Dan LeClair describes the tensions business schools face between local impact and global recognition, and how a collaborative network like GBSN helps members learn from each other while remaining grounded in their local context.
Thought Leadership
Building Better Supply Chains for Development
At the Qatar Economic Forum last May, Owusu Akoto told the audience about a West African farmer who “loses 60 percent of everything he grows because he doesn’t have the right storage” and “sells the remaining 40 percent at a discount because of its quality.” The son and grandson of farmers in Ghana, Akoto knows… Read more >
The Case for Critical Thinking: Training the Managerial Mind in the Age of AI
Imagine the hurried life of a typical business student today, grabbing the last table at the coffee shop, busting out the laptop to tackle a complex case about an underperforming multinational company. The question is simple and open-ended: “What’s wrong with the company and what should leadership do next?” Our student promptly copies and pastes… Read more >
The Startups We Never See
When Lina Ayenew left Ethiopia to pursue an MBA in China, she carried more than ambition—she had a vision. She selected Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (CKGSB) to immerse herself in a place where education technology was revolutionizing how people learn, as well as to take advantage of the school’s in-class incubation program. Her… Read more >
GBSN Beyond in Ghana: Leveraging Business Education for Africa’s Development Challenges
On a warm morning in Accra, a young woman named Mariam rolls up the shutters of her shop, where she sells shea butter and handmade crafts. Her products have found customers not only in Accra, but also in several boutiques in the United States—thanks to the duty-free access provided by the African Growth and Opportunity… Read more >
The Tragedy of the Commonsense Morality
And What We Can Do About It Writing about the climate challenge, French economist Jean Tirole frames the problem brilliantly: “The benefits of reducing climate change remain global and distant in time, while the costs of that reduction are local and immediate.” (Economics for the Common Good, p. 199) Why would any country take costly… Read more >
What Does Winning Look Like Today?
When I was an economics professor (which was a long time ago), I often invited students in introductory classes to play a simple game. They were instructed to choose “Heads” or “Tails” and secretly write their choice on a sticky note, while I randomly sorted the class into pairs. If the choices made by any… Read more >
The Future of Globalization May be Uncertain. The Need for Innovation is Not
Over the past few decades, globalization—the closer integration of countries and peoples—has been a powerful engine of economic growth, improving global health and lifting millions out of poverty, as well as increasing efficiency. Expanding cross-border collaborations and knowledge exchanges have empowered countries to address critical societal issues. However, globalization has also been blamed for widening… Read more >
Finding Truth in an AI World: The Power of Human Connection
In the car, halfway to school, my son lifted his eyes from the phone long enough to say, “Did you know, in Japan, workers who get to the office early park farther away, leaving the closer spots for others that come later?” I didn’t know. And, because I’m never quite sure where my son gets… Read more >
Is More Information Better?
It is a good idea to collect data about the outcomes of heart surgeries and make it available to the public. Report cards help patients find the best hospitals and doctors, while the providers have an incentive to improve quality. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it. Well, in a paper I read a little more than… Read more >