Here’s what we have for you today:
• Governance of Starbucks
• Apple drops their past principle
• Possibility of a greener future
Apple upgrading their computers
New upgrade: Apple is actively breaking away from its long-standing approach of designing a traditional desktop system without a touchscreen. Apple could launch MacBooks with touchscreens by the year 2025 as a part of a new MacBook Pro lineup.
The old: Steve Jobs famously called touchscreens on laptops “ergonomically terrible” back in 2010.
The past: Apple executives have long maintained the stance that MacBooks don’t need to have a touchscreen.
Starbucks, Howard Schultz on in-person work among others
The rules: Starting 1/30/23, employees within commuting distance will be required to report to the coffee giant’s Seattle headquarters on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and a third day decided on by their teams. Although, the memo didn’t specify what qualified as commuting distance.
Why? The new policy is meant to “rebuild our connection to each other and synchronize teams and efforts,” said the memo from Howard, who is departing the company this spring. He also compared corporate workers’ continued remote work to baristas, who have never had that option.
Starbucks isn’t the only company that has recently mandated a stricter return-to-office policy. CEO Bob Iger, who has returned for his second leadership stint at Disney told employees that they must return to the office.
Elon Musk set even higher expectations for in-office attendance at Twitter after he acquired the social media company.
And Apple mandated employees return to work three days a week late 2022, in September.
How businesses can scale green for a net zero world
Reason for green: Companies and consumers are facing a number of significant challenges, including inflation, the energy crisis in Europe and food shortages. As CEOs navigate this volatile environment, they will need to simultaneously deal with business challenges today and take action to ensure long-term competitive advantage.
One critical opportunity they can’t let slip away: building green for a net zero world, and collaboration is necessary.
Early start? Yes, sustainability comes at a price today. Cost premiums for many low-carbon inputs, particularly in the industrial sector, are 50% or more. But as these new technologies scale and government intervention continues, declining cost premiums will open up opportunities to pioneer green markets. Meanwhile, in sectors like renewables and electric vehicles, early movers have already proven they can thrive well before cost parity is achieved.
Possible solution: So, what does this look like in practice? For one thing, downstream companies can cooperate with upstream players to scale up supply, often sharing the costs across the value chain. Companies should also seek to work across the industry to aggregate demand.
Companies can collaborate with regulators and peers to remove barriers to green market development. For example, the more uniform the definition of a green product is, the easier it is for companies to establish transparency about the emission footprint of the good that they are buying. This, in turn, enables a vibrant green market to emerge more quickly.