Business

Katherine Klein of the Wharton School spoke about cultural shifts in the boardroom. “I think norms would not have changed nearly as much if there had not been this drumbeat that gender diversity on the board improves corporate performance,” she said.

Barbara Kahn of the Wharton School discussed a retail business in Philadelphia’s Italian Market. “They are really operating on a good in-store customer experience that can’t be duplicated online. That is one of the ways to compete in today’s world,” she said.

Americus Reed of the Wharton School explained the backlash against a Nike sneaker that features the 13-star Betsy Ross flag. “For lots of people, it’s quite similar to, say, the Confederate flag,” he said. “The revolution now is one of diversity, of all kinds of dimensions that go beyond just white males — women, people of color, people of different sexual orientations. It’s a different world, and it’s a different flag.”

Americus Reed of the Wharton School said there’s a new onslaught of niche beauty products in mainstream retail outlets. Many of the brands “are meant for different types of skin so there’s a diversity and inclusion kind of component,” he said.

Witold Henisz of the Wharton School said waiting for companies to tell consumers about investments into the public good “doesn’t work anymore,” due to younger generations’ easy access to information. Millennials are not only well-informed but “willing to take lower wages if they feel like a company has a strong social purpose,” he said.

Jeremy Siegel of the Wharton School said “the biggest mistake that most investors make is reacting to all the blogs and tweets and twists and turns of the market.”

Peter Cappelli of the Wharton School said modern job listings use language that perpetuates the idea that only obsessively devoted employees are of value, potentially scaring off well-suited applicants.