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MIT Professor Cynthia Breazeal, a keynote speaker at a recent Psychology of Technology Conference led by Darden Professor Roshni Raveendhran, shares insights about a new generation of social robots and their impact on human flourishing.

Stakeholders don’t just respond to companies’ harmful practices — they respond to perceived harm. Darden Professor Andy Wicks examines how companies should respond to stakeholders’ responses. For example: Assembly Bill 5. Are Uber drivers employees or contractors? Stakeholders and the company disagree.

Valuable: employees who can connect with diverse people to improve relationships, facilitate information flow and communication, increase coordination and reduce conflict. Research shows that “social class transitioners,” people who move between socioeconomic classes, can bring a special skillset to the workforce.

When it comes to the most popular pieces of the year, in 2019 Darden Ideas to Action readers cared about teamwork, self-awareness, strategy, leadership and navigating innovation in evolving industries. Here’s a rundown of what Ideas to Action readers read the most in 2019 and what it was all about.

A collection of what to read from the latest Ideas to Action posts.

Authenticity tension, lack of engagement, contested authority: These are challenges faced by black leaders. Resilience, resourcefulness, the ability to cultivate cross-race and -hierarchy connections: These are traits that give such leaders the ability to effect change. Professor Laura Morgan Roberts discusses the reality of the black experience.

What can railroad bonds from 150 years ago teach us about globalization, portfolio diversification and the cost of financial market segmentation? At a time when markets are increasingly isolated globally and limit opportunities to invest abroad, new research examines what investors are willing to pay to gain access to investment in foreign markets

Not so long ago, CEOs were not the public face of their companies. But in the age of always-on media and the rise of superstar chief executives, CEOs must constantly give voice to the organizations they lead. Professor June West and Steve Soltis share what it takes for a CEO to succeed as a communicator.

It’s not uncommon for incoming CEOs to hire new senior staff when they join companies. But when they hire new CFOs, might those CFOs be pressured to manage earnings in a way that benefits the CEOs’ pay? New research examines these C-suite relationships and what they might mean for the long-term health of a company.

Is coding an essential job skill of the future? Should MBA students learn to code? Darden Professor Alex Cowan answers five questions on the building blocks of much of our digital world.