Knowledge at Wharton

Women have been in the workforce for decades but many will acknowledge that it is still a man’s world and that the unwritten rules of the workplace continue to favor men. So how would they structure a professional environment that would help more women reach the corner office?

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In a last-minute attempt to stop the U.S. from defaulting on its loan obligations Congress voted this week to increase the country’s debt ceiling by at least $2.1 trillion. The deal includes $917 billion in spending cuts over the next 10 years and the establishment of a congressional committee to reduce the deficit further by $1.5 trillion. Questions remain however: Where will these cuts come from? How will social safety nets such as Medicare be affected? And can the country continue to recover from the recession with government spending drastically reduced? Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Wharton professors Olivia S. Mitchell and Kent Smetters.

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The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister David Cameron plans to create a national well-being index. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has formed a team that includes two Nobel Prize-winning economists to come up with a system for measuring the nation’s well-being. In China happiness indexes have become so popular that cities there compete for the title of China’s happiest city. Many now argue that purely economic measures of a country’s progress -- such as gross national product (GDP) -- fail to count many things people value highly such as personal and community relationships or a healthy environment. To learn more about measuring happiness Knowledge at Wharton spoke with Nic Marks author of the e-book The Happiness Manifesto: How Nations and People Can Nurture Well-Being.

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The ”phenomenon of free” has hit many businesses hard particularly media businesses argues Saul J. Berman Global & Americas Leader for the IBM Strategy & Change Consulting Group. In Not for Free: Revenue Strategies for a New World Berman offers lessons from businesses that have integrated successful business model innovations as well as from businesses that have failed to do so. Recently Knowledge at Wharton and Jerry (Yoram) Wind sat down with Berman to discuss his thoughts on who pays for free content and why new models are essential.

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Given two gold mines with the same amount of gold in the ground the same cost of extraction and the same worldwide demand why is one mine valued 10 times more than the other? Because one has local support and the other doesn’t argues Wharton professor Witold Henisz. In a new research paper Henisz and his colleagues show how cooperating with rather than antagonizing external stakeholders generates sustainable shareholder value for companies around the world.

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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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