Media Coverage: January 2004

Media Coverage is a listing of current media placements featuring Smeal College faculty, staff and students. At the end of each month, items are moved into the Archive , accessible via the link at the end of this page.

Marketing Management , January/February -- Ralph Oliva , executive director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, writes in his regular column that there are actions business-to-business marketers can take to overcome the barriers of e-mail spam. Among the solutions: receiver remedies, legal actions, creating communities, opt-in techniques, and smart filters ( Spam!; Separating The Good From The Bad And The Ugly ).

HR Reporter , 1/30/2004 -- A Smeal College study, which says that maintaining close ties with workers after they leave their organizations can be beneficial, is highlighted. According to the study, benefits include word-of-mouth referrals of new potential employees, new business connections and trade relationships with companies to which ex-employees have moved, and new information about how the company's expertise and training might apply to areas that current management has not thought of ( Employee relations Maintain Ties With Former Workers ).

Scripps Howard News Service , 1/30/2004 -- Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, says in a column that corporate innovation emerges when great leaders are in place. "The great leaders I've met, those with the knack for building organizations where both performance and innovation thrive, see themselves as champions of innovation" ( Leadership Keeps The Business Spirit Strong ).

CBS MarketWatch.com , 1/28/2004 -- Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, discusses the recent report from Catalyst that says companies that promote women to top jobs out perform those that do not. According to Olian, it's crucial to not assume that the percentage of women in top management alone influences the bottom line. "I don't think that any single best practice occurs in isolation. It's usually a pattern of best practices. That's what I think we're seeing here" ( Women Take It To The Bottom Line ). The story also appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune , Indianapolis Star , Akron Beacon Journal , Twin Falls Times-News (Idaho), Corvallis Gazette (Oregon), Bradenton Herald (Florida), and The Times Union (New York).

The Wall Street Journal , 1/27/2004 -- J. Edward Ketz associate professor of accounting and MBA faculty director, discusses the report from the examiner in MCI's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, which is critical of a "highly aggressive" tax strategy KPMG LLP recommended to MCI to avoid paying hundreds of millions of dollars in state income taxes. According to Ketz, the independence of KPMG could be called into question, especially if state authorities seek to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in back taxes, penalties, and interest the examiner's report said may be owed ( MCI Examiner Criticizes KPMG On Tax Strategy ).

Financial Times , 1/26/2004 -- The Smeal College of Business MBA Program , is ranked No. 44 overall and No. 28 in the United States Media Coveragepaper's annual assessment of the top 100 MBA programs in the world.

Sacramento Bee , 1/26/2004 -- Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, says the fear and anger over jobs lost to overseas competition is heightened because so-called knowledge-based skills such as computer programming were once seen as the key to U.S. job security. "Instead of just manufacturing, these jobs have come from the service sector, and we're not used to that," he explains ( U.S. Overseas Payrolls Grow ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 1/23/2004 -- Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses Pittsburgh's prowess at nurturing technology-based ventures that are viable enough to lure larger, more powerful companies. Ghadar says the proposed purchase of FreeMarkets by Ariba "means that Pittsburgh can develop these things and get them to the scale where they're attractive" ( Analysis: What Looks Bad Actually May Be Good ).

Scripps Howard News Service , 1/23/2004 -- Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, discusses the progress of women in today's workplace in her twice-monthly column. According to Olian, women have made substantial gains in areas such as medicine and law, but a gender gap remains in business ( What's Changing For Women? ) The column also appeared in the Centre Daily Times and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

Microsoft bCentral , 1/22/2004 -- Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, says that to get ahead in the corporate world, "you need to demonstrate the ability to understand how your work relates to the work of others around you. According to Vicere, it isn't about politics, but "showing that you know who to go to for help, advice, resources and support" ( 9 Ways To Stand Out At Your Company) ).

Training Mag , 1/20/2004 -- Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, says in a column that today's leaders oftentimes become preoccupied with maintaining focus and driving performance, and fail to think longer term. "The fact is that the current 'DNA' of business leaders in established organizations ... may not be the right DNA for an evolving economy" ( The Right DNA ).

