September 2004

Media Coverage: September 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.

Scripps Howard News Service , 9/24/2004— Albert Vicere , professor of strategic leadership, writes in his regular column that "the demand for leadership development and executive education is stronger than ever, especially given its recognized role as a catalyst to drive corporate performance. By all indications," Vicere writes, "corporations place great importance on this type of training and are spending huge amounts of money to cultivate leadership talent" ( Leadership Development Essential When Dealing With Change ). For more on Vicere, visit http://php.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.php?t_user_id=aav1 .

Wall Street Journal , 9/22/2004— Smeal's MBA program is highlighted in rankings based on feedback from corporate recruiters. Smeal ranks 26th of 44 "regional" providers and 9th in the world among programs that have a global recruiting base. Read more about the rankings at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/sep04/wsjrank.html .

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 9/21/2004— Keith Crocker , Elliott Chaired Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, discusses the implications of flooding on insurance policies. According to Crocker, homeowners trying to recover damages from floods should not accept a quick "no" from their insurance company, but should try to determine whether the catastrophe was the result of an insured peril. In the industry, that is called "an unbroken chain of causality," he says ( Insurance Likely To Leave Many Flooded Homes In Pittsburgh High And Dry ). For more on Crocker, visit http://php.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.php?t_user_id=ist .

Pennsylvania Business Central , 9/21/2004— Patrick A. Cataldo Jr. , associate dean of Penn State Executive Programs, discusses in an op-ed the pursuit of corporate growth. "Simply repeating the word 'growth' again and again, however, from boardroom meetings to media interviews to employee memos, will not make much of a difference," he writes. "Instead, the pursuit of growth demands a comprehensive strategy to match, one that touches every level and every worker in the organization" ( Powering Growth By Investing In People ). For more on Penn State Executive Programs, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/index.html .

Christian Science Monitor , 9/20/2004— Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, discusses what corporate boards are looking for in a leader following many high-profile debacles in recent years. "[Boards] want it to be obvious to everyone around that this person is skilled," Olian says. "The easiest signal is that they've done it in the past, and they're well known. In that sense, 'rock star' CEOs provide that signal. But it's not just that they are flamboyant, it's the track record of performance" ( In Corner Office—The Rise Of The Anti-Star? ). Read Olian's previous column on the subject at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/jul03/optimism.html .

Wichita Eagle , 9/19/2004— 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 ( Bending Hours To Fit Workers' Lives ). For more on Harrison, visit http://php.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.php?t_user_id=dah35 .

Irish Independent , 9/16/2004— Smeal's On-Demand Supply Chain Laboratory , supported by a grant from IBM, is mentioned in a piece about the newest lab in the network at University College Dublin ( Smurfit Lab Gets IBM $1M ).

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 9/15/2004— Keith Crocker , Elliott Chaired Professor of Insurance and Risk Management, discusses US Airways' pension liabilities in the face of bankruptcy. According to Crocker, what the airline is doing reflects "a traditional problem with a defined benefit plan. You're really relying on the financial integrity of the company that's doing the guaranteeing" ( US Airways Tries To Shift Pension Bill Of $2 Billion ).

CIO , 9/10/2004— Fariborz Ghadar , director of the Center for Global Business Studies, discusses the rise of customer self-service applications in business. According to Ghadar, self-service environments must feature facile use interfaces that quickly deliver relevant answers. ?If we have to ask a customer more than four or five questions, he or she basically goes away,? he says ( Customers Are Doing It For Themselves ). For more on Ghadar, visit http://php.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.php?t_user_id=fxg9 .

Scripps Howard News Service , 9/10/2004— Albert Vicere , professor of strategic leadership, writes in his regular column that companies are beginning to see their lack of depth in leadership talent as a major barrier to future growth. "In today's performance-oriented environment, many companies are abandoning traditional executive development programs like the "mini-MBA" style development classes sponsored by business schools, in favor of company-specific initiatives to increase their bench strength," he writes. "They could be throwing out the baby with the bathwater" ( Both Types Of Executive Training Have Their Merit ). The column also appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Seattle Post-Intelligencer .

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette , 9/6/2004— Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, discusses the role of the Internet in impacting the work/life balance and productivity of many workers. According to Olian, the Internet "puts a lot of power into employee hands." She adds that it's important for employers to make sure their employees separate their work and home for their own sanity and quality of life ( Thanks To The Internet, Work Can Go Wherever You Do ). Read Olian's previous column on the subject at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/feb02/juggling.html .

Scripps Howard News Service , 9/3/2004— Judy Olian , dean of the Smeal College, writes in her regular column that "business leaders know that they desperately need employees possessing the knowledge and skills to anticipate the next set of business opportunities. They are also aware that the flow of new and qualified workers into their ranks will dwindle over the next decade." According to Olian, the answer is a renewed focus on the talent bench and executive education ( Developing Organizational Capabilities ). The column also appeared in the Centre Daily Times and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Read it at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/sep04/organize.html .

Wall Street Journal , 9/2/2004— Laura Field , assistant professor of finance, discusses the end of Google Inc.'s lockup period. Field and another researcher found that a stock's price typically falls by about 1.5 percent on average in the days leading up to the expiration of its lockup period. For companies with a large venture-capital base—like Google—the performance tends to be about three times worse. "The more shares a company is putting out there," Field says, "the more I'd be worried" ( A Second Chance to Buy Google? ) For more on Field, visit http://php.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.php?t_user_id=lcf4 .

Daily Collegian , 9/1/2004— Tony Warren , director of the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, discusses Penn State's selection as the "hottest school for entrepreneurs" in the Kaplan/Newsweek "How to Get into College" guide. Warren has helped spearhead educational opportunities for undergraduates across the University. "Entrepreneurship is about mixing up ideas in a holistic way," he says. "It's great to have a mixture of students from all over campus" ( PSU Good Place For Entrepreneurs ). Visit the Farrell Center at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/fcfe/index.html.

Marketing Management , September/October 2004— Ralph Oliva , executive director of the Institute for the Study of Business Markets, discusses the implications of eBay in his regular column. "Some of the same sorts of benefits and innovations eBay brings us as individual buying consumers are now reaching out and touching small business," he writes. "It's creating a new marketplace for the sorts of things small business people need: office equipment, manufacturing equipment, and even direct material. Along the way, eBay is creating a valuable "secondary market" for certain sorts of equipment by opening up a used equipment marketplace" ( Small Businesses Embrace eBay ). Visit the ISBM at http://www.smeal.psu.edu/isbm/index.html .

SmartPros.com , September 2004— J. Edward Ketz , associate professor of accounting, writes about the effects of contingently convertible bonds (CoCos) on earnings per share his regular column. "During the period of the accounting scandals, I often said that principles-based accounting requires principled individuals, and I don't know whether we have enough principled managers to make it work," Ketz writes. "Even though the scandals have abated somewhat, I'm inclined to hold on to that position. After all, some executives and their Wall Street advisors still seem to treat their capital customers poorly" ( FASB Takes A Look At Contingent Convertibles ). For more on Ketz, visit http://php.smeal.psu.edu/smeal/dirbio/displayBio.php?t_user_id=k55 .

September 2004

Media Coverage: September 2004

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