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Extractive summaries & key take-aways from the articles carefully curated from TOP TEN BUSINESS MAGAZINES to foster business acumen
Since 2017 | Week 390 | February 28-March 6, 2025
For archive Informed i
Shaping Section: Ideas and forces shaping economies and industries
A guide to dodging Donald Trump’s tariffs
The Economist | February 24, 2025
Extractive Summary of the Article |Read|Listen
3 key takeaways from the article
Not a week goes by without new threats from Donald Trump to slap fresh duties on imports into America. Sweeping tariffs risk becoming “existential” for companies. For many, moving production to America—as Mr Trump would like— remains prohibitively expensive.
Companies are therefore likely to explore more creative approaches instead. Some bosses may look instead at wily workarounds. One of these is known as “tariff engineering”, which includes tweaking products to change their official classification. Another form of tariff engineering involves designing supply chains so that just enough production happens in a place that benefits from lower tariffs is cheaper than shifting manufacturing in its entirety, and allows firms to be more nimble when new levies come in. Another option could be the “first-sale” provision, created by a court ruling in 1988, allows importers to value goods based on the price charged by the manufacturer, rather than the higher ones charged by middlemen along the way.
Of course Mr. Trump may eventually stop these maneuvers, too. Yet even if some loopholes are closed, companies are bound to find others.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Global Trade, Tariffs, Supply Chains, Manufacturing
Tariffs, layoffs, and immigration—the triple threat to economic growth that has Wall Street worrying about the U.S. economy
By Greg McKenna | Fortune | March 4, 2025
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2 key takeaways from the article
Recent data from the Atlanta Fed suggests an economic contraction is in the cards for the first quarter of 2025. Uncertainty surrounding trade and immigration policy looms large, and investors will also closely watch how DOGE layoffs impact unemployment as consumer sentiment weakens.
President Donald Trump’s election victory initially had the stock market in raptures. The S&P 500 surged 6.25% from Nov. 5 to Feb. 19, when the index hit a new record high above the $6,145 mark. The S&P is down more than 3% since, however, as soft economic data and renewed tariff threats from the Trump White House elevate Wall Street’s concern about the state of the U.S. economy.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: USA Economy, Inflation, Consumer Spending, Recession, S&P, DOGE
Strategy & Business Model Section
The Secret to Cross-Cultural Negotiations
By Horacio Falcão and Thomas Wiegelmann | Harvard Business Review Magazine | March–April 2025 Issue
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2 key takeaways from the article
In a globalized world, businesses increasingly look to international markets for growth. But cutting deals across borders is difficult. Teams of individuals from various cultures must negotiate in the face of differing expectations about not only the outcome but also the process. The parties may lack both a common language and shared working norms, complicating an already complex endeavor.
So how can negotiators successfully navigate the complexities of culture? Secret to good outcomes in cross-cultural contexts involves respecting four basic rules: First, look past cultural differences and focus instead on individual players. Second, work out whether your counterpart is seeking to exploit a perceived advantage or is interested in generating value for both parties. Third, create shared norms for the negotiation (rather than adapting to the other party’s rituals). Finally, leverage the differences in preferences between parties to improve outcomes for everyone. Following these four rules will help you create a stable and lasting deal.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Cross-culture negotiations, Teams, Conflict Management, Negotiation Skills, Decision-making
Five ways B2B sales leaders can win with tech and AI
By Eric Bykowsky et al., | McKinsey & Company | February 13, 2025
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3 key takeaways from the article
B2B sales leaders today stand at a crossroads. The environment they face is dynamic and challenging. Economic growth is uneven across the world, competition is evolving, and B2B customers are adopting many more consumer-like behaviors, seeking more robust buying experiences, and showing a willingness to find alternative vendors.
How can B2B leaders break through in such a challenging landscape? Of course, companies still need to execute on core principles of commercial excellence. Today’s leaders understand the value of embracing innovation and using cutting-edge technology to execute strategies.
Organizations use tech and data to get a more precise view of opportunities, eliminate time wasted on low-yield initiatives, empower sales teams with better information for nuanced decision-making, and optimize resources, pitches, and pricing. The most successful B2B players are leveraging technology in five key ways to rewire their approach to growth and outgrow their peers: AI-powered opportunity identification, personalization; value-based, AI-enabled pricing; digitally enabled seller task automation; and digitally driven talent improvement.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Creativity, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Teams, Strategy, Business Model, Business to Business, Sales & Marketing
Why Brands Need to Think Like Netflix
By Bryan Elliott | Inc Magazine | March 3, 2025
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3 key takeaways from the article
The future of marketing isn’t just about interrupting content; it’s also about being the content. This movement started from content creators becoming powerful brands themselves.
