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
The toughest leadership task for Dieter Zetsche chairman of the board of management of Daimler AG and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars was engineering last year’s breakup of Daimler and Chrysler. But the experience taught him valuable lessons such as the importance of making timely decisions and the need to avoid information overload. Leadership Zetsche told his audience during a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture isn’t always ”fun and games.”
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Paper costs are rising mail rate hikes are looming and competition from new media continues to grow. Yet marketers’ use of direct mail and other printed materials is stronger than it’s been in years. Thanks to variable-data printing companies can now tap purchase-history databases to design create and print entirely personalized catalogs that cross-sell products and services to individual consumers. They can also combine print with other media in the evolving discipline known as cross-channel marketing. But whatever strategy a company adopts experts note the challenge is the same: Finding the right way to communicate with customers.
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Earlier this month Microsoft unveiled Silverlight 2 a platform akin to Adobe’s Flash designed to advance the software giant’s push into the arena of rich Internet applications. One week earlier Adobe Systems launched its ”Adobe Integrated Runtime ” which allows web programmers to move their software out of the browser and onto the computer’s desktop. Both companies hope to establish their software as the foundation for the next generation of software development. Spearheading Microsoft’s efforts is corporate vice president Scott Guthrie who spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about his company’s aspirations for Silverlight and the future of the web.
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Larry Kaiser chairman of the department of surgery and surgeon-in-chief for the University of Pennsylvania Health System is responsible for more than 110 surgeons in his own department and he leads one of the largest thoracic services in the country. Michael Useem director of Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management recently spoke with Kaiser about the challenges of playing a leadership role -- not just in a major medical center but also in a health care environment that has experienced radical changes over the last decade.
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Does the mortgage crisis demand a government bailout? A year ago most experts thought not. Sad as the situation was for some homeowners many felt the problem would be confined to those who had gambled on risky loans with eyes open. But things have changed. The mortgage crisis is behind a nationwide drop in home values that is impeding all types of lending. More and more experts now say some sort of government response is necessary to avert a prolonged recession. But what kind of bailout is affordable and fair?
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The term ”emerging markets” is now more than 25 years old and has come to define wide swaths of the world undergoing rapid economic change. Dozens of countries fall under the label even though they are evolving at their own pace and with their own twists on economic development. Now as many emerging markets show signs of a strong and growing middle-class population observers wonder whether the term has lost some of its meaning. What qualifies a country as ”emerging”? While some say measures based on income or other statistics are critical factors others place an increasing emphasis on the way business is conducted with rules that are transparent and apply equally to all participants.
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The U.S. presidential race has reached a critical juncture. The Republicans have a confirmed nominee in John McCain; as for the Democrats Hillary Clinton has bounced back while Barack Obama retains a marginal lead in terms of delegates. How the presidential race evolves will be shaped in part by the increasingly worrisome state of the U.S. economy. Though it has not yet gone through two consecutive quarters of negative growth -- the common definition of a recession -- signs of a slowdown are evident everywhere. What lies ahead for the U.S. and world economies? What is the right strategy for investors in this environment? Knowledge at Wharton discussed these questions and more with finance professor Jeremy Siegel author of The Future for Investors.
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As the price of wireless transmissions drops telecom carriers need to focus on new applications that will engage consumers more deeply with their mobile devices -- and encourage them to pay a premium for wireless services according to speakers at the recent Wharton Business Technology Conference whose theme was ”Enterprise Agility: Lead with Speed.”
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It would be hard enough under any circumstances to become the first outsider named to lead a 161-year-old global conglomerate but Peter Löscher faced a unique challenge last summer when he assumed the reins at Siemens AG -- the German-based engineering and healthcare giant. During a recent Wharton leadership lecture series Löscher openly acknowledged that his first and most difficult task was dealing with the aftermath of a scandal that included allegations of bribes to foreign governments and union leaders. In his presentation Löscher emphasized the importance of corporate culture and standards. Corruption he said at one point ”is not a sustainable business model.”
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Big buyout firms like the Blackstone Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts do headline-grabbing transactions and collect eye-popping paychecks. But when the economy slows down and lenders turn wary those mega-deals are the first to dry up. Meanwhile the modest middle market -- typically deals in the $500 million to $1 billion range -- keeps plugging along. In fact according to panelists at the 2008 Wharton Private Equity Conference middle-market investors are to some extent insulated from the current credit crisis and other economic ups and downs. ”We’re delighted with the credit crunch ” one speaker said.
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