BUSINESS – Page 2

4Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS

Executives And Political Firestorms

Risky business: Why executives keep finding themselves in political firestorms. Back in March 2022, Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek said that his company wouldn’t take a public stand on Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Four days later, he yielded to rebukes from LGBTQ employees, reversed his decision and criticized the bill publicly. In the ensuing political firestorm, the state of Florida revoked Disney’s 55-year-old favored tax and regulatory status, sparking legal disputes that lasted well into 2024. Chapek, deeply weakened, was fired not long after the controversy broke, in November 2022. Disney may be a unique case, but it isn’t alone. Business leaders are increasingly at risk of political sparks igniting into firestorms that can devastate their companies. For example, in...

3Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, TOP FOUR

The Role Of US Economic Planning

Does the US have a planned economy? You might be surprised. During the Cold War, a heated debate arose over the role of economic planning. Did the “planned” economy of the USSR or the “free market” economy of the U.S. allocate resources more productively? Arguments against planned economies centered on the limits of information processing, the feasibility of production forecasts and the inflexibility of centralized plans. The Soviet Union’s collapse seemed to relegate the economic planning concept to the dustbin of history. But issues raised in those debates are still relevant today. New research finds that the top 1% of American companies control 90% of U.S. production-related assets and account for 80% of sales revenue. This means a relatively small number of companies are respon...

The Government Wants To Break Up Live Nation Entertainment

25May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, TOP FOUR

The Government Wants To Break Up Live Nation Entertainment

Why the US government is trying to break up Live Nation Entertainment – a music industry scholar explains. The U.S. Justice Department, along with 29 states and the District of Columbia, have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation Entertainment, the parent company of Ticketmaster. The lawsuit alleges that Live Nation “engaged in a variety of tactics to eliminate competition and monopolize markets,” which, according to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, has allowed the entertainment giant to “suffocate the competition” through its control of ticket prices, venues and concert promotion. In response, Live Nation said that the antitrust suit “ignores everything that is actually responsible for higher ticket prices, from increasing production costs to artist popularity, to 24...

Latest Inflation Figures Giving A Lot Of People Heartburn

15May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS

Latest Inflation Figures Giving A Lot Of People Heartburn

Latest inflation figures are good news – even if they give a lot of people heartburn. The U.S. economy is slowing, but not crashing. In the dismal science, this is what counts as good news. That’s the message I took away from the latest inflation data, released May 15, 2024, which showed U.S. consumer prices rising 3.4% in the 12 months to April 2024. This is down slightly from the 3.5% year-over-year increase reported in March 2024. In other words, while prices are rising, they’re not going up as sharply as they once were. That’s good news for shoppers; the U.S. economy is far from the 9.1% annual inflation seen in June 2022. While energy and shelter prices increased in April, these gains were relatively modest. Meanwhile, food prices remained steady compared to last year and eve...

What Are The Consequences Of Ignoring Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Business?

29Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, TOP FOUR

What Are The Consequences Of Ignoring Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In Business?

The backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion in business is in full force − but myths obscure the real value of DEI. Few ideas in business are as misunderstood as DEI. While opposition to DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – has a long history, it has picked up steam recently. In 2023, when Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, detractors claimed that the bank’s focus on DEI was responsible – rather than the bank overinvesting in bonds that suddenly lost much of their value. Not long afterward, when a wall panel detached from an Alaska Airlines flight at 16,000 feet, opponents claimed without evidence that DEI’s corrosive effects were to blame. More recently, when a cargo ship lost power and slammed into Baltimore’s Key Bridge, critics suggested that DEI was somehow at fault. ...

1May

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, TOP FOUR

Exploring The Gender Divide In Fintech

Fintech has a gender problem – here’s why you should care. Fintech (financial technology) is everywhere. It’s the catch-all term for technology-enabled financial services innovation. Even if you haven’t heard of fintech, you’re probably using it for payments, banking or investments. Klarna? ClearPay? Revolut? Monzo? They’re all part of an industry that attracted a staggering US$51.2 billion (£40.5 billion) of investment globally in 2023. However, while fintech is flooded with money, it is marked by an absence of women, particularly in leadership roles. Our research, which was published on March 5, reveals the striking underrepresentation of women guiding this booming industry. Women account for just 4% of CEOs, only 18% of executive committee members, and a mere 7.7% of entrepreneu...

Witchcraft Practitioners’ Connection To The Natural World Is Changing, As The Craft Becomes A Multibillion-Dollar Business

25Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, CULTURE

Witchcraft Practitioners’ Connection To The Natural World Is Changing, As The Craft Becomes A Multibillion-Dollar Business

As witchcraft becomes a multibillion-dollar business, practitioners’ connection to the natural world is changing. Witches, Wiccans and other contemporary Pagans see divinity in trees, streams, plants and animals. Most Pagans view the Earth as the Goddess, with a body that humans must care for, and from which they gain emotional, spiritual and physical sustenance. Paganism is an umbrella term that includes religions that view their practices as returning to those of pre-Christian societies, in which they believe the Goddess was worshipped along with the gods and the land was seen as sacred. Wicca focuses specifically on the practice of the British Isles. Witchcraft has also become a multibillion-dollar business. As a sociologist who has been researching this religion for more than 30 year...

7Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, SPORTS

Cornering The Baseball Cards Market

‘The Amazon of Sports’ has already cornered baseball’s apparel market – and is now on the verge of subsuming baseball cards, too. During spring training, Major League Baseball’s official uniform supplier, Fanatics, became a focal point for all the wrong reasons. After arriving in Florida and Arizona, players began to complain about the quality of their new, Fanatics-manufactured uniforms. One player for the Baltimore Orioles groused that the new uniforms looked “like a knockoff jersey from T.J. Maxx.” Others were dismayed to learn that the white pants were transparent, with seams from tucked-in jerseys – and sometimes more than just seams – visible to all. The spring training uniform fiasco has led to more scrutiny for Fanatics, a company that had, until recently, been widely considere...

Climbing The Corporate Ladder: And The Price For Success

2Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS

Climbing The Corporate Ladder: And The Price For Success

Women want to climb the corporate ladder — but not at any price. The consulting firm Spencer Stuart recently published a study of top management at Fortune 500 companies, the 500 richest companies in the United States. The analysis focused specifically on the gender of the people in these positions, their functions and the source of their appointments, whether they came from inside or outside the organization. Studying the composition of top management, often referred to as the C-Suite, is particularly important since it allows us to see how many women make it to the position of CEO in an organization. Respectively Dean of the John Molson School of Business, and an expert for several decades on the place of women in the upper echelons of the business world, we will discuss the main find...

What Are The Benefits Of Turning Annual Performance Reviews Into Humble Encounters?

10Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

BUSINESS, POLITICS

What Are The Benefits Of Turning Annual Performance Reviews Into Humble Encounters?

Turning annual performance reviews into ‘humble encounters’ yields dividends for employees and managers. Every year, employees worldwide enter annual performance reviews with mixed feelings. Do employees enter these conversations with enthusiasm to learn new things? Rarely. Are managers eager to have these conversations and coach their employees on how they can improve in the coming year? No. These meetings are typically experienced as difficult conversations. Opportunities for learning and relationship-building are often missed. In an ideal world, employees would learn and improve from the feedback their manager provides in the annual review. But there are at least two obstacles that can stand in the way of that best-case scenario. It can be hard to hear painful truths. Critical feedba...