reflective essay on international business

A Reflective Essay on My Understanding of the International Business Module

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International Business Strategy Exploratory Essay

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Introduction

Regional strategies for global leadership, global and transnational strategy, how local companies keep multinationals at bay, reference list.

The following essay will be a reflection of my learning about international business strategy based on my understanding from the course work, other resources, and the three briefing papers I presented in the seminar. It will widely dwell on regional strategies for global leadership, Global and Transnational strategy, and the way local companies keep multinationals at bay as per the briefing papers.

International business refers to the business transactions that involve two or more nations. It is not limited to the major business transactions with only the multinational corporations but also includes export and imports by sole proprietors. International business strategies are the policies that are laid down to govern and harmonize international businesses, which have become the order of the day in the world we are living in.

For instance, the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trade was laid down in 1949 during the UN conference on trade and employment and resulted from failure of the negotiating countries to create the International Trade Organization.

These strategies are meant to govern their short and long-term objectives such as the day-to-day running of the company, Increase in sales, marketing and profits as well as growth and stabilization of the company in the market (Pearce, 2010)

Global leadership has been brought about by globalization where by the world has been reduced to a cyber space and communication has been very efficient around the world. For a business to be successful globally, it has to carry out regional strategies in order to find out where its business can perform best.

The regional strategy focuses on building bridges between societies, which facilitates healthy business across the border business. For any business to be successful globally, it has to invest much of its resources on studying regions instead of generalizing ideas in order to invest in a region depending on its needs.

Most of the successful companies globally have employed five types of regional strategies, which include home base, portfolio, hub, platform, and mandate. A company may not necessarily employ all the regional strategies at once but it would be important to take a reconnaissance in the region interested in for it to settle down on the best strategy (Harvard Business School Press, 2009, pg 198).

In the home based strategies, companies manufacture from products from their home country and then export to their neighboring countries. This approach ensures that all the benefit goes to the home country thus promoting their Gross Domestic product. It creates employment to the citizens of the home country and the profits develop its country of origin.

Home based strategy tends to exploit the country of export since it competes with the developing domestic industries. It may incur a lot of cost when the country of export has laid down many business barriers to multinational Corporations. I would recommend that all companies interested in international business to apply foreign direct investment so that both countries may benefit from the rewards therein.

I would recommend portfolio strategy for businesses looking for long term investment. This strategy operates by investing in foreign direct investment. It may face challenges when establishing but gain root in the foreign country with time and is able to compete well with the local companies. For the hub strategy, it would be important to create a good relationship between companies in different countries.

This would enable it benefit its home country better with the benefits it is getting from its businesses in the region. The operations of the mandate strategy add up to specialization and enjoyment of economies of scale.

This is because specialization ends up in manufacturing of quality products at affordable prices and though the company may not make high revenue at once, the overall benefits are good both to the home and to the foreign country.

After learning the concept behind global strategy and transnational strategy, it has become so clear that these two strategies are very dependent on each other. The transnational strategy is diversified in a manner that it works on both local and global interests through headquarter thus taking the advantage on global integration.

It targets experience-based economies and is keen on local responsiveness such as consumer tastes and preferences, indigenous business practices, the policies of the local government among others. The global strategy ensures that all international business transactions meet the global standards.

It is governed by a global headquarter, and good communication is necessary for the subjects to meet the set standards. It has great influence on cost reduction and standardization thus the firms enjoy the advantage of economies of scale (Anon. 2010).

I have learnt that the global strategy invest a lot of its resource on configuration, co-ordination and local responsiveness. In configuration, the company tries to analyze how the business it wishes to carry out is carried out in other nations. It also tries to study how international businesses are coordinated (Stone House, 1991).

The transnational strategy facilitates configuration and coordination of a company globally while still maintaining local responsiveness. Therefore, a company can serve the local market efficiently and effectively while still serving the world market. The good thing with this strategy is that it is able to balance local and international trade.

