The Force Awakens — And With It, Our Workplaces?
An opinion piece by Sydney Finkelstein on the history of George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, an epicenter of filmmaking’s digital revolution during the 1980s and 1990s (and today).
An opinion piece by Sydney Finkelstein on the history of George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, an epicenter of filmmaking’s digital revolution during the 1980s and 1990s (and today).
Kevin Keller says, "I'd be surprised if they're walking away from the 'good neighbor' tagline—that agent system is their business model and how they operate. But they may rethink how they want to express that."
Quotes Colin Blaydon on the recent $13.9 billion acquisition of Keurig Green Mountain Inc. by JAB Holding Co., a privately-held fund. Blaydon says, “Any take-private transaction has to be seen as a strong valuation or it will be vulnerable to shareholder lawsuits, or even be in danger of not attracting sufficient current shareholder support to complete the transaction.”
Cites an article in Barron's quoting Jonathan Lewellen on purchasing value stocks when the US Fed is expected to raise interest rates. Lewellen stated, "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."
Cites Forbes’ most satisfied business school graduates survey that ranks Tuck second noting that over 70% of alumni contributed to the school’s annual fund. Poets and Quants highlights that Tuck is the only program besides Darden to rank in the top five in all three satisfaction measurements.
Dean Matthew Slaughter weighs in on the lockout struggle Allegheny Technologies employees from the United Steelworkers workers’ union are engaged in over benefits and healthcare. Slaughter says, “The example of Allegheny technologies is very representative of how these global companies connected to the world through international trade investment really are the canaries in the coal mine for the competitive pressures and the creative destruction that globalization creates.”
Dean Matthew Slaughter says, “We’re a place for people who want to be part of a community that aspires to improve the lot of the world. Our faculty, staff and students are committed to making a better world. And the way we do it is by creating a community where you feel a strong sense of belonging. We empower students and instruct them to pursue their dreams. Our goal is to prepare wise leaders to better the world.”
Mentions research by Kenneth French in an article around Vanguard adding $185 billion to its low-cost and passively-managed funds which may put the company on pace to bring in more money than any other asset manager in history.
Highlights the recent article in the MIT Sloan Management Review co-authored by Andrew King, which argues “the majority” of Christensen’s 77 case studies did not fully fit his theory. The Economist says that Clay Christensen should not be given the last word on disruptive innovation and should be treated as one voice among many on this subject.
Tuck ranks second on a list of Forbes' most satisfied business school graduates.
Quotes Nathan Sharp T’12, co-founder of Nifti. Sharp says his view has shifted since creating his startup. The article also highlights Justin Gerrard T’16 and co-founder of Bae.
Sydney Finkelstein says, "That's kind of how the CEO culture really works in America. If Mark Zuckerberg showed up [at Yahoo] and said, 'I'm going to spend three years trying to figure it out,' I'm not sure he would. If [former Google CEO Eric] Schmidt did, I'm not so sure, either. You ride a wave, you're doing great, but the world changes."
Cites a recent article by Sydney Finkelstein in the Harvard Business Review and outlines five common behaviors of the most successful leaders.
John Vogel comments on the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 that allow loan servicers to make robo calls. “The motivation seems to be that the government wants to do a better job collecting the trillion dollars of outstanding student loans.”
Kevin Lane Keller says, "One of the hardest things with nonprofits is that they do a lot of different things. It's hard to put in a box and put a label on. It's a paragraph, not a couple of words."
Matthew Slaughter comments on news that China’s renminbi will be added to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Reserve. "When you're a kid, there is a moment when you cross that line of enjoying being with your little cousins to wanting to be at the grown-up table," says Slaughter. "The grown ups set the rules. The grownups decide what the menu will be. In a very tangible sense, China is now more at the grown-ups table for policymaking than they were last week."
Paul Wolfson argues that unemployment does not rise when the minimum wage increases. Rather, it pushes up wages all around that results in more spending, and therefore more business, that offsets the need for business to pay higher wages.
Donald Conway T’72 comments on the $160 billion Pfizer-Allergan deal that instantly turned the combined company, Pfizer Plc, into the world's largest drug maker. Conway argues that these types of mergers are going to increase the cost of health care.
Sydney Finkelstein offers five key practices that all supervisors should follow in order to make work more meaningful and enjoyable: manage individuals; go big on meaning; focus on feedback; listen; and be consistent.
Business Because highlights that Tuck MBAs were paid $145,000 by consultancies including McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. Consulting firms hired 18 percent of the 2015 class.
Matthew Slaughter is the subject expert for a recommendation on fostering innovation and competitiveness.
Cites research conducted by Tuck for the Selamta Family Project, a nonprofit that unites orphaned children and marginalized women in Ethiopia to provide stable homes. Children growing up in Selamta homes were healthier, did better in school, and reported feeling safer and more loved than children growing up in orphanages or on the street.
Eesha Sharma provides insight into the behavior of retailers and consumers on Black Friday.
Sydney Finkelstein says, "To make something like this work, you have to have a world-class team around you. Effective leaders delegate. In this case, you probably have to delegate more than normal. You have to be able to process in your brain two different worlds."
B. Espen Eckbo writes that the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) needs a board of directors sufficiently schooled in finance to understand complex concepts such as market efficiency, efficient portfolios, risk factors, liquidity and trading costs.
Vijay Govindarajan comments on how to respect a brand's identity while also trying new things to expand options for tomorrow.
Dean Matthew Slaughter shares his plans to build on Tuck's strong reputation and sense of community.
The article notes that 42 percent of the Tuck class of 2017 are women and quotes Sally Jaeger, assistant dean and director of the MBAPO.
Richard D’Aveni argues that Richard Nixon’s comeback after his debate with JFK is notable, but he may have an even greater comeback when historians compare his legacy to the leaders who have followed him.
The recent outcome data reports a median base salary at $125,000—an 8% increase over the previous year— while 99% of the class had job offers three months post graduation.
Highlights the company Tamr, co-founded by CEO Andy Palmer T’94. Employees completed confidential surveys, rating their employers based on 24 statements about direction, execution, connection, management, work, pay and benefits, and engagement.
Cites research published by Andrew King that discredits Clayton Christensen’s work on disruptive innovation. King writes, “The full theory of disruptive innovation should only be applied when specific conditions are met.”
Research by Erin Mansur finds that electricity from coal fired plants may actually cause more carbon dioxide pollution than a modern gasoline powered car.
Highlights Reverse Innovation and Triggers, as books respectively written by Vijay Govindarajan, Coxe Distinguished Professor of Management, and Marshall Goldsmith, adjunct professor of business administration.
Vijay Govindarajan says, “The best tool to craft a strategy is to ask two questions: What game do I want to play? How do I play to win?”
Highlights Sydney Finkelstein as one of Canada’s top business thinkers.