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Copyright: © 2013 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
High-tech e-book gadgets are one thing that is revolutionizing publishing. If companies like Silicon Valley startup FastPencil get their way social-networking-based self-publishing services will be another. FastPencil is what CEO Steve Wilson calls a ”next-gen” publisher which uses social networking and an arsenal of widgets to take authors through their book projects from the drawing board to the bookshelf potentially for as little as $10. In a recent interview with Knowledge at Wharton Wilson discussed how FastPencil’s motto -- ”Write once publish anywhere” -- is turning traditional book publishing on its head.
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When microfinance began its scope was simple: Charitable donor-driven organizations with a mission to eliminate poverty gave out very small business loans to help the world’s poor. Big banks -- deeming the loans too small to be profitable -- steered clear. That is now changing said microfinance leaders who gathered recently at Wharton’s Aresty Institute of Executive Education to participate in the Women’s World Banking Advanced Leadership Workshop. Banks realizing there is money to be made at the bottom of the pyramid are entering microfinance markets they previously ignored. One of their most immediate needs: loan officers and branch managers with knowledge of the field.
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America’s health care reform may be out of the emergency room but its prognosis remains sketchy. Passage of the historic 2 400-page legislation by no means ended the health care debate say Wharton experts: It just splintered one massive question mark into a lot of new big ones. As one Wharton professor noted: ”The current legislation is going to be in play for a good long time.” But he also pointed out that the bill offers new business opportunities in such areas as medical information technology education and methods of delivery. (Video with transcripts)
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”Dire” is one adjective that Linda Katz founder and executive director of Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) uses to describe the U.S. education system which is leaving an increasingly high number of children without adequate reading and writing skills. For more than 20 years CLI has been working with school systems across the country to overhaul how teachers are trained hired and mentored. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Katz discusses not only why classroom teaching is broken and what can be done about it but also the secret to helping kids learn to love reading.
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After discovering that hackers based in China had broken into the Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights advocates Google halted operation of its Internet search engine on the Chinese mainland earlier this month and started directing users to its Hong Kong site. On March 29 Chinese officials retaliated by blocking some of Google’s mobile Internet services. While conflict may have seemed inevitable what does it mean for Google’s long-term plans for operating in China? And what lessons can other multinationals learn as this story plays out? Knowledge at Wharton asked Wharton management professor Marshall Meyer and marketing professor John Zhang these and other questions.
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The Sweet Sixteen the Elite Eight the Final Four: It’s that time of year again when college basketball fans everywhere are betting on who will win this year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. But forget the fans. The big winners in terms of money are spread all over the playing field from the network broadcasting the games to the ticket sellers to the colleges that attract the players. How did the NCAA get to be such a money-making powerhouse?
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Just when consumers thought they had their 3G wireless gadgets all figured out it’s now time to start getting a grip on the fourth generation of wireless technology -- which will be much faster and far more disruptive than anything we have experienced before according to Scott Snyder in his recent Wharton School Publishing book titled The New World of Wireless: How to Compete in the 4G Revolution. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Snyder who is president and COO of consulting firm Decision Strategies International predicts 4G will revolutionize the way we work and play by creating ”one giant wireless ecosystem” that buzzes with innovation.
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Fear is growing that Greece may default on a massive pile of debt creating a ripple effect of problems throughout Europe and beyond. Following pressure from the European Union and the European Central Bank the Greek government on March 3 announced a new round of austerity measures that include spending cuts and tax increases which critics fear will harm Greece’s economy. Meanwhile Wall Street banks are facing scrutiny for the complex financial instruments they used to allegedly disguise the country’s real debt. What caused Greece’s debt problem to spin out of control? And what steps should it take to remedy the situation? Wharton finance professors Richard Herring and Itay Goldstein weigh in.
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While some students may be using notebooks or netbooks to read textbooks these days some experts predict that within the next 10 years most U.S. college students -- and many high-school and elementary-school students as well -- will probably be reading course materials on an electronic device instead of in a paper book. And that will have a broad impact on students and teachers not to mention the $9.9 billion textbook-publishing business.
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Last fall after losing previous bids Rio de Janeiro -- Brazil’s second-largest city -- won the approval of the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. According to Carlos Roberto Osorio secretary general of the Brazilian Olympic Committee this time around Rio had learned from its earlier failed bids and had the success of hosting the 2007 Pan American Games under its belt. That combined with Brazil’s ”special circumstances” of economic stability amid the global downturn helped it to beat out rival cities. In an interview with Wharton professors Felipe Monteiro and Ken Shropshire Osorio discussed the winning bid and the challenges that lie ahead.
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