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Education, Business, & Law
It’s a dangerous job, but does someone have to do it?
It’s a dangerous job, but does someone have to do it?
The Wharton School’s Robert Hughes discusses his new research about the ethical questions facing firms that employ workers in physically dangerous jobs.
Nostalgia is not enough: Why consumers abandon legacy brands
Nostalgia is not enough: Why consumers abandon legacy brands
Legacy brands like Sears, Payless ShoeSource, and Toys “R” Us are shuttering their doors as customers abandon longstanding consumer mainstays. Despite customers having emotional connections to certain stores, “It is more like these brands are breaking up with the customers,” says Santiago Gallino of the Wharton School.
In Ethiopia, new perspectives on the challenges of development
In Ethiopia, new perspectives on the challenges of development
PIK Professor Ezekiel Emanuel and Assistant Professor Heather Schofield led a group of Wharton students on a four-day trip to Ethiopia, for a close-up look at the African nation’s health, agricultural, business, and political sectors.
Without Mueller details, questions remain on Russia
Without Mueller details, questions remain on Russia
Professors from Penn Law and the School of Arts and Sciences react to what we know—and what’s still unanswered.
Confronting inequities, sharing solutions
Confronting inequities, sharing solutions
At the annual meeting of the Global Water Alliance, faculty, students, and practitioners shared solutions and challenges around the issues of water access, sanitation, and hygiene in the U.S. and around the world.
Who made that decision: You or an algorithm?
Who made that decision: You or an algorithm?
Wharton’s Kartik Hosanagar’s new book, “A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in Control,” examines how algorithms influence our decisions.
U.S. debt: Is it the calm before the storm?
U.S. debt: Is it the calm before the storm?
The U.S. national debt has crossed $22 trillion. Wharton’s Kent Smetters and Joao Gomes discuss the nation’s long-term debt burden and what might be done about it.
The Ivy League’s first pre-professional LGBTQ club
The Ivy League’s first pre-professional LGBTQ club
Meet The Wharton Alliance, which, in its 16th year, continues its dual promise of cultivating a network of LGBTQ business students while considering the future of diversity in the workplace.
The math behind March Madness
The math behind March Madness
A Q&A with statistician Shane Jensen, who discusses the math behind sports team rankings, why March Madness has so many underdog victories, and how technology might change how analysts study sports teams in the future.
Negotiating a truce in the war on drugs
Negotiating a truce in the war on drugs
A Penn Law symposium brought together experts from the legal, law enforcement, social work, and policy camps to discuss how to refocus the decades-long fight to be less punitive and more protective.
In the News
The New York Times
Apple’s watch is smarter, but my Casio keeps getting the job done
Commenting on the Apple Watch and the Casio, Daniel A. Levinthal of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said, “Given a choice, most companies would rather be in the position of Apple, which has been innovating and successfully developing new products and bringing them to market and getting consumers to buy them than in the position of Casio, which has been much less successful at that, even if it is selling some fine products.”
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Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Penn’s Grad School of Education cultivates a pipeline
To prepare teachers and educators for diverse environments, the Graduate School of Education is building pipelines for future students. “Penn’s location in the heart of West Philadelphia [presents] a great opportunity to think about what a graduate school of education could do in the context of an urban area,” said Dean Pam Grossman.
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The New York Times
Without bees, we are in trouble
Marvin Lazerson of the Graduate School of Education wrote about the importance of bees to the ecosystem. “Efforts like the Save the Bees movement have shown promise in bringing people together in pursuit of common goals,” he said.
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The New York Times
Welcome to the promoconomy
Joseph Turow of the Annenberg School for Communication and David Bell of the Wharton School spoke about the use of retail promotions to acquire customer data.
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Bloomberg
CEOs spurn investor-first model. Now critics ask ‘what’s next?’
Larry Hamermesh of the Law School rebutted claims that companies are legally required to prioritize shareholder returns. “The most frustrating thing I ever hear is when someone says that a board of directors can’t do things that are attuned to sustainability under the current legal system,” he said. “They can. There is nothing in the law that precludes this.”
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