It may be years before the costs -- human and economic -- of the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11 in Japan are fully known but they will be enormous. With thousands feared dead throughout the northeastern part of the country and officials scrambling to contain a nuclear disaster there are now more questions than answers. Knowledge at Wharton asked four experts to share their thoughts about the impact of the disaster. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Mar 16, 2011•1 hr 4 min
The head of one of the world’s largest chemical manufacturers is calling for a new American revolution. Andrew Liveris chairman and CEO of Dow Chemical warns that the United States is heading for a dismal future if it does not wake up to global realities and rally to save manufacturing. During a recent speech at Wharton the Australian-born chemical engineer urged Americans to re-think their country’s approach to manufacturing government intervention and economic growth. Hosted on Acast. See acas...
Mar 16, 2011•14 min
Oil prices swung wildly this week rising to near 30-month highs after Saudi Arabia sent troops to Bahrain then plummeting to less than $100 a barrel on expectations that an earthquake-ravaged Japan would demand less oil. The ride is not over yet experts say. There may be ups and downs but long term high oil prices are here to stay. On top of volatility caused by natural catastrophes and political upheavals a tight oil supply and increasing demand promise to keep driving prices up steadily over t...
Mar 16, 2011•13 min
The proposed merger between the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Deutsche Börse (DB) could mean big changes for the American icon which heralds the opening of the markets each day with the ring of a bell. Although experts say an NYSE listing is still the sign of a blue-chip company exchanges are struggling to remain relevant in a high-tech financial world. Similar pacts are proliferating between other exchanges as the organizations try to stay one step ahead of an increasingly interconnected g...
Mar 02, 2011•15 min
Over the past two weeks public sector unions in Wisconsin and other states have staged protests against some legislators’ attempts to restrict collective bargaining power -- in effect taking away a union’s right to negotiate over salary seniority pensions health care and other work-related issues. The clash has set off debates about budget shortfalls political posturing and most of all the role that unions play in today’s economy. Wharton professors Janice Bellace and Peter Cappelli offer their ...
Mar 02, 2011•22 min
American International Group (AIG) -- the insurance giant and poster child for the financial crisis -- will once again sell its stock to the public in a ”re-IPO” set for May. The firm which was shaken by soured bets on mortgage derivatives says it is recovering from its near collapse and looking forward to a bright future. Can it return to its former glory? Or should its disparate operations be broken up? Most importantly: What does the AIG story say about how well the government handled trouble...
Mar 02, 2011•16 min
In three years as CEO of spice maker McCormick Alan D. Wilson has been charged with steering the company through difficult economic times and periods of extreme volatility in commodities prices. In a recent conversation with Knowledge at Wharton Wilson discussed McCormick’s efforts to expand internationally why the increased popularity of Food Network and celebrity chefs has been a boon and the company’s aim to create a relationship with customers by playing up ”the romance of spice.” Hosted on ...
Mar 02, 2011•24 min
Corporate earnings have surged and stocks have soared but the housing market is still weak. Interest rates remain low but are rising. Many countries’ economies are perking up but a jump in commodities prices is producing inflation. Governments in the United States and Europe are wrestling with huge budget deficits and debt problems. For insight Knowledge at Wharton talks to Wharton professors Jeremy Siegel Franklin Allen and Susan Wachter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informat...
Feb 16, 2011•31 min
Making a living as an artist has never been easy -- whether in film music or publishing -- especially now that the digital revolution has transformed the business of content creation. One of the biggest shifts is in how filmmakers musicians and writers are compensated. The trend is toward greater risk sharing with artists’ marketers and publishers and toward pay being based to a greater degree on how the product sells in the marketplace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informatio...
Feb 16, 2011•14 min
It would be difficult to find a CEO or manager who says creativity isn’t a valued attribute of a good leader. So why do so many once-innovative companies get bogged down over time with continuous original thinking the exception and not the norm? A new study co-authored by Wharton management professor Jennifer Mueller found that although creativity is often named as being important individuals who expressed more creative ideas were actually viewed as having less leadership potential than their pe...
