Knowledge at Wharton

Pico Iyer -- essayist author and thinker -- has a unique perspective on many things. His physical domain ranges from California (where he lived as a child) and England (where he studied) to Cuba North Korea and Ethiopia (which he visited) and Japan (where he resides). His mental domain knows no limiting boundaries. In this interview with Wharton associate dean Deirdre Woods and Knowledge at Wharto...

On March 1 Google plans to toss out more than 60 different privacy policies and consolidate its services under a single set of guidelines. The harmonization will remove separation between Google products meaning that the company will be able to use data it collects from users in one area across all of its platforms. While this move has sparked concerns about privacy Wharton experts note that it al...

In the new world of work 5:30 p.m. is far from the end of the day. Smartphones and laptop computers -- devices that ostensibly enable us to work faster more efficiently and more flexibly -- have become 24/7 intravenous hookups to our jobs. Fearing employee burnout from being ”always on ” a number of firms have recently instituted initiatives requiring workers to take breaks and switch off their ga...

The Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act bills aimed at curbing Internet piracy sparked polarizing debate including some websites going dark in protest. Both pieces of legislation have been shelved but the core issues remain unresolved. The overriding question is how to regulate the Internet enough to protect intellectual property while not violating individual freedoms and curbing innova...

When new technologies change the world some companies are caught off-guard. Others see change coming and are able to adapt in time. And then there are companies like Kodak -- which saw the future and simply couldn’t figure out what to do. Kodak’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing on January 19 culminates a long series of missteps including a fear of introducing new technologies that would disrupt its h...

As economic malaise bleeds into another New Year many employers are making hard-nosed decisions about benefits and compensation. That means salaries remain flat health care premiums are up the 401(k) match has disappeared and bonuses are smaller or nonexistent. The result not surprisingly is a dissatisfied workforce. Yet as Wharton professors and other experts warn excess frugality on employers’ p...

When Scott Thompson was named Yahoo’s new CEO effective January 9 he became the fourth person in five years to take charge of the ailing Internet giant. Experts at Wharton say that Thompson who was previously president of eBay’s PayPal unit might be Yahoo’s last hope for becoming relevant again as a player in online display advertising a market which the media company once dominated. But his main...

As far as a legacy goes says IBM chairman Sam Palmisano ”I just want to leave the company better than I found it.” Judging by IBM’s successes over the past decade Palmisano who was CEO of IBM until he stepped down earlier this month did just that. During an interview with Wharton management professor Michael Useem Palmisano discussed the sale of the company’s personal computer business the Pricewa...

Recent high-profile scandals at Penn State MF Global Holdings Olympus and elsewhere raise questions about why organizations often fail to address significant internal problems that at best impede performance and at worst could have devastating effects. In hindsight especially to observers it is clear what should have been done. But for employees exposing such problems is more complicated than tell...

What makes a great leader? At a recent event the seven winners of this year’s Top American Leaders Award from the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School and Washington Post Live shared personal observations on how they came by the passion that inspires their work -- and on what irks them about public life. Common in all their views is that leadership is about serving more than on...

If large parts of Europe fall into a recession as many experts are predicting it is likely to have negative although varied effects on economies around the world. As European leaders hammer out yet another package of solutions this week Wharton faculty weigh in on the impact of a eurozone recession as well as the pros and cons of the recovery measures that are up for debate. Hosted on Acast. See a...

Amazon will lose money on each Kindle Fire it sells. Sprint is not expected to turn a profit selling Apple’s iPhone for at least three years. Both companies are banking on customer lifetime value (CLV) a marketing formula based on the idea of spending money up front to gain customers whose loyalty will reap rewards over the long term. The model is becoming more and more popular among technology co...

While millions of people have read Malcolm Gladwell’s books his ideas have had particular resonance with today’s business leaders. Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli and Gladwell were just named to HR Magazine’s Top 20 Most Influential International Thinkers of 2011.Cappelli spoke with Gladwell by phone about why Gladwell is an ”academic groupie ” the inconvenient truths that can spring f...