Multinational strategy deals with the responsiveness of the local public such that they can monitor and respond to the local needs and opportunities. It enables the international market to be able to serve the interest of the public up to the grassroots. This is mostly facilitated by the local governments, which make the necessary communications to the local market (Barlett, 1989).

Most multinational corporations pose a big threat to the local companies especially in developing countries by subjecting them to stiff competition. This mostly happens because the multinational corporations are well established and are financially stable such that they can advertise their products to the public very easily. The local companies have therefore come up with strategies to keep these multinational corporations at bay.

Such strategies include imposition of high tariffs to foreign companies, policies of foreign direct investment among others.

According to Harvard Business review, the local companies have come up with a six-part strategy to keep MNE’s at bay which comprise of offering customized goods and services, development of business model solely to curb obstacles, being up to date in terms of technology, utilizing low the abundant low cost labor and doing local trainings, capitalizing on new ventures and maximizing on their talents (Bhattacharya and Michael, 2008).

I have realized that the local companies have come a long way through these strategies and can now compete well with the MNE’s. However, there cannot lack challenges in the implementation and they can only be safe when they are fully established.

International business strategies are important in the smooth running of either regional or international businesses. International market gives every business an opportunity to maximize profit and to enjoy economies of scale due to the availability of a wider market. It also gives people a wider variety if goods and services to choose from thus making life easier.

International business strategies make it easier to carry out businesses across the borders since some countries may set policies, which may not be favorable for their counterparts.

Anon. 2010. Strategy of International Business. Web.

Barlett, G., 1989. International Business Strategies. Web.

Bhattacharya, A. K., and Michael, D., 2008. How Local Companies Keep Multinationals at Bay. Harvard Business Review . (Attached material).

Harvard Business School Press. 2009. Harvard Business Review McKinsey Award Winners . MA, Harvard Business Press. Web.

Pearce, R., 2006. Globalization and development: an international business strategy approach. Web.

Stone house. 1991. Global and Transnational Strategy. (Attached document).

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IvyPanda. (2019, June 6). International Business Strategy. https://ivypanda.com/essays/international-business-strategy/

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Reflective practice in context: Business

“…we are constantly engaging in notifications, social media, texts, emails. And yet the most creative moments come when we put all that aside. That’s why sometimes people’s best ideas come in the shower. So as an entrepreneur, make time for that reflection [and] ability to connect with your best ideas…”

– Arianna Huffington

What is reflective practice in business?

Reflective practice is the habit of engaging in examination of your experiences, actions and decisions. It involves questioning your assumptions and considering the context, emotions, intentions, and implications behind events and learning from them. It presents the opportunity to turn what might be considered a failure into a valuable learning opportunity from which you can grow as a student and a business professional.

This reflection can take place formally (like an essay connecting reflections to theory) or informally (like writing a personal journal). You might reflect individually or in collaboration with classmates, teachers, colleagues or mentors. Your reflective practice can be written, verbal, or simply just an intentional moment to look back on an experience in your day so you don’t miss the chance to learn from it. Applying these lessons to your skills and knowledge will help you in your student success and professional development.

Why is it important?

Business is a vast field and so are the uses for reflective thinking and practice within it. Whether you’re studying relationships in international business , doing digital marketing research, running a finance project, or starting your own business, the ability to reflect and improve is a valuable skill. Take the opportunity to learn and apply it while you’re studying so that you’re ready to benefit from it in workforce.

