Disinformation, Economic Peril, Systemic Shocks: 6 Cambridge Judge Profs On What 2025 Has In Store

We asked professors and deans at business schools all over the world to peer into the future and give their predictions for the coming year — about the changes coming to business education, yes, but also about shift and disruptions taking place across communities, societies, and the world. One school’s faculty really leaned into the challenge: Cambridge Judge Business School. No fewer than half a dozen profs weighed in on their hopes and expectations for 2025, and we share those with you here.

Alan Jagolinzer, Professor of Financial Accounting and organizer of the 2nd Cambridge Disinformation Summit to be held 23-25 April 2025

I expect 2025, given political uncertainty in many countries and the delegation of government decision rights to unelected tech and media leaders, to be a year of profound information-polluting chaos as parties maneuver for control over global centers of gravity: data, media, financial, military, policing, and enforcement infrastructures.

I think the most resilient and impactful business schools will be those that can help students see through the noise, retain global perspective, and develop new and fluid infrastructure that supplants that which has been corrupted or neutralized by short-sighted and self-serving political actors.

I think business and investment will face significant systemic shocks throughout the year, led prominently by forced human migration and organized civil disobedience. There are always opportunities in chaos, so business schools can lead curriculum in this era by leveraging their expertise in health, climate, information, affordability, and geopolitical global risks.

Leading business schools also have an obligation to support placements in political (not just business) arenas, so our alumni can compete with and counteract the disinformation that plagues our society.

Lucia Reisch, El-Erian Professor of Behavioural Economics & Policy

As we enter 2025, I keep reminding myself of the privilege of living in this peaceful and wealthy part of the world. On average, Europe has decent (or at least, not shameless) political leaders, and while the economy is on a downward trend, we complain on a very high level.

Most people in Europe enjoy a comparatively high level of living standard and safety. Where people feel safe for their future, where social inequalities are not extreme and where governments are not corrupt and self-serving, people do trust the important public institutions – the base for policy instruments to be effective and societies to resist social polarization. The OECD Drivers of Trust Indicators 2024 report shows that on average worldwide, as little as 39% of people trust their national government. This is alarming.

A recent European Commission report shows a similar decline of people’s trust in science. Did misinformation and disinformation win, also over here? I am worried about the announced slashing of U.S. higher education institutions and even more so about an announced attempt to silence climate scientists and other inconvenient voices in the U.S., a former fortress of excellent independent and highly influential science.

I am also concerned as we enter this new year about headwinds that hinder progress in sustainability. So 2025 is a good year to roll up our sleeves and work even harder against these headwinds. As individuals in our many roles – as educators, researchers, employees, managers, parents and citizens – we should be supporting everything that helps develop trust in good policies. Small things count!

Behavioral approaches to behavior change might be a timely help. While they will probably not induce dramatic changes in a short time, incremental yet sustainable changes that can lead to new habits and better structures. Also, nudges and beneficial choice architecture are less salient than new taxes or bans. Hence, they get less targeted by those who want to delay or prevent regulation or financial measures. The year 2025 might be the year of working outside the limelight, harnessing the power of small, less controversial, yet effective and acceptable behavioral tools.

Monique Boddington, Management Practice Associate Professor and Director of the Master of Studies in Entrepreneurship Programme

It feels that every year, as we look ahead to the new year, the challenges are greater than ever, and the potential of new technologies is scaling to new heights. Entrepreneurship provides the mechanism to unite these two: the problem and the solution. And, my prediction for the coming year, as we face great uncertainty, is that entrepreneurial endeavours will take centre stage – as they are placed to move fast in changing environments. More of the younger generation will be drawn to engage in entrepreneurial activities as more traditional career routes become less desirable and less available. The hype around AI will continue, with companies rising (and many falling as quickly) under the guise of AI Solutions across markets and use cases. We are going to still be talking about blockchain and cryptocurrency, whilst still trying to work out use cases for the technology.

Of late, though, we have increasingly observed a “dark side” to entrepreneurship – profits over people, valuation over social and environmental impact.  And in the coming years, as entrepreneurship becomes an increasing driving force for environmental and social change, entrepreneurs and their activities will have increasing sway. Therefore, alongside the new technology startups, we need more diverse entrepreneurs focusing not just on economic impact but also on social and environmental issues. These are people well-positioned to build start-ups that empower underrepresented groups, work with the community, and innovate at the bottom of the pyramid. The “grand challenges” we face today cannot be met by one great innovative idea from the top but will need many solutions and approaches, particularly in overlooked and often misunderstood contexts.

Therefore, my final prediction is that while we will see new waves of technology startups breaking fundraising records and valuations, we will also see small initiatives across the globe innovating to make real change and provide solutions to social and environmental challenges.

Thomas Roulet, Professor of Professor of Organisational Sociology and Leadership

The diffusion of Generative AI in the workplace, and of new technologies in general, paradoxically reveal the importance of human resources and people in building a competitive advantage. Those technologies are widely accessible, cheap, and level the playing fields. But with such a fast pace of change, people can make a difference if they are able to reskill, retrain, and shift jobs and tasks with agility.

The competition for top talent will continue to intensify and there will be even more variance in how people relate to work – while some people will become increasingly disengaged from work due to the erosion of corporate culture and office friendships, others will thrive in environments that are able to re-enchant work.”

Jaideep Prabhu, Professor of Marketing

As we enter 2025, the importance of emerging markets in global business education cannot be overstated. These markets now account for the majority of global economic activity, growth, and population, yet business school curricula and research remain disproportionately focused on Western economies. My resolution for the coming year is to be at the forefront of a paradigm shift in management education, placing greater emphasis on emerging market phenomena and challenges.

In 2025, I envision a transformation in how we approach business education, research, and practice. We must integrate concepts like frugal innovation, jugaad, and its counterparts — gambiarra, jeitinho, and jua kali — into mainstream business school teaching and research. These ingenious approaches to problem-solving and resource optimization, born out of necessity in emerging economies, offer valuable lessons for global business leaders facing increasingly complex challenges.

Furthermore, I commit to expanding our focus on informal businesses, family enterprises, and business groups – organizational forms that dominate emerging markets yet receive limited attention in traditional business education. By understanding these structures, we can better prepare our students for the realities of global business landscapes.

This shift is not just about diversifying our curriculum; it’s about equipping our students with the tools and perspectives needed to navigate an increasingly multipolar world. By embracing emerging market insights, we can foster more resilient, adaptable, and globally minded leaders.

David Reiner, Professor of Technology Policy

The energy system will face its latest stress test in 2025. By most measures, energy supply and demand will be robust – shale oil and gas from the U.S., abundant liquefied natural gas and ever-cheaper renewables (and energy storage) will ensure healthy supply; and demand though growing, especially in the Global South, is becoming more flexible. Trade is, however, becoming more fraught and energy and climate lie at the heart of widening disputes.

The EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism, due to take effect in 2026, concerns over China’s dominance in clean energy manufacturing, growing protectionism and the incoming Trump administration’s infatuation with tariffs portend potential trade wars, which will harm not just global economic growth but long-term efforts to decarbonize our economies.

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