If you think it’s hard running a business, spare a thought for those starting up in the tough slum areas of Colombia, where a new initiative by UQ Business School aims to show how enterprise can help rebuild communities.

Look out - a disruptive new technology is about to send shockwaves through the world of business. Here are some of the ways in which additive manufacturing is likely to shape the future.

Companies involved in corporate scandals often put the blame on rogue employees. However new research has found that in most cases, the company’s organisational design is to blame. So what can be done to help prevent such incidents in the future?

Do X-Politicians come back as company directors?

There is life after politics, but is it in business? When politicians join company boards in Australia, the share price is more likely to drop than when a non-politician is appointed, says UQ Business School research. Don’t shareholders value the expertise that our former leaders bring to the boardroom? Or perhaps it’s a vote of confidence in our democracy?

Low pay is no longer just a problem for the poor – it can have a damaging effect on business and the economy too, according to a leading economist.

Everyone knows the first thing you should do when starting a business is to write a business plan. Or is it? According to one school of thought, business plans are a waste of time because they are based on untested hypotheses. The lean startup movement has turned conventional business thinking on its head in an attempt to make the whole process of starting a company less risky.

By Associate Professor Sunil Venaik and Dr Paul Brewer for The Conversation (January 2015)

‘Greed is good' was the theme of business in the 80s, but more recently the GFC has led to calls for business to rediscover its moral purpose. Now a group of worldwide leaders including Sir Richard Branson have come together to launch the B Team, which aims to 'put people and planet alongside profit'. Can business save the world? And should we all be working towards more altruistic goals?

The increase in extreme weather indicates that climate change is already here, yet so far there has been little discussion of how it will affect business. The Climate Resilient Organization, a new book by Dr Martina Linnenluecke and Professor Andrew Griffiths of UQ Business School, considers what actions companies can take. In this interview, Dr Linnenluecke explains why they need to adapt and build their resilience.