Reflective practice is beneficial in the business world because it:

• helps students make meaning of their learning and then transfer it to the cultural context of business practice, implement real-world solutions, and continue reflection
• develops the logical and critical thinking skills that are crucial in business and is a key element in entrepreneurship and innovation
• builds performance by developing discipline and self-regulation, which contributes to self-awareness and confidence
• builds management and leadership skills
• leads to positive change in the culture of organisations
• allows learners and professionals to view and use challenges as learning opportunities rather than roadblocks or failures
• prevents problematic situations from recurring
• teaches people to consider things from different perspectives and study their own biases. This is an important skill for a manager or project leader as it helps build empathy and can improve decision-making and rapport with staff and stakeholders
• strengthens cultural awareness and understanding between individual business professionals, stakeholders, and companies. This is especially important when collaborating and making global business connections
• helps individual professionals and companies figure out what went well and what could be done differently, which saves time, effort, money, and stress next time.

Reflective activities

During your studies and in your professional career, you will do a lot of reflective thinking. Sometimes it will be explicit, perhaps even an assessment task, and other times it will be part of what you’re working on, and you’ll do it without realising.

For example, you might need to write a reflective essay discussing how your experiences relate to business management theories and how this will inform your future career. Your essay will follow a set structure, and you will step through the different stages of reflection explicitly.

On the other hand, early in your career you might be facing a roadblock and meet up with a trusted colleague to talk about it. They will encourage you to look at it from different perspectives, think back on what you’ve tried so far and why it hasn’t worked, and then together you will come up with an action plan based on the discussion. That (hypothetical) conversation with your colleague was an example of reflective thinking and practice.

Here are some more examples of types of reflection you’re likely to do in your studies and future career:

Text version

Reflection prompts are a great way to get into the habit of intentionally examining your feelings and experiences. You might like to write your answers in a journal or think things over and just note down your next steps.

Here are a few prompts for you to reflect on:

• What have I learnt recently that excited or surprised me? Why did I feel that way? Will I take the information and use it in my own professional practice?
• What are some of my strengths in my field? What are some of the areas I feel less confident in?
• Is there someone in my industry who I look up to and would like to emulate? What are their positive qualities? What is it about them that I admire so much?
• What is one of my current career goals? Am I actively working towards it in some way? How am I measuring my progress? Are there any small successes I can celebrate to help me stay motivated towards achieving my main goal?

Asking the right questions: reflective prompts in context

How do you think the people described below could benefit from reflective practice? Can you think of some reflective question prompts that would help them learn from their different situations and set them on the right path?  You can expand the ‘reflective prompt’ sections to see some suggestions.

Carlos is a project manager for a tech company. Despite his years of experience, he’s facing a significant challenge with his current project team. They’re all experienced professionals, but communication breakdowns and slow progress have become problems. Carlos has also noticed that his team members aren’t coming to him with their doubts and issues anymore.

What questions could Carlos ask himself to benefit from reflective practice?

A marketing student, Zeke, attends a talk by a guest speaker in the social media marketing industry. Zeke is very impressed by the speaker and the 90-minute talk makes them feel a sense of enthusiasm and motivation. They leave the talk feeling really inspired but not sure what to do next.

What reflective questions would help Zeke benefit from this positive experience?

Linh is an entrepreneur who has been working on her business for a year and is starting to feel like things have gone off course. The business is building momentum, but she doesn’t feel satisfied with it and is finding it hard to stay motivated.

What could Linh reflect on to figure out why she feels this way and whether to continue with her business?

Expandable sections transcript

Structuring reflective writing

It’s easy to start writing down the details of an experience, but remember, you don’t want to produce a description or a summary without reflecting on its importance and what you’ve learnt. Some people find it more effective to use a model of reflection to structure their thoughts when they’re writing. One such model is DIEP , which is an acronym for Describe, Interpret, Evaluate, and Plan. Getting into the routine of structuring your reflective writing will be especially useful when you need to write things for others to read, such as reflective essays and journal entries for assessment. See how this model can be used to write a reflective journal entry for project management on RMIT Learning Lab.  

You can read about other reflective models on the Reflective Writing page .