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , 1/18/2004 -- Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, says that a better tactic than trying to recapture manufacturing jobs lost to overseas competition is to prepare the region's work force for new industries. "If the alternative is to tell U.S. companies they can't go to China, but their competition in Japan or Germany can go to China, then you're going to lose those employees anyway" ( Watching On Dry Shores As Jobs Shift Overseas ).

Newark Star-Ledger , 1/18/2004 -- Barbara Gray , professor of management, discusses the role of interpersonal relations in joint ventures between companies, such as the one between Schering-Plough and Merck. According to Gray, trust goes a long way in determining whether or not a venture will succeed ( Pharmaceutical Rivals Unite In Marketing Cholesterol Drug ).

The New York Times , 1/18/2004 -- Linda Klebe Treviño , professor of organizational behavior and the Franklin H. Cook Fellow in Business Ethics, says that boycotting companies that act unethically is worth considering. "If executives are willing to engage in financial corruption, I would be less likely to trust them and less likely to buy their product," she says. "I would ask myself if these executives would also be willing to compromise product quality or even safety for short-term financial gain" ( My Principles, Or The Milk And Cookies? ).

Scripps Howard News Service , 1/16/2004 – Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, says in his twice-monthly column that corporate innovation emerges when great leaders are in place. "The great leaders I've met, those with the knack for building organizations where both performance and innovation thrive, see themselves as champions of innovation" (Leadership Keeps The Business Spirit Strong).

Scripps Howard News Service , 1/16/2004 – Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, discusses the value of the long-venerated leadership retreat in his twice-monthly column. Even in today's age of e-mail, instant messaging, and Internet conferencing, Vicere strongly believes that retreats have a place ( Leadership Retreats Can Help Bottom Line ). The column also appeared in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer .

The Chronicle of Higher Education , 1/15/2004 -- The Smeal College of Business is mentioned as one of the business schools taking part in the launching of the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics. Linda Klebe Treviño , professor of organizational behavior and the Franklin H. Cook Fellow in Business Ethics, will join faculty from other leading business schools in helping to drive the Institute's mission of conducting research, creating a cutting-edge business ethics curriculum, leading executive seminars on business ethics, developing best practices in the area of corporate and business ethics, and providing hands-on training to current and emerging business leaders ( Business Schools And Corporate CEO's Team Up To Start Ethics Institute ).

NPR's Day to Day , 1/13/2004 -- J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting and MBA faculty director, discusses the preponderance of earnings restatements by companies. Ketz, the author of "Hidden Financial Risk: Understanding Off-Balance Sheet Accounting," says that we live in an environment where accounting is viewed as a game and that this is problematic ( The Marketplace Report: Revising the Bottom Line ). Listen at http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=1595381 .

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 1/12/2004 – J. Randall Woolridge , professor of finance and the Goldman Sachs & Co. and Frank P. Smeal Endowed University Fellow, compares exchange-traded funds with typical stocks, noting their many similarities. According to Woolridge, ETFs do pose significant advantages to long-term investors over comparable mutual funds because their operating expenses can be lower ( Heard Off The Street: Behold The ETF, A fund That Acts More Like A Stock ).

The Wall Street Journal , 1/9/2004 -- J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting and MBA faculty director, discusses indications from the SEC that an IBM employee will face charges for abetting a scheme by Dollar General Corp. to misstate its financial results. Although IBM's level of involvement remained unclear, Ketz speculated that perhaps "Dollar General was buying stuff from IBM, and talked IBM into buying stuff from them so they could write up some assets and recognize a gain" ( IBM Is Likely To Face SEC Charges ).

Scripps Howard News Service , 1/9/2004 – Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, discusses labor relations and its effects on the success of a company in her twice-monthly column, citing the Ford Motor Company and Bridgestone/Firestone recall. Olian uses this example to explain the negative consequences of tense worker strikes, suggesting that “good labor-management relationships serve the best interests of all parties" ( Labor Strife Recipe For Trouble ). The column also appeared in the Centre Daily Times and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

San Antonio Express-News , 1/10/2004 -- Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the economy in 2004 and suggests that the drop of the value of the dollar could translate to increased tourism. "Assuming we don't restrict (tourists) from coming here, or that planes are blowing up over here, you're going to see them coming en masse, and Disney World will be doing really well," he says ( All Signs Point To A Continued Economic Recovery In 2004 ).

