COVID-19 is a grim reminder that we are all linked together: no matter where we live, and no matter what we do. The toll on health is already profound, and the economic and social toll is likely to be enormous.
We are seeking to understand, illuminate and offer solutions to the challenges created by COVID-19. Through the Wheeler Institute COVID-19 series, we want to identify the role of business in addressing these challenges, with a focus on the implications and actions for those in developing countries.
The series, will take a unique approach, exploring not only the perspective of those leading giant enterprises and governments, but also the perspective of those eking out a living in the world’s most underprivileged communities.
Our aim is to bring together the expertise that exists in our community – LBS faculty, our co-authors and academic expert contacts, our students, as well as experts among our alumni and our extended community of practice – and share information, insights and ideas about how we can better harness the power of business for good.
Rajesh Chandy, Professor of Marketing and Elias Papaioannou, Professor of Economics at London Business School and co-Academic Directors of the Wheeler Institute will conduct a number of interviews to start the series. Many additional conversations, lectures and presentations will follow, complemented by an array of content from the Wheeler Institute team and wider community.
The Wheeler Institute COVID-19 series will be released throughout the coming weeks via the London Business School and Wheeler Institute websites, as well as this blog.
Our series will consist of three (closely related) topics. We will:
- Interview academics featuring topical research
- Discuss the role of business in developing solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic
- Transfer ideas from across our wide geographic network to contexts that might otherwise not benefit from them.
We encourage collaboration. If you have a unique opinion, insight or point of view that could be relevant to this series we want to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us via wheelerinsitute@london.edu, social media or the comment box below.