Is Business Broken?

AI promises massive gains in productivity and a flourishing of goods and services—but also poses consequences for jobs, corporate power, and society. There will be winners and losers. Today, we're asking: How do we strike the balance between innovation and safety, between competition and concentration, between policy and industry regulation?At a live event as part of the WBUR Festival, host Curt Nickisch speaks to:Divya Sridhar - Vice President, Global Privacy Division & Privacy Operations, BBB National ProgramsAsu Ozdaglar - Department Head, MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Deputy Dean, MIT Schwarzman College of ComputingAndrei Hagiu – Professor of Information Systems, Boston University Questrom School of BusinessSen. Barry Finegold - State Senator, Essex and Middlesex Counties, MA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the goals of the Mehrotra Institute is to educate, not just through research or in the classroom, but by creating real-world learning opportunities.So, for this episode, we're handing the mic to student host Grant Corbett, who chats with JD Chesloff, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Business Round Table about how the current political environment is impacting businesses on the ground. Special thanks to the Raif Dinçkök Student Forum at the Mehrotra Institute for supporting this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How should companies balance short-term pressures with long-term interests?Can they do both—and if so, how? That’s the question we posed at a live event that BU Questrom held in April. Host Curt Nickisch spoke to Stuart Hart, Professor in Residence at the University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise, and the author of Beyond Shareholder Primacy: Remaking Capitalism for a Sustainable Future; Anthony Allot, Board Chair and former CEO of Silgan Holdings Corporation; Aneliya Crawford, Head of ESG Advisory at UBS; and Andrew King, Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Strategy & Innovation at BU Questrom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Fiona Scott Morton, a leading economist from Yale, Glen Weyl, founder of the RadicalxChange Foundation, and Florian Ederer, a market policy expert from BU, as they tackle the challenges of common ownership. They discuss how major investors shape competition, raise prices, and stifle innovation. The trio explores innovative solutions, critiques existing regulations, and emphasizes the need for shareholder voting reforms. They also confront political barriers in financial regulation, aiming for clearer ownership structures to benefit consumers.

Florian Ederer, an expert in antitrust and competition at BU Questrom, dives into the contentious issue of common ownership—where the same big investors hold stakes in competing companies. He explains how this phenomenon impacts competition and innovation, questioning whether these firms maintain their competitive edge or simply boost costs for consumers. Ederer also highlights the implications for income inequality, revealing the disproportionate benefits for wealthier investors. Regulation challenges and the future of market dynamics take center stage in this enlightening conversation.

In this engaging discussion, Jim Rebitzer, a Professor at BU Questrom School of Business, and his brother Bob Rebitzer from Manatt Health, tackle the slow pace of healthcare innovation. They explore how financial incentives stifle progress and highlight a unique gait-altering technique as a solution to knee surgery. The conversation delves into social values influencing healthcare advancements, critiques the patent system, and suggests innovative funding models for pharmaceuticals. Their insights illuminate the urgent need for systemic reform in the industry.

In this conversation, Peter Fasolo, former CHRO at Johnson & Johnson, and Charlie Tharp, a professor at BU Questrom School of Business, delve into the complex landscape of executive compensation and its impact on employee morale. They discuss how pay structures influence workplace culture and motivation, the urgency for pay transparency, and its role in addressing gender disparities. The duo also highlights innovative models to enhance fairness and engagement, underscoring the pressing need to align executive pay with company performance and employee satisfaction.

Ana Albuquerque and Charlie Tharp, esteemed professors at BU Questrom School of Business, dive into the murky waters of CEO compensation. They question how much of a CEO's pay relies on luck versus merit and whether current pay structures are fair or excessively complex. The duo explores board dynamics, external market influences, and the risks associated with executive pay. They also discuss how peer evaluations impact compensation and the crucial role of transparency and alignment with broader societal goals.

 Today's episode dives into the voice that shareholders have and how executives are paid, including large institutional shareholders. What does that relationship look like between investors and companies, and how does this affect CEO pay?Host Curt Nickisch chats with Bob McCormick, Executive Director at the Council of Institutional Investors, and Charlie Tharp, Professor of the Practice at Boston University Questrom School of Business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Charles Tharp, a leading business professor and former CEO, dives into the contentious world of executive compensation. He explores how CEO pay has ballooned compared to average worker salaries and the factors fueling this disparity. Tharp discusses flaws in governance that allow such massive paychecks, including shareholder skepticism and the implications of legislation like Dodd-Frank. He also highlights the impact of stock buybacks on executive pay and suggests strategies for enhancing worker earnings through education rather than just targeting executive pay.