5 top must reads from 2022

As we look back on a year of must reads, here are the five articles you loved the most in 2022.?

1. Drinkflation?

“Drinkflation” fast became an - unwanted - industry buzzword in 2022, with eToro, a social trading platform, reporting a 62%, two-year rise in the cost of producing beer. This is against a backdrop of younger consumers drinking less worldwide; something that drove tax authorities in Japan to launch a campaign encouraging young adults to drink more alcohol, to offset falling tax revenues. But a glass that is half empty, is also half full. Alcohol drinks companies have proven to be one of the most crisis-proof categories in the market. History has taught us so; although many abstained during the great recession of 2008-2009, many also continued to drink, with emerging markets driving growth opportunities. In our special Halloween edition of Must Reads, Scott Rivello, EY Senior Global Client Service Partner, told us why he thinks beverage companies shouldn’t call last orders just yet.?

The price of inflation for beverage companies??

?2. Negative feedback = the best kind of feedback?

In contrast to the euphoric - and chaotic - celebrations experienced by Argentina fans in December, what about the 31 uncrowned teams? How must they be feeling right now? There are solid lessons we can learn from the World Cup, according to Mike Lee, EY Global Wealth & Asset Management Leader. Every team has spent the last four years training, physically, mentally and emotionally, for a tournament that lasts just four weeks – or even less for some. So how do teams deal with crashing out of the competition? Watching these teams triggered a personal experience for Mike, where an outcome didn’t meet his expectations, whilst doing a job he loved. After receiving unexpected negative feedback from a supervisor, would you contest it and try to change their mind – or would you address it and improve? Some wise words from Mike’s father helped him to make this decision.? ?

?Lessons from the World Cup: when outcomes don’t meet expectations?

3. Could the metaverse be bad for our health? ?

Physical exercise demonstrably lowers depression and stress while improving quality of sleep. So experiences in which people spend lots of time remaining sedentary, could significantly worsen our mental health. Unfortunately, designing metaverse experiences in which people get real exercise - for instance by walking or running using their legs - isn’t always practical. Our bodies still inhabit the physical world, with all its walls to walk into and furniture to trip over. Solutions such as omnidirectional treadmills are cumbersome and require significant user investment - making them unlikely to gain widespread adoption. Will designers and engineers crack the code of physical locomotion in the metaverse in 2023??

?How will the metaverse change our behavior as it reshapes experiences? ?

?4. Relentless disruption?

Ever more frequent shocks reshaped the globe and our economy in 2022. Over the past 15 years, successive economic and geopolitical crises have quickly sent shockwaves throughout the world, affecting every country, economy, trading relationship and business operation. Amid uncertainty around how the war in Ukraine may end - or escalate - business leaders are now faced with the challenge of navigating in the dark, accelerating already urgent transformation plans, and building resilience for impacts that may yet strike. Despite the negative outlook, we must remember that this generation of leaders has built a new set of skills during a once-in-a-century global pandemic, which could serve them well in 2023.?

The CEO Imperative:? Through relentless disruption, how can you stay the course? ?

?5. Transform the world in 2023 with green talent?

Demand for workers with green skills is outpacing supply, according to LinkedIn’s Global Green Skills Report 2022. Employers worldwide are now seeking skills in a wide range of areas, from sustainable fashion through to surface water management and sustainable business strategies. The report reveals the top five fastest growing green jobs between 2016 and 2021, in terms of annual growth: Sustainability Manager (30%), Wind Turbine Technician (24%), Solar Consultant (23%), Ecologist (22%), and Environmental Health and Safety Specialist (20%). As Climate Week in NYC ended, and the countdown to COP27 began, EY leader Amy Brachio shared her take on how to plug this sustainability skills gap. ?

How can we equip the workforce with the sustainability skills to transform our world????

?If you do one thing:?

Remember that:??

"The only way you can predict the future is to build it."?

- Alan Kay?

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