Although the Covid-19 crisis has halted travel in recent months, geographic mobility has become critical for managers and knowledge workers hoping to advance in today's globalized economy, and that trend is unlikely to reverse. Assignments far from headquarters can pay off financially and can boost your career by improving your problem-solving and leadership skills and building your networks. Yet they also have constraints and costs. Anyone contemplating such a move should think through its full implications first. Research on people in a variety of organizations around the world--from Indian bureaucrats to American consultants--suggests some common principles for getting the most out of relocations: Make moves early in your career, when hurdles are usually lower and you can apply the learning over many more years of work. Step out of your comfort zone to stretch your abilities. Find workarounds for constraints. To minimize the psychological costs, find ways to stay connected to home. Time your trips to HQ strategically, and plan the next step right from the start.

Although people tend to think of the American political system as a public institution based on high-minded principles, it's not. Politics behaves according to the same kinds of incentives and forces that shape competition in any private industry. Our elections and our legislative systems are drowning in unhealthy competition: The political-industrial complex wins, and the public interest loses. Business, in pursuing its short-term interests, has become a major participant in the politics industry, exacerbating its dysfunction. We can have healthy competition in politics--results, innovation, and accountability--by redesigning how we vote to connect acting in the public interest with getting reelected. Applying Porter's five forces framework illuminates the root causes of political dysfunction and points to the most powerful levers for transformation.

"At some point we will be able to reflect on the long-term consequences of this terrible time," the author writes. "Almost certainly [they] will include some good along with the bad." Negative experiences can bring a recognition of personal strength, the exploration of new possibilities, improved relationships with others, a greater appreciation for life, and spiritual growth. Posttraumatic growth often happens naturally, Tedeschi says, but it can be facilitated in five ways: through education (rethinking ourselves, our world, and our future), emotional regulation (managing our negative emotions and reflecting on successes and possibilities), disclosure (articulating what is happening and its effects), narrative development (shaping the story of a trauma and deriving hope from famous stories of crucible leadership), and service (finding work that benefits others).

Mia Ricci left a job she liked to join Rescue, the oldest and largest aid organization fighting global poverty. Her recruiter said she'd have an opportunity to work in the field--a major draw for her--but now her manager, who is distant and often unavailable, says that's unlikely. This fictional case study by Marcello Russo and Gabriele Morandin feature expert commentary by Lauren Barraco and Danielle Piendak.

The bold and brash captain of the U.S. women's soccer team talks about how she resets after losses, why she joined the racial justice protest, and more.

Mia Ricci left a job she liked to join Rescue, the oldest and largest aid organization fighting global poverty. Her recruiter said she'd have an opportunity to work in the field--a major draw for her--but now her manager, who is distant and often unavailable, says that's unlikely. This fictional case study by Marcello Russo and Gabriele Morandin feature expert commentary by Lauren Barraco and Danielle Piendak.

Mia Ricci left a job she liked to join Rescue, the oldest and largest aid organization fighting global poverty. Her recruiter said she'd have an opportunity to work in the field--a major draw for her--but now her manager, who is distant and often unavailable, says that's unlikely. This fictional case study by Marcello Russo and Gabriele Morandin feature expert commentary by Lauren Barraco and Danielle Piendak.

In the summer of 2019 in New Delhi, S K Shahi and his daughter, Meenakshi, faced a difficult problem. India had 19 centers of their non-profit, the Center for Social Responsibility and Leadership. Also called the 'Super 30' program, this offered free training for India's rigorous engineering entrance exam, the Joint Entrance Examination, to 30 - or sometimes 50 or 100 - high school graduates, selected by merit. Shahi and Meenakshi ran these centers using the corporate social responsibility funds donated by large state-owned companies in India, and some private companies. They had been operational for over a decade, with alumni working in academia, top tech companies, and education, having graduated from India's best colleges. They now had a difficult decision to make: should they expand in large metropolis cities - New Delhi; Kanpur; Mumbai - that would attract talented youth from all over India? Or else, given India's remote geographies and uneven distribution of income and educational benefits, was it best to expand to these tough regions to help those who most needed it? An additional source of concern was the operational and logistical cost of running centers in different parts of the country. What was the best way forward: city or town, urban or remote? New Delhi or Kashmir?

