Toyota: Guilty or Innocent?

The U.S. Department of Transportation blames the spate of recent crashes not on the automaker but on driver error. Does that let Toyota off the hook?

Burqa Ban in France: Right or Wrong?

In the latest culture clash, France's lower house of parliament this week voted 335:1 to ban the burqa-style Islamic veil in public. The debate rages across Europe: Are such bans good or bad?

Crowdsourcing: In Search of Your Leadership

Crowdsourcing is an increasingly well-known method for getting ¨crowds¨ to ¨source¨ solutions to a business problem. It beats top-down strategy hands-down. The question that nobody asks is, Could crowdsourcing serve to generate leaders? 

Roger Federer and Anger Management

In the first round at Wimbledon, Roger Federer narrowly escaped a historic defeat, not least through anger management. Few people remember how the champion learned to regulate the temper tantrums of his junior days.

BP Chief in Perfect Storm: Root Cause Was Stupid Strategy

BP chief Tony Hayward is in the hot seat. But things went wrong much before the ¨Deepwater Horizon¨ oil spill. The root cause of the crisis is an outdated strategy approach.

The 2010 World Cup: A Laboratory of One World or Culture Clash?

The 2010 World Cup is a great chance to learn about national cultures and how they play out in football/soccer. Because the World Cup is one event where globalization comes alive. And where cultures clash, sometimes in hilarious ways.

Time to Abolish Performance Reviews?

New research shows that one of the greatest sources of stress is the annual performance review. Under the guise of ¨constructive criticism,¨ evaluations can be used by bad bosses to dominate and undermine workers; they can instill fear; and they might end up making people less effective. Should companies do away with workplace evaluations?

Foxconn Suicides Just Tip of the Iceberg: Why 55% of Workers Are Stressed Out

The wave of suicides at China's Foxconn is the latest and most alarming result of rising workplace stress. But elsewhere too, the global crisis seems to have taken a toll on workers' emotional well-being; the threat of losing your job or home or financial stability is deeply unsettling. Now researchers have found at least two other causes of stress.

What is the future of MBA education?

Business schools are at a crossroads. For 50 years they have focused on analytical skills, models, and statistics. But if the global economic crisis did not make it clear, its aftermath makes it painfully obvious: The existing MBA curriculum is insufficient for the challenges of the 21st century.

Papal Pressure in Portugal Over Gay Marriage

The Pope today spoke out in Portugal against a planned same-sex marriage law. Instead of pressuring governments on their policies, here are three steps the leader of the Catholic church could take to break the church's conspiracy of silence.