Today's episode tackles a challenge facing boardrooms right now: the intersection of geopolitics and corporate governance. For decades, companies followed a playbook built on global integration and efficiency. But now that playbook is being rewritten by trade wars, sanctions, and supply chain disruptions.So how do boards navigate a landscape where geopolitical risk is the new normal, and where every decision reverberates across shifting borders, markets, and social expectations?At a recent live event, Host Curt Nickisch sits down with: Ruth Aguilera, Brodsky Trustee Professor in Corporate Governance at Northeastern University; Kevin McGovern, President of the New England chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors; and Roy Shapira, Professor of Law at Reichman University and visiting fellow at the Ravi K. Mehrotra Institute for Business Markets and Society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

At its core, antitrust is about reining in concentrated power. But in a world where digital platforms shape our choices and markets evolve, the boundaries of competition and fairness seem to be shifting.Who truly gets to compete? What keeps markets open and innovative? And how are new technologies testing the limits of rules written for another era?Today's guests are BU Questrom Professors Dionne Lomax and Cathy Fazio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How might corporate governance shape business decisions, trust, and society at large? In this special student-hosted episode of Is Business Broken?, BU Questrom Undergrad Grant Corbett speaks with BU Questrom Visiting Professor Roy Shapira. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today, we're diving into a fascinating corner of self-regulation—one that doesn't rely on formal rules or legal protections, but instead on norms. In industries like fashion and fine dining, there are powerful unspoken rules: don’t copy, don’t steal—even when you legally can.What does it take to sustain trust and collaboration when regulation isn’t there to keep everyone in line?To discuss, host Curt Nickisch invites to the show Giada Di Stefano, a professor of strategy at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; and Andy King, Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Strategy & Innovation at BU Questrom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week's show introduced self-regulation, the practice of businesses, setting their own guardrails without government, but what are the limits to private actors policing themselves?At what point should government intervene in the public interest, and also companies getting together to set their own rules? When does that cross into antitrust territory and become collusion? Host Curt Nickisch speaks to BU Questrom Professor Tim Simcoe and Jonathan Kanter, former Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division in the Biden Administration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What happens when business regulates itself, without government? Enter self regulation. Host Curt Nickisch speaks to BU Questrom Professors Andy King and Tim Simcoe about when self regulation works, when it doesn't, and what's at stake for society. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Exciting news! Is Business Broken? has been nominated for a Signal Award in the Business category! We couldn't be more proud of all of our listeners who helped make this possible. And with this nomination, we're up for a Listener's Choice award. We’d be so grateful if you’d take a moment to vote for us: Please vote here. Thank you so much! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Last episode introduced the concept of common ownership. That’s where major investors buy significant stakes across competing firms, which can lower competition, raise prices, and affect innovation. But what could be done about that? Is there a way to address these anti-competitive issues? Host Curt Nickisch talks potential solutions with Florian Ederer, Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Markets, Public Policy & Law at BU Questrom; Glen Weyl, founder of the RadicalxChange Foundation and the Plurality Institute; and Fiona Scott Morton, Theodore Nierenberg Professor of Economics at the Yale School of Management. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When the same big investors buy stakes in multiple competing companies, are those firms still competitors? When they practically have the same owner, do they set their prices differently? Do they lose their drive to innovate? This is not a thought experiment. It’s real and widespread—a phenomenon known as common ownership. Is common ownership just smart investing, or is it reducing competition and driving up costs? And what, if anything, should be done about it? To explain, host Curt Nickisch speaks to Florian Ederer, Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Markets, Public Policy & Law at BU Questrom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Innovation is what drives progress—but in healthcare, progress can feel frustratingly slow. New treatments, technologies, and approaches have the potential to save lives and reduce costs, yet systemic barriers often stand in the way. Are financial incentives in this regulated market holding innovation back? If so, how badly? What would it take to realign them? Today, host Curt Nickisch speaks to Jim Rebitzer Professor, Markets, Public Policy & Law, Questrom School of Business, and his brother Bob Rebitzer, National Advisor at Manatt Health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As we’ve discussed these last few episodes, there’s a lot that goes into how executives get paid—but what about the people working beneath those executives? How do employees feel about executive compensation, and how can companies balance rewarding top leaders while keeping employees engaged and valued? Today, we explore how pay structures shape workplace culture, trust, and motivation—and what can be done to make them feel fairer. Host Curt Nickisch speaks to Charlie Tharp, Professor of the Practice at BU Questrom School of Business and Peter Fasolo, Former CHRO at Johnson & Johnson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For our next conversation on executive compensation, we’re exploring some of the big questions researchers are tackling today. Like: How much of CEO pay is driven by luck? Have these pay packages gotten too complex? And are CEOs being fairly rewarded — or punished — for the risks they take? Host Curt Nickisch is joined by BU Questrom Professors Ana Albuquerque and Charlie Tharp. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