The Apple in China and India case explores the competitive challenges faced by a global company in two large emerging markets - China and India. Specifically, in these two large emerging markets, Apple's sales of its flagship iPhone are falling significantly short of its market share in many developed country markets, and well below its own professed and announced revenue and volume targets. The company has to make key strategic decisions regarding its product offerings and the competitive positioning of its products, taking into account the offerings of its key global and local competitors and the unique needs of customers in the two emerging markets in terms of desired product features, and their ability and willingness to pay. In making these choices, Apple has to consider how the decisions made with respect to these two markets align with the broader global strategy for iPhone.

Companies need to focus on how people feel about them, even in a recession. PLUS the unanticipated effect of price promotions, building trust during the pandemic, hiding emotions at the office, and more.

Professor Henry Cronqvist of the University of Miami explores the connection between executives' socioeconomic backgrounds and their firms' personnel practices and policies.

This case introduces Qualcomm's licensing practices in the mobile telecom sector, with a focus on the Chinese market. The point of view adopted is that of the partners of the fictitious Xiao Xing, a Chinese mobile phone start-up that has no sales yet but requires Qualcomm's chips in order to prototype its product. There are two cases. The main issues examined in Case A are: (a) the sort of questions and issues that entrepreneurs must examine when planning a technology start-up, including financing, location, and access to seed money; and (b) the terms under which Qualcomm's chips can be procured, and the problems posed by such terms, especially regarding the royalties involved, cross-licensing provisions included in their standard agreements, and their impact on the viability of the start-up.

This case introduces Qualcomm's licensing practices in the mobile telecom sector, with a focus on the Chinese market. The point of view adopted is that of the partners of the fictitious Xiao Xing, a Chinese mobile phone start-up that has no sales yet but requires Qualcomm's chips in order to prototype its product. There are two cases. The main issues examined in Case A are: (a) the sort of questions and issues that entrepreneurs must examine when planning a technology start-up, including financing, location, and access to seed money; and (b) the terms under which Qualcomm's chips can be procured, and the problems posed by such terms, especially regarding the royalties involved, cross-licensing provisions included in their standard agreements, and their impact on the viability of the start-up. Case B (which does not require previous study of Case A) examines the development of Anti-Monopoly Law in China and the recent measures taken by the Chinese NDRC regarding Qualcomm's licensing practices.

Food Angel is a Hong Kong based social venture that recycles food into cooked meals for Hong Kong's poor. Founded by Gigi Tung, Food Angel has growth so a successful organisation employing over 200 paid staff and 20,000 volunteers who process over 10,000 meals and 200 food packs daily. Gigi believes her philosophy and leadership are working successfully. But going forward, as the charity expands, she wants to develop leadership from within. Can institutional culture, once established, be changed?

In 2019, Eve Burton, Chairwoman of HearstLab and Chief Legal Officer at Hearst Corporation, knew that HearstLab was at a key inflection point for growth-with opportunities to take on additional capital and expand internationally. HearstLab is an incubator focused on early-stage, women-led start-ups innovating across media, business information, and technology, HearstLab provided capital, office space in New York City's Hearst Tower, and access to Hearst's resources, while taking an equity interest in the companies. The Lab was started in 2015 with the goals of increasing visibility and opportunity for women both inside and outside of Hearst, create value from investing in women-led start-ups, and continuing to bring innovation to Hearst.

