From Anthropology to Consulting: A Conversation with Brigitte Anderson, Founder of Orange Vista, LLC

Brigitte Anderson, Founder and Principal of Orange Vista LLC, describes her first ventures in promoting financial inclusion and banking in emerging markets in Africa through the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. She also explains what led her to pivot Orange Vista as a market consultancy group towards the health and education sectors, Chicago’s innovation scene, and the value of mentorship throughout her inspiring entrepreneurial journey.

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The ‘Day One’ Principle: Chris Lamontagne on Surviving & Thriving in High-Growth Environments

Chris Lamontagne is the CEO of Teespring, the world’s largest creator commerce platform. In this interview, Chris emphasizes the importance of growth and momentum in driving successful go-to-market strategies and shares how his experience of launching his first venture at 19 years old propelled him into the world of entrepreneurship.

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The Melting Arctic and Changing Trade Routes

Ice coverage in Arctic regions is decreasing, causing the size of the oceans expand, which gives way to potential new routes of travel. Within the Arctic, we have seen the Northern Sea Route (NSR) open, creating alternative lanes for global trade. Summer Journalism Fellow Joe Strong analyzes how countries with ports at the ends or along the NSR will be impacted. The ability to use the Arctic would shorten and reroute many of the most internationally favoured trade routes, which primarily travel through the Suez and Panama Canals.

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Adapting to AI: American Competitiveness and the Future WorkForce

For our spring 2020 magazine, Michael Kratsios, current Chief Technology Officer of the United States, shares his insights about creating a regulatory environment where innovators are highly incentivized to create technology in the U.S. He also describes how he thinks AI will influence future relevant technology policy and legislation, the U.S. labor workforce, and STEM education moving forward.

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Banking Beyond the Bills: Mike Lyons’ Perspective on Making the Right Investments

Mike Lyons, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking at PNC, shares his experiences in effective leadership strategy and responsible investing, from his close collaboration with the CEO of Bank of America during the 2008 recession to the release PNC’s first annual Green Bond to encourage the transition to a low-carbon economy, at the 45th International Conference.

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Winner of the Writing Competition: "Privacy in the Eyes of the Data Broker" by Jasmine Bae

As our lives become increasingly digitized in the 21st century, our personal choices, habits, and mannerisms have become intertwined with our online identity. Companies of all industries have been increasingly encouraged to manage and collect data of their clients (or potential clients) in order to compete and strategize effectively in the new global economic system. At the same time, consumers are not only more informed about this phenomenon but are also realizing issues with businesses being in charge of their personal and private data.

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The Toll of COVID-19 on Retail and Office Spaces

Before 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.

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2nd Place Winner of the Writing Competition: "Let It Be Known" by Harrison Wang

In the decades leading up to the recognition of CSR as a central pillar of business, CSR was typically viewed as an extraneous project of minor importance for businesses during a time where consumers placed a greater emphasis on the quality of a product rather than the quality of a company. However, as technology and information have become readily available and accessible to more and more of the world population, people have evolved in their consumption calculus by evaluating every aspect of the product that makes it what it is.

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Leveraging the Sweet Spot Renewables has to Offer: A Time to End Fossil Fuel Dependency

Access to clean and affordable energy in Africa has been a major challenge, as most of its governments still nose-dive to source dirty fossil fuels to oil the wheels of their nation. However, renewable energy development offers the continent the option to be a global renewable powerhouse and the option to re-write its energy story.

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3rd Place Winner of the Writing Competition: "With Great Beauty Comes Great Responsibility" by Mohil Chaudari

The 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.

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We Must Fight against Greenwashing

In recent times, consumers and investors have started to pay a lot more attention to the sustainability of the products they buy and the companies they decide to support. While this is a good thing, it gives rise to something dangerous. Greenwashing can distract people and mislead them into thinking that climate goals and sustainability targets are being met, and so we must be up on our guard to recognize greenwashing and how companies can avoid it.

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Inside BT: Founding Boost and Building Networks

On this episode of Inside BT, we speak with Emily Cheston, the Director of Boost, a new program she started within the club early this summer. Boost seeks to elevate Black executives and provide mentorship for Black students. Emily speaks to the significance of such a program for the BT community and the students we serve at large. 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.

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Inside BT: Expanding a 300 Student Conference into the Digital Realm

The International Conference is one of Business Today's oldest programs and is in its 46th year of operation. During this episode, we chat with Felipe Bickenbach, the Director of this year's conference, on his experience transforming the flagship event into a weeklong digital event to serve three hundred students across the globe. Felipe shares the challenges and tribulations he encountered while also providing advice for students thinking about hosting digital events themselves. 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.

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Inside BT: Maintaining Accessibility and Equity in Virtual Recruiting

In this episode of Inside BT, we sit down with Katie Dykstra, the Director of Human Capital for Business Today, and hear about the changes Business Today has made towards preserving accessibility and equity in recruiting new members. 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.

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Inside BT: Fundraising Over Zoom

Corporate 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.

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Inside BT: Managing a Global Content Team

In 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.

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‘S’ for ‘Slump’: What makes the most sluggish fiscal year of Sa Sa?

Sa 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.

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