In industry after industry, entrepreneur after entrepreneur is saying the same thing: Being first can surely be an advantage, but so can being second. Those who follow a market leader can actually be more successful in most cases, says WUSTL business strategy professor Anne Marie Knott, who discusses second-to-market advantages on the first day of her entrepreneurial studies class.

References:

1. June 9, 2009 — When Second Really Is the Best in the U.S. News & World Report online

WUSTL chancellor Mark S. Wrighton is trying to establish meaningful relationships with foreign universities, in hopes of engaging large numbers of WUSTL students and faculty members, encouraging robust research collaborations, and cultivating a more global campus.

References:

1. Feb. 27, 2009 — U.S. Colleges Get Serious With Partners Overseas in the The Chronicle of Higher Education

In less than two months, regulators have seized 14 banks. Experts think many more banks will collapse before the financial crisis is over. "We'll have a banner year [of failures] this year," said Stuart Greenbaum, retired dean and professor emeritus at the WUSTL's Olin Business School.

References:

1. Feb. 20, 2009 — Get ready for a wave of bank failures in the CNNMoney.com

Experts disagree on how to fix the economy. Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama are assembling a huge plan to stimulate the economy. Some experts doubt this is a good idea. David Kestenbaum talks with some experts, including WUSTL economics professor Steve Fazzari.

References:

1. Jan. 2, 2009 — Economists Duke It Out over Stimulus Plan in the NPR Morning Edition

The government's midnight bailout of hobbled banking giant Citigroup leaves the Bush administration firmly in charge of the financial rescue package while Congress is away on recess and President-elect Barack Obama continues to assemble his Cabinet. WUSTL congressional expert Steve Smith said Congress is in a weak position. "There is essentially nothing they can do except hold a hearing every other day," he said.

References:

1. Nov. 24, 2008 — Bush steers the bailout bus; Dems play backseat driver in the The Hill (DC) online

Citigroup's bailout by the U.S. government means that the banking giant is going to have to be more aggressive in fixing its troubles — and that's likely to mean deconstructing its financial supermarket model. WUSTL finance professor Stuart Greenbaum says he believes "that some of these super large financial institutions are motivated by the, 'Too Big to Fail' [theory]."

References:

1. Nov. 24, 2008 — Citi Bailout Could Spur Longed-for Unwind in the TheStreet.com

As recriminations fly over the world's banking crisis, the role played by flawed tax policy may not escape scrutiny for much longer. WUSTL law professor Adam Rosenzweig comments on the role tax breaks played in fueling the hedge funds' use of the derivatives market.

References:

1. Oct. 22, 2008 — Tax breaks are part of the problem in the Financial Times.com (UK)

Wayne Fields, WUSTL political rhetoric expert, comments on the federal government's financial rescue plan and the pitfalls of calling it a bailout.

References:

1. Sept. 29, 2008 — The new bailout pitch: It's NOT a bailout in the Associated Press

and 19 others.

The Bush administration is expected to seek sweeping new powers from Congress next week to pull off its still-sketchy rescue plan. The bailout could operate through a newly formed federal agency, in the same vein as the Resolution Trust Corp., which was established two decades ago to unwind failed thrifts.
WUSTL banking professor Stuart Greenbaum comments.

References:

1. Sept. 20, 2008 — How will the plan work? in the Chicago Tribune

and 2 others.

P rofessor Stuart Greenbaum comments on the ways that bankers, politicians and economists are grasping for ways to address the financial crisis.

References:

1. Sept. 19, 2008 — Would a Resolution Trust Corp.-type solution work? in the Los Angeles Times

and 3 others.

In announcing the takeover of Fannie and Freddie, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said it was necessary to continue "supporting the availability of mortgage finance."
But there are those who think the bailout should be a prelude to a reduced role of both Fannie and Freddie in the supply of mortgage money.
WUSTL finance professor Radhakrishnan Gopalan said that in the long term, he sees a significantly diminished role for Fannie and Freddie.

References:

1. Sept. 11, 2008 — A Bid to Rescue Homeownership in the The Washington Post

and 4 others.

The battle for America's iconic beer turned nasty Monday, with brewer Inbev escalating its offer for Anheuser-Busch into a hostile bid while the maker of Bud accused the Belgian company of undervaluing its worth.
WUSTL business strategy professor Bill Finnie comments.

