Rupert Murdoch chairman and CEO of New York-based News Corp. has built a fortune on the scandals of others. Now at age 80 Murdoch finds himself at the center of his own ever-widening scandal one that threatens his hold on a $40 billion global media empire. According to Wharton faculty and other experts News Corp. needs to address its ethical issues at all levels of the organization -- not just the top rungs. Others note that no matter what happens to Murdoch or his business the scandal itself will cause a thorough reassessment of the boundaries of a free and fair press.

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Parag Khanna is a leading geo-strategist world traveler and author of the international bestseller The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order. Stephen J. Kobrin Wharton management professor and publisher of Wharton Digital Press recently spoke with Khanna about his latest book How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance.

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Recent hackings at Fox News Apple Citibank and even the CIA have drawn renewed attention to cyber security and accelerated the policy debate on how to protect critical information. The opportunity for cyber attacks grows daily as corporations and governments continue to amass information about individuals in complex networks across the Internet according to Wharton faculty and security analysts. Indeed notes one expert ”hacktivists” -- including those who break into networks not necessarily to steal money but for ideological reasons -- appear to be ramping up activity.

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As the economy flirts with a double-dip recession and cost-conscious companies hesitate to re-hire the workplace for many Americans has shifted away from crowded offices to a new world of solitary work. From freelancers to telecommuters to laid-off workers making do with temporary jobs an increasing number of Americans are reporting to work each day from a corner of their home a space in the garage or even a table at the local coffee shop. For some it’s a dream come true. But the transition isn’t smooth for everyone.

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Until recently most discussions of perks focused on what high-tech companies in Silicon Valley were offering their employees from free gourmet meals and yoga classes to massage therapy and auto detailing. But these days many companies are simultaneously trying to shake off the recession keep costs low retain valued employees and recruit talented new ones. Perks if designed well can help achieve these goals. 

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Donald N.S. Unger the author of Men Can: The Changing Image and Reality of Fatherhood in America and lecturer in the Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies at MIT writes about representations of men masculinity and fatherhood in popular culture. Just in time for Father’s Day Unger shares his thoughts with Knowledge at Wharton on the changing role of fatherhood.

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Are overconfident CEOs also more likely to be overly optimistic when issuing earnings forecasts? Does in-store marketing -- including a product’s location and visibility on store shelves -- make a difference? How does anxiety cripple efforts to negotiate a successful business deal? Wharton professors Holly Yang Wesley Hutchinson and Eric Bradlow and Maurice Schweitzer respectively examined these issues -- and what they mean for business -- in recent research papers.

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The latest economic reports show the U.S. recovery has faltered. But someday surely there will be a real recovery. What forces will drive that upturn? And will the healthy economy of the future look different from those of the past -- establishing a ”new normal?” Two intertwined factors are critical to any rebound according to many experts: Home prices must stop declining and begin to rise and consumers must spend more freely.

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The landscape for health care in the U.S. continues to shift since the Obama administration passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last year. Several questions remain unanswered including how to expand health coverage what are the potential minefields for doing so and what are the best ways to ensure that the system performs well. Meanwhile Americans are becoming increasingly unhealthy despite spending more on health care than any other nation. To address these issues Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Risa Lavizzo-Mourey president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation which focuses its efforts on improving the country’s health care. Lavizzo-Mourey will be a speaker at the upcoming Wharton Leadership Conference 2011 which will take place on June 22.

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Wharton management professor Ethan Mollick has a message for knowledge-based companies: Pay closer attention to your middle managers because they may have a greater impact on company performance than almost any other part of the organization. Mollick’s research based on an in-depth analysis of the computer game industry is presented in a new paper titled ”People and Process: Suits and Innovators: Individuals and Firm Performance.”

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