Two futurists predict a decade of powerful innovations: “Faster and better, and cheaper than anyone can imagine.”

Posted by & filed under Decision Making, International Business, Management, Strategy.

Description: Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler make their case in a new book “The Future Is Faster Than You Think.” Source: Fortune.com – video report Date: Mar 6, 2020 Link: https://fortune.com/videos/watch/964fb3ae-5def-4d56-8e8c-56edbbb4de90?activePlaylistName=On%20Leading Questions for discussion: What are the highlights presented in this video report? What does the message suggest about innovation, business development and investing?

There’s plenty of toilet paper in the US – so why are people hoarding it?

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Description: The other day I went into Costco to buy some toilet paper. It came as a small shock when I couldn’t find a single roll. Source: Yahoo.Finance.com Date: Mar 11, 2020 Link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/theres-plenty-toilet-paper-us-122309255.html Questions for discussion: What does the report say about human behavior and consumer products? How should business people deal with this understanding?

Here’s Why 28 Percent of Tech Jobs Are in San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, Los Angeles, or Austin

Posted by & filed under Control, Decision Making, International Business, Leadership, Management, Strategy.

Description: A new Brookings Institution report shows that while the tech sector is lifting the economy as a whole, most of that benefit is concentrated in just a few places, and that disparity is getting worse instead of better. Despite frequent reports that suggest the fall of the traditional tech hubs like Silicon Valley and the rise of places like… Read more »

Elon Musk calls this a ‘powerful, powerful way of thinking’—but is ‘hard to do.’ Here’s how it works

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, International Business, Leadership, Management.

Description: In a 2013 TED talk, the billionaire entrepreneur revealed his “secret sauce” to achieving extraordinary things: “First principles” thinking, a decision-making strategy in which you “boil things down to their fundamental truths and reason up from there, as opposed to reasoning by analogy.” Source: CNBC.com Date: Feb 29, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/28/billionaire-elon-musk-this-is-a-powerful-way-of-thinking-but-hard-to-do-how-it-works.html Questions for discussion: Summarize what the article… Read more »

Amazon sellers scramble to keep products in stock amid coronavirus outbreak

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Description: For Zev Bernard, who sells baseball and softball equipment on Amazon, February tends to be one of the busiest times of the year, with athletes, coaches and fans gearing up for the new season. Opening day for Major League Baseball is in late March. Source: CNBC.com – video report Date: Feb 29, 2020 Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/29/amazon-sellers-scramble-to-keep-products-in-stock-amid-coronavirus.html… Read more »

Why companies like Microsoft and Google are betting big on Africa

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Description: As technology companies continue to look for areas of growth, Africa is emerging as an area of opportunity. And Big Tech has taken notice. Companies such as Twitter, Google and Microsoft are all attempting to establish a presence in fast-growing African economies. Twitter CEO and founder Jack Dorsey, who also runs mobile payment company… Read more »

Employee Activism Works—Even When It Doesn’t

Posted by & filed under Communication, Control, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, Management, Organizational Behavior.

Description: Movements that once seemed futile have produced big results over time thanks to “behavioral contagion,” a.k.a. peer pressure. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: Feb 25, 2020 Link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-02-26/employee-activism-works-even-when-it-doesn-t?srnd=premium Questions for discussion: What does the report say about employee influence and corporate decisions? What does all of this suggest to management?

Why it was inevitable that Bombardier’s shot at the sky brought the Canadian giant down

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Description: Fatally, the plane maker failed to foresee the reaction of the global aerospace duopoly Source: FinancialPost.com Date: Feb 26, 2020 Link: https://business.financialpost.com/financial-times/why-it-was-inevitable-that-bombardiers-shot-at-the-sky-brought-the-canadian-giant-down Questions for discussion: What does the article say about the competitive nature of this industry and managerial strategies by Bombardier over the years? Was there an alternative strategy that could have succeeded?… Read more »

A Texas Border Town’s Booming Trade in Great Tacos

Posted by & filed under Communication, Decision Making, Ethics & Social Responsibility, International Business, Management, Strategy.

Description: Brownsville has its troubles, but it’s also starting to draw attention for its thriving collection of distinctive taquerias. Source: NYTimes.com Date: Feb 25, 2020 Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/25/dining/tacos-brownsville-texas.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage Questions for discussion: How has Brownsville responded to the economic challenges it is facing? What else could this community capitalize on because of its location, culture and history?

How to make sense of the latest tech surge

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Description: In 2018 a new word entered Silicon Valley’s lexicon: the “techlash”, or the risk of a consumer and regulatory revolt against big tech. Today that threat seems empty. Even as regulators discuss new rules and activists fret about the right to privacy, the shares of the five biggest American tech firms have been on a… Read more »