BT Online — Business Today Online Journal

A New Era – Outdated Amateurism and the NCAA (Part 1)

With an increasingly globalised world, the commercial potential of collegiate sport has exponentially grown. However, the NCAA’s “amateurism” business model is being increasingly attacked. Summer Journalism Fellow Joe Strong explains that the more that basketball players choose to forego the NCAA, the more that the quality of NCAA talent and therefore, its appeal to fans, will decrease. Many aspiring professional athletes want to be able to support their families earlier, and alternate pathways to circumvent the NCAA, like the NBA G-League’s “Professional Player Pathway,” are becoming increasingly popular.

Black in Business: How Entrepreneurs of Color Have Triumphed Financially in a Crisis

As the world watched a video of George Floyd taking his last breath, the Black Lives Matter movement gained rare air, and as millions looked for ways to make a difference, small Black-owned businesses got an unprecedented boost. As Summer Journalism Fellow Ashleigh Field explains, many of these owners are using this prosperity to reinvest back in the community and contribute to the larger cause for justice and equality.

Rising with Refugees: A Conversation with Patricia Letayf, Cofounder of Five One Labs

Summer Journalism Fellow Charlotte Ehlers speaks with Patricia Letayf, co-founder and Director of Operations at Five One Labs, a startup incubator in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq that has incubated five cohorts of startups since its inception in 2017. Letayf describes how Five One Labs combines her interests in Middle Eastern politics, business, and economic development and how it also uses entrepreneurship to enable diverse groups of young people in Kurdistan to rebuild their community.

The Rise and Rise of Ed-tech: Is it Finally Here to Stay?

Today, ed-tech is an umbrella term that refers to any technological initiative designed to streamline learning. Despite this, startups in the space have had a rocky ride over the past half-decade with investors and skeptics raising questions about their cash burn, business models, and even their crown jewel: content. The black swan event that is COVID-19 has seen educational institutions and students flock to ed-tech platforms during the transition to online learning, but this begs the question: is ed-tech here to stay once the dust settles?

Where Accountants’ Creativity Can Lead

As the pandemic recession continues to ravage the economy, businesses have begun exploring the possibilities of creative accounting practices in an attempt to promote a more optimistic outlook in the market. However, as Journalism Fellow Anastasiia Tokar indicates, a lack of transparency can lead to serious consequences; simply look at Wirecard for proof.

Design Nation 2020: Sandra Campos, CEO of Diane Von Furstenberg

In this audio podcast, we hear an excerpt from a keynote given at Design Nation 2020 by Sandra Campos, CEO of Diane von Furstenberg. In this episode, she shares her journey to becoming the CEO of DVF, and how all of her different entrepreneurial adventures and career experiences gave her the crucial skills to grow as a business leader in fashion.

How to Find Success at Your Internship

So you’ve just landed an internship – congratulations! What are the steps you can take to succeed in your role? While this piece is relevant for remote internships during the summer of 2020, the advice can be widely applied to any internship. Business Today explains how students and recent graduates can define their goals for the summer, get to to know the people around them, communicate with their managers, attend as many social and career events as they can, and connect with fellow interns.

A Conversation with Dina Rezvanipour, Founder and President of 3d Public Relations & Marketing

Dina Rezvanipour, Founder and President of 3d Public Relations & Marketing, discusses the importance of getting clients in the hands of the “right” influencers and the driving factors behind her passion project, Generation Philanthropy. She also explains how COVID-19 has changed her business strategy from in-person events to livestreams and Zoom and how 3d’s focus has shifted towards supporting their clients one-on-one during the pandemic in order to help them come out on the other side stronger.

Puerto Rico as a Key Player: A Conversation with Rodrick Miller, Chief Executive Officer of Invest Puerto Rico

Rodrick Miller, CEO of Invest Puerto Rico, explains Puerto Rico’s unique juxtaposition between the U.S., Latin America’s, and the Caribbean’s financial markets, the size and value of its pharmaceutical industry, and what makes it stand out in terms of resilience in small businesses, startups, and Knowledge Services.

Automobile and Domestic Consumption in China

In a time where the Chinese export is challenged by US tariffs, it appears logical that the government will seek to strengthen its economy by growing the domestic consumption sector, yet the automotive industry has been experiencing fewer buyers despite historically upwards trends in car sales. While the trade war does impose a culture of spending less, however, there are other factors that can explain the decline in automobile purchases.

A Closer Look: Lloyd Howell, CFO and Treasurer at Booz Allen Hamilton

In a video interview, Howell goes more in depth on his career path and the impact of technology and globalization on his role as CFO at Booz Allen Hamilton.

Nate Massari on the Pharmaceutical Industry and Rumpus Therapeutics

Nate Massari is the co-founder and managing partner of Rumpus Therapeutics, a company devoted to combining business with research to help contribute towards the development of drugs and medicines targeted specifically at curing diseases in children.

Ian Blasco on Private Equity at Riverside Partners

Ian Blasco discusses his experiences in private equity with Business Today.

The Fate of Airbnb’s IPO: Sink or Float?

With the profitability and share prices of major gig economy companies like Uber and Lyft plunging, the fate of AirBnB, which plans to go public in 2020, remains uncertain. However, AirBnB’s fate may be different.

Technology, Finance & BusinessKimberley TranNovember 11, 2019IPO, Airbnb, Uber, lyft, gig economy, technology, stock

Sustainability in Fashion: Dressing for a Greener Planet

Amidst the growing urgency to address the global climate crisis, many fashion retailers are seeking to lessen their environmental footprints. However, sustainability in fashion relies not only on sourcing, but also on changing consumer attitudes towards clothing.

Lifestyle, Finance & BusinessJia YuNovember 10, 2019sustainable, sustainability, fashion, fast fashion, burberry

Firm vs Predator: Getting The Most Out of Shareholder Activism

Louis Noirault explores shareholder activism and complications at play.

An Interview with Orthogon Partners: Investing in Esoterics and Building Human Capital

“Don't confuse the kinds of things that a firm is doing with the skills that you are acquiring“ - Rishi Ganti and James Lavelle of Orthogon Partners on economics, esoterics, and career.

Reducing Africa’s Infrastructure Deficits

I argue, therefore, that African economies can begin the process of deep integration if infrastructure networks are designed in such a way as to link production centers and distribution hubs across the continent. Indeed, this would emulate, under Africa’s own conditions, the networks of trade utilized by developed economies.

From Laughable to Revolutionary: Elon Musk, Tesla, and SpaceX

Tesla doesn’t play the game — it has completely reinvented it, single handedly forcing every automobile organization to adopt electric vehicle plans for the future.

Catalysing: Student + Entrepreneurship = Success

Imagine a world where children learn not just for knowledge but also to utilize it for creating something tangible and valuable to the people around them.