander society  In the initial post-war judicial proceedings to establish what had happened under Nazism, and to punish the perpetrators of crimes, victims’ accounts were often discredited. Only in 1961, with the high-profile trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem, did the focus shift.For many survivors, the concept of “Holocaust testimony” – accounts of what they had lived through – took on almost sacred dimensions. In 1989, author and Auschwitz-survivor Elie Wiesel argued that it was unethical for anyone besides surviving victims of the Holocaust to try to represent or explain it.
Continued here
|
S47Palestinian Islamic Jihad: what you need to know about the militant group  A missile struck Al-Ahli Arab hospital in Gaza City on October 17 2023, killing 471 Palestinians – according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Palestinians blamed an Israeli airstrike, while Israel blamed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group.Since 1984, PIJ has been carrying out armed attacks against Israel. The group also participated in the October 7 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of a further 240.
Continued here
|
S48How Argentina's protesters are responding to a new president who wants to end environmental protections and sell off natural resources  Argentina’s new ultra right-wing president Javier Milei, who took office in December 2023, has enjoyed a sudden rise to power. A libertarian economist who came to prominence for his aggressive, extremist declarations as a TV panellist, Milei managed to channel the desire for change of millions who were discontent with the political establishment and a significant economic crisis. During his campaign, the now president repeatedly argued that environmental protections are an unnecessary curtailment of business freedoms. He also stated he does not believe climate change is caused by human activity, and dismissed the idea as a socialist invention.
Continued here
|
S49S50S51Don't lower the price: 3 more effective ways to reduce the costs of smoking  Associate Health Minister Casey Costello recently said she was concerned about the financial burden on people who smoke. She has requested advice on freezing the Consumers Price Index (CPI) adjustment applied annually to tobacco products, according to a leaked Ministry of Health document. Costello’s proposal attracted considerable criticism, not least because the rising price of tobacco is well established as the most effective tool currently used to reduce tobacco use.
Continued here
|
S52How the weird and wonderful microbes in wastewater can make our cities more sustainable  COVID-19 showed us how useful monitoring wastewater can be. But the genetic material in our wastewater, namely DNA and RNA, is a treasure trove of other useful information. It reveals the presence of thousands of different types of weird and wonderful wastewater microbes. The diversity of these microbes can “talk” to us and tell us how to get more renewable energy out of our wastes. If only we could listen to them. Soon we can.
Continued here
|
S53Who was Narcissus?  His beauty has lasted millennia: his name denotes the genus of plants of the amaryllis family, such as the daffodil and jonquil; his personality lends itself to the term “narcissism”, which describes a self-absorbed individual; and his story has inspired great works of art and literature.The familial origins of Narcissus vary. In the Metamorphoses, Latin poet and mythographer Ovid names him as the son of the river god, Cephissus and the nymph, Liriope.
Continued here
|
S54The promised big hits, sure disappointments, and hidden indie gems we'll get from Hollywood in 2024  Last year was the worst for Hollywood cinema in my memory. The few excellent films such as May December and The Equalizer 3 couldn’t combat the Barbies, Napoleons and Saltburns. It means 2024, bolstered by a slew of films being released post-strike, cannot but look up.Currently Mean Girls – a musical reimagining of the stage musical based on the excellent 2004 film – is leading the year’s box office (it looks about as enthralling as an old sock), but Self Reliance, The Beekeeper and sci-fi space thriller I.S.S. are in cinemas now and may be worth a look.
Continued here
|
S55S56S57S58Sammy Yatim inquest: Speaking for the dead, or a Toronto police marketing campaign?  Coroner’s inquests into deaths that involved police often focus on the police force’s perspective and experiences. The inquest into the death of Toronto teenager Sammy Yatim, who was fatally shot by Toronto police Const. James Forcillo in July 2013, is no exception.Because Yatim’s death involved police, the inquest was mandatory under Ontario’s Coroners Act. It draws to a close this week.
Continued here
|
S59S60Use of lockdowns in Canadian prisons could amount to torture  The Supreme Court of Nova Scotia recently ruled in a pair of decisions that it is unlawful to lock down imprisoned people due to staff shortages. Lockdowns are a practice of restrictive confinement that has become increasingly common. This is despite the fact that, under the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules, those lockdowns meet the criteria for torture. In November 2023, the East Coast Prison Justice Society raised alarm over institutional lockdowns at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth. One of the prisoners the society spoke with said, “things are worse than they have ever been.”
Continued here
|
S61S62S63With the economy looking bright enough, the Federal Reserve seems content to play the waiting game  If there’s one thing you can say about Fed policymakers, it’s that they don’t make decisions on a whim. When the Federal Open Market Committee met on Jan. 31, 2024, it held interest rates steady – as most observers expected. That marks six months since the Fed last changed the base rate.And people should expect to wait a little while more: Fed Chair Jerome Powell said a rate cut was “not likely” to come at the next meeting in March. But over the course of his news conference after the meeting, he emphasized that nothing is set in stone.
Continued here
|
S64S65S66As more money is flagged for WA schools, what does 'fully funded' really mean?  The government has also only just released a major review looking at what the next phase of school reforms should involve. “Fully funded” is often talked about when it comes to education debates. To the casual observer, the aspiration is a peculiar one. At one level, public schools across all states and territories are already funded almost entirely by governments.
Continued here
|
S67S68S69S70How does cancer spread to other parts of the body?  All cancers begin in a single organ or tissue, such as the lungs or skin. When these cancers are confined in their original organ or tissue, they are generally more treatable. But a cancer that spreads is much more dangerous, as the organs it spreads to may be vital organs. A skin cancer, for example, might spread to the brain.
Continued here
|
 |
TradeBriefs Publications are read by over 10,00,000 Industry Executives About Us | Advertise Privacy Policy Unsubscribe (one-click) You are receiving this mail because of your subscription with TradeBriefs.
Our mailing address is GF 25/39, West Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008, India |
