October 4, 2025
Financial Times recently released its Business school professors’ picks featuring insights from Patrick Abouchalache, Lecturer of Strategy and Innovation, and Moshe Cohen, Master Lecturer of Management and Organizations.
This curated selection of Financial Times articles, handpicked by business school faculty, connects real-world events to classroom learning while encouraging critical thinking among students. Abouchalache selected the article, “The rise of drive-through US coffee chains with a need for speed” and Moshe Cohen selected the article “What Jane Austen can teach us about taking feedback.”
The first article examines how the rapid rise of U.S. drive-through coffee chains reflects a major consumer shift toward convenience and speed, forcing incumbents like Starbucks to rethink their strategies amid fierce competition from agile, franchise-led challengers. Abouchalache explains the classroom relevance of this topic by guiding students through analyses of strategy, innovation, and market positioning in a rapidly evolving industry, challenging them to explore how both startups and established brands can achieve sustainable differentiation beyond convenience.
The second article draws on Jane Austen’s experience with criticism, exploring how professionals can navigate today’s constant flow of feedback by approaching it with curiosity, treating it as useful data, and maintaining perspective amid both praise and critique. Cohen encourages discussion on effective feedback practices, helping students reflect on how to give and receive feedback constructively while building emotional intelligence and resilience in professional settings.
By linking global business trends and timeless lessons in human behavior, Abouchalache and Cohen show how insights from the real world can inspire critical thinking and leadership growth in today’s classrooms.