You now have a solid idea of what reflective practice is and how it can benefit you in your studies and career — but remember, the ability to examine your experiences, analyse and evaluate them, make informed decisions, and continuously refine strategies extends beyond the realm of business. Critical reflection is a transferable skill, which means you will be able to use it in other areas of your life. It can be a tool for personal growth and wellbeing as well as a skill that employers in all industries find attractive. You can explore the other pages in this chapter to learn more about reflective practice in general and in other disciplines.

Before you go, you might like to check out this 11-minute TED Talk on reflection by business leader Paul Catchlove – ‘The Habit That Could Change Your Career’. 

TED Talk Video Transcript

Clifford, C. (June 2017). Self-made millionaire Arianna Huffington shares the No. 1 thing you need to do to be successful , CNBC

Catchlove, P. (2022, September). The habit that could improve your career . [TED video] ( CC BY–NC–ND 4.0 International) 

Ono, A. and Ichii, R. (2019).  Business students’ reflection on reflective writing assessments , Journal of International Education in Business , Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 247-260.

Illustration: UnDraw, Katerina Limpitsouni

Character images generated using Adobe Firefly. Not to be used for commercial purposes

Key Transferable Skills Copyright © 2024 by RMIT University Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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My Personal Reflection Report using the Gibbs' Learning Cycle

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The Importance of Reflective Leadership in Business

• 05 Sep 2023

Effective leadership is essential to business success. As an organizational leader , you not only guide decision-making but create your company’s culture, retain its talent, and move it toward bigger, better things.

Your leadership style —the behavioral patterns consistent across your decision-making—influences your impact on your organization and team. One of the most beneficial styles to adopt is reflective leadership.

If you want to learn more about reflective leadership’s role in business, here’s an overview of its components, why it’s effective, and how to become a reflective leader.

Access your free e-book today.

What Is Reflective Leadership?

Reflective leadership involves self-awareness, introspection, and continuous learning and growth to make better decisions, enhance leadership skills , and improve team performance .

“Reflective leadership requires the continuous practice of reflection over time,” says Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh in the online course Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “This allows you to regularly examine and re-evaluate your decisions and responsibilities to practice, broaden, and deepen your skills, and to apply this knowledge when analyzing present situations.”

Reflective leadership also enables you to help your team grow.

“Reflective leadership is about helping others on your team or in your organization,” Hsieh says. “It’s about helping them develop their own skills in awareness, judgment, and action.”

In Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , Hsieh delves into the reflective leadership model , a framework for conceptualizing your responsibilities as an ethical leader.

The model has four components:

• Awareness: Recognize your legal, economic, and ethical responsibilities to stakeholders.
• Judgment: Consider biases and shared concepts that influence your decision-making.
• Action: Act on your decisions in an accountable, consistent way.
• Reflection: Reflect on all three components throughout the process to learn from past experiences.

“The reflective leadership model involves not only reflection on business decisions but also continuous reflection on your own personal beliefs, goals, and commitments,” Hsieh says in the course. “These aspects of self are often significant influences on your decisions and internal guides when navigating difficult situations.”

The Importance of Reflective Leadership

Before diving into the importance of reflective leadership, it’s critical to note the pitfalls of being an inadequate leader.

According to recruitment services company Zippia , 79 percent of employees leave their companies because they don’t feel appreciated by leaders, and upwards of 69 percent believe they’d work harder if recognized. In addition, only 33 percent report feeling engaged in the workplace.

Companies also lack focus on leadership development. Zippia reports that 77 percent struggle to find and develop leaders, and only five percent implement leadership development at all levels.

Since reflective leadership focuses on continuously improving and developing, it’s one of the more effective leadership styles. By regularly reflecting on your beliefs and values and incorporating them into your actions, you can make ethical decisions and enable your company to be more purpose-driven .

“Along with responsibility, leadership brings opportunities,” Hsieh explains in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “These include opportunities to make ethical decisions where someone else wouldn’t, to influence others to do the right thing, and to make a positive impact on the world.”

Reflective leadership also helps you build authentic, supportive relationships with team members and create a workplace of ethics and accountability .

