Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Discipline
- Keyword
Articles 301 - 327 of 327
Full-Text Articles in Business
Why Software Business Models Of The Future Probably Won't Come In A Box, Knowledge@Smu
Why Software Business Models Of The Future Probably Won't Come In A Box, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Microsoft's Vista operating system should give the company a revenue stream that will run for years, but experts at Wharton say the January 30 launch of the consumer versions of Microsoft's flagship software may be among the last of its kind -- a product sold for a flat fee in a shrink-wrapped box. Indeed, many wonder if the software business model that has made Microsoft so dominant may begin to fade as new software business models -- from open source to advertising supported -- gain increasing traction.
Why Hedge Funds Are Looking To India For Greater Upside Potential, Knowledge@Smu
Why Hedge Funds Are Looking To India For Greater Upside Potential, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
A few years ago, hedge funds were barely on the radar screen in the Indian marketplace, and they were highly secretive investment vehicles even in the U.S. Today, it's a different story. As big returns are no longer easy to come by in domestic markets, international hedge funds are increasingly looking to countries like India and evaluating investment opportunities and the potential gains to be made. To understand what factors affect their success, India Knowledge@Wharton talked to experts from Wharton and elsewhere about the attractiveness -- as well as the risks -- of the Indian marketplace for hedge funds.
Make Room, Wikipedia: Internet-Based Collaboration Could Change The Way We Do Business, Knowledge@Smu
Make Room, Wikipedia: Internet-Based Collaboration Could Change The Way We Do Business, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
It sounds like something from a futuristic TV thriller: American spies thwarting a terrorist plot through a shared online community modeled after Wikipedia, the free user-created, web-based encyclopedia. But Anthony D. Williams, co-author of the new book, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, recently told a conference at Wharton's Mack Center for Technological Innovation that this online community of spies already exists -- along with a host of other activist-oriented web sites that are changing the rules of the global economy.
Why Global Banks Are Banking On India, Knowledge@Smu
Why Global Banks Are Banking On India, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Foreign banks are aggressively expanding in India, both organically and through acquisitions. After playing along the sidelines in the country for more than 100 years, they have galvanized themselves to secure their share -- and more -- of the new action in the rapidly growing economy and a boom in high-profit consumer lending. India's central bank has outlined the roadmap for foreign players to grow, while the banking industry's robust fundamentals and crisis-free track record are other draws. To be sure, the entrenched public sector banks don't relish the charge of foreign banks. But the real rivals on the competing …
Guangdong Huadi Group: How A Non-Family Business Manages To Thrive In China, Knowledge@Smu
Guangdong Huadi Group: How A Non-Family Business Manages To Thrive In China, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
With the development of a market economy in China, private companies have attracted more attention from academic researchers. For example, scholars Wang Xuanyu, Li Xingchun and Chen Ling analyzed Guangdong Huadi Group, a well-known Chinese manufacturer of household appliances based in Guangdong, a province in south China, in order to identify those factors that contribute to the success of a non-family business. The results of their study are in a paper titled, “Capital Joint-Venture and Trust Expansion--Research on non-family Entrepreneurial Partnership”.
For Estee Lauder's Thia Breen, A Successful Career Is Made Up Of 'People, Passion And Performance', Knowledge@Smu
For Estee Lauder's Thia Breen, A Successful Career Is Made Up Of 'People, Passion And Performance', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
In her keynote address at the 28th Annual Wharton Women in Business Conference in Philadelphia, Thia Breen, president of Estee Lauder Americas and head of Global Business Development, told the audience that she was nearly fired from her first job. "That was the moment I started to understand: I am totally responsible for my own success," said Breen, whose first job out of college was unloading shipments of toys at Marshall Fields.
