Media Coverage: March 2005

Philadelphia Inquirer , 03/29/2005— J. Randall Woolridge , professor of finance, discusses the pending shift of SunGard Data Systems from a public to private company. Woolridge says the change doesn't mean SunGard will be able to relax its standards. "They're going to be very tightly governed," Woolridge says. "These people are looking for 20 to 30 percent returns" ( Breaking Free From Wall Street ). The story also appeared in the San Jose Mercury News and the Pioneer Press .

Baltimore Sun , 03/27/2005— John Spychalski , professor of supply chain management, discusses the future of Amtrak. According to Spychalski, no one is committing to any ideas, and reforms will be tough to argue. The Amtrak debate is historically guided by "extremes - those who want to do something and those who want to do almost nothing" ( Despite Critics' Efforts To Derail It, Amtrak Keeps On Rolling ).

Journal News , 03/27/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the need for workers to learn new skills. "People say the jobs being created are not just flipping hamburgers," Ghadar says. "They're high-tech jobs, medical jobs. I don't buy jobs being created are lower-paying than ones that disappeared" ( Imports Remain Key Part Of U.S. Economy ).

New York Times , 03/24/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses increased opportunities for exporters because of the falling value of the dollar. According to Ghadar, the weaker dollar can benefit small brand-name exporters that piggyback on global brands, like those that sell components for IBM computers or Cisco routers. It can also help exporters in competitive fields that have an intimate relationship with their customers, like toolmakers or auto-parts suppliers, if they have the means to deliver their products quickly and transfer payments back to the United States at low cost ( Export Opportunities Aren't Just For The Big Guys ).

Centre Daily Times , 03/23/2005— The Nittany Lion Fund , Smeal's $2.2 million student-managed investment fund is profiled. "For the most part, these investors are investing in the people," says J. Randall Woolridge , professor of finance. "We know we have great undergrads. They know that this is a valuable learning experience. There's no way you can really get that experience by playing with paper portfolios" ( Student Investors Learn With Real Thing ).

Chemical & Engineering News , 03/21/2005— Peter Swan , assistant professor of supply chain management, discusses railroad safety and security. "Railroads are not going to allow towns to impose regulations that cost them a lot of money or mess up their business," Swan says ( Railroad Safety, Security, Secrecy ).

Los Angeles Times , 02/15/2004— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, writes in an op-ed about global population shifts. "Governments and corporations will need to adapt to aging labor pools, rising fiscal pressures from strained pension systems, rapidly changing consumer preferences aimed at ever older age segments and new lifestyles geared to the old ­ to name just a few of the changes this tectonic force implies," Ghadar writes. "The prospect for new inter-generational frictions in many societies­ especially those with a rapidly diminishing worker-to-retiree ratio ­ is significant ( Will They Feed Us When We're 65? ).

Daily Collegian , 03/18/2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, and J. Randall Woolridge , professor of finance, discuss faculty salaries at Penn State. "When a college has a large demand for professors, they are more likely to pay more to hire them," Ketz says. "It has nothing to do with the fact that one college is more powerful or better than another." Adds Woolridge, "At University Park, our two main competitors are Ohio State and Michigan State, which are two very big and very powerful schools. The Commonwealth Campuses generally compete against schools in a smaller market, so they do not need to pay as much to stay competitive" ( Salaries For Faculty Set To Rise Next Year ).

Centre Daily Times , 03/15/2005— Edward Reutzel , senior associate dean, discusses faculty salaries. According to Reutzel, the marketplace for faculty is very competitive and salaries have an impact on a college's ability to attract and keep faculty. "Like all colleges at Penn State, if we don't remain competitive, we don't get the best and brightest of the faculty candidates that are out there," he says ( Professors Urge Penn State To Keep Penn State Competitive ).

Scripps Howard News Service , 03/11/2005— Albert Vicere , professor of strategic leadership, writes about the top companies for internal leadership development his regular column. "According to a new survey by consulting firm Executive Development Associates, General Electric was once again ranked as the best company for developing leadership talent by chief learning officers, heads of executive development at major companies, and other experts in the field" ( Lessons To be Learned In Leadership Development ). The column also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Seattle Post-Intelligencer .

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 03/08/2005— Albert Vicere , professor of strategic leadership, writes about a looming retention crisis in a column. "Search firms are gearing up for a boom in business," Vicere writes. "While many companies will try to fill leadership voids through recruiting, other firms will counter with pay raises and other perks in order to hang on to their talent. But forward thinking companies are not just relying on short-term solutions like retention bonuses. Instead, they are investing in talent management systems to retain leaders and strengthen organizational culture" ( Business Leadership Retention Crisis Looming ).

United Press International , 03/07/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the European Union's drive to recruit technology talent and the increasing competitiveness of Asia. "If nothing changes very much we will see a gradual shift by international students away from the United States and Western Europe to staying in their own schools," Ghadar says. "In my opinion, it will ultimately damage the U.S. economy. We will be at less of an advantage if we don't change" ( PoliSci: EU Pushes To Recruit Tech Talent ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 03/07/2005— J. Randall Woolridge , professor of finance, discusses the use of corporate guidance to inform analysts. According to Woolridge, the the wider the range of analyst estimates, the more likely a company is to revise guidance. That's particularly true if analysts are too optimistic. Companies want to avoid what he calls "the CNBC effect," in which disappointing earnings and the resulting drop in the stock's price become grist for the media ( Like A Wavering Youth: Wall Street Needs Guidance ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 03/05/2005— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the possibilities in China for H.J. Heinz. "The opportunity there is enormous," he says, citing a Chinese economy that is growing by 7.5 percent to 10 percent a year, far faster than the United States and European Union countries ( Heinz Cooks Up China Strategy ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 03/04/2005— Keith Crocker , the William Elliott Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, discusses a potential plan by the state legislature to introduce landslide insurance in the commonwealth. "The key to getting a state plan is to get the political aspects of it to work," Crocker says. According to Crocker, the state could set up such a program, but it wouldn't be inexpensive ( Homeowners, Lawmakers Push For Landslide Insurance Program ).

GFN.com , 03/01/2005— Charles Enis associate professor of accounting, discusses personal tax strategies. According to Enis, the dollars you put into 401(k) and other retirement accounts reduce your taxable income, "so it's a good idea to get as close as you can to maxing out on that. People should also look into flexible spending plans," Enis advises. "They're a great deal as long as you're conservative" ( Steps Taken Now Can Save Taxes Later ).

AccountingWEB.com , 03/01/2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, discusses widespread lease accounting errors. "Where were the auditors?" Ketz asks. "Where were the people approving these things? This doesn't seem like something that really requires new discussion. If we have to go back and revisit every single rule because companies and their professional advisers aren't going to follow the rules, then I think we're in very serious trouble in this country" ( SEC Uncovers Wide-Scale Lease Accounting Errors ).

SmartPros , March 2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, writes about the loss of independence in the world of accounting. "I used to think that independence was the bedrock of the accounting profession, at least that is what I learned in my auditing classes several decades ago," Ketz writes. "Has something occurred since then that has changed the status of independence?" ( Whatever Happened To Valuing Independence ).

SmartPros , March 2005— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, writes about the departure of Dan Rather in a column. "Even after Rather is no longer the anchor and four others have left the organization, will things be different at this news organization," Ketz writes. "Will their eagerness to report a story first continue to dominate the ethic of getting the story right?" ( Goodbye, Dan Rather ).

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