FEI Weekly

May 16, 2018

A list of demands from China, Uber ends forced arbitration for sexual assault claims, and why humble leadership is not all it's cracked up to be.

ZTE is One of Many Demands China Gave to Trump

Fast Company

According to a Washington Post opinion piece, after a White House delegation visited China last month, the Chinese drafted a list of trade and economic demands for the U.S. One of them asked the U.S. to ease a trade ban on the telecommunications gear and handset company ZTE, which had pretty much put the Chinese company out of business. Other demands included the U.S. agreeing to treat Chinese investment and investors equally to those from other countries and place no restrictions on Chinese investment and agreeing to strengthen protection of Chinese intellectual property.

Uber's Big Sexual Harassment Turnaround

Quartz

Uber will no longer require its US riders, drivers, or employees to arbitrate individual claims of sexual assault or harassment. The company will also stop requiring confidentiality provisions on claims of sexual misconduct. The legal overhaul puts Uber, which a year ago was regarded as one of the most toxic workplaces in Silicon Valley, at the forefront of a movement to change how sexual harassment is handled in corporate America.

White House to Create AI Task Force

Compliance Week - Paywall

Among the announcements made at a May 10 White House gathering of more than 100 tech industry leaders and academics was the Trump administration’s creation of a new Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence. The White House promised “prioritized funding for fundamental AI research and computing infrastructure, machine learning, and autonomous systems.”

5 Mistakes of Zero-Based Budgeting

Director of Finance

The first mistake is not prioritizing human factors over a technical process. Next, focusing too ruthlessly on value creation. Third, not starting from the bottom. The fourth is failing to understand risk profiles. Finally, short term cost cutting distractions. A new approach is required, and leadership teams need to re-think their organization through the eyes of an external investor.

This is a Major Leadership Misconception

Inc.

Humility isn't a de facto best practice, some leadership experts say. Leadership guru Rajeev Peshawaria argues that "history shows that people love working for autocratic top-down leaders." He cites such examples as Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Henry Ford, and Nelson Mandela. A recent study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggests that in some instances a more authoritarian hand works better, depending on the leader's status relative to his or her team.