In this Design Nation interview with Sarah Alpern, VP of Design at LinkedIn, Sarah shares how her own personal design values and work at LinkedIn allows for her to embrace trust, accessibility, and equity in design. She also suggests what designers should ask themselves as they start to discover their own creative approaches and design philosophies, and explains how LinkedIn uses user research to design a product that is for everyone, by everyone.
Read MoreInequality is a staple of the global economy. One of the greatest challenges faced across the world is the digital divide, inequality that is exacerbated by a lack of technology and technological resources. The ongoing pandemic has intensified this digital divide to the point where it stands to become one of the greatest humanitarian crises.
Read MoreWith the extra time COVID-19 has brought to those who can afford it, people have begun to pick up new hobbies—the guitar, being one of the most salient choices. How will this boom in guitar sales affect the music industry in the future? How does this parallel the economic reactions to the Boomer effect of the Baby Boomer generation?
Turkey’s economic crisis, ongoing since 2018, took a sharp and dark new turn in October 2020. The Turkish lira fell to a historic low as COVID-19 cases rose. These trends are hardly unique to Turkey, as many countries face tough choices to balance propping up their economies and limiting the spread of the virus. Middle-income countries like Turkey are especially vulnerable, given the dearth of international assistance for all but the most vulnerable nations.
Read MoreWhile the worst of the pandemic is likely over for Singapore, the nightlife industry continues to suffer economic turmoil as karaoke bars and nightclubs continue to be off-limits for residents. Despite new initiatives launched by the government for limited reopening and pivoting of business models, the nightlife industry is struggling to stay afloat in a post-COVID-19 world.
Read MoreThe global pandemic is squeezing the living space out of many industries, including the traditional fashion industry. However, to some Internet-based fields such as esports, the pandemic has produced more opportunity. COVID-19 has also catalyzed more cross-border cooperation: traditional industries need new blood to twist the adverse situation, while emerging industries need legacy icons or brands to help them unlock broader markets. Hence, the marriage between fashion and esports under the pandemic is unexpected, but predictably, influential.
Read MoreThe Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Miami Heat in Game 6 of the NBA Finals marked the end of the longest and most tumultuous season in the NBA’s 74 year history. Yet by all accounts, this past season was a success. In what has been a year of chaos, the NBA formulated one of the most successful initiatives taken during the COVID-19 pandemic–The NBA Bubble.
Read MoreThe fintech industry is heavily dominated by males, with less than 30% employed identifying as female. This trend not only hurts companies and gender equality, but also the product development and democratization of services delivered by these businesses. A quick gender fix is said to bring as much as 20% more profit and increase dividend payouts by as much as half of the current value.
Read MoreThe airline industry has been hit with unprecedented circumstances, with demand declining rapidly. A traditionally lethargic industry has been forced to accelerate decision making in order to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, and salvage the demand left. Airlines must continue to innovate and implement health and safety practices, in order to regain the trust of passengers, for the survival of their businesses.
Read MoreNonprofits are an important source of jobs and provide vital services. Unfortunately, many nonprofits fail to survive because they lack concise funding models and long-term strategies for growth. Now that Covid-19 has taken its toll on both nonprofit funding and community demand for nonprofit services, how can nonprofits learn from this pandemic and revise their growth strategies to enable long-term sustainability?
Read MoreBezos’ growing wealth amid the unrest brought on by COVID-19 has prompted country-wide discussions on the way big corporations perpetuate unequal distribution of wealth. Journalism Fellow Maryam Gamar questions the power that big corporations have over their employees, specifically among the working class.
Read MoreWin Cramer is the CEO of JLab Audio, a leading personal audio company and one of the nation’s most highly-rated providers of accessible True Wireless headphones. In an interview with Bryan Wang, Cramer describes JLab’s unique growth and adaptability in a shifting political environment.
Read MoreKelly Flatow, the NBA’s Executive Vice President of Global Events, played an instrumental role in the success of the NBA Bubble, which was the NBA’s initiative to finish the 2019-2020 season at the Walt Disney World Resort after suspending play due to COVID-19.
Read MoreBefore the pandemic took over, the Commercial Real Estate (CRE) industry was booming, with experts predicting greater capital availability and healthy liquidity scenarios for the players in the space. However, the coronavirus pandemic, with its unimaginable magnitude of economic disruption, has impacted the CRE industry in an unquantifiable way that can only lead to lesser demand for new office spaces in the ‘new normal’ era of economic functioning.
Read MoreThe apparel, fashion, and luxury industry (AF&L) is one of the worst-affected industries by COVID-19, with demand and supply restructuring towards consumption of essential goods and services. With both retail and online sales diminishing as people consolidate their wealth to survive the pandemic, the industry has realized that they will not be able to operate their current business until the consumer confidence revives and social distancing relaxes.
Read MoreCorporate Contacts, Business Today's flagship internship program, is key to BT's finances and operations. Traditionally an internship program that takes undergraduates on road trips across the country to pitch to CEOs for sponsorship and participation, this summer's program was transitioned into a virtual format. Vignesh Panchanatham, this year's Director of Corporate Contacts, speaks to the frustrations he faced and takeaways he learned in this episode of Inside BT. Inside BT is a series that was launched to reflect on how Business Today, a nonprofit that's entirely run by undergraduates, has adapted to the new digital normal created by COVID.
Read MoreIn the last few years before COVID, Business Today had already begun transitioning to a stronger online presence, as opposed to its traditional print magazine. In 2020, our move to explore digital content creation reached new heights, though facing the challenge of leading a team residing in different places all around the globe. In our first episode of Inside BT, Amy Wang, Director of Content, speaks to her experience leading this team and what it means for the future of BT content. Inside BT is a series that was launched to reflect on how Business Today, a nonprofit that's entirely run by undergraduates, has adapted to the new digital normal created by COVID.
Read MoreSa Sa, the Hong Kong-based beauty retailing giant, had never published a fiscal deficit since the days of SARS due to a proactive expansion strategy in both physical stores and digital outlets. Everything changed in 2020 when a new coronavirus emerged, but Journalism Fellow Hypatia Wu’s analysis reveals that its financial slump had begun even before the global pandemic.
Read More2020 was anticipated to be a decisive year for climate action before COVID-19 hit, yet unlike most of its harmful effects elsewhere, the pandemic has brought about an unexpected silver lining with a dramatic reduction in GHG emissions. However, the global economic recovery in the post-COVID era could quickly undo this progress as countries look to fossil fuels to lift them out of the recession.
Read MoreCOVID-19 has raised risks associated with travel, from prolonged exposure to other people to last-minute cancellations before getting on a flight. Typically, people buy travel insurance to mitigate risks when visiting places outside of their home country. However, the current state of traveler’s insurance may not be enough to cope with the aforementioned pandemic-induced risks. Summer Journalism Fellow Charlotte Ehlers proposes a plan where federal governments set up their own travel insurance plans and market them alongside preexisting COVID safety measures to restimulate the tourism industry.
Read More
