Discussion topics

Breakthrough in medicine

By Katya on mai 26 2022
Topical

New research from the Babraham Institute has potentially made a revolutionary breakthrough in regenerative medicine. The scientists developed a method to rejuvenate skin cells by 30 years. 

Our cells have several functions, such as providing structure and support, transporting molecules, producing energy, helping with growth, creating metabolic reactions and helping in reproduction. However, with age, cells lose these functions and accumulate age marks. 

Nonprofit business: Clean the World

By Di on mai 24 2022
Topical

One night at a hotel in 2009, tech executive Shawn Seipler thought about how many bars of soap guests use for a night and then leave. He called the front desk to find out what they did with the used soap and learned that they just throw it away. In the U.S. alone, hotels throw out about 3.3 million bars of soap every day.

Do trees talk to each other?

By James on mai 19 2022
Topical

People generally think of trees as disconnected loners, competing for water, nutrients, and sunlight, with winners shading out losers and sucking them dry. But evidence to the contrary is coming to light. Forest trees are, in fact, cooperative and live in interdependent relationships maintained by communication and collective intelligence similar to an insect colony.

Task: Robots and etiquette

By Katya on mai 17 2022
Topical

Society is filled with social and etiquette rules. As we grow up, we learn them and follow them without even noticing. Etiquette can be different in various situations, cultures, communities and workplaces. 

Even though people learn these rules when growing up, they are later able to distinguish the rules themselves in new cultures. However, what should we do with robots? If robots become parts of our workplace, what should we teach them?

Please, look at the task below with your teacher and discuss it.

 

Doodling: why do we do it?

By Di on mai 12 2022
Topical

"Doodling" is drawing without thinking about it, on whatever is in front of us. Sometimes it's on the side of meeting notes, or on an envelope or napkin. It's a very common habit. So, why do we do it?

There are a few reasons we doodle:

  • to pass the time when we can't do anything else, like when we're on a train or waiting for a bus;
  • to keep ourselves awake during a boring presentation, lecture, etc.; and

  • to focus on something while meditating.

Indonesia bans palm oil exports

By James on mai 10 2022
Topical

In late April, the Indonesian government announced a temporary ban on exports of crude palm oil and its refined products, such as cooking oil. The decision came as a surprise to commercial goods traders as the government had previously stated the ban would only apply to refined products. After the government’s initial statement, prices of crude palm oil significantly fluctuated given uncertainties about what products the ban would cover. Prices have again skyrocketed in light of the most recent announcement.

Venture capital discrimination

By Matthew on mai 5 2022
Evergreen

Paul Graham, co-founder of Y Combinator—the tech accelerator that supports early-stage, growth-driven companies through education, mentorship and financing—has funded a number of successful start-ups including Dropbox, Airbnb and Reddit. Despite this, in 2013 he made a controversial comment about how he evaluates potential companies. He managed to both offend many foreign-born Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and reveal a prejudice common among venture capitalists.

Health is a sustainability issue

By Di on mai 3 2022
Topical

Rare and neglected diseases remain a serious problem in our modern world, despite advances in science and technology. Big pharmaceutical companies don't fund research and development into treatments for these diseases because they aren't profitable. The drugs end up costing much more to make than they'll earn back, so they remain un- or underfunded.

Elon Musk vs Twitter

By Katya on avril 30 2022
Topical

Elon Musk is a famous Twitter user. He wants to change Twitter rules on what is allowed to be posted. However, recently he surprised everyone by saying that he would buy this social media company. Musk has been offered loans of $25.5 billion from big American banks and he promised to pay the rest of the $21 billion out of his pocket.

Video conferencing problems

By James on avril 21 2022
Topical

These days, video conferencing is part of the everyday lives of most business people. If you have ever worked online, you have probably encountered a myriad of problems. Sometimes, your connection cuts out; at other times, there is too much glare on your face.

Watch this short video and learn about some examples of the issues that occur during video calls. While watching, think about how the participants could avoid these issues.

Visuals: Ukraine and food supplies

By Katya on avril 20 2022
Topical

Wars have many impacts not only on the countries involved but also on regions and even the whole world. In our globalized world, countries rely on each other for imports and exports. The global supply and demand chain has many steps in it. Disruptions in even one of these steps can lead to severe consequences, such as increased production and transportation costs and a lack of products. It can lead regions to economic crisis, food insecurity and famine. 

Please, look at these two graphs and discuss them with your teacher.

 

The war in Ukraine and the law

By Katya on avril 13 2022
Topical

The Russian attack on Ukraine has created many challenges for international law. Article 2.4 of the UN Charter forbids the “use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State”. In response to recent events, the international community states that Russia has violated this by attacking Ukraine. Vladimir Putin disagrees with that and has made several attempts to justify his actions.

Restoring degraded land in Mexico

By Di on avril 5 2022
Evergreen

Indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, have been working to restore the soil and forests, with remarkable success. Twenty-five communities have restored 49,000 acres (20,000 hectares) over the past 20 years. Restoration efforts are driven by the communities themselves, who together make up the Chocho-Mixtecas Community Alliance.

Ways of developing workers' skills

By Katya on mars 17 2022
Topical

It is not a secret that our world is constantly changing, business strategies are continually developing, and technologies are evolving. So how can your employees keep up with all new knowledge and skills? Here are the ways a few big businesses are doing that:

School for employees at DBS bank 

DBS Bank, a multinational company with headquarters in Singapore, ensures that all 26,000 employees are encouraged to keep learning, no matter their age or seniority.