Caracal Business Insider | Enterprise

July 12, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Caracal Business Insider: Politics + Policy + Profits

Caracal Business Insider is a hand-curated newsletter compiled daily to bring you the best news to demystify globalization and American politics. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider forwarding it to spread the word. Not getting CBI regularly, click here to subscribe.

The $3 toothpaste club? Startup to test the power of brands: WSJ reports, a new online retailer is betting it can get American shoppers to break up with big brands from Colgate to Heinz. Called Brandless, the San Francisco-based startup on Tuesday plans to start selling generic, health- and environmentally conscious consumer staples, such as fluoride-free toothpaste and organic agave nectar.

Reuters: Twitter lets users mute notifications from unknown accounts

How will Facebook respond to trolls, haters, and bots?

Microsoft’s rural broadband solution: TV’s “white space”: WSJ reports, it will work with telecom providers to tap unused bandwidth, while broadcasters are concerned about potential interference.

Why Adidas is going beyond fitness with its new “All Day” lifestyle app: By combining content with behavioral science, the brand hopes the new platform will help women with much more than athletic performance. https://goo.gl/qBRkow

Audi launches most advanced self-driving car: FT reports, group unveils flagship A8 saloon in an attempt to take the technological lead over rivals.

LinkedIn is testing a new feature that matches you with a mentor

WeWork is set to open 10 to 20 locations in Tokyo.

Ant Financial refiles for US approval of MoneyGram deal.

Dimon warns EU could force banks to move staff out of UK: FT reports, JPMorgan CEO joins finance chiefs at Paris event aimed at drawing business from London.

Coca-Cola to radically increase the amount of recycled plastic in its bottles.

COTD: Most cranes in America

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Caracal Business Insider | Geoeconomics

July 11, 2017
Curation and commentary from Marc A. Ross

Caracal Business Insider: Politics + Policy + Profits

Caracal Business Insider is a hand-curated newsletter compiled daily to bring you the best news to demystify globalization and American politics. If you enjoy what you read here, please consider forwarding it to spread the word. Not getting CBI regularly, click here to subscribe.

G20 minus 1: How Trump changed the nature of American leadership at global summit https://goo.gl/R42RUS

The average rent for MLS-listed apartments in Toronto rose 11 percent year-over-year and surpassed the $2,000 a month mark.

UK business group: Government has no ‘clear plan’ for Brexit: Politico reports, the president of the Confederation of British Industry said business was “no wiser” about Brexit than a year ago.

London calling delayed: Trump's state visit to Britain is being planned for next year. AFP reports, more than 160 of parliament's 650 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion opposing an address in Westminister by Trump, citing the travel ban and his comments on torture and women.

North Korea’s surprising, lucrative relationship with Africa: WP reports, the continent is dotted with buildings and statues built by Pyongyang, which has for years used African nations as financial lifelines in the face of mounting sanctions. But the infrastructure deals and military equipment sales are only part of the problem.

How to squeeze China: William McGurn writes in the WSJ, force ruling elites to choose between North Korea and American colleges for their kids.

China says 'China responsibility theory' on North Korea has to stop: Reuters reports, China hit back on Tuesday in unusually strong terms at repeated calls from the United States to put more pressure on North Korea, urging a halt to what it called the "China responsibility theory", and saying all parties needed to pull their weight.

Caixin - Editorial: China can contribute more in global affairs while sticking to domestic development https://goo.gl/b5kQAA

Xi tells his troops: 'Call me chairman': Nikkei reports, in a surprise gambit, Chinese President Xi Jinping has broken with a long-standing military tradition in a bid to strengthen his political position ahead of the Communist Party's leadership reshuffle later this year. 

China trial paves way for ‘unhackable’ communications network: FT reports, the success of Jinan project points to commercial application for quantum communications.

Former CIA officer accused of spying for China denied bail: SCMP reports, Kevin Mallory was in possession of documents that could have compromised human intelligence sources, court hears.

US legislators call on SEC to reject Chinese takeover of Chicago Stock Exchange: AFP reports, eleven US legislators are urging regulators to block a Chinese takeover of the niche Chicago Stock Exchange, according to a letter sent Monday. The letter called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to reject the sale of the small exchange to a group of investors led by the Chinese company Chongqing Casin Enterprise Group (CCEG). "As you know, the Chinese government dominates all sectors of society and consistently fails to abide by international agreements," they wrote. The SEC is expected to announce its decision by August 9.

China may give central bank key role in financial oversight: Bloomberg reports, China is considering handing the nation’s central bank a key role in coordinating financial oversight, in order to focus efforts on reining in risk in the sector. The move, to be debated as part of the fifth National Financial Work Conference due to start on July 14, would create a new office for coordinating the nation’s three main regulatory bodies at the People’s Bank of China to be led by the institution’s governor, currently Zhou Xiaochuan, the people said, who asked not to be named as the matter isn’t public.

The Science of Pep Talks

"Most winning formulas include direction giving, empathy, and meaning making."

The most extensive research in this field—dubbed motivating language theory, or MLT—comes from Jacqueline and Milton Mayfield, a husband-and-wife team at Texas A&M International University who have studied its applications in the corporate world for nearly three decades. Their findings are backed by studies from sports psychologists and military historians. And all the evidence suggests that once leaders understand these three elements, they can learn to use them more skillfully. 

The Mayfields describe direction giving as the use of “uncertainty-reducing language.” This is when leaders provide information about precisely how to do the task at hand by, for example, giving easily understandable instructions, good definitions of tasks, and detail on how performance will be evaluated.

“Empathetic language” shows concern for the performer as a human being. It can include praise, encouragement, gratitude, and acknowledgment of a task’s difficulty. Phrases like “How are we all doing?” “I know this is a challenge, but I trust you can do it,” and “Your well-being is one of my top priorities” all fit into this category.

Read the full article from Harvard Business Review here: http://bit.ly/2tyQHgs