The performance measuring crises in elite sports
It has been observed in many sports that the level of competition has increased over the years to an extent that we can speak nowadays of a crises at the top of these sports. Not only the number of ex aequo game results is large, also the variation in...
'Gut feeling' in powerful individuals
In interviews and autobiographies, powerful people such as business magnates, well-known politicians, or high-ranked military commanders often emphasize the importance of relying on their gut feeling when making decisions. The question that comes to mind...
Connected boards and cross-border mergers
Emerging market firms are increasingly visible in the global economy. A significant number of these emerging market firms expand to developed economies through cross-border acquisitions (M&A). For example, in 2007, the Tata Group of India obtained a 100...
More demanding targets make employees more innovative – and they actually enjoy it
If you want your company to become more innovative, it makes sense to set demanding targets for your employees. Setting the bar high helps employees to enjoy their work, and actually enables them to be more creative. It also pays to create a culture in...
‘Social capital’ and its effect on corporations
In his Nobel Lecture in 1994, Douglass C. North emphasised that “institutions are the humanely devised constraints that structure human interaction. They are made up of formal constraints (e.g., rules, laws, constitutions), informal constraints (e.g.,...
The Nobel Prize stresses sustainable development
On October 8, the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to William Nordhaus and Paul Romer for their contributions to long-run economic development and the role of climate change (Nordhaus) and innovation (Romer). It is hard to overstate the importance of...
Dutch envoy Marcel Beukeboom on balancing climate and the economy
Leaders did react, but didn’t change | The effect of the 2008 financial crisis on leadership
This month is the 10th anniversary of the start of the 2008 financial crisis. The fall of Lehman Brothers on 15 September 2008 impacted on the entire global business world, and was the trigger for the so-called Great Recession. Economists have been...
Trump vs China Part II: a self-defeating policy
Make America Great Again (MAGA) is key for Donald Trump’s agenda as president. An important part of his policies involves trade. With the mid-term elections approaching in November, Trump is stepping up his aggressive economic stance towards, in...
Three ways to integrate sustainability in business schools
Bring sustainability into the business school mainstream by aligning with schools' existing practices: technical, political, and cultural.