Knowledge at Wharton

It would be difficult to find a CEO or manager who says creativity isn’t a valued attribute of a good leader. So why do so many once-innovative companies get bogged down over time with continuous original thinking the exception and not the norm? A new study co-authored by Wharton management professor Jennifer Mueller found that although creativity is often named as being important individuals who expressed more creative ideas were actually viewed as having less leadership potential than their peers.

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Making a living as an artist has never been easy -- whether in film music or publishing -- especially now that the digital revolution has transformed the business of content creation. One of the biggest shifts is in how filmmakers musicians and writers are compensated. The trend is toward greater risk sharing with artists’ marketers and publishers and toward pay being based to a greater degree on how the product sells in the marketplace.

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Corporate earnings have surged and stocks have soared but the housing market is still weak. Interest rates remain low but are rising. Many countries’ economies are perking up but a jump in commodities prices is producing inflation. Governments in the United States and Europe are wrestling with huge budget deficits and debt problems. For insight Knowledge at Wharton talks to Wharton professors Jeremy Siegel Franklin Allen and Susan Wachter.

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Starbucks has emerged over the last 20 years as one of the premier consumer brands in the world. Now the company has decided to give that brand a facelift by revamping its ubiquitous logo. While logo overhauls can successfully communicate a company’s evolution and growth they can also trigger a backlash among loyal customers. In the case of Starbucks the new logo highlights a strategic shift for the company but has sparked criticism from outspoken fans as well.

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Wharton management professor Michael Useem joined heads of state politicians CEOs celebrities and others at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland where he says the mood seemed to be one of muted optimism. But as he points out there was also a recognition of how much still needs to be done to prevent the kinds of catastrophes -- both natural and created -- that changed the lives of so many individuals over the past two years. Useem director of Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management offers this report on Davos.  

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The protests in Egypt are likely to lead to long-term benefits for frustrated citizens accustomed to living under the thumb of a corrupt system that has left millions of young adults jobless and instilled a sense of hopelessness for the future say Wharton faculty and other observers. Yet much-needed reforms will take many years to unfold they add and their success will depend in part on how military leaders want events to play out.

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What exactly is the relationship between money and happiness? It’s a difficult question to pin down experts say. While more money may make us happier other considerations -- such as whether you live in an economically advanced country and how you think about your time -- also play into the equation. An increasing number of economists sociologists and psychologists are now working in the field and most agree that there is a strong link between a country’s level of economic development and the happiness of its people.

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Spain is struggling with the highest unemployment rate in Western Europe as well as soaring national debt and a pension shortfall that make many people wonder if the region’s fifth-largest economy will require a bailout similar to those granted to Greece and Ireland. Yet despite these challenges the solution to the country’s problems -- according to former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar who recently spoke at Wharton -- is fairly simple: more fiscal discipline.

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The talk coming out of the 2011 North American International Auto Show in Detroit (which opened on January 10 and closes on Sunday) was full of optimism about a turnaround for an industry that suffered a significant beating during the recent recession. The worldwide auto business emerging from the upheaval of recent years is much altered with several brands changing hands and manufacturers like General Motors and Chrysler restructuring after government bailouts and bankruptcy filings. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton management professor John Paul MacDuffie discusses the outlook for 2011 and beyond.

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Just six months after paying a record $550 million to settle a federal fraud case Goldman Sachs finds itself in a new controversy over an investment in Facebook the social networking site. Some critics say the deal was designed to skirt securities regulations and is marred by conflict of interest while others argue that this type of investment puts taxpayers at risk since Goldman can support its business with cheap government loans. Wharton faculty and other experts weigh in.

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