Consumers are suspicious of business ethics – especially corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs.  What are the counter-arguments and managerial solutions to address this skepticism? Arguments Against CSR First up, the hidden agenda behind business ethics and CSR programs is often called into question. A recent survey by the Center for Business in Society shows over…

The World Economic Forum (WEF) held its annual meeting last week. The theme of this year was “The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means, how to respond.” I didn’t follow the event but I was curious to find out whether they had any Africa-related discussions. And yes, I found an article titled “How can Africa…

In government and business, I have often heard that “teams in the field don’t understand the big picture” coming out of headquarters. Or, emanating from the grassroots level, “headquarters is clueless about what´s happening in the field.” How do you manage the natural friction between corporate headquarters and its divisions or subsidiaries? In Afghanistan, the tension…

Rather than being on the verge of a Shia - Sunni war with potentially devastating consequences for the Middle East and the word, it seems likely that Iran and Saudi Arabia will experience a cold war making peaceful resolution of the region´s conflicts more difficult.