The week in review

Of course, there are some precedents. For some businesses, particularly those in Asia, this is not the first time they’ve had to quickly reshape business models, change traditional working practices and rethink how they deliver value propositions in the face of a deadly virus.

In this interview for our Resilient Founders video series, Luisa Alemany, Associate Professor of Management Practice in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, speaks with Savio Kwan MSc09 (1976). The former COO of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba reveals how the disruption of SARS eventually boosted the business.

But what can we know for sure about the legacy of Covid-19 at the macro level?
Andrew Scott, Professor of Economics, sets out his thoughts on what the economic consequences of the pandemic could be and maps the possibilities.

Empathy

Kathleen O’Connor, Clinical Professor of Organisational Behaviour, revealed her findings from speaking to global business leaders about how they are bringing people with them in challenging times.

She wants to know if leaders are communicating as often, candidly, clearly and compassionately as their people need them to be right now? She believes the answer will tell us how well we will emerge from this crisis.

Resilience

Risk, endurance, skill and luck are par for the course among entrepreneurs and for many the show must go on.

Tolerance of failure is generally acknowledged to be part of the basic entrepreneurial toolkit. But what about investors? How do they view previous entrepreneurial attempts? If there’s a failed venture in your past, will it hamper your chances of securing funding in the future? 

Gary Dushnitsky, Associate Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, investigates to what extent past failures discourage investors and how to distinguish yourself as an entrepreneur with a bright future.

In a profile published this week, entrepreneur Peter Janes recalls the resilience he needed to set up 2019 Real Innovation Awards winner Shieldpay:

“When you start out and you go down a new path, there's nothing to copy. There's no blueprint, there's no market leader to emulate. We had to build everything from scratch.” 

And finally Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance, gives his tips for distinguishing the news from misinformation in the swirl of the pandemic.