Feb 16, 2011•11 min
The protests in Egypt are likely to lead to long-term benefits for frustrated citizens accustomed to living under the thumb of a corrupt system that has left millions of young adults jobless and instilled a sense of hopelessness for the future say Wharton faculty and other observers. Yet much-needed reforms will take many years to unfold they add and their success will depend in part on how military leaders want events to play out. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Feb 02, 2011•20 min
Wharton management professor Michael Useem joined heads of state politicians CEOs celebrities and others at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland where he says the mood seemed to be one of muted optimism. But as he points out there was also a recognition of how much still needs to be done to prevent the kinds of catastrophes -- both natural and created -- that changed the lives of so many individuals over the past two years. Useem director of Wharton’s Center for Leadership and C...
Feb 02, 2011•14 min
Starbucks has emerged over the last 20 years as one of the premier consumer brands in the world. Now the company has decided to give that brand a facelift by revamping its ubiquitous logo. While logo overhauls can successfully communicate a company’s evolution and growth they can also trigger a backlash among loyal customers. In the case of Starbucks the new logo highlights a strategic shift for the company but has sparked criticism from outspoken fans as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...
Feb 02, 2011•14 min
Just six months after paying a record $550 million to settle a federal fraud case Goldman Sachs finds itself in a new controversy over an investment in Facebook the social networking site. Some critics say the deal was designed to skirt securities regulations and is marred by conflict of interest while others argue that this type of investment puts taxpayers at risk since Goldman can support its business with cheap government loans. Wharton faculty and other experts weigh in. Hosted on Acast. Se...
Jan 19, 2011•15 min
The talk coming out of the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit (which opened on January 10 and closes on Sunday) was full of optimism about a turnaround for an industry that suffered a significant beating during the recent recession. The worldwide auto business emerging from the upheaval of recent years is much altered with several brands changing hands and manufacturers like General Motors and Chrysler restructuring after government bailouts and bankruptcy filings. In an inte...
Jan 19, 2011•27 min
Spain is struggling with the highest unemployment rate in Western Europe as well as soaring national debt and a pension shortfall that make many people wonder if the region’s fifth-largest economy will require a bailout similar to those granted to Greece and Ireland. Yet despite these challenges the solution to the country’s problems -- according to former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar who recently spoke at Wharton -- is fairly simple: more fiscal discipline. Hosted on Acast. See acast...
Jan 19, 2011•13 min
What exactly is the relationship between money and happiness? It’s a difficult question to pin down experts say. While more money may make us happier other considerations -- such as whether you live in an economically advanced country and how you think about your time -- also play into the equation. An increasing number of economists sociologists and psychologists are now working in the field and most agree that there is a strong link between a country’s level of economic development and the hap...
Jan 19, 2011•18 min
For more than 40 years Harold Evans has been a giant figure in the world of print on both sides of the Atlantic. Starting out as a 16-year-old cub reporter in the north of England Evans was still in his late 30s when he was named editor of The Sunday Times of London in 1967 for what turned out to be a 14-year reign. In 1984 he moved to the United States taking top jobs in magazines and book publishing before deciding to concentrate on writing books. Knowledge at Whartonspoke recently with Evans ...
Jan 12, 2011•55 min
Freddie Mac the government-supported mortgage finance company taken over by the government 18 months ago along with Fannie Mae is waiting for the Obama administration to come up with a plan that will revamp the two agencies along with the whole area of housing finance. Waiting in the wings to implement that plan is Charles ”Ed” Haldeman Jr. who was appointed CEO of Freddie Mac last July and has already moved ahead with a strategy to revive the somewhat demoralized 6 000-employee agency. During a...
Jan 11, 2011•24 min
According to Wharton experts the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is a good start toward future financial stability but they warn that significant concerns remain unaddressed and stress that the details of implementation must be handled carefully to avoid creating new problems. ”I don’t think there’s a full appreciation of the major transformation of the financial structure that is upon us ” one faculty member says. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...
