Is Business Broken?

Questrom School of Business
  • 4.0 (43)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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.

  1. 11/20/2025

    Are Boardrooms Ready for the New Geopolitical Reality?

    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

    43 min

  2. 11/13/2025

    What Does Antitrust Mean in 2025?

    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

    29 min

  3. 11/06/2025

    Why Should We Care About Corporate Governance?

    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

    29 min

  4. 10/30/2025

    Why Don't Restaurants Steal Recipes?

    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

    25 min

  5. 10/23/2025

    When Does Self Regulation Become Collusion?

    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

    28 min

  6. 10/16/2025

    What Happens When Business Regulates Itself?

    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

    34 min

  7. 10/03/2025 · BONUS

    Vote for "Is Business Broken?" in the Signal Awards!

    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

    1 min

  8. 07/03/2025

    The High Stakes of the AI Economy, Live from the WBUR Festival

    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

    38 min
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4
out of 5
43 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Questrom School of Business
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    29
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Show Website
    Is Business Broken?