Business & Society with Senthil Nathan

What does a shipping container have to do with the global economy? Almost everything. In this episode, we sit down with economist and historian Marc Levinson to explore how a simple metal box revolutionized the way goods move across the world—and, by extension, how supply chains are organized, where manufacturing happens, and even which communities thrive or struggle. Marc walks us through the unlikely origins of containerization, from Malcolm McLean's 1956 voyage to the painstaking international negotiations that created industry standards. We discuss how containers made globalization possible by collapsing transportation costs from 15–20% of goods' value to mere cents, the profound impact on dock workers and manufacturing communities, and why today's supply chain disruptions are forcing businesses to rethink the just-in-time model. Along the way, Marc reminds us that the most transformative changes in how we do business often come from the most unexpected places—and that understanding this history is essential to navigating our present.

Link to the book The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger

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In this episode, Senthil sits down with The Hon Dr Andrew Leigh MP, Australia's Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities, and Treasury, to explore how innovation actually happens—and why the stories we tell about it are often wrong. Drawing from his book The Shortest History of Innovation, Andrew challenges popular myths: the lone genius, the eureka moment, and the innovation cluster. Instead, he reveals what history really teaches us about breakthrough ideas: they emerge through tinkering, collaborative teams, and the cross-pollination of diverse ideas. The conversation also tackles artificial intelligence—both its transformative potential and the real risks we need to manage—and explores what true leadership looks like in an age of rapid technological change.

Link to the book: The Shortest History of Innovation

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What does it really mean to act on your values at work? Most of us think speaking up means confrontation—blowing the whistle, telling your boss they're wrong, or risking your career. But what if there's a better way?

In this episode, Senthil talks with Mary Gentile, creator of Giving Voice to Values, about how to navigate ethical conflicts with skill, strategy, and authenticity. Mary spent decades studying how leaders actually speak up—not through preaching or confrontation, but through practical tactics grounded in who they are. We explore what values really are, why we freeze when facing conflicts, and how you can prepare yourself to act on what matters most—even in cultures where speaking up feels impossible.

Link to Mary Gentile's book: Giving Voice to Values 

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What does business owe society? And what does society owe business in return? These aren't abstract questions—they're survival questions. As climate change accelerates, democracies falter, and mission-driven companies struggle to stay afloat, we need a new conversation about what capitalism can actually do. This week, we sit down with Rebecca Henderson to explore the real constraints, the hidden power of the private sector, and why this moment might be more hopeful than it seems.

Rebecca Henderson is one of 25 University Professors at Harvard and author of Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire. We talk about climate commitments, investor power, the future of democracy, and what it takes to build a business that lasts. If you're a founder, a leader, or simply trying to understand how we got here and where we go next, this conversation is for you.

More about Rebecca's work and research: https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=12345

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What does it mean to live a full life — not just a successful one? Gurcharan Das, former CEO of Procter & Gamble India and one of the subcontinent's most celebrated public intellectuals, has spent a lifetime asking exactly that. In this conversation, he reflects on his memoir Another Sort of Freedom, tracing a life shaped by restlessness, curiosity, and the classical Indian framework of the four aims — Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha. From being fired on his first day in business to navigating the ethical minefield of the License Raj, from quitting the corporate world at fifty to write and think, to walking into the offices of Sonia Gandhi and L.K. Advani and finding no political home — his journey is as unlikely as it is instructive.

Along the way, Gurcharan shares the idea he considers the most original in the Bhagavad Gita — Nishkam Karma, acting for the sake of the work itself, without attachment to personal reward — and why he believes it remains one of the most underappreciated gifts to modern leadership. He also offers a frank assessment of India's economic journey: what liberalisation delivered, what it failed to, and why he remains cautiously optimistic about the road ahead. A rich, wide-ranging conversation about business, philosophy, and the art of making a life.

Link to Gurcharan's website: https://gurcharandas.org/

Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.

What drives business leaders to give? Geoffrey Jones, celebrated business historian at Harvard Business School, challenges everything we think we know about philanthropy.

In this episode, we explore "spiritual philanthropy"—a concept rooted not in tax incentives or CSR mandates, but in deeply held values. Geoff reveals why leaders in emerging markets approach giving differently than their Western counterparts, how proximity to poverty shapes generosity, and what happens when business values get watered down by growth.

We also discuss what business history teaches us about capitalism, responsibility, and the skills leaders need in an increasingly complex world.

