Knowledge at Wharton

When Bill Rasmussen launched ESPN on September 7 1979 he gave the world its first 24-hour television network and changed the way people viewed both television and sports. His innovations include the creation of ”Sports Center ” wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular-season and March Madness college basketball and coverage of the College World Series baseball tournament. Rasmussen who wrote a book titled Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN talked with Knowledge at Wharton about the challenges of founding a 24/7 sports network in the face of nearly universal skepticism what entrepreneurs need to succeed and why he doesn’t ever plan to retire. (Video with transcript)

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The Dow has hit its highest level in years loan rates are at record lows and the U.S. economy appears to be gaining momentum. Even the housing market is starting to look inviting. But is this a real recovery -- or a false start like last year’s? Wharton’s Jeremy Siegel and Scott Richard think the economy is showing signs of a true rebound and predict that stocks should do well in the next 12 months. But bonds they warn are in dangerous waters and economic growth will be in jeopardy if oil prices keep rising and the European credit crisis worsens. (Video with transcript)

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Jerome Chazen a founder and former chairman of Liz Claiborne Inc. recently wrote a book titled My Life at Liz Claiborne: How We Broke the Rules and Built the Largest Fashion Company in the World. Indeed Liz Claiborne -- now known as Fifth & Pacific Cos. -- grew from revenues of $7 million in 1977 to more than $2 billion in the early 1990s. Knowledge at Wharton asked Chazen who stepped down as CEO in 1996 to discuss the highs and lows of running a successful fashion business in a highly competitive industry. (Podcast with transcript)

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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 Wharton Iyer discusses the value of silence amid the rush of business. If we spend too much time in the MTV rhythm says Iyer we won’t be able to cultivate the parts of us that need more slowness. (Podcast with transcript)

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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 gadgets. But do such blanket policies really make a difference? Who is responsible for ensuring that employees maintain a healthy work/life balance?

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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 also makes business sense for Google which is trying to compete in a tech sector where success often hinges on firms’ ability to leverage and monetize the data trails consumers leave online.

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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 highly profitable film business.

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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 innovation. Wharton faculty members clarify the issues and offer ideas about how they can be addressed.

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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 PricewaterhouseCoopers acquisition how a big company can encourage innovation and what he learned from his mentors among other observations drawn from almost 40 years at IBM.

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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 challenge they say is the same as his predecessors’: Define what Yahoo wants to be.

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