Jan 11, 2011•14 min
Now a billion dollar company Under Armour began with a single product -- a form-fitting moisture-wicking shirt that founder and CEO Kevin Plank developed to remedy his own problems with perspiration after a long day on the football field. At a recent presentation co-sponsored by the Wharton Leadership Lectures and the Jay H. Baker Retailing Initiative Plank discussed the company’s growth trajectory and shared the principles and slogans that guide him in his efforts to build ”the biggest baddest ...
Jan 05, 2011•10 min
Technology is transforming the world of philanthropy in ways that should ultimately give a voice to those people whom the charities aim to help according to Mari Kuraishi co-founder and president of GlobalGiving a nonprofit that connects donors with groups that manage charitable projects via the web. In a keynote speech at the recent Wharton Social Impact Conference Kuraishi outlined the ways in which organizations are becoming more effective and shared insights from the sometimes tough lessons ...
Jan 05, 2011•12 min
After nearly 20 years in the hospitality industry Wyndham Worldwide chairman and CEO Stephen Holmes says he has seen several ”shifts” in the sector -- from the way that consumers plan their vacations to what they expect to find when they stay at a hotel. The most recent catalyst for change has been the global economic downturn. Wyndham -- one of the world’s largest hospitality companies -- has weathered that storm and has actually grown since the recession began. In an interview with Knowledge a...
Jan 05, 2011•26 min
These should be heady times for Jim Goodnight founder and CEO of SAS Institute an analytics software and services firm. His company bucked the economic downturn to make 2009 its third most profitable year on record and it is currently working on cutting-edge solutions to problems that range from advising Macy’s on product pricing to tracking a handful of endangered hippos in Africa. But during a recent presentation at Wharton Goodnight noted that his biggest priority these days is helping Americ...
Jan 05, 2011•23 min
Patience was the quality that best served LG Electronics during its seemingly rapid transformation from a relatively obscure maker of commodity goods to a premium brand. During a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture Michael Ahn who guided the branding effort for LG Electronics North America before stepping down as the group’s president and CEO last year described how the Korea-based company -- after four decades of marketing low-cost products under the Goldstar name -- successfully went upscale as ...
Jan 05, 2011•20 min
Julian Assange the Australian founder of WikiLeaks the controversial website that has been posting classified government documents is now being held without bail in the U.K. awaiting extradition to Sweden on a rape charge. But sensational news aside his site’s recent release of confidential U.S. State Department cables has opened up a fundamental debate over privacy of information versus public access on the open web. It also has implications for businesses and corporations with sensitive inform...
Dec 08, 2010•13 min
Once defined by the red envelopes used to deliver DVDs for its mail order service Netflix has turned its focus toward allowing subscribers to stream movies and other programming directly to their computers and television sets. The move has reaped rewards including an increasing customer base but created friction with the entertainment and technology companies Netflix competes with -- and in many cases relies on for gaining access to content. Wharton marketing professors Peter Fader and Raghuram ...
Dec 08, 2010•17 min
Hopes for an accelerated economic recovery in the United States were dealt a blow last week by a dismal jobs report for November -- including an unexpected rise in the unemployment rate. This news adds more fuel to the growing feeling among many economists that it will likely be several years before the jobless rate falls to what is considered a normal level. The continued atmosphere of uncertainty experts say has potential long-term consequences for businesses and employees alike. Hosted on Aca...
Dec 08, 2010•16 min
A ”cowboy”-like confidence propelled UBS Americas CEO Robert Wolf from the football field to Wall Street and up the leadership chain. But much like the industry that supported his 26-year rise Wolf has discovered that brazen bravado has its limits. During a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture Wolf discussed his career in the banking industry why he is stepping down from his current role and why Wall Street is better off now than it was before the crisis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for ...
Dec 08, 2010•23 min
After years of declining market share and unprofitability -- and a multi-million dollar bailout by the United States government -- General Motors is once again a publicly held company. The automaker which raised some $20 billion through last week’s initial public offering is on sounder footing than it has been in years. Yet the new GM still must compete in a tough global market. So the question remains: Can the new GM perform better than the old GM? Knowledge at Wharton posed this question and o...
Nov 23, 2010•20 min
