Knowledge at Wharton

The worldwide competition for bandwidth ”is like the space race where the winner will see benefits ... that will last for years to come ” according to Julius Genachowski chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In an interview with Wharton’s Kevin Werbach Genachowski says that while the U.S. is leading the world in terms of developing infrastructure for the next generation of mobile broadband the country faces ”some real challenges” in keeping ahead. (Video with transcript)

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Last week Spanish bank Banco Santander announced plans to use the recent strong financial performance of its Mexican unit as leverage to raise $4.3 billion in a stock offering -- the largest ever in Mexico’s history. Part of a longer-term expansion plan in Latin America the move is also designed to signal to financial markets that the bank has high growth potential outside of its troubled home markets in Spain and the eurozone. In an interview Wharton’s Mauro Guillen and Adrian Tschoegl authors of a book about the bank discuss how the deal fits in with Santander’s master plan. (Video with transcript)

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A California jury awarded Apple what could be a decisive victory in the smartphone wars last week by ruling that Samsung infringed on a number of patents relating to the functionality and design of the iPhone. Samsung plans to appeal but Apple is now calling for a ban on U.S. sales of some of the devices at issue in the case. Some observers believe the verdict might open the door for additional Apple lawsuits against other smartphone makers -- including Google. Wharton professors David Hsu and Andrea Matwyshyn discuss the key players the future of smartphone design and the U.S. patent system. (Podcast with transcript)

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Hugh Sinclair is the author of a new book titled Confessions of a Microfinance Heretic: How Microlending Lost Its Way and Betrayed the Poor in which he debunks the image of microfinance as a do-good industry committed to helping poor people create sustainable businesses. Instead he documents corruption extortionist interest rates and a lack of transparency that he says characterize much of the microfinance industry today. Sinclair spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about his book the problems microfinance continues to face and some solutions for moving forward. (Podcast with transcript)

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Stephen J. Girsky vice chairman of General Motors says the company has a new emphasis on the customer even as it faces such challenges as industry-wide overcapacity strong competition from rivals both in the U.S. and Europe and slower-than-expected sales of the Volt. Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie asked Girsky to talk about these issues and others shortly before Girsky’s presentation at the recent Wharton Leadership Conference. (Podcast with transcript)

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In their book Jugaad Innovation: Think Frugal Be Flexible Generate Breakthrough Growth authors Navi Radjou Jaideep Prabhu and Simone Ahuja present a new approach to innovation that is fueling growth in emerging markets as well as developed ones. Radjou and Ahuja recently sat down with Knowledge at Wharton to talk about the six principles of jugaad a Hindi word meaning ”an improvised solution born from ingenuity.” (Podcast with transcript)

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Leading thinkers from President Barack Obama to Thomas Friedman argue that innovation is key to improving the United States economy now and in the future. If that is the case how do we prepare young people to become innovators? That is the question Tony Wagner Harvard University’s first innovation education fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center asks in his new book Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. To find the answers Wagner profiles several young innovators drawing on interviews with them and their parents educators and mentors to discover the forces that have driven them to succeed in thinking outside the box. (Podcast with transcript)

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Wharton management professor Peter Cappelli’s most recent book -- Why Good People Can’t Get Jobs: The Skills Gap and What Companies Can Do About It -- has inspired a reaction from just about every group with a stake in today’s workforce: employers employees recruiters academics and media commentators. Cappelli debunks the oft-repeated argument from employers that applicants don’t have the skills needed for today’s jobs. Instead he puts much of the blame on companies themselves. In this interview with Knowledge at Wharton Cappelli talks about his book the current labor market and how the job hunting process can be vastly improved. (Podcast with transcript)

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Gabon is one of the stable regimes in the African continent and leaders there have a vision of progress based on being both business- and environment-friendly. Liban Soleman is the president’s chief of staff of the government of Gabon. In this interview with Knowledge at Wharton Soleman says there is enormous opportunity for investors in Gabon and in Africa as a whole. (Article with audio)

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The general approach towards private equity investments has shifted substantially in part to conform with the tougher market conditions prevailing after the financial shocks of the last few years. Gone are the days of earning profits largely through financial engineering and rapid portfolio turnover. In their place — business transformation — where investors park their money for longer terms and generally rebuild under-performing companies. Wharton professor Stephen M. Sammut and Philip Bass global private equity markets leader at Ernst & Young LLP discuss the new landscape in this Knowledge at Wharton podcast. They also take a look at the similarities — and differences — between private equity specialists and entrepreneurs. Ernst & Young: Private Equity Heads Down a New Path

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