The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index ticked up slightly in February, with further strengthening of expectations offsetting a pullback in consumers’ assessment of present conditions. The bottom line: American consumers remain historically confident—with their spending likely to drive continued economic growth through the first half of 2020. Could the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak—which escalated globally after our February survey closed—grow into the “black swan” that finally di

Join The Conference Board’s Executive Vice President and Chief Economist Bart van Ark as he interviews George Friedman, Founder and Chairman of Geopolitical Futures, about his new book, The Storm Before The Calm. In his riveting new book, Friedman turns to the future of the United States. Examining the clear cycles through which the United States has developed, upheaved, matured, and solidified, Friedman breaks down the coming years and decades in thrilling detail.

Labor shortages are becoming one of the main barriers for sustaining a healthy US economy, especially in industries that hire many blue-collar and manual service workers. Is this a passing phase or a long-lasting problem?

Because mental health is very individualized, it remains a challenge to create a realistic mental health culture that satisfies all employees’ needs. As with communication tactics, mental health programs must be diversified and measured in order to generate positive change.

So often we here that we need to think out of the box. However, a great start for change and transformation is to think INSIDE the box. In this short and engaging podcast you will see several actionable boxes for your leadership journey.

Does branding still matter? Is retail dead? When does a company need a CMO? Who is bringing back the magic of creativity? If you want to better understand people, brands and the future of marketing, listen to our conversation with Ivan Pollard, CMO of General Mills. Ivan believes that the future is rather bright for large, traditional scale players—and that creativity, equity, and relationship building are essential ingredients for long-term brand success.

Dottie Schindlinger from the Diligent Institute interviews with Paul Washington, Executive Director of the Environmental, Social & Governance Center at The Conference Board, about climate change, where it ranks as a priority for CEOs and Directors, and the potential impact of Larry Fink’s letter to CEOs and the Davos Manifesto on corporate disclosures and practices.

There are over 40,000 cases of coronavirus, concentrated in China, but the outbreak is now reaching over two dozen countries across the globe. A health crisis like this demands a government response, but what is the corporate response? Paul Washington, head of The Conference Board’s Environmental, Social and Governance Center, chats with a team of experts on how corporate social responsibility (CSR) leaders worldwide are marshalling resources to respond to this health crisis.