If you want to adopt a reflective leadership style, here are the competencies to develop.

How to Become a Reflective Leader

Be self-reflective.

Self-reflection is at reflective leadership’s core. According to Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , you can practice self-reflection by:

• Reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating your decisions—in the moment and over time.
• Continuously deepening your awareness and self-knowledge.
• Developing a general framework for judgment.
• Improving your capacity for action and leadership.

Leading with self-reflection won’t just help you learn from past experiences but also encourage and enable your team members to adopt reflective mentalities.

Identify Your Commitments

Knowing your commitments is also essential to effective leadership.

“It’s important to identify and define your own commitments,” Hsieh says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability , “both to set a baseline for what you will and won’t do and to evaluate and clarify your thoughts, opinions, and feelings when making decisions.”

To create that baseline, Hsieh recommends asking the following questions:

• What’s core to my identity?
• What lines or boundaries won’t I cross?
• What kind of life do I want to live?
• What kind of leader do I want to be?

By identifying your commitments, you can better guide yourself and your team.

Consider Your Accountability

Becoming a reflective leader also requires accountability to successfully execute on your values and implement them into action plans.

This refers to the reflective leadership model’s “action” step—putting your decisions into practice in a way that’s accountable and consistent with your responsibilities.

“When leading reflectively, straightforward action planning may not be enough,” Hsieh says in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “An accountable leader will go beyond just answering ‘How will we do it?’ to ask ‘How can I do it accountably?’”

Reflective Leadership Training for Businesses

By incorporating your values into your leadership style, you can learn from your experiences on a deeper level and develop into a better leader.

One way to gain the skills and frameworks to succeed long term is by taking an online course, such as Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . Through a dynamic, interactive learning experience, the course provides the opportunity to apply the reflective leadership model to real-world business ethics challenges.

Are you ready to become a reflective leader? Enroll in Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability —one of our online leadership and management courses —and download our free e-book on effective leadership.

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Jacobs School of Music Bulletin 2024-2025

•   IU Bulletins
• Undergraduate
• Regulations and Procedures

Admission Requirements

• General Requirements for Bachelor's Degrees
• Curricula for Bachelor's Degrees
• Bachelor of Music Degrees
• Bachelor of Music Education Degrees
• Bachelor of Science Degrees
• Audio Engineering and Sound Production Degrees
• Ballet Degrees
• Minors for Students Whose Majors are Inside the Jacobs School of Music
• Undergraduate Certificate Programs

Undergraduate Division

Indiana university bloomington requirements for incoming freshmen.

The standards listed below represent the minimum levels of preparation and achievement necessary to be considered for admission. Most admitted students exceed these minimum levels. Each application is reviewed individually. When making admission decisions, the university is primarily concerned with the breadth and depth of the college-preparatory program including the student’s cumulative grade point average, SAT/ACT scores, academic curriculum and the grades received in those academic courses, grade trends in college-preparatory subjects, class rank, and other additional factors.

High School Graduation

Applicants must earn a diploma from an accredited high school (or must have completed the Indiana High School Equivalency Diploma) to be eligible for admission consideration. Students who are homeschooled or attend an alternative school should submit credentials that demonstrate equivalent levels of achievement and ability.

Academic Preparation

Applicants should complete at least 34 credits of college-preparatory courses, advanced placement courses, and/or college courses in high school, including:

• 8 credits of English , such as literature, grammar, composition, and journalism
• 7 credits of mathematics , including 4 credits of algebra and 2 credits of geometry (or an equivalent 6 credits of integrated algebra and geometry), and 1 credit of pre-calculus, trigonometry, or calculus
• 6 credits of social sciences , including 2 credits of U.S. history, 2 credits of world history/civilization/geography, and 2 additional credits in government, economics, sociology, history, or similar topics
• 6 credits of sciences , including at least 4 credits of laboratory sciences - biology, chemistry, or physics
• 4 credits of world languages
• 3 or more credits of additional college-preparatory courses. Additional mathematics credits are recommended for students intending to pursue a science degree and additional world language credits are recommended for all students.