A conversation about fairness, purpose, and what it really means to do good.

Link to Geoffrey Jone's latest book: Deeply Responsible Business

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Can business be a force for human rights — not just avoid violating them?

In this episode, Senthil sits down with Tyler Giannini, Professor at Harvard Law School, to explore the growing field of business and human rights. From the Nuremberg trials to the UN Guiding Principles of 2011, Tyler traces how the world has slowly — and imperfectly — begun holding corporations accountable.

Tyler also shares the thinking behind the Fourth Pillar Initiative, a framework he helped develop that puts communities at the heart of business decisions and challenges the "do no harm" baseline that defines current global standards.

In this episode:
• What the UN Guiding Principles are — and what they leave out
• Why voluntary frameworks aren't as toothless as they sound
• The Fourth Pillar: agency, power, and advancing rights
• Why community engagement is actually good for business
• Where the field is headed over the next decade

Book mentioned: Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull & Amy Wallace
Fourth Pillar Initiative: https://fourthpillarinitiative.org/

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Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.

In this episode of the Business and Society Podcast, Senthil speaks with Sven Beckert about his sweeping new book, Capitalism: A Global History. Spanning nearly a millennium, the conversation challenges conventional narratives of capitalism as a purely Western or modern phenomenon. Beckert traces its origins to early global merchant networks—from the Arabian Peninsula to South Asia—and explains how capitalism was “born global,” long before the term globalization entered modern discourse. Together, they unpack how capitalism evolved from small “islands of capital” into a dominant global system, shaped not just by markets but through deep entanglements with state power, empire, and the transformation of the countryside through commodities like cotton and sugar.

The episode also confronts capitalism’s more difficult histories, including slavery and exploitation, while acknowledging its role in driving unprecedented economic growth, technological progress, and social mobility. Beckert emphasizes that capitalism is not a fixed system but an adaptive, undogmatic one—capable of both profound harm and meaningful reform. Looking ahead, the conversation turns to the future: how societies might better distribute the gains of growth, address inequality, and navigate environmental limits. Ultimately, this episode invites listeners to see capitalism not as inevitable, but as a human-made system—one whose next chapter can still be shaped through informed choices and collective action.

Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.

In the very first episode of The Right Way mini-series, Senthil and Vihaan revisit one of the most famous business ethics cases ever taught: the 1982 Tylenol crisis. What began as a horrifying act of product tampering—when seven people in the Chicago area died after taking cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules—quickly became a defining test of corporate leadership, public trust, and moral courage. At the time, Tylenol was one of the most successful consumer brands in America, making the crisis not only a human tragedy but also an existential threat to Johnson & Johnson.

The episode explores how Johnson & Johnson CEO James Burke responded under extraordinary pressure: taking responsibility, communicating openly, recalling every bottle of Tylenol nationwide, and putting public safety ahead of profit. Senthil and Vihaan reflect on why this response became a global case study in ethical leadership—and what it still teaches us today about trust, transparency, and doing the right thing when the stakes are highest.

Sources:

https://youtu.be/4D-B3WwcIZA?si=RpRNU6silks_YX-v

https://www.ou.edu/deptcomm/dodjcc/groups/02C2/Johnson%20&%20Johnson.htm

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/tylenol-murders-1982

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr43dp99k4vo

Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.

In this episode of the Business and Society Podcast, Senthil Nathan speaks with researcher and leadership expert Zach Mercurio, author of The Power of Mattering. Together they explore a simple but powerful idea: people thrive at work when they feel that they truly matter.

Drawing on research across industries, Zach explains why small everyday interactions—being noticed, affirmed, and needed—can have a far greater impact on motivation and engagement than perks, pay, or promotions. The conversation unpacks the science behind the human need to matter, why workplace engagement is declining despite rising investment in employee programs, and how leaders can intentionally design cultures where people feel seen, valued, and indispensable.

Zach also shares practical tools leaders can use immediately, including the “NAN” model (Noticed, Affirmed, Needed) and the concept of a mattering audit to assess whether organizations are creating meaningful daily experiences for their people.

If you lead a team—or aspire to—this episode offers a powerful reminder: when people feel that they matter, energy, commitment, and performance follow.

Link to Zach's book: The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance

Harvard Business Review Article: https://hbr.org/2025/05/the-power-of-mattering-at-work

Please visit our website, www.businessandsociety.net, for more inspiration.