Insights@Questrom Podcast

Unlock the secrets to revolutionizing workplace learning with insights from Chris Dellarocas and DK Lee. In an era where AI's capabilities are soaring, they illuminate how generative AI is not just enhancing but personalizing the learning and development experience for employees. Imagine a world where your training is tailored in real-time, adapting to your needs, and offering immersive coaching that's just a cut above. Our conversation delves into AI's role in evolving training scenarios across industries, from sharpening sales techniques to navigating the complexities of environmental compliance. 

As we navigate through the podcast, we confront the pressing ethical considerations of AI in learning environments, probing the safeguards necessary to combat biases and protect data privacy. Chris and DK stress the need for continual evaluation of AI systems to ensure they serve our interests rather than mislead us. Shifting gears to the dynamic landscape of education, we discuss AI's potential to customize learning at scale, providing real-time updates to curricula, and offering invaluable personalized feedback. This episode is an eye-opener to the challenges and immense possibilities that AI brings to both corporate training and academic education, urging us to strike a balance to harness its full potential.

In this episode of the Insights@Questrom Podcast, we talk to Greg Stoller, Senior Lecturer of Strategy and Innovation at Questrom School of Business, Paul Ligon, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Growth at Casella Waste Systems, and Thomas Segear, Resource Manager at Casella Waste Systems. 

 Greg, Paul, and Thomas discuss the recent Questrom $50K Sustainability Case Competition, in which teams of students tackle real-world problems related to sustainability, and how the students' work was incorporated into this year's "Allston Christmas," the annual two-day period during which thousands of college students simultaneously move out of and into off-campus apartments. The conversation also delves into Boston University's Zero Waste Plan and the importance of widespread sustainability efforts.

Moshe Cohen, Senior Lecturer in Management & Organizations, sits down with Insights Contributors Steve Sisto and Shannon Light to discuss his new book, "The Optimistic Pessimist."

In this episode of the Insights@Questrom Podcast, we talk to Ian Mashiter, Curriculum Director of Innovate@BU and Master Lecturer in Strategy & Innovation, Maria Gorskikh, co-founder and president of DreamVenture Labs and recent graduate of Questrom School of Business Class of '23, and Johar Singh, a rising senior at Questrom School of Business and co-founder and CEO of Astra Wellbeing.

Ian, Maria, and Johar discuss Innovate@BU and the BUild Lab, a program that offers students the opportunity to study entrepreneurship, launch ideas, and build ventures that positively impact their communities. As a recent winner of the Boston University Refugee Challenge, Maria shares the inspiration behind creating DREAM Venture Labs, how her experiences at Questrom have helped her bring her ideas to life, and her hopes for the organization. As a winner of the BU New Venture Competition, Johar shares his experiences creating Astra Wellbeing, the recognition the platform is receiving, and how the company plans to grow in the future.

In this episode, we introduce a new segment called The Language of Business. Greg Stoller, Senior Lecturer in Strategy & Innovation, helps us understand various topics of business through the eyes of scholars and practitioners from around the world.

Greg's first Language of Business segment for the podcast, explores the topic of Artificial Intelligence. We learn about what it is, what it isn't, and how it might impact business and our lives.
Part 1:
Mohammad Soltanieh-ha is at Questrom School of Business, Boston University and says there’s no one definition, even for Chat GPT, but the “consumer” version, or narrow AI, is certainly  different than its Deep Learning counterpart. Payman Khodabandehloo is a guest researcher at UMass Lowell Institute and comments that when it comes to implementing AI, detailed planning must come first unless you’re willing to scrap everything and start over from scratch. 

Part 2: 
Romain Fayolle is French but lives in Germany and is the co-founder of Holocene. He thinks most of the current A.I. actors are operating in good faith. Hal Reed is an independent consultant for Fortune 500 companies and in his mind, it all comes down to the neural networks. 

In this episode of the Insights@Questrom Podcast we explore the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange giant, FTX. Fernando Zapatero, Richard D. Cohen Professor in Management and Professor of Finance, provides background on the events that led to the FTX situation. Kabrina Chang, Clinical Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy, and Law, joins us in the second half to discuss the regulatory and legal implications of the broader cryptocurrency market, as well as the FTX issue.

In this episode of the Insights@Questrom Podcast, we talk to Associate Professor of Markets, Public Policy, & Law, Tal Gross, to discuss the recent announcement from CVS that they would be lowering the prices of their branded menstrual products. To do this they will eliminate what is commonly referred to as the "Pink Tax" and pay sales tax for such products in states that allow third parties to pay sales tax. Tal offers insights into the "Pink Tax", price discrimination, and the concept of willingness to pay. 

Also in this episode, Frederic Brunel, Associate Professor of Marketing, sits down with Michael Sherry to talk about the current evolution and revolution in the electric vehicle industry. This conversation covers everything from new competition entering the market to barriers to consumer adoption.