Perspectives That
Inform and Influence

Safe drinking water exists because we all follow sanitation standards. We pay for fire departments even if our own house never burns. We obey speed limits, stop at red lights, and wear seatbelts. These are not simply personal choices. They reduce harm across an entire population.  Public health operates on the same principle. Its central question is…

When customers have confidence that a company will behave in their interest even when no one is looking, it reflects the most powerful form of trust.  Without that bond, people question corporate leadership’s competence, challenge integrity, debate whether customers are truly valued, argue on social media, and worry about security and privacy. The relationship becomes transactional and short-term.  The corporate instinct is…

Recent revelations that Toyota Motor Corp. cheated on Japanese safety certification tests for seven vehicle models poses a significant reputational threat that the world’s top carmaker needs to quickly address.

The phrase “10-year-olds at Sephora” is lighting up the Internet, sparking conversations about whether the beauty industry and social media are pushing unnecessary and potentially harmful products on young girls. Scroll through Tik Tok and you’ll see tweens giving make-up tutorials.

Companies face increasing peril to their reputations – and sales — as online rumors and misinformation proliferate. Take the example of Purina, the pet food maker. Complaints that its food has caused illnesses in pets have proliferated online in recent weeks. Those assertions took off on a Facebook group called Saving Pets One Pet @…

The terror is hard to imagine: a refrigerator-sized “door plug” blows open at 16,000 feet, exposing Alaska Airline passengers to howling winds, sucking one boy’s shirt off and ripping cell phones out of people’s hands. Boeing, the maker of that 737 Max 9 jet in which this episode unfolded on Friday, followed a textbook crisis…

A robocall that appeared to be an AI-generated voice imitating President Joe Biden should serve as a fresh reminder to corporate executives of the peril they could face from deepfakes. The bogus Biden robocalls went to New Hampshire voters, urging them not to vote in the state’s primary, and instead to save their votes for…

High on the list of reputational risks companies face: the use of child labor, either in their own factories, or in the factories of suppliers. Many large U.S. companies have been forced to confront this issue. In a series of articles over the last year, the New York Times documented numerous cases in which migrant…

Tesla’s Autopilot Part II When there are strong indications that a product may be responsible for deaths and injuries, companies should act right away. They shouldn’t wait for government investigations, multipart investigative stories and lawsuits. The latter is the position Tesla finds itself in. This week, the EV manufacturer said it’s recalling nearly all vehicles…

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming ever more integral to business operations. The transformation of corporate America is just beginning, but already we’re seeing AI technologies boost productivity, efficiency, and cost-savings for companies of all sizes. Businesses that don’t adopt generative AI (albeit smartly and with caution) risk losing out to those that do.…

Advanced AI tools like ChatGPT can be incredible time-savers, but when they’re used to cut corners, they can exact a heavy toll. This week, a New York federal judge blasted two attorneys who relied on ChatGPT to write a legal brief that cited fake cases. Judge P.Kevin Castel ordered attorneys Peter LoDuca, Steven Schwartz, and…

The PGA’s recent agreement to merge with its Saudi-funded competitor LIV Golf highlights a challenge for U.S. companies: the need to communicate openly about entering a partnership involving a country whose leadership has been linked to human rights abuses. The golf merger, backed by a $650 billion sovereign wealth fund controlled by Saudi Crown Prince…