Why and how did CEO paychecks become so massive and divisive? Who decides what leaders are worth? And what’s the ripple effect on companies, workers, and the economy? Host Curt Nickisch unpacks these issues and more with Charles Tharp, Professor of the Practice at the Questrom School of Business and former CEO and founding member of the Center On Executive Compensation in Washington D.C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do we reconcile the protection of free speech with the need to prevent harmful misinformation from spreading online? Is it even possible to strike a balance? Host Curt Nickisch speaks to Marshall Van Alstyne, the Allen and Kelli Questrom Professor in Information Systems at Boston University Questrom School of Business; Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law at New York Law School and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union; and Michael Masnik, CEO and Founder of Copia Institute and its publication Techdirt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From political lies to viral conspiracy theories, misinformation has reshaped our digital landscape—creating confusion, influencing public perception, and altering national debates. Just how widespread has misinformation become? What are the roles that social media platforms play, and what are some potential solutions? Host Curt Nickisch speaks to Marshall Van Alstyne, the Allen and Kelly Questrom Professor in Information Systems at Boston University Questrom School of Business and Gordon Pennycook, Associate Professor of Psychology and Himan Brown Faculty Fellow at Cornell University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week's episode features the first part of a panel centered around the Business Round Table's pledge five years ago to redefine the purpose of a corporation, by create value for all stakeholders, not just shareholders. Today, we continue where we left off, and look into the future. How should boards operate now? What should they taking into account differently in the coming years? Host Curt Nickisch speaks to Lynn Paine, Professor at Harvard Business School, Om Prakash Bhatt, the former chair and CEO of the State Bank of India, Anthony Allott, former chair and CEO of Silgan Holdings, and James Orlikoff, president of Orlikoff & Associates Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Five years ago, the Business Roundtable made a bold move and redefined the purpose of a corporation. 181 CEOs signed a pledge to create value for all stakeholders in a corporation, instead of just shareholders. What, if anything, has changed since that declaration five years ago? Host Curt Nickisch speaks to Lynn Paine, Professor at Harvard Business School, Om Prakash Bhatt, the former chair and CEO of the State Bank of India, Anthony Allott, former chair and CEO of Silgan Holdings, and James Orlikoff, president of Orlikoff & Associates Inc. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Last week's episode introduced the promises and challenges brought forth by Cell and Gene Therapies. Today's show dives deeper into this topic with BU Questrom Professor Rena Conti, an expert on the financing and regulation of the biopharmaceutical market. She and host Curt Nickisch discuss why these treatments are so expensive, challenges for insurance companies, and potential solutions to ensure fair access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sometimes called “living drugs,” Cell and Gene Therapies have the potential to cure an individual of a rare disease by modifying that person’s genes. But due to the labor-intensive, individualized treatment, these drugs are expensive, to the tune of millions of dollars per patient. Rena Conti, BU Questrom associate professor of markets, public policy, and law; U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.); Michael Sherman, RA Capital Management venture partner; and Andrew Obenshain, biotech company Bluebird Bio CEO, discuss how to ensure continued innovation and access to gene and cell therapy without breaking the bank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The future of ESG, or Environmental Social Governance, depends on how we approach our current moment, according to today's show guests. Host Curt Nickisch talks with Bob Eccles, Visiting Professor of Management Practice at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Madison Condon, Associate Professor at Boston University School of Law, to discuss where ESG is going. How will today’s political battles play out? How might emerging technology affect the field? And what is the evolving role of the shareholder in this? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do the conversations around ESG, or Environmental Social Governance, look like today? How are businesses addressing E, S, and G factors in what they do? This episode explores how ESG looks on the ground. Host Curt Nickisch talks with Mindy Lubber, CEO of Ceres, a nonprofit dedicated to integrating sustainability into businesses, and Peter Fox-Penner, Chief Impact Officer at Energy Impact Partners, a firm that invests in the clean energy transition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESG, or Environmental Social Governance, isn't the first time business has attempted addressing public concerns regarding the social impact of business. In this episode, Host Curt Nickisch invites John Streur, former Chair CEO of Calvert Research and Management, and Eddie Riedl, the John F. Smith Jr. Professor in Accounting at BU Questrom, to explore the history of this influence and the traditions of corporate reporting. How did we get to the system we use today? And what are the consequences of that? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESG, or Environmental Social Governance, promises to help the bottom line and the planet at the same time. Is it too good to be true? In this episode, Host Curt Nickisch moderates a live debate between Witold Henisz of the Wharton School and Andy King of BU Questrom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Curt Nickisch and Susan Fournier, Allen Questrom Professor and Dean of Questrom School of Business at Boston University, preview the arc of this podcast and unpack the thorny questions percolating about business and capitalism today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A preview of "Is Business Broken?" - Conversations about the role of business in society, brought to you by the Ravi K. Mehrotra Institute for Business, Markets & Society at BU Questrom School of Business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices