With my reputation? Making the most of markets and avoiding risks

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the papers in context. Findings It is approximately 200 years since the first business school was set up – not the Wharton School as some would have you believe, but ESCP Europe in Paris in 1819. Building on some even earlier schools that taught accounting, ESCP and other European schools paved the way for the behemoths that were to follow in the twentieth century, and one can imagine that in some lectures the core messages were not too different from today – be customer-centric, behave ethically at all times, and try to create a competitive advantage (even if the term was yet to be made famous by Michael Porter). Practical implications The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.