Alternative college-preparatory courses may be substituted for courses that are not available in the applicant's high school.

Grades in Academic Classes

Cumulative GPA, as well as the grades earned in the 34 courses required for admission, is an important part of the application review process. Weighted GPA is also part of the review, if included on transcript.

Application Essay

An IU-specific essay of 200-400 words is required.

Standardized Test Scores

ACT or SAT scores are accepted as either official or self-reported scores. Self-reported scores can be entered in the Indiana University application. If offered admission, the offer will be contingent upon receipt of official test scores from testing agencies, which must match or be higher than those self-reported during the admissions process. IU's test-optional admissions policy allows students (both domestic and international) to choose at the point of application whether to have SAT or ACT test scores considered as part of the admissions review. For applicants who choose not to have test scores considered, a greater emphasis will be placed on grades in academic courses and grade trends in the admissions review. Applicants receive equal consideration for admission and scholarship to the Jacobs School of Music, regardless of whether or not they applied under the test-optional policy. There are several groups of students who will be required to provide SAT or ACT scores. Homeschooled students, students who have attended a school with non-traditional evaluation methods where traditional alpha or numerical grades are not assigned, and student athletes subject to NCAA eligibility standards will be required to submit a standardized test score. Applicants who are at least 21 years old or have been out of high school for three or more years may be considered for admission without standardized SAT and/or ACT test scores.

Information

For additional information, contact the Office of Admissions, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; (812) 855-0661; [email protected].  

International Students

To be admitted, international students must complete above-average work in their supporting programs. International applicants whose native language is not English must meet the English Proficiency requirements of Indiana University for undergraduate degree-seeking students. A complete description of options to complete the English Proficiency requirement is available at the Office of International Services (OIS) website.

Admitted undergraduate international students are also required to take the Indiana Academic English Test (IAET) and must register for any supplemental English courses prescribed based on the results of this examination or, if necessary, enroll in the intensive English language program.

For additional information, contact the Office of International Services, Indiana University, Ferguson International Center, 330 N. Eagleson Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405; [email protected] ; (812) 855-9086; http://ois.iu.edu/admissions/index.html .

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Call for Applications: The 2024 Essay Competition on the topic “Digitalization of Armed Conflicts”

• Republic of Moldova
• Learning and teaching IHL
• New technologies and warfare
• Cyber and information operations

The International Committee of the Red Cross in the Republic of Moldova (ICRC) is proud to announce an essay competition on the theme Digitalization of Armed Conflicts . The competition seeks to spotlight that, applied in the spirit in which they were designed to protect and function, the Geneva Conventions can rise to the modern challenges of today’s armed conflicts.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, a moment of recommitment towards IHL. The Geneva Conventions were adopted in 1949 and are now universally ratified. They represent a universal acknowledgement that war needs rules to limit its devastating impact. In an often-divided world, when parties respect the law, lives are saved, humanitarian actors are enabled to provide aid to affected populations and the principle of humanity is upheld. 

At the same time, new challenges such as cyber warfare have become reality in contemporary armed conflicts. We, therefore, encourage students to approach the topic from various perspectives, such as: What are the ethical challenges of using cyber operations in warfare? How can technology be used responsibly in armed conflicts so as to ensure civilian safety? How can the global community work together to reduce the risks of cyber warfare? How does international humanitarian law protect humanitarian workers from cyber warfare? How can media reporting on military cyber operations help raise awareness about civilian risks during armed conflicts? These are examples, and participants are welcome to choose one of these questions or explore other related topics in their essays.