The 'Myth Of Market Share': Can Focusing Too Much On The Competition Harm Profitability?, Knowledge@Smu
The 'Myth Of Market Share': Can Focusing Too Much On The Competition Harm Profitability?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Business has long been likened to warfare, according to Wharton marketing professor Scott Armstrong, so it is hardly surprising that companies strive to beat their competitors and wrest away as much market share as possible. But such efforts not only waste time and energy, they can actually be detrimental to the firm's profitability, according to Armstrong. Based on new research and examples from today's business environment, Armstrong and co-author Kesten Green suggest that overemphasis on market share is the wrong approach. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What's In A Name? For Apple, A Focus On The Digital Living Room, Knowledge@Smu
What's In A Name? For Apple, A Focus On The Digital Living Room, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Apple's name change from Apple Computer to Apple on January 9 highlights the company's new reality: CEO Steve Jobs' strategy today revolves around converged consumer devices much more than around personal computers. How successful will this new strategy be in the face of competition from Microsoft, Sony, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia and others who are looking to dominate the digital convergence domain?
Opportunity Missed: A Brief Look At Entrepreneurship In The U.S. And China, Knowledge@Smu
Opportunity Missed: A Brief Look At Entrepreneurship In The U.S. And China, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The promise or threat of China’s economy has fired the American imagination ever since the first Yankee clipper ship captains voyaged there in the 1780s. Whether perceived as a limitless market for American goods or as an intimidating rival, China is indeed a force to be reckoned with. At first glance, Reed Hundt’s In China’s Shadow is another in a recent spate of books probing the nature of China’s startling rise over the last 30 years. Yet Hundt, former chairman of the FCC during the presidency of Bill Clinton, has written a book whose subtitle is more indicative of his …
Steve Ballmer Speaks Passionately About Microsoft, Leadership ... And Passion, Knowledge@Smu
Steve Ballmer Speaks Passionately About Microsoft, Leadership ... And Passion, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
For Microsoft, 2006 was a year of new product introductions: the Windows Vista operating system, a new version of Office and the Zune music player, to name a few. For Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer -- who spoke at Wharton recently as part of the school's Leadership Lecture series -- these new products serve as a reminder of his goals: Convince customers that Microsoft's latest products are ground-breaking, transform a company with $44 billion in sales into an agile innovator, compete against new business models and recruit enough talent to keep the software giant relevant 25 years from now.
Post Haste: Why Pitney Bowes Wants To Automate India's Mailstream, Knowledge@Smu
Post Haste: Why Pitney Bowes Wants To Automate India's Mailstream, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
How big is the mailbag of the world's most populous democracy? In a recent annual report, the Indian Department of Posts claims that its mail traffic was 8.6 billion pieces in 2003-04. In 2004-05, it says, that number dipped to 7.4 billion. Sound like a business in gradual decline? Not so, say executives at Pitney Bowes, the U.S.-based provider of mail management services, which has $5.5 billion in annual revenues and more than 35,000 employees worldwide. Two years ago Pitney Bowes took over its Indian distributor to set up shop in that country. How has its foray fared so far? …
What's Ahead For 2007? Knowledge@Wharton Network Surveys The Globe, Knowledge@Smu
What's Ahead For 2007? Knowledge@Wharton Network Surveys The Globe, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
On the financial front, 2006 has been a pretty good year all around. Stock markets in many countries have rallied, energy prices have fallen, inflation is relatively low and growth in GDP ranges from respectable to robust. But the economies of most countries also face a number of threats -- some predictable, some not -- that could derail recent gains in our increasingly connected global markets. What's ahead for 2007 in the U.S., India, Europe, Latin America, China and other parts of the world? We offer a roundup of reports from the Knowledge@Wharton Network, including India Knowledge@Wharton, Universia Knowledge@Wharton and …
How And Why Chinese Firms Excel In 'The Art Of Price War', Knowledge@Smu
How And Why Chinese Firms Excel In 'The Art Of Price War', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
When it comes to price wars, Wharton marketing professor Z. John Zhang can't help but notice that companies in the West and companies in China are quite literally worlds apart. In the West, Zhang says, the outbreak of a price war is viewed as the failure of managerial rationality. In China, the outbreak of a price war is considered a legitimate and effective business strategy. In a recent paper, Zhang and Dongsheng Zhou, a marketing professor at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, analyze two price wars that took place in China in the mid-1990s.
