UO Today #461: Sister Helen Prejean
Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States, discusses her advocacy for the abolition of the death penalty. She spoke at the UO on October 19, 2010.
UO Today, the Oregon Humanities Center’s half-hour television interview program, provides a glimpse into the heart of the [...]
The Merck Orchestra: using Mendelssohn to teach leadership
Ranging in size anywhere from 80 to 100 musicians, a symphony orchestra not only provides a magnificent sound, but an engaging illustration of how leadership works. As pharmaceutical company Merck has discovered, watching an orchestra rehearse is an invaluable lesson in corporate management.
The leadership diversity puzzle
They say it’s never a bad time to invest in leadership. But is that still true, even during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression? Unilever, the food and personal care products giant, thinks so and is putting its money where its mouth is.
Taking leadership research global
The global dimension of leadership is becoming a key area of interest for leadership research, says Cristina Escallon, director of the INSEAD Leadership Initiative, speaking on the sidelines of the first INSEAD-Wharton Research Conference on Leadership.
Most leadership research around the world is based on US-centric models, be it US companies or American leaders. This is because the US is where most academic developments have taken place in this field over the last couple of
Marketing in a downturn: time to push the panic button?
In a crisis, consumers generally start to rein in their spending and save more – just in case. But how should companies then market their goods and services in a downturn?
In a new working paper by INSEAD professors ‘Paddy’ V. Padmanabhan and Pushan Dutt called ‘When to push the panic button?’, the authors drill down on the impact of economic crises on consumer behaviour in different categories of products and services in developing, as well as developed countries.
The changing face of the CIO
As CEOs increasingly turn to technology to help them cope with a rapidly changing business environment, chief information officers (CIOs) are no longer simply ‘the IT guys’. Increasingly, they are expected to play a more strategic role. According to the 2008 ASEAN CIO Leadership Study – based on a survey of some 160 CIOs in six Southeast Asian countries - CIOs are finding that this change in responsibilities also means that a new set of skills is required to carry out the job.
Tupperware: a party somewhere every two seconds
Say “Tupperware” to anyone over 40 and you conjure up visions of 1950s American housewives gathered together at someone’s home for a chance to test and buy airtight, plastic food containers. Passe, right? Wrong.
The power of true strategy
What do Google and Napoleon Bonaparte have in common? According to author Robert Greene, both are -- or were -- great strategists of their time. And because of that, both wielded enormous power and control, which made them formidable forces to contend with.
Concentric circles: Inside the world of Sir Martin Sorrell
“Our strategy is built on three pillars,” says communications guru Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of the world’s largest communications services company, WPP. ‘New markets’, which means the shift to Asia and the South, the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and Next-11 markets; ‘new media’, that’s digital in the sense of PC, mobile and video content; and ‘consumer insight,’ “because we’re very focused on how the consumer is changing, not just in a recessionary environment b
Combating malaria: How an oil company is helping to tackle the problem
For Marathon Oil Corporation, its project to tackle malaria on an island off Equatorial Guinea is paying off. It reckons that for every dollar invested, the economic return is around four dollars.
Just what kind of business is there in sustainability?
Whether in energy, healthcare or micro-investing, is there a real business model in sustaining the world’s resources and improving the quality of life for its inhabitants? INSEAD Knowledge attended the IESE Net Impact Doing Good and Doing Well conference in Barcelona recently, and found evidence that many companies and individuals are finding there are business models, if you are prepared to think creatively and be just a bit audacious.
The social entrepreneur: getting results where angels fear to tread
What do Richard Branson and Mother Theresa have in common? They have both been agents for change. But when you put them together, you get - the social entrepreneur. It’s a concept and occupation that has been further clarified in new work being done by INSEAD Assistant Professor for Entrepreneurship, Filipe Santos.
Innovation booming in emerging markets despite obstacles
Traditional measures of innovation usually focus on science and technology, for example on patents produced, scientific papers published and PhD graduates in science and engineering. While the role of science and technology in driving innovation continues to be important, we are witnessing a new type of innovation in Latin America and other emerging markets, i.e. innovations that are more horizontal and more context dependent.
Economic downturn ‘opens doors’ for recycling business Worn Again
One of the greatest challenges facing social business Worn Again is the widely-held public assumption that any product made from recycled materials must be cheaper than conventional merchandise on the market.
Shedding light: INSEAD initiatives seek to foster growth, development in Africa
Listen to INSEAD faculty, alumni and associates talk, and you realise that Africa is no longer just a story of disease, poverty, misery and humanitarian aid. Or of China’s hunger for raw materials and energy, while the Japanese and Koreans buy land in Africa to grow their own food. Today, Africa is also a story of investment and growth on a global scale.
Rashid Khalidi: "Constraining and Shaping Nationalism: The United States and Iraq"
A talk by Rashid Khalidi, Director, Center for International Studies and Professor, Departments of History andNear Eastern Languages and Civilizations. From the Rethinking America in the Middle East Series, presented by: International House Global Voices Program, the Norman Wait Harris Fund of the Center for International Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Human Rights Program
John Mearsheimer: "The War in Iraq and America's Role in the World"
A talk by John Mearsheimer, R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Political Science; Director, Program on International Security. From the Rethinking America in the Middle East Series, presented by: International House Global Voices Program, the Norman Wait Harris Fund of the Center for International Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Human Rights Program
Yosef Gorny: "The Road Map to Peace? The War and its Impact on Israelis and Palestinians"
A talk by Yosef Gorny, Tel Aviv University and Visiting Professor, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and Committee on Jewish Studies. From the Rethinking America in the Middle East Series, presented by: International House Global Voices Program, the Norman Wait Harris Fund of the Center for International Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Human Rights Program
"Reform in the Arab World: A Journalist's Perspective"
Talk by Steve Franklin, Chicago Tribune staff writer and former Middle East correspondent; moderated by Noha Aboulmagd Forster, U. of C. NELC dept. and School of the Art Institute. Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. From the World Beyond the Headlines Series.
"Consolidating Democracy in Mexico: Keynote Address"
Keynote address by Jose Woldenberg, former president Federal Electoral Institute; from the Latin American Briefing Series of the Center for Latin American Studies (http://clas.uchicago.edu).













