Business | Penn Today

What’s next for Chicago’s flagship newspaper

Victor Pickard of the Annenberg School for Communication weighed in on the future of the Chicago Tribune.

picture of building of Steinberg-Dietrich building

Wharton Dolphin Tank winners create opportunities for impact

The virtual pitch contest, held in March, focused on ways to improve student wellness at the business school.

Wharton professor Katy Milkman (Image: Peter Murphy)

Katy Milkman on the science of change

The Wharton professor and co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative discusses her new book aimed at helping individuals and managers inspire meaningful, lasting shifts in behavior.

Person wearing a mask hanging a “We’re Open” sign on a window of a retail store.

Why some retailers succeed despite big disruptions

The retail industry was already in the midst of unparalleled disruption—then came COVID-19. Wharton’s Barbara Kahn discusses the growth of “new retail” in China, how Amazon has emerged even stronger from the pandemic, and shifts from “bad” to “good” retail.

These Wharton grads invented spiked coconut water in a Philadelphia apartment. They hope it’s a billion-dollar idea

Coconut water and spiked seltzer each are billion-dollar businesses. The Wharton School’s Chris Allen and Vicente Surraco talk about their startup business venture, Osena.

COVID-19 vaccine issues present new challenge for J&J

Cait Lamberton of the Wharton School weighed in on how the FDA’s recommendation to pause distribution of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine will affect the company’s reputation. “I don’t think this is going to be a huge dagger in J&J’s heart,” she said. “They’ve seen this stuff before. They’ve had plenty of product crises.”

Microsoft bulks up with $16 billion deal for Nuance Communications

PIK Professor Herbert Hovenkamp said Microsoft may be pursing large acquisitions now in case the regulatory environment becomes more restrictive in the future. “It’s a bit like gun control,” he said. “As soon as somebody is sniffing around about increasing legislation, everyone goes out and buys guns.”

How Amazon beat the union vote in Bessemer, Alabama

Matthew Bidwell of the Wharton School said Amazon’s victory over unionization efforts in Bessemer, Alabama, could discourage similar campaigns. “If you think you can try as hard as you like but you’re unlikely to succeed, you’re probably not going to put in the effort,” Bidwell says.

Sign on conference room window that reads LIMIT 4 PEOPLE PER ROOM, behind the window sit two masked employees.

What is the future of the hybrid workplace?

According to Wharton’s Martine Haas, companies will adopt a hybrid workplace model with some combination of remote and in-person work.

Corporate America isn’t welcoming former Trump cabinet officials with open arms, headhunters say

Michael Useem of the Wharton School said it would be “extremely difficult” for Trump administration officials to attain high-paying advisory roles at well-known companies at the current time. For the companies, “the downside risk far outweighs any upside gain,” he said.

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