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
Troubles in the subprime mortgage industry seem to be spreading. The stock market is in turmoil. Alan Greenspan and others say the economy is being hurt. Consumer groups predict that up to two million Americans will lose their homes. Should the government do something? A growing list of people say it should from Democratic senators Christopher Dodd and Hillary Clinton to a string of advocates for the poor. But Wharton faculty including those who have studied the mortgage market and past government bailouts aren’t convinced.
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Climate change. Middle East instability. International terrorism. Oil price shocks. Weapons of mass destruction. The world is fast becoming a riskier place and the days of wait-and-see are no longer an option says the World Economic Forum’s recently released Global Risks 2007 report. The report published in cooperation with Wharton’s Risk Management and Decision Processes Center identifies 23 core risks -- most of which have worsened over the last year despite growing awareness of their consequences. It also underscores a growing disconnect between the power of these risks to disrupt the world and our ability to mitigate them.
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If you go to Amazon.com and search for books about venture capital you get 14 114 responses which include many text books. Andrew Metrick a professor of finance at Wharton has just written a new book on the subject titled Venture Capital and the Finance of Innovation. Unlike the thousands of other books though this one offers a different approach especially in areas such as valuing startup companies and IPOs by bridging the gap between finance fundamentals and venture capital practice. Knowledge at Wharton spoke to Metrick about his new book and also about the increasing power and presence of hedge funds.
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The announcement that Halliburton the Houston Tex.-based oil services company was moving its headquarters to Dubai may have surprised many Americans. But for people in Dubai it simply ratified decades of hard work. Led by the billionaire known today as ”Dubai’s CEO ” Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Dubai’s ruling family has invested heavily in the infrastructure of a modern economy. So far their efforts have been impressive although observers warn of a possible real estate bubble among other concerns.
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If everything you knew about office life came from NBC’s serial mockumentary ”The Office ” you would be forgiven for thinking romance is the main spice of workplace life. Yet the hit show confirms with satire what recent studies have demonstrated with numbers: Romances shape office life and human resource departments don’t have much to say about it. But given the potential fallout from workplace relationships companies retreat on this issue at their own risk suggest a number of experts. As one HR professional puts it: ”There is a feeling of resignation among HR people. Mostly they close their eyes and hope for the best.”
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Throughout its 25-year history Adobe Systems has introduced a series of innovations that the company has turned into successful commercial products -- from its PostScript printer language to leading software applications like Illustrator Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat. Now Adobe may be poised to transform the next generation of web technologies. How does Adobe remain innovative? Can innovation be systematically sustained? How does the company organize its exploration of new technologies? Knowledge at Wharton recently spoke with Adobe senior vice president and chief software architect Tom Malloy to learn how Adobe has sustained innovation for two and a half decades.
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Free gourmet food 24-hour gym yoga classes in-house doctor on-site haircuts dry cleaner nutritionist swimming pool ... .These are just some of the perks Google -- and many other organizations -- offer employees. Companies have their reasons of course: They want to attract and retain the best knowledge-workers they can help them work long hours by feeding them gourmet meals on-site and handling time-consuming personal chores and show them that they are valued members of the team. But as Wharton faculty point out there may be a potential downside to all this largesse.
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Verizon is betting billions of dollars on a new fiber-optic network that could transform it from a telephone company to a cutting-edge technology player. If the strategy works the company could leapfrog over rivals such as AT&T and Comcast by offering faster Internet service and potentially richer video on demand. But if Verizon’s fast network fails to entice consumers the company will have created a multi-billion-dollar boondoggle. Wharton faculty and others examine the two different scenarios.
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The Economist called it ”a snort from a dragon’s nostrils.” At the end of February as China’s stock market index fell by more than 8% stock markets tumbled around the globe in their steepest decline since the attacks on September 11 2001. Adding to the anxiety were concerns about a possible shakeout in the U.S. sub-prime mortgage market and former chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan’s comment that the U.S. economy could face a recession. Since then markets have recovered only to drop again and then climb once more. What is causing this volatility and what does it mean for investors? Knowledge at Wharton asked for comments from Wharton finance professor Jeremy Siegel whom we spoke with first and Wharton management professor Marshall Meyer who closely follows China’s economy.
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Viacom and CBS have pulled videos from Google’s YouTube. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently requested that some Oscar footage be taken down from YouTube as well. And Google’s efforts to sell radio and print advertising have not met expectations. In short Google’s ability to navigate the traditional media landscape doesn’t seem to be going particularly well. What’s the problem? While Google has the resources to create deals with content companies it still must contend with a number of confounding crosscurrents including content owners’ concerns over intellectual property and a clash of advertising models.
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