The Conversation

(Mark Clark, American University Kogod School of Business and Meredith Persily, American University) Having good relationships with colleagues is key to building a rewarding and effective work experience. Employees who are engaged with their co-workers, such as reporting “a best friend at work” in Gallup’s well-regarded survey, are more likely to be productive, to stay with their organization and to contribute to the organization’s performance.

(Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University)

Gift-givers hoping to splurge this holiday season despite the pinch of high inflation have an easy option: buy now, pay later.

(Robert Webb, University of Stirling) Jeremy Hunt, the UK chancellor of the exchequer, has unveiled a package of measures aiming to protect the City of London’s position as one of the world’s leading financial capitals. With the UK having lost nearly a tenth of the financial assets it manages since Brexit, plus at least 7,000 jobs, mostly to mainland Europe, much of the focus of these “Edinburgh reforms” is on making London more competitive.

(Jonathan Lord, University of Salford) The process for applying for a gender recognition certificate in the UK has become easier and cheaper due to government changes in recent years. There has been a slow increase in the the number of people applying as a result.

(Edward Cunningham, Harvard Kennedy School) By the summer of 1989, a series of problems were threatening China’s stability. Soaring inflation was undermining the economy at home while the violent suppression of Tiananmen Square demonstrations had left it largely a pariah state abroad. Yet within a few years the nation rebounded – beginning two decades of high economic growth, membership in the largest trading club in the world and international acceptance on the global stage.

(D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University and Brandy Hadley, Appalachian State University) In the fast-paced world of cryptocurrency, vast sums of money can be made or lost in the blink of an eye. In early November 2022, the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, was valued at more than US$30 billion. By Nov. 14, FTX was in bankruptcy proceedings along with more than 100 companies connected to it. D. Brian Blank and Brandy Hadley are professors who study finance, investing and fintech. They explain how and why this incredible collapse happened, what effect it might have on the traditional financial sector and whether you need to care if you don’t own any cryptocurrency.

(Rachel Kyte, Tufts University) Something significant is happening in the desert in Egypt as countries meet at COP27, the United Nations summit on climate change.

(Raymond Hogler, Colorado State University) About a week after Elon Musk assumed control of Twitter on Oct. 28, 2022, the social media platform stirred up a storm of controversy by abruptly firing about half of its 7,500 employees.

(Alec Stubbs, UMass Boston) First it was the “Great Resignation.” Then it was “nobody wants to work anymore.” Now it’s “quiet quitting.”

(Robert Picard, University of Oxford) The BBC has been celebrating its 100th birthday this year, proudly looking back on a century of striving to inform, educate and entertain. The next few years could be tricky though – as questions over its funding threaten to crash the party.

(Erik Gordon, University of Michigan) Elon Musk’s proposed US$44 billion deal to acquire Twitter and take it private is reportedly coming together as a court’s Oct. 28, 2022, deadline nears.

(Patrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow) Countries across the world are drifting towards a debt crisis. Economic slowdowns and rising inflation have increased demands on spending, making it almost impossible for many governments to pay back the money they owe.

(Muhammad Ali Nasir, University of Leeds) Recent changes in the UK’s top job have had a positive effect on pound sterling and long-term sovereign bond yields. But the financial market reaction has been muted compared with the financial turmoil blamed on former prime minister Liz Truss and ex-chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng in recent weeks.