Knowledge at Wharton

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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According to Glen T. Senk the key to success is hiring and cultivating the right people. At a recent Wharton Leadership Lecture the CEO of Philadelphia-based retailer Urban Outfitters underscored the importance of recruiting and developing a team that is a good fit for corporate culture -- and then listening to what those employees have to say even when ”you have to pull [the bad news] out of them.”

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Allegations that traders manipulated oil prices in 2008 are reinforcing the buzz -- at the gas pump and elsewhere -- that speculators are driving up the price of oil triggering wild price spikes and nail-biting volatility. Fingering speculators is a popular pastime these days but experts at Wharton and elsewhere say the blame is often misplaced. Although speculation can affect prices most of the recent price swings in oil and other commodities are happening for fundamental economic reasons.

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Since the dot.com bubble burst more than a decade ago two popular categories in Wharton’s Business Plan Competition (BPC) have been health care and retail. This year was no exception. With more than $115 000 at stake in combined cash prizes and legal and accounting services the eight finalists of this year’s BPC presented their pitches on April 27 to a panel of judges and an audience of venture capitalists business leaders faculty and students. Read on and see if you can spot the winners.

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A decade after pets.com and a string of other early Internet specialty retailers collapsed a new wave of start-ups -- enabled by the power of cloud computing advanced delivery systems and deep social relationships with customers -- is shaping e-commerce. From diapers and eyeglasses to pool tables and yes pet products entrepreneurs are developing specialty businesses to compete alongside one-stop shopping giants like Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

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Rumors that Facebook or Cisco would buy Skype were proven wrong on Tuesday when Microsoft struck an $8.5 billion deal to acquire the online voice and video chat service. Most analysts welcomed the takeover as a shrewd move on the grounds that it positions Microsoft in a commanding position in the emerging markets of video content and online telephony. Still considering that Skype’s previous acquisition by eBay ended in a $1.4 billion write-down questions remain. Will there be a good cultural fit between Microsoft and Skype? Did Microsoft overpay for a company that continues to lose money? Knowledge at Wharton discussed these questions and more with Wharton professors Eric Clemons and Kevin Werbach.

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