More Than Job Demands Or Personality, Lack Of Organizational Respect Fuels Employee Burnout, Knowledge@Smu
More Than Job Demands Or Personality, Lack Of Organizational Respect Fuels Employee Burnout, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
One of the biggest complaints employees have, according to Wharton management professor Sigal Barsade, is that "they are not sufficiently recognized by their organizations for the work they do .... When employees don't feel that the organization respects and values them, they tend to experience higher levels of burnout." Barsade and doctoral student Lakshmi Ramarajan look at the role of respect in a paper titled, "What Makes the Job Tough? The Influence of Organizational Respect on Burnout in Human Services."
Insurance: Indian And Foreign Firms Test Positive For Growth Steroid, Knowledge@Smu
Insurance: Indian And Foreign Firms Test Positive For Growth Steroid, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The new crop of private and foreign players in India's de-nationalized insurance industry is achieving growth rates in market shares that are bigger than its ambitious estimates. Insurance penetration -- both life and non-life -- has taken off vertically with a proliferation of products, and the former state-owned monopolies are pulling out the best in their armory. India Knowledge@Wharton spoke to some of the key players, industry regulators and consulting houses to capture a ringside view of one of the biggest slugfests these days in the emerging economies.
Mckinsey's Ian Davis: Maximizing Shareholder Value Doesn't Cut It Anymore, Knowledge@Smu
Mckinsey's Ian Davis: Maximizing Shareholder Value Doesn't Cut It Anymore, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Shareholder value is growing increasingly irrelevant as government and society take a larger role in shaping business and industry, according to Ian Davis, managing director of McKinsey, the global management-consulting firm. In a Wharton Leadership Lecture, Davis said new societal pressures, such as regulation and environmental sustainability, are now joining the list of long-standing issues -- including growth, globalization and technology -- that demand the attention of today's CEOs.
Going Up: Real Estate Is On The Rise Again In Japan, Knowledge@Smu
Going Up: Real Estate Is On The Rise Again In Japan, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Nothing symbolizes Japan's bubble economy, or its subsequent long slump, more than real estate. Now, after dropping by as much as 70%, real estate prices are ticking up, signaling a renewed Japanese economy. A major restructuring of the nation's financial system, along with an injection of foreign capital and the introduction of publicly traded real estate investment trusts, are driving the real estate revival, according to Wharton faculty and real estate analysts working in Tokyo.
Unilever's Michael Polk: It's All About 'Dislocating Ideas', Knowledge@Smu
Unilever's Michael Polk: It's All About 'Dislocating Ideas', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
To drive home the subject of his speech at the recent third annual Wharton Marketing conference, Michael Polk, president of Unilever United States, flashed up a definition straight from the dictionary: 'Innovation: a new idea or method; a change in something established.' Polk, who manages such brands as Dove, Axe, Slim-Fast, Country Crock, Wishbone and Q-Tips, said innovation, not invention, lies at the heart of successful marketing campaigns.
Making The Global Grade: Chinese Managers Are The Latest Enrollees In Western Executive Education Classes, Knowledge@Smu
Making The Global Grade: Chinese Managers Are The Latest Enrollees In Western Executive Education Classes, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
As Chinese firms increasingly turn their attention to strengthening their ability to compete in the global economy, they have a new challenge -- developing international expertise. One way they are doing this is by turning to Western executive education programs, which can include everything from courses in finance, marketing and corporate governance to a visit to Bloomingdale's and meals at noted Western restaurants.
Global Hotspots In The Real Estate Business, Knowledge@Smu
Global Hotspots In The Real Estate Business, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Emerging real estate markets in India and China, along with recovering property industries in Germany and Japan, are among the top destinations for global real estate investors, according to panelists at the Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center's fall meeting. During a session titled, "Global Hot Spots -- How to Think about Hot Foreign Markets," Wharton real estate professor Peter Linneman called on each panelist to describe the markets they find most intriguing.
