Driving the Economy of Tomorrow

In our current era, problems don’t line up and politely wait their turn. Instead, issues come at leaders all at once.

Sustainability affects every decision. Tech is the current proving ground for the types of complex choices we’ll need to make. And business must balance multiple pressures on multiple fronts to transform into organizations capable of flourishing in an uncertain future.

This week, we consider: How do we address complex and multi-faceted challenges ranging from sustainability to tech, with what tools, and what issues will we face along the way?

Spotlight: Leading the Sustainable Business Transformation

What does it take to lead organizations, foster innovation and achieve success in our rapidly changing era of global business? At this year’s?Aspen?ESG Summit, Executive Director of Aspen’s Business & Society Program Judy Samuelson sat down with Harvard Business School’s Linda Hill and David Young , leader of BCG Henderson Institute’s Center for Climate & Sustainability, to discuss the state of corporate ESG efforts, how leaders can accelerate sustainable innovation and position their companies for long-term success in 2024 and beyond.

Check out?the video?for these thought leaders’ insights on successful sustainable transformations for business!

News Roundup

1. Why Disasters Like Hurricanes Milton and Helene Unleash So Much Misinformation?(Scientific American: Ben Guarino ) And what can be done? (also see?I’m Running Out of Ways to Explain How Bad This Is)
2. Nobel Economics Prize Goes to 3 Economists Who Found That Freer Societies Are More Likely to Prosper?(AP News: Daniel Niemann, Mike Corder , Paul Wiseman ) Are democracy and shared prosperity the foundation that supports more successful societies?
3. How Major Companies Can Help Their Suppliers Decarbonize?(TIME: Justin Worland )?How?can companies?reduce emissions across the supply chain when they don’t control their suppliers? (also see?The Business Case for the Planet)
4. Two of America’s Most Prominent Black Business Leaders Have a Warning for Companies Abandoning DEI?(CNN Business: Nathaniel Meyersohn )?How are short-term responses to polarized pressures undermining the long-term talent search? (also see?How Skills-First Practices Give Blackstone A Competitive Advantage)
5. OpenAI Could Be a Force for Good if It Can Answer These Questions First?(The New York Times: Andrew Kassoy )?“It’s not a utopian fantasy to believe that OpenAI can solve some of our greatest societal challenges. This can be true only if it is structured and governed to do so.” How can AI be a pioneer in purpose and governance as well as technology? (gift link; also see?AI Companies Are Trying to Build God. Shouldn’t They Get Our Permission First?,?When Technology and Society Clash?and?It’s Time for Limited, Mandatory Testing for AI)

Also on Our Radar

What else caught our attention this week?

• ‘There are certain things that we don’t allow to be sold’: why vote buying in the US is illegal
• Considering getting flood insurance after Milton and Helene? Here’s what to expect
• Waterworks of Money?(h/t to Hans Stegeman for sharing this one!)
• The Poetry Pharmacy Fills Prescriptions for the Soul

One for the Road

Thanks for reading, forwarding and following. We’ll see you next week!

— The Business & Society Navigators

Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Welcome! View previous editions and?subscribe here!

Founded in 1998, the?Aspen Institute Business & Society Program?works to align business decisions and investments with the long-term health of society—and the planet.