Knowledge at Wharton

What’s in a name? Plenty when you’re an entrepreneur starting up a new business says Tayeb Kamali who recalls the struggle to convince others in the early days of the Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) that the United Arab Emirates’ new government-sponsored university needed a name that would be associated with leading-edge education in the Arab region. However as HCT’s Abu Dhabi-based vice chancellor explains in an interview with Knowledge at Wharton that particular challenge was short-lived given the rapid recognition -- in academia and industry -- of the growing importance that the Internet and other technologies have in developing future generations of global business leaders.

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Economic progress ethics and social entrepreneurship are three themes that have long had a place on the agenda of the World Economic Forum (WEF) well before phrases like ”subprime lending” had crossed the lips of bankers and Wall Street investors. But how can these and other global topics remain relevant during today’s market turbulence? To answer that question Knoweldge@Wharton spoke with Gilbert Probst WEF managing director and dean of the Geneva-based non-profit think tank’s Global Leadership Fellows program; Tiffany West associate director and Global Leadership Fellow Program Development team; and Ana Karinna Sepulveda project manager for the WEF’s Global Education Initiative.

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Following a high-profile career in finance in which he became one of the first well-known hedge fund managers Michael Steinhardt began the Taglit-Birthright Israel program a philanthropic enterprise which has provided free 10-day trips to Israel for some 220 000 Jewish youth to learn more about their heritage. Steinhardt spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about how the program helps to improve the country’s image and the challenges of what he calls a deteriorating educational system in Israel -- marked by a brain drain in higher education. Steinhardt also discussed the country’s culture of business innovation and how deep democratic roots can sometimes slow progress.

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Anyone who follows current events sees images of Israel that suggest a country defined by conflict and violence. Yet Israel has also made substantial contributions to the global marketplace in such industries as technology and medicine. The challenge for Israel going forward is to make the world more aware of its hospitable business environment. Marketing professor Yoram (Jerry) Wind and David Pottruck former CEO of Charles Schwab & Co. and now chairman and CEO of Red Eagle Ventures talked with Knowledge at Wharton about steps Israel can take to improve its image.

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According to Wharton finance professor Richard J. Herring more than half of the lending to households over the last five to six years ”has come from the securitization market not from banks’ balance sheets.” For that reason Herring and Allen Levinson founder and principal of Credit Risk Advisors say that the Obama administration’s efforts to resuscitate the ailing economy should be focused not only on restoring bank lending but also on enabling ”the flow of securitizations.” This can be accomplished through the establishment of a private-sector oversight committee that ”reflects the full range of stakeholders in the securitization process” -- a market-based solution costing taxpayers nothing they argue.

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Why is Hollywood in love with tried-and-true sequels and established franchises rather than producing original scripts? According to Wharton faculty the industry’s embrace of the sequel is an attempt to minimize its risk during an uncertain time when the motion picture business finds its usual sources of funding and revenues under pressure from the recession. ”If studio [executives] launch a movie where ... the merchandizing channels already exist they are less likely to walk into a big box office disaster which could bury them financially when they can least afford it ” says one expert.

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From California to Connecticut the global recession has squeezed state finances forcing many state governments to slash services raise taxes or find unusually creative ways to close the gap. According to experts the widespread budget shortfalls -- expected to continue through at least 2011 -- threaten to put a drag on the nation’s economic recovery and undermine President Obama’s stimulus plan. ”The states aren’t really playing the game like Obama hoped they would ” says one Wharton finance professor.

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Ford reported its first sales gain in 20 months thanks to the U.S. government’s ”cash for clunkers” rebate program that gives consumers a rebate of up to $4 500 to trade in older cars for new and more fuel-efficient models. Other manufacturers said their continuing sales declines would have been worse without the program. All in all the officially named Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) provided taxpayers with a good return on their investment Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie says in an interview with Knowledge at Wharton. But he adds the auto industry -- most notably GM and Toyota -- have a lot of work to do to prepare for a marketplace transformed by the financial crisis and growing demand for fuel efficiency.

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Early reports show that Microsoft’s new search engine Bing has managed to draw more users than its predecessor Live Search. According to Wharton faculty however  while Microsoft’s campaign to promote Bing has been successful so far it is unclear whether its well-funded effort will make significant inroads in a market dominated by Google. On the other hand they believe the campaign helped pressure Yahoo into an important partnership agreement after months of fitful negotiations.

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In separate interviews Wharton finance professors Franklin Allen and Jeremy J. Siegel offered contrasting reactions to the large second-quarter profits at Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan. Allen said that while the firms’ quarterly results reflected overall gains on Wall Street  ”by and large you can’t make large sums of money without taking risks.” He worries that the government’s intervention in the financial sector last fall which benefitted these firms and others created an environment of moral hazard. Siegel was less concerned about this issue noting that ”both these firms now have a lot to lose after having recovered a lot.”

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