Paul Argenti says, “I do not think she is the worst CEO of all time, and I don’t think that she completely destroyed the company. In fact, I think the company probably ended up in a better place as a result of the strategy she set in motion.”
Tuck ranks 10th on a list of universities ranked by capital raised by companies founded by female MBA alumni.
Paul Argenti comments on the impact of the Volkswagen scandal on the company’s brand. “The communications people are exceptionally good at this company and did a good job.”
Emily Blanchard comments on the $18 billion fine VW may be facing. “The GM fine was the result of a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice. VW faces sanction by a different part of government—the Environmental Protection Agency—in what is effectively a case of fraud.”
Sydney Finkelstein discusses why seemingly smart and capable people act as if make-believe facts were actually true.
Mentions the Tuck Business Bridge Program in an article focused around the short window of time new hires have to prove themselves in the workplace. Bridge is filling a gap left by corporations investing less in the training of young workers than they have in previous decades.
Highlights the three-factor model of Kenneth French and Eugene Fama. According to Dimensional Fund Advisors, of which French and Fama are board members, “No other major stock investment style has come close to small value's 16.2% annualized return from 1935 through 2014.”
Recaps last year’s 32nd MBA Soccer World Cup hosted by Tuck.
Vijay Govindarajan writes about the rise of manufacturing in India. The article concludes, “While there is no single formulaic answer to manufacturing success in India, patience and a trusted local partner or advisor to guide western executives’ efforts are necessary—as well as an understanding of the challenges.”
Quotes Andrew King about recent research he conducted that tests author and Harvard business professor Clayton Christensen's theory of disruptive innovation. King spent two years researching disruption and interviewing experts cited in Christensen's work, and found that only 9 percent of cases used fit Christensen's criteria.
Andrew King and a co-author have written about the influence of Clayton Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation. They write, “High-level theories can give managers encouragement, but they are no replacement for careful analysis and difficult choices.”
John Vogel questions the need for the EB-5 investor visa program and the way it is being managed.
Alva Taylor comments on innovation in the classroom and the challenges of reforming established philosophies and cultures when trying to implement and pivot with technology. Taylor states, “Managing that evolution requires rethinking longstanding trade-offs between standardization and innovation, efficiency and flexibility, and centralization and decentralization.”
Mathias Machado T'09, associate director in the career development office, is quoted around on-campus hiring not being a good fit for many start-up companies. Machado states, “Most will hire during spring, closer to graduation, or the actual start date of the job opportunity.”
Rod Adner comments on “frenemy” relationships of large companies, in which competing companies work together on mutually profitable endeavors. Adner and co-authors point out that carmakers are already having to decide whether to let software apps developed by "century-old antagonists" into their vehicles.
Jonathan Lewellen looks at five periods of increasing rates from 1983 to the present comparing high book and low book to market stocks (value). “The short answer is that value stocks seem to outperform growth stocks during periods when the federal-funds rate is increasing, mostly because growth stocks do relatively poorly. However, growth stocks have historically performed well in the six months leading up to rate increases."
Sydney Finkelstein comments on the track record of boomerang C.E.O.s and how corporate success depends not just on the insight and leadership of the person at the top but also on factors—changing consumer tastes, demographic shifts, the broader state of the economy—over which the C.E.O. has little control.
Noreen Doyle T'74, who was born in Ireland and has joint US and Irish citizenship, will become the first non-briton and first woman to chair the British Banker's Association in its 96-year history when she replaces Sir Nigel Wicks on October 17.
Poets and Quants says Marshall Goldsmith's latest book, Triggers, offers solid advice and strategies to overcome the triggers in our environment and achieve strong abilities of willpower, focus, and self-discipline. Goldsmith says, “Triggers is really extra-personal—or about the outside environment. It’s a book about not only, ‘How do I create the world?’ but, ‘How does the world around me create me?'”
Paul Argenti and a co-author write, "A corporate brand can actually drive business decisions that keep a company on track with its strategic objectives. It creates expectation in the minds of consumers. Meeting those expectations creates the image in consumers’ minds that the company desires."
Stephen Pidgeon T'07 was quoted on the growth and M&A activity from PwC and Deloitte. “For us, the demand has come through the smaller and more ‘premium’ companies they have acquired, which have traditionally been strong recruiters of MBAs.”
John Vogel comments on the study produced by CVS indicating a shift in corporate responsibilities a year after CVS pulled tobacco products from its shelves. “I think it’s an interesting example of the nonprofit sector and the for-profit sector both working in the same direction.”
Paul Argenti notes leaders should take a proactive approach to apologies otherwise the delay can look particularly bad. "If you don’t take control of the situation yourself, it just looks like you’re responding to what critics say.”
Forbes released its 2015 List of America's Best Business Schools, placing Tuck in the #5 spot. Forbes highlighted that among those seeking employment in the Tuck class of 2014, 98% accepted a job within 3 months of graduation, the most of any business school.
A feature story on how a 1992 paper written by Kenneth French and his colleague Eugene Fama identifies three major criteria a savvy stock picker can follow to beat the odds in the investment world. Since that first paper, the two continue to issue major reports only every few years, and each is generally considered a landmark among managers.
Peter Fisher says, "Chairman [Janet] Yellen has made it very clear—and Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer repeated it—the start of [a rate increase] is much less important than the pace at which they are expected to raise rates."
Cites a new paper co-authored by Richard Townsend. The research found that the more time investors spend with their portfolio companies, the more innovative those startups are and the more likely they are to have a successful exit, whether that's an IPO or an acquisition.
Highlights Ron Adner's work on eReading platforms that compete aggressively with each other, yet also collaborate on certain dimensions. The study investigates the compatibility decisions of the two competing platforms that generate profits through both hardware sales and royalties from content sales.
Kevin Lane Keller says, "They said they're doing this in part in response to consumer demand, and what a way to kind of demonstrate that. It totally fits the rationale of what they're doing."
Sydney Finkelstein says, "The way most search processes go, you start with your wish list, and it's a very long wish list. So check-the-box thinking is risky. There's one thing I would put on that checklist, though, that you can't give up, and that's the ability to adapt and adjust in real time."
Highlights Tuck's announcement that a record 42% of the incoming class of MBAs are women, a ten-percentage point increase from only a year earlier.
Tuck's Center for Digital Strategies collaborated with experts from business and academia to introduce a “5-point plan” to boost the global competitiveness of European high-tech start-ups.
Sydney Finkelstein discusses how companies such as Accenture, Adobe and Medtronic are doing away with traditional performance reviews in favor of more personalized and developmental feedback.
Matthew Slaughter discusses China's recent purchases of stocks in government-owned firms. “The parallel would be if the U.S. Treasury or Federal Reserve stepped in to purchase the stocks of IBM or of Apple,” he says.
Matthew Slaughter discusses Tuck's mission and goals as well as how the Upper Valley’s economic health is linked to the world economy.
John Vogel discusses Tuck BUILDS, a pre-term program for incoming students that offers them the opportunity to help the local community and learn how business knowledge intersects with social and environmental needs.