To its advocates the idea is a no-brainer: Charge a tiny tax on each stock bond or derivative trade to raise badly needed revenue discourage dangerous short-term speculation and make Wall Street help clean up its own mess. But critics of the financial transaction tax concept say that it would actually make markets less efficient hurting ordinary investors by raising costs. Wharton faculty and inve...

The value of a college education is under attack. While more U.S. students are enrolled than ever before a perfect storm of soaring costs rising student debt and shrinking job prospects have led more and more critics to challenge whether college remains a worthwhile investment for students. Knowledge at Wharton spoke to experts at Wharton and elsewhere to examine both sides of a debate that is gro...

The death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs jolted the tech industry and prompted questions about where the visionary company goes from here. With Tim Cook now at the helm the company is expected to shift from a focus on one figure at the top to more of a team approach. But can Apple sustain the culture of innovation that Jobs cultivated -- and continue its string of hits in an increasingly crowded m...

While the decision to register as an organ donor is a difficult one no one can dispute the tremendous need for such donors. Approximately 110 000 people in the U.S. are waiting for organ transplants and the donation rate in some states is as low as 7%. Against this backdrop Wharton professor Judd Kessler and a co-researcher set out to see whether a change in the system -- one that gives priority o...

Is the tax system in the United States fair? It’s a question brought to the forefront by President Obama’s call for a ”Buffett Rule” (named for legendary investor Warren Buffett) to make sure the wealthy pay a percentage of income in taxes at least as large as that paid by the middle class. Opponents say raising taxes on the wealthy is unfair because the rich already pay far more in actual dollars...

With millions of people looking for employment the workplace these days is an increasingly unhealthy environment for those who still have and are trying to keep their jobs. One key reason -- a stagnant economy that reduces the leverage employees have when they attempt to negotiate improved working conditions move up in their organization or find better jobs outside the company. What can employees...

Warning signs are flashing red. Bond markets are projecting a 98% chance of default on Greece’s debt. Stock prices for French banks heavily invested in that debt have plunged 10% in recent days. Has the European debt crisis hit the breaking point with Greece -- and perhaps others -- soon to exit the eurozone? Or will officials once more cobble together new agreements that keep Greece in the club a...

Most stock market experts believe shareholder input is good because it presses managers to do their best to maximize returns. But how does liquidity -- the availability of shares to buy and sell -- affect that shareholder involvement? ”It’s something that has inspired both academic debate and policy debate ” says Wharton finance professor Alex Edmans who has co-authored a paper on how liquidity af...

Ten years ago on September 11 2001 New York City Fire Department Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer saw the first aircraft hit the World Trade Center’s North Tower and radioed the alarm the first FDNY fire chief to take command. Today Pfeifer is the New York City Fire Department’s Chief of Counterterrorism and Emergency Preparedness and a Citywide Command Chief. Wharton management professor Michael Us...

It’s been a month of seismic change for the tech sector. Hewlett-Packard the largest computer and printer maker in the world may begin to transition away from hardware by jettisoning its PC division. Meanwhile Apple is facing the end of an era with the announcement that visionary leader Steve Jobs is relinquishing his role as CEO. Knowledge at Wharton asked Wharton management professors Saikat Cha...

South Africa occupies a unique position on a continent that is undergoing a boom. The country is an economic bridge that pairs Western investors with burgeoning business opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa and it is also a source of ideas for other developing countries eager to learn how a fledgling democracy can work in the wake of a trying past. Knowledge at Wharton spoke with South Africa’s amb...

At the core of the new trend of ”collaborative consumption” is the idea that technologies like the Internet and smartphones can help consumers monetize assets that they own -- their home or car for example -- in ways that were previously difficult or downright impossible. But as these services grow in popularity they face challenges not the least of which is the ability to ensure the safety and se...