Knowledge at Wharton

Last fall after losing previous bids Rio de Janeiro -- Brazil’s second-largest city -- won the approval of the International Olympic Committee to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. According to Carlos Roberto Osorio secretary general of the Brazilian Olympic Committee this time around Rio had learned from its earlier failed bids and had the success of hosting the 2007 Pan American Games under its belt. That combined with Brazil’s ”special circumstances” of economic stability amid the global downturn helped it to beat out rival cities. In an interview with Wharton professors Felipe Monteiro and Ken Shropshire Osorio discussed the winning bid and the challenges that lie ahead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When an entrepreneur has identified a potential business opportunity the next step is developing a business plan for the new venture. What exactly should the new plan contain? How can the entrepreneur ensure it has the substance to find interest among would-be investors? In this installment of a series of podcasts for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Wharton management professor Ian MacMillan explains that business plans must contain several crucial elements: They must articulate a market need; identify products or services to fill that need; assess the resources required to produce those products or services; address the risks involved in the venture; and estimate the potential revenues and profits. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do more than half of all start-ups fail? Because they bungle their marketing according to Leonard Lodish a professor of marketing at Wharton and co-author of two books Entrepreneurial Marketing and Marketing That Works. ”The dogs won’t eat the dog food is the way venture capitalists describe it ” Lodish says. The key lies in how a marketing plan is crafted. In this installment of the podcast series for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Lodish explains that marketing plans must take into account three critical strategic and tactical factors: positioning targeting and pricing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A critical step in the creation of a new venture is raising the capital to bring the new business to life. What sources of capital can an entrepreneur tap and what factors must she or he keep in mind while going through the process? According to Stephen Sammut a senior fellow and lecturer at Wharton so-called angel investors represent one possible option. Another source is venture capitalists (VCs) who may fund start-ups or invest at a later stage in a company’s growth. In this podcast for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Sammut explains the promises and pitfalls of dealing with venture capitalists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who are you? What do you stand for? What do you want? Entrepreneurs usually know the answers to those questions when they start up companies. But do their leadership teams? To make sure they do top entrepreneurs develop a ”blueprint” that will guide their companies as they grow from six to 60 to 600 employees says Michael Useem Wharton professor of management and director of its Center for Leadership and Change Management. In this installment of the podcast series for the Wharton-CERT Business Plan Competition Useem discusses blueprints and other things that entrepreneurs need to develop successful leadership teams including a knack for telling a good story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question of whether CEOs of America’s major companies are overpaid has been a subject of interest for many years. Are the compensation practices for these elite men and women fair and appropriate? Do they provide proper incentives or do they reward excessive caution or risk taking? Wharton accounting professors John Core and Wayne Guay have just completed a study on this topic. Guay along with colleague Chris Armstrong sat down with Knowledge at Wharton to discuss executive compensation and the controversies that it continues to generate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two recent events have rocked the publishing world. First The New York Times said it would abandon the practice of providing free online content and start charging regular readers beginning in 2011. And second Apple’s much-hyped tablet -- the iPad -- made its appearance. What implications will the Times’ decision have for newspaper publishers and other providers of free online content? How will the iPad re-define what a book means as well as how it is produced marketed and delivered? Wharton professors Peter Fader and Stephen Kobrin weigh in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The earthquake that rocked Haiti last week has caused unimaginable death and destruction a reminder that catastrophes are usually unforeseeable and therefore almost impossible to prepare for. Can any country or region of the world rich or poor take meaningful steps to avoid the destruction caused by catastrophes ranging from earthquakes and hurricanes to terrorist attacks and pandemics? Knowledge at Wharton asked professors Howard Kunreuther and Michael Useem authors of a new book titled Learning from Catastrophes: Strategies for Reaction and Response and Morris A. Cohen to talk about the situation in Haiti and the challenges of dealing with such crises. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite renewed GDP growth and other positive signs the U.S. isn’t out of the woods says Wharton finance professor Franklin Allen. In fact the country could be heading into a ”double dip” scenario that tips it back into a recession. That depends on how a number of factors play out in the coming months -- or even years -- not only in the U.S. but also around the world. Global interest rate policies property markets and public deficits will all demand attention Allen notes in a recent interview with Knowledge at Wharton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U.S. stocks boomed in the last nine months of 2009 but remained well below earlier highs. Indeed many people referred to the first 10 years of the 21st century as ”the lost decade ” because stocks returned virtually nothing while investors had been conditioned to expect 10% a year. Meanwhile bonds and commodities experienced a stunning run. Have the rules of investing changed? What’s ahead for 2010? Knowledge at Wharton talked with Wharton finance professor Jeremy Siegel who sees some hazards especially for bonds but expects a good year for stocks. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.