Stay ConnectedThe Knowledge at Wharton feed features standout episodes from across the Wharton Podcast Network. Discover timely conversations and expert insights on business, markets, leadership, innovation, and the forces shaping the global economy.
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Copyright: © 2013 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
Private equity firms manage some $1 trillion of global capital yet because they are highly secretive much remains unknown about their internal economics. How do PE firms organize themselves for example and how do they capitalize on their success? Some answers emerge from a paper by Wharton finance professor Ayako Yasuda and Yale School of Management finance professor Andrew Metrick presented at a recent Wharton conference sponsored by the Weiss Center for International Financial Research.
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Joe Kraus director of product management at Google believes every killer app on the web -- instant messaging e-mail blogging photo-sharing -- has succeeded because it helps people connect with one another. For Kraus this means the Internet has an inherently social character but it can be enhanced further. Wharton legal studies professor Kevin Werbach spoke with Kraus recently about the socialization of the Internet. Kraus will speak about social computing at the Supernova conference in San Francisco on June 16.
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Where to locate a new headquarters how to close a supply-chain loop how to anticipate customer demands: These are all decisions that companies must wrestle with as they respond to increasing concerns about global warming. Given the rush to be environmentally friendly where do companies turn for dependable information and good advice? Wharton faculty and other experts say companies have to rely on a combination of internal and external resources as they try not only to manage the risks of climate change but also to gain a competitive edge.
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Marshall L. Fisher director of Wharton’s Fishman-Davidson Center for Service and Operations Management has been researching issues related to retail supply chain strategy for many years. In this interview Fisher highlights some of the challenges facing global procurement and he discusses the example of Luen Thai a Chinese company that built a giant ”supply-chain city ” becoming a one-stop shop for clothing manufacturers looking to outsource to low-cost producers.
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Procurement has become an integral part of corporate performance and is drawing increased attention from senior management. In this interview Andreas Gocke a BCG partner and managing director spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about the most critical challenges facing procurement organizations over the next five to 10 years including training and employee development managing global sourcing offices and ensuring collaboration across corporate departments.
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Procurement has taken on greater strategic importance in multinational companies in recent years -- and it will assume even greater significance in the years to come according to Hal Sirkin senior partner and managing director at The Boston Consulting Group and global leader of BCG’s operations practice. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Sirkin discusses procurement in the context of global business and the ways in which companies from rapidly developing economies are challenging traditional multinationals.
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Memorial Day which marks the beginning of the summer driving season in the U.S. saw gas prices at nearly $4 a gallon all over the country -- and even higher in states such as Florida. Globally the picture looks more worrisome: Oil prices crossed a record $135 a barrel during the weekend of May 24-25 although by Tuesday prices had come down to $131. What’s behind these regular flare-ups in oil prices? What are the major economic and geopolitical factors at work? How does expensive oil affect the U.S. and world markets and what can we expect over the coming months? Knowledge at Wharton discussed these questions and more with finance professor Jeremy Siegel author of The Future for Investors and management professor Witold Henisz.
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Middle managers are often referred to as the ”glue” that holds companies together bridging the gap between the top management team and lower level workers. They implement strategy and organizational changes keeping workers engaged during both good times and bad. Yet according to a recent survey of middle managers around the world 20% report dissatisfaction with their current organization and that same percentage report that they are looking for another job. How do middle managers fare in an uncertain economy and what should companies be doing to keep them happy?
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Credit market turmoil is altering the global playing field in buyouts and acquisitions a field rife with complaints in recent years about too much money chasing too few good deals. The credit shortage puts pressure on pricing and transactional quality while also giving public companies a better shot at acquisitions that the more aggressive private equity firms might previously have snatched away. These are some practical implications of a paper presented at a recent Wharton conference sponsored by the Weiss Center for International Financial Research. The paper documents the pricing anomalies that have characterized private equity transactions in recent years. Chief among them: The greater the leverage applied to a deal the greater the price it has tended to command.
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Just a year ago ethanol was the renewable fuel of the moment. Derived mostly from corn grown in America’s heartland it was promoted as a home-grown ticket to energy independence for the U.S. and other oil-importing nations. Today however ethanol’s prospects look somewhat cloudy. Critics around the world are crying foul over rising food prices while others say that it takes more resources to create ethanol than the alternative fuel provides. According to experts at Wharton and elsewhere ethanol underscores the hazards involved in the development of any new energy source where failure to understand the broader impact of production can result in unintended consequences.
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