Newark Star-Ledger , 1/8/2004 -- Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, offers his insights on what makes a good leader. According to Vicere, executives must get out of their ivory towers and spend quality time with employees. He gives the example of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, who "understood he had to inspire people to love the company as much as he did. He knew how to work the troops, and was like a politician in a positive sense" ( Pros On Executive Leadership Stress Execution, Whether You're Running The Giants Or GE ).

WPSX-TV / WPSU-FM (Central Pennsylvania), 1/6/2003 -- Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, hosts "About Business," a call-in show focused on the rising cost of health care to both employees and employers. Keith Crocker , the William Elliott Chaired Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, joins Olian as a guest on the show along with Paul Silvis, founder and head coach at Restek Corporation, and Lawrence Daurelle, president and CEO of Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company.

Scripps Howard News Service , 1/2/2004 – Albert Vicere , executive education professor of strategic leadership, explains in his twice-monthly column that CEOs too often forget what ultimately drives bottom-line performance: growth. He warns that an organization is bound to self-destruct unless it takes steps to maintain relevance in a constantly changing marketplace and that CEOs should understand how and why organizational members think the way they do, and how their thinking impacts motivation and performance ( Companies Neglect Development At Own Risk ).

CBS MarketWatch.com , 1/1/2003 – Fariborz Ghadar , directer of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the benefits of foreign language fluency in the United States. Ghadar notes that in order to be marketable in today’s workplace, especially in the South, you cannot afford to not speak Spanish ( Foreign-Language Fluency New Plus For U.S. Workers ). The article also appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune , the Arizona Republic , the Rutland Herald (Vermont), the Chicago Tribune , and the Billings Gazette (Montana).

Leader's Edge Magazine , January/February 2004 -- Keith Crocker , the William Elliott Chaired Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, discusses in his regular column the Health Insurance Act of 2003 and its impacts on the benefits companies are required to provide for their employees, citing California as an example. Crocker addresses the economics of insurance, noting that while the recurring problem of insuring the uninsured isn't unsolvable, it will still cost money ( A Misguided Mandate ).

BizEd , January/February 2004 – The Smeal College of Business ' grant of $400,000 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology is noted. The five-year grant, managed by Gerald Susman , the Robert & Judith Klein Professor of Management, will be used to fund several studies on the performance of small manufacturing firms and could eventually grow to between $3 million and $4 million in total funding ( Donations and Grants ).

BusinessWeek Online , January 2004 -- Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, offers her insights into what it will take to keep business schools relevant in today's changing landscape of business practice. Olian chaired the Management Education Task force for the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, which addressed pressing issues such as the growing shortage of doctoral faculty and what can be done to combat this ( Penn State's B-School Dean Judy Olian On Management Ed ). Watch the "Video Views" interview at http://businessweek.feedroom.com/iframeset.jsp?ord=310454 .

SmartPros , January 2004 -- J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting and MBA faculty director, discusses the sentence of probation to four managers at HealthSouth for their role in committing accounting fraud. According to Ketz's regular column, "The Accounting Cycle," probation is at most an inconvenience and provides perverse incentives for executives to carry out accounting fraud in the future ( HealthSouth Executives Escape Justice ).

REPORTERS & EDITORS: For more information, please contact Wyatt DuBois in the Smeal College of Business Media Relations Office at 814-863-3798 or wed112@psu.edu .

Penn State's Smeal College of Business offers highly ranked undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, Ph.D., and executive education opportunities to more than 5,500 students at all levels. Featuring academic departments of accounting, finance, marketing, insurance and real estate, management, and supply chain and information systems, the college is also home to major research centers such as the Center for Supply Chain Research, the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, the eBusiness Research Center, the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Center for Global Business Studies, and the Center for the Management of Technological and Organizational Change.

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