Now more than ever, brands should be looking to create YouTube channels and podcasts with series-style content that audiences look forward to. There is a very real cost of not doing this. If you don’t have an organic content series strategy, you are most likely shackled to doing paid media to sell products in perpetuity. The problem here is obvious: Increasingly higher costs and tighter margins. And you’re beholden to ad networks like Meta and Google to reach audiences—where you are not the client—you’re the product. This shift from traditional advertising to story-driven serial content isn’t just a trend—it’s a fundamental reimagining of how brands connect with audiences.
The success of content-first brands offers valuable lessons for traditional companies. These are: Authenticity > Production Value, Community > Conversion, and Iterative Development
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Marketing, Branding, Digital Marketing, Content Marketing
Personal Development, Leading & Managing Section
Five Traits of Leaders Who Excel at Decision-Making
By David Tuckett | MIT Sloan Management Review | February 27, 2025
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3 key takeaways from the article
You may feel that this is a time of radical uncertainty, when past patterns no longer reliably predict the future. Uncertainty inherently leads us to a place of emotional discomfort because it signals both potential opportunity and adversity.
How we can empower more people with effective decision-making skills in a world of complexity and disruption? The research report, “Seizing Uncertainty,” reveals that effective decision makers share five key attributes that emotionally equip them to overcome the decision paralysis caused by doubt and anxiety — and enable them to undertake effective action when faced with uncertainty. It’s a vital skill.
Five Traits of Leaders Who Handle Uncertainty Well: They view change positively. They frame unexpected challenges as opportunities instead of problems. They train themselves to be tolerant of uncertainty. They’re fluent in failure (and they don’t fear it). And they’re grounded in optimism.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Decision-making, Uncertainty, Risk, Failure, Change Management, Optimism, Empowerment
How To Find The Cause Of Performance Anxiety: 17 Tips For Managers
By Expert Panel at Forbes Coaches Council | Forbes | Mar 03, 2025
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3 key takeaways from the article
When employees consistently feel nervous about their performance, it can impact productivity, morale and long-term engagement. Whether the anxiety stems from unclear expectations, lack of support or fear of failure, managers must identify the root cause(s) and create an environment where their team feels valued and empowered.
7 Forbes Coaches Council members offer their top strategies for uncovering and alleviating performance-related stressors among your team. According to these: create a culture of safety and belonging, determine whether your goals are realistic, understand your team’s values and motivations, lead with empathy and open communication, help employees reframe their thoughts and beliefs, use ‘confidence mapping’ to identify hidden triggers, shift the focus from criticism to growth, prioritize recognition and meaningful feedback, increase the frequency of good quality feedback, provide clear success indicators and growth opportunities, host reflection sessions to identify hidden performance stressors, embrace the role of manager-coach, connect with your team on a personal level, encourage leadership to reflect on their own impact, use anonymous feedback to uncover workplace stressors, clarify expectations and provide tailored support, and help employees challenge assumptions and reduce self-doubt.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Middle Management, Supervision, Performance Management
Entrepreneurship Section
5 Powerful SEO Strategies for Small Businesses in 2025
By Georgi Todorov | Edited by Chelsea Brown | Entrepreneur Magazine | March 3, 2025
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2 key takeaways from the article
For small businesses, SEO is an invaluable tool for increasing visibility and attracting more customers without breaking the bank. Unlike larger corporations with vast marketing budgets, small businesses need to be strategic about how they allocate their resources. SEO helps level the playing field, allowing them to compete with bigger players by enhancing their online presence. By optimizing their website and content for search engines, small businesses can improve their search rankings, attract more targeted traffic and, ultimately, drive more sales.
5 Powerful SEO Strategies for Small Businesses in 2025 are: produce data-driven content, engage in digital PR campaigns, create video content, list your business on professional classified sites, and consider website speed— overrated yet fundamental.
(Copyright lies with the publisher)
Topics: Search Engine Optimization, Marketing, Sales, Small Businesses, Entrepreneurship
Note: 1) This newsletter is driven by a social motive. Purposes behind this newsletter are to promote reading habits and to foster business acumen leading to better decision-making.
2) There are many nuances in possibly every article which can’t be covered in extractive summaries and key takeaways because of space limitations. For better understanding please read the full articles you find interesting in a weekly selection.
3) The views and opinions expressed in the contents published by the Informed i through its Weekly Business Insights are those of the authors and/or the respective magazines and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Informed i. Any mention of products, services, or organizations is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement.
Articles curated and summarized by M Arif Saleem.