February 2003
William A. Schreyer Distinguished Lecture Series Features Dr. Yoon Shik Park
Dr. Yoon Shik Park, a member of the board of directors of the Samsung Corporation and the Korea Economic Institute of America, Inc., will discuss the rise of China and a new strategy for Korean business firms during his “William A. Schreyer Distinguished Lecture” at 4 p.m. on Feb. 18 in 211 Keller Building. Space is limited. Contact Nancy Kiernan (814-865-0544, njd2@psu.edu ) to reserve a seat.
Ethical Executive Leadership Study Points To Value Of Communication
To be perceived as ethical leaders within their organizations, and to avoid being labeled “unethical” or “ethically neutral,” corporate executives must expand the channels of communication between the executive suite and the general employee population, according to a recently published study led by Linda Klebe Treviño of Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business.
Penn State Professor Discusses Value of Corporate Leadership Development
Leadership development is a necessary investment for organizations hoping to capitalize on the future economic upturn, according to a recent article published in CLO Magazine ( www.clomedia.com ) by Albert A. Vicere, Executive Education Professor of Strategic Leadership in Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.
Global Trading Competition Seeks World's Best Student Traders
The Global Trading Competition, an online contest sponsored by Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business and Financial Trading System (FTS), gives undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to pit their knowledge of financial markets against peers from across campus and around the world.
Smeal College MBA Students Invest In 'Schoolwires' As Part Of Venture Capital Course
Following exhaustive due-diligence research, Smeal College of Business MBA students voted to invest $50,000 from the graduate student managed Garber Venture Capital Fund into Schoolwires, an educational technology company based in State College, PA. As part of the agreement, an additional investment of $200,000 may be made in Schoolwires over the next 18 months. This represents the second investment decision since the fund was established in 1999.
Firing The CEO Is No Silver Bullet
It's not as much fun to be CEO these days, and the numbers are showing it. The rate of CEO departures has remained high, their average tenure on the job is declining, and they are much more likely than in previous decades to be replaced by outsiders. In some industries, CEO turnover is unprecedented. This week's New York Times reported that in the last month, at least 14 CEOs of major retailers had lost their jobs. Some were fired, others "resigned to spend more time with their families". This is hardly surprising given heightened scrutiny by boards and regulatory bodies, angry shareholders frustrated with continued lost earnings, and the media circus that has painted all corporate leaders with the same brush as the few CEO crooks. But it's unclear whether the rapidly revolving door of CEOs benefits firm performance.
ISBM Conference Redefines Marketing For Connected World
Regis McKenna, Chairman of the McKenna Group and noted marketing guru, recently offered a new view of marketing at a workshop jointly presented by the Institute for the Study of Business Markets (ISBM) at Penn State University’s Smeal College of Business and the Center for Business and Industrial Marketing at Georgia State University.
Smeal Professor Earns Real Estate Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Austin J. Jaffe has been awarded the 2002 George Bloom Award from the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association (AREUEA). Jaffe is Philip H. Sieg Professor of Business Administration, Director of International Programs, and Director of the Institute for Real Estate Studies at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.
The Business of Family Businesses
A week ago in Italy, Giovanni Agnelli, scion of the founding family of Fiat Auto succumbed to cancer. Fiat, founded in 1899 by Agnelli's grandfather, is still run by the family—Agnelli lead the company for 30 years - with over 35 percent of the ownership remaining in family hands. In a smooth transition, Agnelli's brother Umberto assumed the leadership role in the holding company and is chairman designate of the Fiat conglomerate.
Brave New World Of Employment Screening
This month is an anniversary of sorts, 50 years since Francis Crick and James Watson determined the structure of DNA, "the secret of life". Forty-seven years later in 2000, dueling teams from the National Institutes of Health and Celera Genomics, a private corporation, announced together that they had sequenced the human genome, "the language in which God created life", according to President Clinton.
Smeal College MBA Students Win At Logistics Case Competition
Six students in the Smeal College of Business MBA Program at Penn State University recently took top honors at the 2003 International Graduate Logistics Case Competition in Chicago.
Smeal College Undergraduates Take First Place At International Case Competition
A team of four undergraduate students from the Smeal College of Business and the Schreyer Honors College at Penn State University recently took top honors at the University of Southern California’s Marshall International Case Competition, finishing ahead of 19 other schools from 13 countries and four continents.
Smeal College's Farrell Center Wins Kauffman Grant To Expand Entrepreneurship Education
The Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Penn State University's Smeal College of Business has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for the development a new computer-enhanced learning platform to teach entrepreneurship to a broader student population.