Netcore Ceo Rajesh Jain: 'In India, The Future Of The Internet Will Be Built Around The Mobile Phone', Knowledge@Smu
Netcore Ceo Rajesh Jain: 'In India, The Future Of The Internet Will Be Built Around The Mobile Phone', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Seven years ago, Rajesh Jain ignited a dot-com storm in India when his portal, IndiaWorld, was sold to Sify, an Internet service provider, for $115 million. Today, he is CEO of Netcore, a Linux-based messaging software firm, and also maintains an active blog, emergic.org. Jain met with Knowledge@Wharton at his offices in Mumbai to discuss how mobile phones could hold the key to the Internet's evolution in India and other emerging economies.
How Can Employers Improve Defined Contribution Plans?, Knowledge@Smu
How Can Employers Improve Defined Contribution Plans?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
If 401(k)s and similar plans are the main way Americans invest for retirement, how can employers improve them? By making enrollment automatic, minimizing the use of the employer's stock, expanding the role of annuities and improving employees' financial knowledge, according to a set of recommendations issued by the Financial Economists Roundtable, a group of about 50 prominent economists, including several Wharton faculty members.
Why The Fight Against Poverty Is Failing: A Contrarian View, Knowledge@Smu
Why The Fight Against Poverty Is Failing: A Contrarian View, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Abraham George is the founder of The George Foundation, an NGO engaged in humanitarian work in India, and the author of India Untouched: The Forgotten Face of Rural Poverty. In this contrarian essay, he explores why the current strategies that governments and development agencies are employing to reduce poverty are not working the way they should. Among his arguments: Microcredit programs, as they are now practiced in India, do little to help the poor.
The Billion-Dollar Body Parts Industry: Medical Research Alongside Greed And Corruption, Knowledge@Smu
The Billion-Dollar Body Parts Industry: Medical Research Alongside Greed And Corruption, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Body parts are big business in the United States. Tissue, organs, tendons, bones, joints, limbs, hands, feet, torsos, and heads culled from the dead are the cornerstones of the lucrative and important business of advancing scientific knowledge and improving medical technique. Few people, however, think to ask where the material that sustains this enormous industry comes from. Journalist Annie Cheney is a timely exception. In Body Brokers: Inside America's Underground Trade in Human Remains (Broadway), Cheney chronicles her quest to find out how human remains are procured, processed, marketed, and used. It's a complicated, detailed and disturbing tale.
Latin America Bets On Chinese Lessons, Knowledge@Smu
Latin America Bets On Chinese Lessons, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
These days, all roads in international trade seem to lead to China, even in the case of a small country like Chile, which recently signed a free-trade agreement with the Asian giant. It was China’s first free trade treaty with a Western country, and it opens new international routes for its products. In addition, Chinese authorities say the agreement will make Chile a bridge for investments from China into the rest of Latin America. This much is certain: Both China and the dynamic Southeast Asia region are the focal point for Latin American exports. However, the road to Asia is …
Older Workers: Untapped Assets For Creating Value, Knowledge@Smu
Older Workers: Untapped Assets For Creating Value, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The days when an executive could look forward to a leisurely retirement out on the golf course are over, thanks to a possible looming job shortage, a graying population, low savings rates and an insecure Social Security system. The impact of these factors on both workers and companies was the subject of the Symposium on Older Workers, co-sponsored recently by the AARP Global Aging Program along with Wharton's Center for Human Resources and Boettner Center for Pensions and Retirement Research. Speakers included AARP CEO William D. Novelli, Olivia Mitchell, executive director of Wharton's Pension Research Council, and Thomas Dowd, a …
As The Bpo Business Grows, There's A Greater Focus On Metrics And Measurement, Knowledge@Smu
As The Bpo Business Grows, There's A Greater Focus On Metrics And Measurement, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Until recently, many CEOs were grappling with issues such as whether to send back-office operations offshore to third-party providers of business process outsourcing (BPO) services, or to perform such operations in their own offshore captive centers. Today, as more and more firms move toward hybrid models of offshore outsourcing, they are looking at new management techniques, such as "virtual prowling," according to experts at Wharton and consulting firm A.T. Kearney.