Guests: Sergey Naumov and Suvrat Dhanorkar, Assistant Professors of Supply Chain Management.

The landscape of transportation in America has changed dramatically in recent years thanks to innovations like AI-powered ride hailing and ride sharing platforms, and the potential promised by automated vehicles (AVs). But what are the real implications of these new technologies and how will they impact the growing traffic congestion in cities across the country?

Guests: Akhil Kumar, Professor of Supply Chain and Information Systems and Joe Atkinson, Vice Chair, US Chief Products and Technology Officer, PwC.

The speed at which Artificial Intelligence is evolving has left many struggling to comprehend its many implications and opportunities – especially in the world of business. What is AI? What does it mean for the world of business? And how are leading organizations taking advantage of its potential to increase efficiencies, stimulate growth, and positively impact strategy?

Guests: Jeanette Miller, Assistant Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship; Ryan K. Brown, DEI Program Manager, Johnson & Johnson and Chief Operating Officer, We Are Wonderfully Made LLC; and Dana Wilson, CEO & Founder of CHIP, Speaker at Dana Disrupts, LLC.

Entrepreneurship can be an exciting and transformative space. However, connecting with entrepreneurs and funding sources can be difficult to access, particularly for underrepresented and minority groups. In this two-part discussion, we’ll examine some of the roadblocks that exist for underrepresented groups, how they can be overcome, and the impact that can have on individuals, ideas, and businesses.

Guests: Jeanette Miller, Assistant Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship; Ryan K. Brown, DEI Program Manager, Johnson & Johnson and Chief Operating Officer, We Are Wonderfully Made LLC; and Dana Wilson, CEO & Founder of CHIP, Speaker at Dana Disrupts, LLC.

Entrepreneurship can be an exciting and transformative space. However, connecting with entrepreneurs and funding sources can be difficult to access, particularly for underrepresented and minority groups. In this two-part discussion, we’ll examine some of the roadblocks that exist for underrepresented groups, how they can be overcome, and the impact that can have on individuals, ideas, and businesses.

Guest: Wael Jabr, Assistant Professor of Supply Chain and Information Systems. 

Few would disagree that social media have reshaped how individuals and companies connect with their stakeholders, but also the public's opinions on everything from brands, products, and even politics. In this episode, we’ll examine the impact of social media on the economic and political landscape here in the U.S. and around the world. What is the current state of the “platform economy,” in which a small group of social media companies control the distribution of information to the masses? How have these channels leveled the playing field for smaller brands to gain a foothold in the marketplace? Who are social media influencers, and how are they shaping consumer behavior and public opinion?

Guests: Jiro Yoshida, Professor of Risk Management and Claudia Steeb, Senior Managing Director, JLL Capital. 

Sinking demand for office space, an elevated interest rate market. This is spelling disaster for many commercial real estate properties and projects. This conversation centers on the trillion-dollar commercial real estate market and its impact on the broader economy and financial system. What do we need to know? 

Guests: Vilmos Misangyi, professor of Strategic Management, Chair, Department of Management and Organization and John Geller, CEO and President, Marriot Vacations Worldwide. 

According to the CEO Genome Project, there are more than 6 million CEOs of companies in America today. Overall, they took an average of 24 years to move from their first job to the chief executive’s office. What does it take to get there? How do some accelerate their career trajectories? And what are the educational, professional and personal choices that they make along the way? 

Guest: Brent Ambrose, Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate and Director of the Penn State Institute for Real Estate Studies. 

Race Discrimination can take many forms. Brent Ambrose, Jason and Julie Borrelli Faculty Chair in Real Estate and director of the Penn State Institute for Real Estate Studies recently collaborated in a study to understand pricing disparities in mortgage contracts. The paper — “Does Borrower and Broker Race Affect the Cost of Mortgage Credit?” — examines both the race and ethnicity of brokers and borrowers that took part in obtaining a mortgage to see if brokers were potentially charging different fees to different borrowers.

Guest: Tom Buday, former head of marketing and consumer communication for Nestle. 

Virgin CEO Richard Branson once predicted that “the brands that will thrive in the coming years are the ones that have a purpose beyond profit.” Penn State Smeal College of Business marketing graduate Tom Buday and his wife, Linda, agree, and they have made a gift to endow a fund at Smeal to prepare marketing leaders to create and “look after” purposeful brands in the future. What are purposeful brands? How is it different from cause-related marketing and what are some relevant, real-life case studies? We’ll explore these questions and more in this episode.

The second season of the Penn State Smeal College of Business Better Business Podcast features faculty, alumni, and guests discussing the issues and challenges of today's business world.