References:

1. July 7, 2008 — InBev's bid for Anheuser-Busch turns hostile in the Associated Press

and 71 others.

It is a common economic development strategy to locate similar firms close to each other. WUSTL business professor Barak Aharonson shows the tactic is most effective when companies are within 500 meters of each other. After that, the benefits of proximity quickly lose its power.

References:

1. Dec. 13, 2007 — Clustering High Tech Firms Advances Economic Development in the Nanotechnology Now online

and 3 others.

Conventional wisdom has it that breakthrough ideas come only from the minds of geniuses. Edison, Tolkien, Darwin -- history's biggest brains are responsible for its biggest innovations. Many companies are organized with this idea in mind.
But creativity isn't a solitary affair -- and it's not the exclusive domain of the brilliant and gifted. In fact, research shows that people working in groups are far more innovative than previously thought.
WUSTL education and psychology professor Keith Sawyer offers advice on what businesses can do to take advantage of their employees' creativity.

References:

1. June 10, 2007 — No Ideas? You're Not Alone in the U.S. News & World Report

With an agreement to take control of Chrysler, Cerberus, a private equity firm, is venturing into virtually uncharted territory in taking on a company with the problems the size of Chrysler's and with a union as powerful as the United Automobile Workers.
WUSTL law professor and vice dean Daniel Keating comments.

References:

1. May 15, 2007 — Cerberus Goes Where No Firm Has Gone Before in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

While many workplaces don't go as far as the TV show "The Office," most people are familiar with firms that repeatedly attempt to alter strategy in the name of improved efficiency. According to new research from WUSTL business professor Judi McLean Parks, that kind of environment is a sure-fire way to encourage employees to take short cuts.
McLean Parks conducted her research with doctoral candidate Li Ma.
The researchers said there are plenty of real-world examples that demonstrate their theory, from police officers making questionable arrests as part of a strategy to reduce crime, to journalists fabricating sources under the pressure to produce high-quality stories.

References:

1. April 20, 2006 — Employees Are Most Likely to Cut Corners When They Lack Clear Goals and Feel Overworked in the eMaxHealth.com

U.S. labor leaders fighting declining membership and influence are facing a rebellion from within the ranks that could weaken or even splinter the 50-year-old AFL-CIO, the largest U.S. union coalition.
WUSTL economics and strategy professor Glenn MacDonald comments on the potential impact of a split in the AFL-CIO.
(NOTE: Reuters misidentified Professor MacDonald's first name as John.)

References:

1. July 20, 2005 — AFL-CIO faces rebellion within ranks at convention in the Reuters

and 1 others.

Hewlett-Packard announced that it will lay off 14,500 workers, or nearly 10 percent of its staff, over the next 18 months as part of a revamping plan that the company's executives hope will turn around the struggling fortunes of the giant computer and printer maker.
WUSTL business strategy professor Todd Zenger comments.

References:

1. July 20, 2005 — Hewlett-Packard to Lay Off 14,500 in Turnaround Effort in the The New York Times
2. July 20, 2005 — Hewlett-Packard, a Pioneer in Technology, to Cut 14,500 Jobs in the Los Angeles Times

and 3 others.

In the age of BlackBerrys and cell phones, the traditional business meeting may be just another relic. Tolerance of in-person sessions is waning, in the face of digital alternatives.
Corporate America seems to be heeding calls for etiquette reform. It's on the verge of losing the most important element of the business meeting--the personal relationship.
WUSTL organizational behavior specialist William Bottom says, "People are using BlackBerrys as a crutch to avoid conflicts that they should be having face to face."

References:

1. May 9, 2005 — Not another PowerPoint presentation! in the Newsweek Magazine

A third class of students will start their study programme in April for an Executive MBA offered by the Olin School of Business. By teaming up with Fudan University's School of Management in Shanghai, widely regarded as one of the leading universities in the mainland, the school believes it has one of the best programmes around. Based at Fudan University, the programme runs over 18 months and to keep downtime from work to a minimum, classroom sessions are held for four consecutive days per month. James Little, EMBA academic director and professor of international economics at the Olin School of Business, says this enables those who travel from outside Shanghai to combine study with work in Shanghai. "We have students who travel in monthly from Beijing, Wuhan, Xiamen, Shenzhen, Taiwan and the United States," he says.

References:

1. Feb. 16, 2004 — Students' Experience an Important Part of the Learning Process in the South China Morning Post

and 2 others.