How does a Marxist approach the study of history?

What can we learn from the way business is done in Asian cultures? The dominant management philosophy in the Asia-Pacific region is a Chinese one, emphasising Confucian values, the family and respect for authority. Does the enduring success of this approach have important lessons for us in the West, or is this management style increasingly redundant, as economies and companies internationalise and mature? This album visits several companies in Asia to explore the relationship between value systems and business management. This material forms part of The Open University course B822 Creativity, innovation and change.

"It takes a long time to build up a competitive advantage"

Instead of reducing the workforce in times of difficulty, Anja Schaefer asks whether there are more ethical alternatives

Leslie Budd examines the wicked problems of tricky customers and cost cutting in the business world

Companies are global entities now, but it’s their employees who keep them grounded in the real world. It’s the way businesses deal with the global economy that makes the difference.

Small businesses are likely to be the wost affected by the recession.

Mohamed El-Erian discusses the 'cardiac arrest' that hit the financial sector after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Gillian Tett, Assistant Editor of the Financial Times guides us through the growth of risk taking and use of derivatives in the finance sector; and explores the reasons behind London’s popularity in global markets.