Even with a return to strong global growth, 2021 GDP remains well below pre-COVID projections. The recovery has been spurred by rapid vaccine development and hampered by slow vaccine rollouts, supply disruptions, labor shortages, and pockets of inflation. A range of new regulations and the restructuring of Evergrande in China have added an additional layer of uncertainty. Meanwhile, both public and private markets have mostly shrugged off the pandemic shock, with the S&P 500 touching levels almost 40% higher than the pre-pandemic peak and long-term interest rates and credit spreads remaining near all-time lows. During this session, Professors Malcolm Baker and Victoria Ivashina will lead a discussion about this apparent paradox and its implications, with a focus on credit markets, Asia/China, and life sciences. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with a panel of alumni active in investment management, who will share insights relevant both to both investing and corporate finance. Alumni will leave this session with a better sense of selected risks and opportunities in markets today.

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Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the more contentment we will experience. But the paradoxical truth is that the greater our achievements and worldly acclaim, the harder it can be to find meaning and purpose as we age. In this presentation, Professors Arthur Brooks and Len Schlesinger will explore an exciting new area of research that seeks to crack the code on satisfaction for people in the second half of life.

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Digital technologies have had a profound impact on consumer behavior and firm strategy. Incumbents have struggled as new players have emerged with innovative business models. Based on more than a decade of research, Professor Gupta will provide a framework for companies to reimagine their business. Using several case studies, he will show how the rules of business have changed and why it is no longer enough for firms to be better or cheaper to gain competitive advantage.

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Related Resources
Book: "Driving Digital Strategy: A Guide to Reimagining Your Business"

The greatest challenge to the sustainability of our current era of globalization comes from within the United States. Most Americans have come to reject globalization. We must discern the lessons from the parts of the developed world where the backlash is also profound—and where it has been more muted. There is only one inescapable conclusion: It is not just about the money. Those who perceive that they’ve been left behind feel that they have lost respect and dignity. In this session, Professor Abdelal will explore how to build a more politically sustainable globalization by focusing on how people find meaning and purpose in their work.

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Related Resources
Article: Dignity, Inequality, and the Populist Backlash: Lessons from America and Europe for a Sustainable Globalization

Early in adulthood, we expect life to get easier and better. However, life often proves more complicated, especially for those who are successful in business and in life. In this session, Professors Brooks and Schlesinger, creators of the popular HBS course Leadership & Happiness, share strategies for finding meaning, success, and happiness, and leveraging unique strengths at each stage of life.

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Related Resources
The Atlantic: Brooks’s “How to Build a Life” column
Podcast: “The Art of Happiness” with Arthur Brooks
Syllabus: Leadership & Happiness MBA course (pdf)

When Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke at the March on Washington in August 1963, he described the “fierce urgency of now” in his call for inclusive leadership. In this session, Professor Frei will translate her learnings into a personal leadership vision. She will examine how Bozoma Saint John, chief marketing officer at Netflix, has used these ideas in her own leadership journey and pursued opportunities to advance inclusion with clarity and urgency.

Slide: Inclusion Dial

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Summary: “Anatomy of a Badass” SIP
Podcast: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace