Media Coverage: January 2005

Seattle Times , 01/30/2005— David Harrison , professor of management, discusses the use of flexible work schedules as a key recruiting tool. "Name me a big company, and I'll almost guarantee they're doing it now," he says ( Flexibility A Business Perk That Works ).

Daily Star , 01/29/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses ongoing mergers in the media industry. "The media giants can't make much of a profit in their domestic market. Continually finding new markets overseas is the only way they can find the capital to grow while making their shareholders happy" ( Media Merger Mania ).

Journal News , 01/29/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the impact on Procter & Gamble's acquisition of Gilette on the range of products available to consumers. "They'll give you the pink shaving instrument that you want. If they try to take a lot of products out you'll see other companies step in to offer more and beautiful things. The consumer is really king and if you don't provide what the consumer wants somebody else will" ( Consumers Likely To See Product Mix Change ).

Expatica , 01/28/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses difficulties at Royal Dutch Shell. "There is a sensitivity in the marketplace that says, 'Don't screw around with us. Tell us the way it is'" ( Will Shell Sink Or Swim? ).

KNX (CBS) News Radio , 01/26/2005— John Spychalski , professor of supply chain management, discusses rail safety issues following a commuter train crash outside of Los Angeles.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 01/24/2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, discusses the need for some companies to repeatedly restate financial results. According to Ketz, either they haven't done a good job with their internal controls or aggressive accountants are willing to surrender some ground, "but they're hoping you don't catch other things" ( Accounting Miscues Becoming More Common In Corporate America ).

Sound Money (American Public Media) , 01/22/2005— Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, discusses retraining for workers when they lose their jobs. "Lifetime employment is something of the past. The brand you invest in is not the company's brand, it's you. That means that you have to be constantly re-skilling yourself no matter what happens" ( Job Retraining ).

Oregonian , 01/22/2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, and his column on social security reform suggesting that Congress should repeal the unified budget act to prevent further looting of Social Security are cited ( Follow Up On Bush's Good Idea ).

Traffic World , 01/17/2005— Peter Swan , assistant professor of supply chain management, discusses the labor shortage in the trucking industry. "Clearly, the labor market for drivers has failed." According to Swan, carriers may want to avoid paying drivers strictly by the mile. "I would at least provide a bottom-line limit that drivers would know they're going to get" ( Double The Money ).

Marketing News , 01/15/2005— Ralph Oliva , executive director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, discusses resolutions to help fortify the brand plan in the new year. "Abraham Maslow had it slightly wrong. What humans need is to survive, to reproduce, and to create our own logo for something" ( Four Resolutions Help Fortify Brand Plan ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 01/11/2005— Albert Vicere , professor of strategic leadership, writes in a column that "there's an adage that two heads are better than one. That's especially true for leaders at the top of successful organizations. The decisions they make can have far-reaching consequences. Yet all too often, they make those decisions on their own. With a little thought and careful guidance, consultants can provide useful input and guidance for a company's leadership direction" ( Good Consultants Can Give Leaders A Boost ).

York Daily Record , 01/10/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the state of the economy. "Overall, we are in an economy that's nothing to jump up and down about, but it's certainly an attractive economy that's improving" ( County's Outlook Positive ).

Baltimore Sun , 01/09/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses Wal-Mart's response to adversity, like it experienced at the start of the holiday shopping season. "Do they sometimes make a mistake? Of course they make mistakes. I mean they're bigger than [General Electric]. The question is what do they do when they make their mistakes. Do they learn from them and move on? Historically, they have" ( Wal-Mart's Holiday Wobble ).

Boston Globe , 01/08/2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, discusses the impact of the rule requiring companies to expense stock options. "The stock option has value, and so it should be counted as an asset the firm is giving up. It basically makes the system more transparent" ( Not An Option: High-Tech Workers May Suffer Under New Expense Rule ).

United Press International , 01/06/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the state of businesses in Europe. "It takes a little bit more time before people start shifting their purchasing power. The euro has gone up ... you are beginning to see the industrial production having difficulty in the export market. Once that happens, consumer confidence goes down" ( European Business Confidence Down ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 01/03/2005— Albert Vicere , professor of strategic leadership, writes in a column that "leadership is the responsibility for advancing the organization, for delivering on its promise, for building a better life for every stakeholder who comes in contact with it. Essentially then, leadership is stewardship. And despite some recent, highly publicized CEO blunders, I believe that most leaders still feel a commitment to that responsibility" ( Leaders Go To Bat For Life, Love And Legacy ).

Chicago Tribune Magazine , 01/02/2005— Keith Crocker , the William Elliott Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, discusses health insurance in the United States. According to Crocker, the crises is about people with means. "Even people who have a net worth of zero get treated," he says. "The reason we buy insurance isn't to guarantee treatment per se but to protect our assets" ( Sometimes It Doesn't Pay To See A Doctor When You're Sick ).

Corporate Board Member , January/February 2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, and his research on mergers and acquisitions are mentioned. According to Ghadar, the stock price of an acquiring company drops an average 2% to 5% in the first few hours of trading after an acquisition is announced, then underperforms its industry for the next six months ( M&A Shocker: Buyer's Stock Price Rises ).

Leader's Edge , January/February 2005— Keith Crocker , the William Elliott Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, discusses New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's investigation of commercial insurance brokers and the overall state of the industry as part of a panel of insurance industry experts. Crocker comments on a range of topics including the use of contingent commissions and industry upheaval ( Contingent Clash ).

SmartPros.com , January 2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, writes in a column that "if the President and members of Congress and those responsible for the management of the federal government were CEOs and CFOs and directors of business enterprises, they might be in prison today." According to Ketz, "Congress must repeal the unified budget act to prevent further looting of Social Security and to report budget deficits correctly. The second step is to find a way of fairly generating $2 trillion over the next few years to pay back the American workers ( The Biggest Accounting Fraud: Social Security ). The column also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette .

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