Business Integration Partners Spa-Knowledge@Wharton

1 Oct - 14 Oct



	Ebb without Flow: Water May Be the New Oil in a Thirsty Global Economy Is water the new oil? The answer is yes, according to a number of economists, business leaders, scientists and geopolitical strategists, who argue that it's time to stop taking for granted the substance that covers 70% of the planet and makes up a similar proportion of the human body. Just as the late 20^th century saw an oil shock, the early 21^st century may feature a water shock, where scarcity leads to a sharp price hike on a resource that has always been plentiful and cheap. Such a scenario could have an even bigger impact than peak oil, transforming markets, governments and ecosystems alike.

	3D Movies: Adding Depth or Falling Flat? Dreamworks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg called the latest 3D movie technology "the greatest innovation to occur in the movie business in 70 years." A bevy of theater chains are exploring or installing digital cinema and 3D systems in the second half of 2008 into 2009. Intel and others are creating tools for companies to make a new generation of 3D animation films. Experts at Wharton say 3D movies are back in vogue, but it's unclear whether the latest greatest technology can give theaters a sustainable competitive advantage over other forms of entertainment.

	'Feeling the Love' (or Anger): How Emotions Can Distort the Way We Respond to Advice Here's a piece of advice: Don't read this story if you have just had a fight with your spouse or a co-worker. You will probably ignore it, despite its grounding in solid academic research. At least that's what Maurice Schweitzer, a Wharton professor of operations and information management, would suggest. In a recent co-authored paper, he shows that emotions not only influence people's receptiveness to advice but they do so even when the emotions have no link to the advice or the adviser.

	Seth Berger's Full Court Press: Building a Company from the Ground Up Seth Berger is founder and former CEO of AND 1, a company specializing in basketball shoes and apparel. Started by Berger and several classmates while they were students at Wharton in the early 1990s, AND 1's original product line featured t-shirts targeted at young basketball players; the company later expanded to offer a full line of apparel. Under Berger's leadership, revenues increased from $1 million in 1993 to more than $200 million in 2001. In 2005, Berger sold AND 1 to American Sporting Goods, a private footwear company based in Anaheim, Calif. Currently the head boys' varsity basketball coach at the Westtown School in Westtown, Pa., Berger spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about what it takes to build a successful company.

	On the Clock: Are Retail Sales People Getting a Raw Deal? Ann Taylor Stores -- a New York-based retailer of upscale women's clothing -- is using a new computer scheduling system that assigns the busiest and most desirable hours to employees with the strongest sales numbers. Those with less success on the selling floor get far fewer and less desirable hours when new schedules are posted. While systems like these can help improve productivity, Wharton faculty and others warn that they are no substitute for hands-on management when it comes to dealing with workers.

	Craig Mundie's 'Primordial Soup': Steering Microsoft through the Next Big Technological Disruption When Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates stepped down from daily involvement with the company this past summer, the company's chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, was one of two Microsoft executives tapped to fulfill Gates's role as technological visionary. In an interview with Knowledge@ Wharton, Mundie talks about his vision of the future of computing, the challenges and opportunities of disruptive technologies and how he intends to keep Microsoft relevant in the post-Gates era.

	Wanted: A President Who Can Lead During a Time of 'Daunting' Challenges The new president's job, says one Wharton professor, "will be as hard as any job any person has ever had." For the 44^th president of the United States, extraordinary managerial and cognitive abilities will be needed to tackle unprecedented challenges, including wars being waged in two countries and a financial system on the verge of collapse. Wharton and University of Pennsylvania faculty members offer their views on which leadership qualities will be most important over the next four years, and why. This article is the third in a series about economic and leadership issues focusing on the November 4 election.