Knowledge at Wharton

Global organizations operating in the contemporary business landscape need to tightly link financial rigor and strategic insight. Increasingly senior financial executives are playing influential roles in strategy development and implementation working closely with the CEO and the board to creatively assess and design growth opportunities. The question is: Are CFOs prepared to move beyond the number-crunching function to act and lead in this capacity? Wharton’s Jason Wingard and John Percival discuss this and other issues. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Donna Noce entered college with the intent to major in veterinary medicine. But when a part-time job at a local retail store led to the chance to try her hand as a fashion buyer she became hooked on the retail industry. For the past six years Noce has been president of White House Black Market a retail chain that sells designs focused around the classic color combination. In this interview with Knowledge at Wharton Noce drew on more than three decades of experience to discuss what has changed in the fashion business -- and what hasn’t. (Video with  transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Many people in the Western world used to anticipate retiring in their 50s or 60s. Now they are embarking on new ”encore” careers at the very time when they might have previously been expected to begin a life of leisure. Marci Alboher author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life spoke to Wharton professor Stewart Friedman about second -- and even third -- acts. (Video with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brad Feld sold his Boston startup and moved to Boulder Colo. in 1995. The city already had a bustling entrepreneurial community and Feld was soon in the thick of things. He co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and earlier Intensity Ventures a company that helped launch software companies. More recently he co-founded two early-stage venture capital firms -- the Foundry Group and TechStars -- which provide seed funding and angel investors. A startup community has to tap its ”natural resources ” he says in this Knowledge at Wharton interview. Feld is also the author of several books including Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City. (Podcast with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

READ Global an international non-profit that uses community libraries as a platform for creating social change in rural villages throughout India Bhutan and Nepal is the winner of the second annual Barry & Marie Lipman Family Prize awarded to an organization that is creating social impact through leadership and innovation. Wharton administers the prize on behalf of the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Useem director of Wharton’s Center for Leadership and Change Management recently interviewed Tina Sciabica executive director of READ Global. (Video with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Online real estate marketplace Zillow has brought to home buying and selling what a previous generation of travel websites provided to shoppers wanting to compare the prices of hotels rental cars and airline flights -- transparency. But finding data that is reliable across the board can be difficult according to Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff. And the key is not just simply to offer the information Rascoff said during a recent conversation with Knowledge at Wharton and Wharton real estate professor Susan Wachter; it’s about the level of accuracy gained from the various sub-models the company’s software incorporates. (Video with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A colleague asks you for feedback on a report. A LinkedIn connection requests an introduction to one of your key contacts. A recent graduate would like an informational interview. New research from Wharton management professor Adam Grant reveals that how you respond to these requests may be a decisive indicator of where you’ll end up on the ladder of professional success. Grant recently spoke with Knowledge at Wharton about his findings which are explored in his new book Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. (Video with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act -- better known as Obamacare -- was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010. Since then it has generated enormous amounts of debate controversy and uncertainty. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Bruce Broussard president and CEO of Humana the fourth-largest health care insurance group offers his take on Obamacare and the challenges -- and opportunities -- it presents to health care stakeholders. (Video with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a world focused on increased productivity and instant gratification it’s hard to imagine that businesspeople have much time for meditation. But huge corporations -- including Google Monsanto Hearst and National Grid --have discovered the benefits of meditation at work  including improved teamwork more effective decision-making and lower levels of employee stress. In this interview with Knowledge at Wharton Mirabai Bush co-founder of the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society spoke with Katherine Klein vice dean of Wharton’s Social Impact Initiative  about the benefits of contemplative thinking. (Podcast with transcript) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.