Knowledge@wharton

High-tech e-book gadgets are one thing that is revolutionizing publishing. If companies like Silicon Valley startup FastPencil get their way social-networking-based self-publishing services will be another. FastPencil is what CEO Steve Wilson calls a ”next-gen” publisher which uses social networking and an arsenal of widgets to take authors through their book projects from the drawing board to the bookshelf potentially for as little as $10. In a recent interview with Knowledge at Wharton Wilson discussed how FastPencil’s motto -- ”Write once publish anywhere” -- is turning traditional book publishing on its head. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

”Dire” is one adjective that Linda Katz founder and executive director of Children’s Literacy Initiative (CLI) uses to describe the U.S. education system which is leaving an increasingly high number of children without adequate reading and writing skills. For more than 20 years CLI has been working with school systems across the country to overhaul how teachers are trained hired and mentored. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Katz discusses not only why classroom teaching is broken and what can be done about it but also the secret to helping kids learn to love reading. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

After discovering that hackers based in China had broken into the Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights advocates Google halted operation of its Internet search engine on the Chinese mainland earlier this month and started directing users to its Hong Kong site. On March 29 Chinese officials retaliated by blocking some of Google’s mobile Internet services. While conflict may have seemed inevitable what does it mean for Google’s long-term plans for operating in China? And what lessons can other multinationals learn as this story plays out? Knowledge at Wharton asked Wharton management professor Marshall Meyer and marketing professor John Zhang these and other questions.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

America’s health care reform may be out of the emergency room but its prognosis remains sketchy. Passage of the historic 2 400-page legislation by no means ended the health care debate say Wharton experts: It just splintered one massive question mark into a lot of new big ones. As one Wharton professor noted: ”The current legislation is going to be in play for a good long time.” But he also pointed out that the bill offers new business opportunities in such areas as medical information technology education and methods of delivery. (Video with transcripts) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Sweet Sixteen the Elite Eight the Final Four: It’s that time of year again when college basketball fans everywhere are betting on who will win this year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. But forget the fans. The big winners in terms of money are spread all over the playing field from the network broadcasting the games to the ticket sellers to the colleges that attract the players. How did the NCAA get to be such a money-making powerhouse? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Just when consumers thought they had their 3G wireless gadgets all figured out it’s now time to start getting a grip on the fourth generation of wireless technology -- which will be much faster and far more disruptive than anything we have experienced before according to Scott Snyder in his recent Wharton School Publishing book titled The New World of Wireless: How to Compete in the 4G Revolution. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Snyder who is president and COO of consulting firm Decision Strategies International predicts 4G will revolutionize the way we work and play by creating ”one giant wireless ecosystem” that buzzes with innovation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Fear is growing that Greece may default on a massive pile of debt creating a ripple effect of problems throughout Europe and beyond. Following pressure from the European Union and the European Central Bank the Greek government on March 3 announced a new round of austerity measures that include spending cuts and tax increases which critics fear will harm Greece’s economy. Meanwhile Wall Street banks are facing scrutiny for the complex financial instruments they used to allegedly disguise the country’s real debt. What caused Greece’s debt problem to spin out of control? And what steps should it take to remedy the situation? Wharton finance professors Richard Herring and Itay Goldstein weigh in. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Last fall after losing previous bids Rio de Janeiro -- Brazil’s second-largest city -- won the approval of the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. According to Carlos Roberto Osorio secretary general of the Brazilian Olympic Committee this time around Rio had learned from its earlier failed bids and had the success of hosting the 2007 Pan American Games under its belt. That combined with Brazil’s ”special circumstances” of economic stability amid the global downturn helped it to beat out rival cities. In an interview with Wharton professors Felipe Monteiro and Ken Shropshire Osorio discussed the winning bid and the challenges that lie ahead. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Alex Panos and his colleagues at TSG Consumer Partners a San Francisco-based investment fund believe that consumers will always be interested in products that enhance their lives even if it means paying more than they have in the past. That philosophy has brought impressive results for TSG primarily in the beauty food and beverage areas. Panos who joined the 23-year-old firm in 1998 spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about the company’s strategy why it favors family-owned businesses where to find opportunities in a recessionary economy and how to build up a brand among other topics. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

