Idea posted: January 2020

Institutions: The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania    Columbia Business School    Harvard Business School   

Milton Friedman notwithstanding, maximizing profit (and thus shareholder value) is no longer considered the one and only purpose of a corporation or business. The truly successful business is driven by…

Idea posted: October 2019

Institutions: University of Texas McCombs School of Business    Emory University Goizueta Business School   

Psychologists are divided concerning the link between personal misconduct and professional misconduct. Some argue that misconduct reflects a personal trait; others argue that behaviour is situational — a person may…

Idea posted: May 2019

Institutions: University of Florida    Florida State University   

From its founding, Amazon has been a socially liberal company, notable for its active involvement in LGBTQ issues. Its Seattle, Washington headquarters is embedded in the Northwest, a socially liberal…

Idea posted: July 2017

Institutions: University of Michigan Ross School of Business   

‘Greenwashing’ is a new term that describes the actions of companies whose corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities prove to be more window-dressing than action. Two Michigan Ross professors, Jun Li…

Idea posted: July 2017

Institutions: George Washington University School of Business    FHWien University of Applied Sciences    INSEAD   

In a seminal 2011 Harvard Business Review article, Michael Porter and Mark Kramer urged companies to abandon the ‘old narrow view of capitalism’ in which the sole purpose of companies…

Idea posted: July 2016

Institutions: Duke University Fuqua School of Business    Harvard Business School   

When Indiana passed its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in March of 2015, Apple CEO Tim Cook’s response was swift and unequivocal. “Apple is open for everyone. We are deeply…

Idea posted: May 2016

Institutions: University of Oxford    Cornell University   

Most people make moral judgements intuitively: we feel what is right or wrong. For example, imagine a dilemma in which a runaway trolley is racing toward five people, who will…

Idea posted: May 2016

Institutions: IESE Business School   

Implementing change is never easy, but for a newly hired executive working with new people in a new culture, the challenge is even greater. Understanding the current culture of the…

Idea posted: May 2016

Institutions: Harvard Business School   

Sceptics of enterprise risk management believe that the 2008 financial crisis proves their point: risk management practices do little to prevent risks. Instead, according to these sceptics, focusing on potential…