In today’s world, that is increasingly polarized and where international commitments are being challenged, the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law embody universal humanitarian values that preserve lives and dignity. What the world needs more than ever is a more robust adherence to the Geneva Conventions. This is where the students of today - the future generations of professionals - step in. We at the ICRC support the students in exploring, engaging and debating with the ethical and humanitarian issues arising from armed conflict so that they are able to play their role of re-affirming the enduring relevance of IHL, the deep-rooted respect for human dignity, both in peacetime and in the midst of armed conflict. Doris El Doueihy, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Chisinau

To participate, students must submit their essays along with a copy of their identification and proof of enrollment in a university programme (undergraduate or masters). These documents must be received by the ICRC Chisinau Delegation no later than 31 October 2024 at 23:59 . Submissions can be sent by email to [email protected] or by mail to Bulgara Str. 23, MD-2001, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. Participation in the competition is individual, collective work is not accepted. Essays can be written in Romanian, Russian or English. Winners will be informed in the last week of November 2024 and invited for an awards ceremony scheduled for early December.

The winning entries will be selected by a panel of IHL experts chosen by the ICRC. Participants will be assessed on their logical arguments, the depth to which they develop their answers, structure and demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter. 

The winners will be notified by the end of November 2024 and invited to an awards ceremony. 

The 1 st prize essay:  an internship at the ICRC in Chisinau ;

The 2 nd prize essay:  a day spent at the ICRC in Chisinau and attendance of an ICRC event on IHL ;

The 3 rd prize essay:  ICRC IHL publications

Certificates of participation will be provided for all submissions that are not disqualified.  

Useful links to sources on the topic of the competition:

ICRC Report,  Protecting Civilians Against Digital Threats During Armed Conflict , September 2023

Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog,  Foghorns of War: IHL and Information Operations During Armed Conflict , Tilman Rodenhauser and Samit D’Cunha, October 2023

Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog,  What We Don’t Understand About Digital Risks in Armed Conflict and What to Do About it , Rizk and Cordey, July 2023

ICRC Position Paper,  International Humanitarian Law and Cyber Operations during Armed Conflict , November 2019

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My mom never stopped smiling when things were hard. I learned it's a leadership superpower.

• Growing up, my mom was always smiling.
• She was always looking at life with the glass is half-full mentality.
• As a lawyer, I now see the power of a big smile.

My mom's positivity is pervasive. When I was a teenager, my parents took my sister and me on a backpacking canoe trip in the Adirondacks. It wasn't the sort of thing we did often, and our heavy canoe was difficult to carry through the necessary portages. On one particularly steep, weed-riddled stretch, Mom struggled with Dad to get the canoe over the hill. Every time they set it down for a break, she'd shake her head, smile, laugh a little, then continue onward until the canoe was back in the water.

That's how I meet challenges today, but growing up, I didn't always appreciate Mom's glass-is-always-half-full attitude . I wanted to be a successful leader, and to be a leader, especially as a woman, I knew I needed to be taken seriously.

Though I didn't put much stock in smiling or laughing , Mom passed those traits on to me without my intention.

When I smiled too much, I worried my other skills would be overlooked

"Good at smiling" isn't the sort of thing that goes on a résumé , and I long dismissed its value, even as I smiled and laughed through college, then law school, and then climbed the ranks of a multinational corporate law firm.

The first time I recognized the power of a smile in a professional setting was my sophomore year in college, when a business professor said, "I really appreciate how you always come to class with a smile." At the time, happy wasn't a word I'd use to describe myself. But he was right. I smiled and laughed a lot.

Yet, more often than compliments, my tendency toward smiling caused others to overlook and even dismiss my other credentials.

Related stories

When I was offered a position at a prestigious law firm, my then-boyfriend said, "Of course you got the job; you have an attractive smile." He said nothing about my other qualifications, like graduating magna cum laude   from Georgetown University or being at the top of my class at Columbia Law School. No, it was just about the smile, and he was an echo of what I heard from the larger culture: Don't smile too much, or your other skills and talents will be overlooked.