While some students may be using notebooks or netbooks to read textbooks these days some experts predict that within the next 10 years most U.S. college students -- and many high-school and elementary-school students as well -- will probably be reading course materials on an electronic device instead of in a paper book. And that will have a broad impact on students and teachers not to mention the $9.9 billion textbook-publishing business. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When an entrepreneur has identified a potential business opportunity the next step is developing a business plan for the new venture. What exactly should the new plan contain? How can the entrepreneur ensure it has the substance to find interest among would-be investors? In this installment of a series of podcasts for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Wharton management professor Ian MacMillan explains that business plans must contain several crucial elements: They must articulate a market need; identify products or services to fill that need; assess the resources required to produce those products or services; address the risks involved in the venture; and estimate the potential revenues and profits. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why do more than half of all start-ups fail? Because they bungle their marketing according to Leonard Lodish a professor of marketing at Wharton and co-author of two books Entrepreneurial Marketing and Marketing That Works. ”The dogs won’t eat the dog food is the way venture capitalists describe it ” Lodish says. The key lies in how a marketing plan is crafted. In this installment of the podcast series for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Lodish explains that marketing plans must take into account three critical strategic and tactical factors: positioning targeting and pricing. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

A critical step in the creation of a new venture is raising the capital to bring the new business to life. What sources of capital can an entrepreneur tap and what factors must she or he keep in mind while going through the process? According to Stephen Sammut a senior fellow and lecturer at Wharton so-called angel investors represent one possible option. Another source is venture capitalists (VCs) who may fund start-ups or invest at a later stage in a company’s growth. In this podcast for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Sammut explains the promises and pitfalls of dealing with venture capitalists. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you want? Entrepreneurs usually know the answers to those questions when they start up companies. But do their leadership teams? To make sure they do top entrepreneurs develop a ”blueprint” that will guide their companies as they grow from six to 60 to 600 employees says Michael Useem Wharton professor of management and director of its Center for Leadership and Change Management. In this installment of the podcast series for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Useem discusses blueprints and other things that entrepreneurs need to develop successful leadership teams including a knack for telling a good story. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The question of whether CEOs of America’s major companies are overpaid has been a subject of interest for many years. Are the compensation practices for these elite men and women fair and appropriate? Do they provide proper incentives or do they reward excessive caution or risk taking? Wharton accounting professors John Core and Wayne Guay have just completed a study on this topic. Guay along with colleague Chris Armstrong sat down with Knowledge at Wharton to discuss executive compensation and the controversies that it continues to generate. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Two recent events have rocked the publishing world. First The New York Times said it would abandon the practice of providing free online content and start charging regular readers beginning in 2011. And second Apple’s much-hyped tablet -- the iPad -- made its appearance. What implications will the Times’ decision have for newspaper publishers and other providers of free online content? How will the iPad re-define what a book means as well as how it is produced marketed and delivered? Wharton professors Peter Fader and Stephen Kobrin weigh in. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The earthquake that rocked Haiti last week has caused unimaginable death and destruction a reminder that catastrophes are usually unforeseeable and therefore almost impossible to prepare for. Can any country or region of the world rich or poor take meaningful steps to avoid the destruction caused by catastrophes ranging from earthquakes and hurricanes to terrorist attacks and pandemics? Knowledge at Wharton asked professors Howard Kunreuther and Michael Useem authors of a new book titled Learning from Catastrophes: Strategies for Reaction and Response and Morris A. Cohen to talk about the situation in Haiti and the challenges of dealing with such crises. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. stocks boomed in the last nine months of 2009 but remained well below earlier highs. Indeed many people referred to the first 10 years of the 21st century as ”the lost decade ” because stocks returned virtually nothing while investors had been conditioned to expect 10% a year. Meanwhile bonds and commodities experienced a stunning run. Have the rules of investing changed? What’s ahead for 2010? Knowledge at Wharton talked with Wharton finance professor Jeremy Siegel who sees some hazards especially for bonds but expects a good year for stocks. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Despite renewed GDP growth and other positive signs the U.S. isn’t out of the woods says Wharton finance professor Franklin Allen. In fact the country could be heading into a ”double dip” scenario that tips it back into a recession. That depends on how a number of factors play out in the coming months -- or even years -- not only in the U.S. but also around the world. Global interest rate policies property markets and public deficits will all demand attention Allen notes in a recent interview with Knowledge at Wharton. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Earlier this year Harbir Singh Wharton’s vice-dean for Global Initiatives launched a series of trips to foreign countries as a way for faculty to gain a deeper understanding of international economies and then use this knowledge in their teaching and research. Six professors recently visited the Chinese cities of Beijing Shanghai and Shenzhen and met with executives from Lenovo Haier and Huawei among other companies. Knowledge at Wharton asked three of the participants – Singh management professor Saikat Chaudhuri and health care management professor Rob Burns – to share insights from their trip. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.