What's Hot
Wharton's First Innovation Tournament in the Middle East: A Competition of Ideas, and a Comparison of Challenges A group of 12 semi-finalists from around the Middle East and Asia competed in the region's first innovation tournament, hosted by the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and the United Arab Emirates' Higher Colleges of Technology in Abu Dhabi. With a focus on sustainable concepts that can be implemented globally, the competing ideas ranged from new building technologies to water-saving systems. Over two days in May, the group vied to win the top prize from a total of US$30,000, but they also compared observations about the challenges facing regional innovators.
Harvard's Clayton Christensen: Instilling the Value of Integrity in Your Heart Discussing his latest book, How Will You Measure Your Life, Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen tells Arabic Knowledge@Wharton that the same principles and theories of management he has championed for companies can also be applied to one's own life. Whether to achieve success and happiness, or to avoid pitfalls, Christensen says if a person applies theories of cause and effect and questions the purpose of their goals, they will be able to better manage the future outcomes of their actions. Two examples of lives that he pays tribute to are Apple's Steve Jobs and Sony's Akio Morita.
International Energy Forum: We Will Continue to Live in the Age of Hydrocarbons The American consumer might get some relief at the gas pump this summer. A sluggish U.S. economy, prolonged fears about the eurozone, and U.S. crude supplies reaching a 22-year high have all contributed to a downward trend for crude oil prices. Much of the pricing of oil in recent months has to do with geopolitical factors, says Aldo Flores-Quiroga, the recently elected secretary general of the Riyadh-based International Energy Forum. He speaks with Arabic Knowledge@Wharton about fears over oil prices and supply amid further sanctions on oil producer Iran, and the impact of continued outages at energy producers.
Despite Different Paths, an Expert Group in Abu Dhabi Finds Common Ground at the Festival of Thinkers An assembled group of experts from different fields -- including finance, law and social advocacy -- met in Abu Dhabi to share their experiences with attendees of the Higher Colleges of Technology's recent Festival of Thinkers event. Despite their varied backgrounds and career paths, they shared common lessons on leadership. But the panelists also noted that there are as many different types of leadership as there are leaders. "Leadership is about nuance," said Shiv Khemka, Indian entrepreneur and industrialist.
The Lithium Test: How Chile Can Leverage Its Resource Advantage Lithium is considered the "fuel of the future" because it can be used as a replacement for hydrocarbon pollutants in manufacturing the batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles, among other applications. It is found in abundance in Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, in a region some are already calling "the new Saudi Arabia." Of the three countries, Chile leads in the commercialization of lithium, but the nation still has a long way to go in order to exploit the mineral and create a value-added industry.
Shrouded in Mystery: Chinese Executive Compensation and the Numbers Behind the Numbers Since China opened up to the world with its sweeping economic reforms and growth of private-sector enterprises, the model of executive compensation in the country has increasingly mirrored ones in the United States and Europe. So why are Chinese executives paid only a fraction of the compensation earned by their American counterparts in companies of equal size in the same industries? Or are they?