I learned smiling was an undervalued leadership superpower

While practicing corporate law, staying calm amid high stakes and demanding deadlines was a crucial skill. But it wasn't until a senior partner told me my smile put him and clients at ease, that I recognized how my ability to stay calm stemmed from the way my mother modeled positivity by smiling in the face of challenge.

Whether I was presenting to the Department of Justice, managing a team of over 100 lawyers, or responding to an urgent client request, smiling enabled me to do the job more effectively.

It wasn't just how the positive energy calmed others, but perhaps more importantly, how it calmed me, too. Smiling enabled me to stay present and attentive during many frenzied moments at the office. Indeed, science supports this. A study found that smiling reduces the body's reaction to stress .

My mother's smile not only carried me through some of life's most difficult moments but enabled me to find success in a demanding, high-stakes career. From the vantage point of age, I now understand that an ability to smile and laugh often, when combined with hard work and intelligence, makes for a powerful leader.

Watch: Authenticity to oneself and one's brand are they keys to success, says Aba Blankson, CMO of NAACP

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There Are a Bazillion Possible Starbucks Orders — and It’s Killing the Company

By Bill Saporito

Mr. Saporito is an editor at large at Inc.

You’re already in line at Starbucks — having failed to order by app — when you spot one of them. That dude who is looking down not at a cellphone but at the Post-it note that holds the orders of his office mates. Which is confirming that you are going to be late for that next meeting, because this person plans to order six coffee beverages, each of which involves some combination of tall venti grande double-pump, one to four shots of espresso, half-caf, oat milk, nonfat milk, soy milk, milk milk, whipped cream, syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, no sugar and mocha drizzle, from the pike position with two and a half twists.

Even ordering via app has issues. There’s often a crowd waiting at the bar end because Gen Z, which tends to prefer anything but human interface, has overwhelmed the baristas with the same orders-of-magnitude drinks. Starbucks says there are more than 170,000 possible drink combinations available, but outside estimates have put the number at more than 300 billion. And the person in front of you always seems to be ordering 100 million of them.

If the degree of difficulty in a typical Starbucks order now seems to be Olympian, so are its troubles. The Seattle-based company has become the Boeing of coffee bars. So much so that, like the airframe maker, Starbucks has jettisoned its chief executive, Laxman Narasimhan, and replaced him with Brian Niccol, who until recently was the C.E.O. of the Chipotle Tex-Mexish food chain. Although Mr. Niccol’s appointment drove up Starbucks’s stock price, the two companies sometimes have the same problem: too many choices and not enough staff, which at peak times is almost certain to deliver disappointment as much as it does burritos or lattes.

Starbucks and every other publicly traded food and beverage franchise face the same issue: They have a roughly 1,500- to 3,000-square-foot store envelope, and they have to figure out the optimal throughput that can provide the annual sales growth that will keep Wall Street investors sated. And they are never sated.

The answer is always: Add more stuff, which creates ever more complexity, from supply chain to food safety to packaging to scheduling and delivery. Consider outfits like Pizza Hut that once sold only … pizza. Their calculation today is that they’ve got one pizza oven in each store, and they have to keep it hot through the day anyway, so they ask: What else can we run through this thing, and profitably? And oh, it has to be simple enough for teenagers to operate. That’s why pizzerias are now selling flatbreads, chocolate chip cookies, brownies and Cinnabon mini-rolls — anything that can be baked. Because you always want a Cinnabon after you’ve consumed three slices of pepperoni pizza.

Starbucks has to deal with both a complexity issue and a culture issue. Since the company went public in 1992 at $17 a share (equivalent to $0.27 per share, with subsequent stock splits taken into account), Wall Street pressure meant adding more stores, more snacks and sandwiches and more equipment such as an oven for breakfast items and pastries. Drink variations began to expand well beyond plain coffee — hello, pistachio crème Frappuccino. The company would even add alcohol to its upscale cafes to address the evenings — a time of day that was always weak.

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