Recent events in the Middle East and North Africa offer many lessons, including the role of emerging technologies (e.g., social media) in dissent, conflict and negotiation, and even ethical issues. The rebellion against Col. Moammar Gadhafi’s Libyan government offers another case – that of how an emerging alternate government organizes itself. Members of the Transitional… Read more »

This article is an excellent case in ethics and decision making. For more than a decade, Kenneth Robinson played the odds, gambling that he could make a fortune (he did) and not get caught (he did as well). Robinson was the middle man between lawyer Matthew Kluger, who would pass along information about potential mergers,… Read more »

The digital workplace puts more pressure on employees to attend to multiple tasks at the same time. Research shows that this can be counterproductive because employees are more error prone. Switching between tasks can lead to 20 minutes of lost time for each switch. The solution is focus. Managers have to create a culture where… Read more »

Finance officials from the G-20 economies met on Friday to develop plans on how to measure if nations are causing imbalances that could pose a risk to the global economy. Among the concerns are large government budget deficits and debt, high personal saving rates and debt, and large trade surpluses or deficits. The ministers also… Read more »

France’s ban on full face veils went into effect last Monday. The law does not mention any specific religion or the word veil, but it makes it illegal to hide the face in public spaces. Anyone who wears the Muslim niqab or burqa in public faces fines of €150 ($216) and civil education classes about… Read more »

When Evan Williams decided to walk away from an everyday role at Twitter last October, he easily could have faded into a comfortable life of retirement. Rather than do so, Mr. Williams is working on a new startup company. As his role began to change at Twitter, Williams realized the time was right to move… Read more »

For weeks the battle raged. Democrats and Republicans were locked in a battle over budget cuts that ultimately would determine whether the United States Government would remain open for business. And there was President Barack Obama, stuck in the “middle” of the conflict. Both leaders – Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority… Read more »

Voters in Iceland have once again voted to reject a repayment program negotiated by their government to reimburse the United Kingdom (U.K.) and the Netherlands for losses incurred by their citizens when Iceland’s banking sector collapsed in 2008. The governments of the U.K. and the Netherlands reimbursed their citizens when Iceland’s deposit-insurance program ran out… Read more »

This week Portugal officially became the third euro-zone country to seek a financial bailout from the European Union (EU) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Preliminary estimates are that Portugal will need a bailout of around €80 billion ($114 billion), though a final determination of the bailout size has yet to be made. The country… Read more »

It seems everyone is obsessed with measurement these days. In fact, you probably started your course by talking about research that informs current management thinking or the importance of quantitative analysis or quality management. The fact is lots of things are measured. If you haven’t already, you will soon be examining individual behavior. The author… Read more »