Posts tagged Capitalism
Business on the Edge with Dr. Emily Block

Just over 200 years ago, 90% of all humans lived in abject poverty. Life expectancy was less than half of what it is today. Business and capitalism take a lot of criticism for creating inequality and leaving some people behind, but capitalism, businesses, and global trade are largely responsible for creating a world that is on the edge of abundance. Dr. Emily Block and her colleague Viva Ona Bartkus are working to help organizations create viable business opportunities in the most vulnerable places on the planet - places they call “the frontlines.”

In this interview, Dr. Block discusses the benefits to companies willing to work in the planet’s most challenged places, the difficulties they will face, the moral responsibility leaders have in creating thriving business environments in these places, and the results she has seen when companies commit and collaborate with local communities. She goes on to talk about how the principles she has honed working in these “frontline regions” can be applied in disadvantaged communities in countries that are otherwise flourishing.

Dr. Emily Block is an Associate Professor of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Management and the George Cormie Chair in Management at the Alberta School of Business. Her research program explores how values pluralism impacts the processes of legitimacy and change, the nature of social evaluations and how organizational theory can be used to understand and address grand challenges. Emily’s research has been published in journals such as AMJ, SMJ, JBV, JOM, MISQ and JMS. Her book, “Business to the Edge,” (Basic Books, July 2024) explores how business can both thrive and improve lives in post-conflict environments. She serves on the ASQ editorial board and is a Visiting Professor at Strathmore University in Nairobi, Kenya. She received her BBA in Management from the University of Notre Dame and her PhD in Organizational Behavior from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign.

Read More
Kindness and Empathy in Berlin 30 Years After the Wall

Following pressures from international powers in the 1980s, the deconstruction of the Berlin Wall began. This month, the world celebrated the 30th anniversary of the wall’s demise. The fall of the wall symbolizes a series of events that led to freedoms and opportunities for hundreds of millions of people around the world.

For a year, I knew I wanted to join the celebration in Berlin and I wanted to share the celebration with my three-year-old daughter. Together we spent a week in Germany. I was certain I would come home with a story about how Berlin and the demise of its wall was a microcosm of the world today. It turns out the story is a lot more complicated than I expected.

Flying back to the United States, my daughter slept next to me as I jotted down three lessons I took away from the trip. It’s these three lessons I want to share with you today in this bonus podcast episode.

Read More