Knowledge at Wharton

From Colin Dyer’s perspective the worldwide real estate market is in pretty bad shape. As president and CEO of global real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle Dyer has seen firsthand the problems that an absence of liquidity is causing for buyers who need financing for real estate transactions. Yet he is also optimistic that comparatively little competition and some good bargains provide excellent market opportunities for those who know where to look. Dyer expanded on these points during an interview with Knowledge at Wharton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While Russia initially may have been insulated from the impact of the global financial crisis -- due to the once-high price of oil -- the country is now feeling the impact of the slowdown. What does this mean for the Russian real estate market? How are real estate companies responding to the crisis? And what should international companies look for when doing business there? Bruce Gardner managing director of MLP Russia and a participant in the recent Knowledge at Wharton Real Estate in Emerging Markets Forum offers some answers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

China’s unsurpassed demand cash reserves and willingness to invest heavily in new infrastructure make it an attractive option for foreign real estate investors according to Gilles Assouline president of Wuxi Iparks Creative Design & Development. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Assouline spoke about why conditions in China are ripe for real estate development and how partnering with the world’s fastest-growing economy may be a requisite for survival in the current economic downturn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Those countries that had easy access to debt -- such as the U.S. and Japan -- are taking the biggest hit from the current financial crisis while those countries without access to debt capital -- such as Brazil -- have been somewhat spared according to Gary Garrabrant CEO of Equity International. During the Knowledge at Wharton Real Estate in Emerging Markets Forum Garrabrant spoke about his company’s strategy for weathering the down market how investment decisions are made and what he sees happening in the next 18 to 24 months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Founded in 1928 Mangels Industrial is among Brazil’s leading manufacturers. Its products range from cold rolled steel to gas cylinders. In addition the company is Latin America’s largest maker of aluminum wheels for the auto industry. How are manufacturers such as Mangels Industrial coping with the global recession? In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton Bob Mangels company CEO and grandson of the founder shares his insights on managing during the slowdown as well as principles that help family businesses succeed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a year of financial shock and sharp economic loss 2009 is likely to be extremely difficult for the global economy with investors business leaders and policymakers struggling to find signs of recovery. Wharton faculty and other experts interviewed by the Knowledge at Wharton Network discuss the outlook for the U.S. Europe Latin America India China and Japan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It was a tough year for newspapers. The owner of The Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune declared bankruptcy; The New York Times borrowed against its headquarters and even accepted ads on its front page. Detroit’s two dailies announced the end of home delivery on all but three days of the week. According to Wharton faculty if newspapers can’t find a new business model quickly they may soon be printing final editions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Successful marketplaces -- indeed all social systems -- require a level of ethical behavior among their participants. In an interview with Knowledge at Wharton professors Maurice E. Schweitzer and G. Richard Shell who have conducted extensive research on the role of trust in markets explain why even the most sophisticated investors put their faith in Bernard Madoff the New York City financier recently accused of running a $50 billion Ponzi scheme. That breach of trust has damaged the broader markets Schweitzer and Shell say. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President-elect Barack Obama’s infrastructure plan has drawn considerable debate but mostly over the details -- the size of the stimulus program how to structure the plan to create the most jobs in the shortest time and how to administer such a large program to limit corruption and pork-barrel projects. The bigger questions remain unanswered including to what extent new jobs will actually be created and how all this spending will affect the government’s long-term debt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Brock has come a long way since his first jobs working in his uncle’s dime store and later at a paper mill in Moss Point Miss. Today he is chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola Enterprises the world’s largest marketer producer and distributor of Coca-Cola products. Brock has more than 25 years of experience in the beverage sales industry. In 2003 he was named CEO of Interbrew headquartered in Brussels Belgium. In 2006 he joined Coca-Cola Enterprises where he was appointed chairman in April 2008. Brock talked with Knowledge at Wharton about Coke’s philosophy on selling soda in schools helping the environment and recruiting teens to become devoted customers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.