Since entering China in 1987 with its first restaurant in Beijing, KFC has been a great success and has become the largest quick-service restaurant (QSR) in the country. In 2015, Joey Wat was named Chief Executive Officer of KFC China. In the following year, Yum China (NYSE: YUMC) spun off from Yum! Brands and became an independent, publicly traded company. To expand KFC China's business one step further, Joey Wat had to navigate through a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive landscape. With China's rising economy and personal income levels, many more fast-food chains and snack choices entered the market and competition intensified. Moreover, over the years consumers were increasingly attracted to not only healthy diets, but also an enjoyable consumption experience. As Gen Z customers become the largest consumer base, they have shifted their focus more to value, personalized experience, and a sense of engagement in their food purchases, beyond just affordability and speed. For KFC, other issues were added to the challenge too: a high employee turnover rate and rising rent and labor costs. With highly standardized products and a stable ticket average, how should KFC move forward amid the new and challenging dynamics to achieve a breakthrough? KFC China had started its digital ecosystem early and built up powerful digital capabilities. Under Joey Wat's leadership, KFC China made various attempts to drive productivity, reduce costs, and constantly improve the customer experience. How did digitalization help with these accomplishments? How did KFC China carry out the digitalization? Would digitalization continue to benefit the business in the future?

This case describes Ant Financial's pursuit of innovation and landmark achievements in the field of finance. These innovations not only made up for its shortcomings in traditional financial services by providing inclusive finance, but also created new segments such as credit leasing. These new services posed a great challenge to traditional financial institutions and, by doing so, helped these institutions become more competitive. However, despite all these achievements, Ant Financial also faced many challenges. As a trailblazer in uncharted territory, it faced great technical uncertainties and had to overcome numerous hurdles, including regulatory blind spots, pressure from competitors, and the need to define new boundaries in innovation. Ant Financial's senior management had always been aware of these challenges: in May 2019, they held a two-day meeting to discuss the sustainability and boundaries of innovation, seeking to answer questions about the meaning of sustainable innovation today, what legacy Ant Financial would leave for posterity, and why.

By creating shared value (CSV) for stakeholders, Xibei, a 31-year-old catering company, managed to hold on to the number one spot in the Chinese food and beverage market in 2019. Founder and Chairman Jia Guolong said that the company's creation of shared value for stakeholders was not a noble gesture, but a bid to generate higher business returns and rival other restaurant giants around the world. Over the past 31 years, this business model created a virtuous circle for Xibei, helping to continuously boost competitiveness. As of June 2019, Xibei ran 350 stores in 56 cities across China and had plans to expand into other markets. However, Jia recognized that it would be challenging to implement the CSV business model in the global market, which would test his and Xibei's ability to capture and deliver value. If Xibei shared value but did not reap the returns, then the model would not work. So, how would Jia adapt the CSV model for the international market?

This case recounts the story of Taiwan's electronic component distributors of the early 2000s, which innovatively pursued horizontal consolidation amid unprofitability and an ailing industry climate due to vicious competition. As a result, these companies had to address enormous challenges in effectively managing a post-merger organization. Specifically, it explains the background of the strategic marriage between WPI Group, Taiwan's leading electronic components distributor, and SAC, the third-largest player in the same industry. They joined hands under the umbrella of a holding company WPG Holdings through a share swap deal. The new firm was the result of an innovative industrial holding model formed from the alliance and set a precedent for the regional industry. For WPG's inaugural Chairman Simon Huang, managing such a complex organization would be one of the biggest challenges of his career.

This case describes the development of Natural Factory's social e-commerce model, the role of CSR in the founding of that model, as well as its successes and limitations. In 2018, Natural Factory boasted a turnover of more than ¥600 million, and by January 2019, it had accumulated nearly 6 million purchasing users and over 27 million followers. Despite the impressive growth, Natural Factory was struggling to acquire new users. Marketing products directly to end-consumers would allow the company to break through this bottleneck quickly but at the expense of the small-scale merchants to whom the company owed its success. Founding CEO Su Lujiang faced a serious dilemma: how could the company continue to acquire new users without alienating the old ones?