Business

Jose Caballero, International Institute for Management Development (IMD) China’s billions of dollars in global investments and infrastructure projects seem to be paying off politically and economically. Just recently, Honduras signalled it is set to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, having been one of the few remaining countries to recognise the island as a state. This switch of allegiances would be …

Doha. All clean? Shutterstock/HasanZaidi Argyro Elisavet Manoli, Loughborough University Fifa’s choice of Qatar as host of the 2022 men’s football World Cup has been controversial since day one. Questions continue to be raised about the nation’s attitude to human rights, and its treatment of migrant workers. To some, the entire event exemplifies the concept of “sportswashing” – using sport as …

David Bach, International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s recent speech to the Communist Party Congress could be one of the most consequential of the decade. He told the audience – and the world – that his economic growth-crushing zero-COVID policy is here to stay, and that Beijing is more determined than ever to reunify with Taiwan, …

Shutterstock/Immersion Imagery Patrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow Countries across the world are drifting towards a debt crisis. Economic slowdowns and rising inflation have increased demands on spending, making it almost impossible for many governments to pay back the money they owe. In normal times, those countries could simply take on new debt to replace the old debt. But international …

astarot / Shutterstock Lorenza Rossi, Lancaster University Inflation has caused the sharpest rise in food prices in the UK in 40 years, the latest official figures show. But it’s not just food costs that are soaring – or energy prices, for that matter. Consumer price inflation could also impact bills for services like internet and mobile phones. Many people aren’t …

Entrepreneurs need more support. Shutterstock/Kehinde Olufemi Akinbo Anna Barford, University of Cambridge and Stephanie Shankland, University of East Anglia As the global population grows, it has been estimated that by 2030 the world will need more than 600 million new jobs. Many of these will be required in developing countries, where young people already struggle to find work, pay is …

The Al Janoub Stadium in Doha. Shutterstock/Photo Play Simon Chadwick, SKEMA Business School When Denmark play at the men’s Fifa World Cup in Qatar this winter, their shirts will mask the name and logo of their sponsor, the sportswear brand Hummel. One of the strips is all black, which Hummel described as the “colour of mourning”. The company explained the …

Things between Saudi King Salman and Turkish President Erdogan have become rather tense. AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici Nader Habibi, Brandeis University The Oct. 2 disappearance of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his country’s consulate in Istanbul has put a spotlight on the deteriorating relations between Turkey and the Persian Gulf kingdom. Articles based on anonymous accounts from Turkish officials report …

Will it stand up? Randy Fath/Unsplash, CC BY-SA Wim Naudé, University College Cork The four-day working week continues to gain momentum, with pilots taking place in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada and Australia. Over six-month periods between February and November, employees at participating businesses are working only 80% of their time but still receiving 100% of their salary and benefits. …

Will it stand up? Randy Fath/Unsplash, CC BY-SA Wim Naudé, University College Cork The four-day working week continues to gain momentum, with pilots taking place in the UK, Ireland, US, Canada and Australia. Over six-month periods between February and November, employees at participating businesses are working only 80% of their time but still receiving 100% of their salary and benefits. …