School News

Alan Greenspan to Receive Dean's Medal at MBA Commencement
Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, will be the featured speaker at Wharton's MBA commencement in Philadelphia. At the ceremony, Dean Patrick Harker will award Greenspan the Dean's Medal for his years of public service. Appointed to head the Federal Reserve in 1987, Greenspan has spent five terms at the helm of the central bank of the United States, making him one of the most influential leaders in the domestic and global economy. read news release
Global Alumni Forums to be Held in Singapore, London and Santiago
Wharton's Global Alumni Forums unite graduates, executives, faculty, and students from around the world. The first event, to be held in Singapore May 26-28, will feature speakers such as Goh Chok Tong, senior minister of the Republic of Singapore; M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula, WG'70, governor of the Central Bank of Thailand; and Frank L. Lavin, WG'96, U.S. ambassador to Singapore. Then, from June 9-12, alumni will gather in London to discuss topics around the theme "250 Years of Globalization." Speakers will include Helen Alexander, chief executive of The Economist Group; Abdulkareem A. Abu Alnasr, deputy general manager of the National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia; and Marco De Benedetti, CEO of Telecom Italia M. The third forum will be held in Santiago, Chile from June 30-July 1, where the theme will be "Leadership in an Ever-Changing and Global World." Invited speakers include Ricardo Lagos Escobar, president of the Republic of Chile; Vittorio Corbo, chairman of the board of the Central Bank of Chile; and Roberto Canessa, Uruguayan survivor of the 1972 Andes Mountains plane accident, who will discuss leadership in extreme situations. read feature
New Wharton School Publishing Books Available
With 16 books now available, and nine more planned for 2005, Wharton School Publishing (WSP) continues to extend the Wharton brand around the world. The newest titles are: Built For Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe, by Arthur Rubinfeld (the man who designed the Starbucks experience and rolled out 4000 locations) and Collins Hemingway, which discusses how to grow in a competitive arena; and The Next Global Stage: Challenges and Opportunities in our Borderless World, by Kenichi Ohmae, which explores the post-globalized era of no borders and new economics.
The Wharton community can get the best prices at the WSP faculty/staff website. Wharton faculty and staff receive significant benefits, including a 25% discount (this also extends to all Pearson education books, including text books) and free shipping. Wharton School Publishing welcomes comments and suggestions, as well as potential authors of new books. All books must meet the approval of the Wharton senior faculty review board, to help ensure that they are timely, conceptually sound, and empirically based or implementable.
Wharton Learning Lab Launches Three New Simulations
Wharton has introduced three new learning simulations that enable richer classroom exploration of concepts in international corporate finance, entrepreneurship, and operations and information management. With these new offerings, the Wharton Learning Lab has developed and deployed 20 experience-based learning simulations, which are broadly used throughout the curriculum to help students apply principles they have learned across multiple disciplines, including finance, marketing, negotiations, and forecasting. read news release
Wharton Communication Program Raises $1.1 Million
Wharton announced a gift from Randall J. Weisenburger, Omnicom Group’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, of $750,000 to the Wharton Communication Program. This follows an initial gift of $350,000 in 2001, resulting in one of the largest cumulative gifts — $1.1 million — ever made to a business school’s communication program. read news release
Live Virtual Alumni Panel Held From Beijing
On April 14, the Alumni Speakers Series held a live virtual alumni panel from Beijing on the business environment in China. Participants included: Robert Zou, WG'94, founder and CEO of Arrail Dental, Ltd.; Hong Luo, WG'96, president and CEO of Panorama Media; Michelle Liu, WG'97, managing director of SEEC Investment Management; Jiang Qian, WG'02, owner and president of HeiYou.com; Yongquan Tan, WG'03, vice president of Legend Capital; and Xiaojun Li, WG'04, an investment professional at IDG Venture Capital.
Nightly Business Report to Feature Wharton Leadership Venture
Nightly Business Report on PBS is scheduled to run a three-part series on Wharton's Leadership Venture with the U.S. Marine Corps. Student interviews and filming took place at Jon M. Huntsman Hall, the Penn campus, and the base at Quantico. The show is scheduled to run on Nightly Business Report on May 17, 18 and 19 (aired on WHYY in Philadelphia at 7:00 p.m.). visit the Nightly Business Report website
Prof. Werbach to Produce Supernova 2005 in San Francisco
Produced by Professor Kevin Werbach, assistant professor of legal studies, the Supernova Conference in San Francisco will host over 250 prominent technologists, investors, business leaders and media on June 20-22. Supernova focuses on the decentralization of computing, communications, digital media, and business. In addition to the conference, Wharton West, Wharton's San Francisco campus, will host both an opening networking event and Wharton West Workshops and Technology Showcase, a day of emerging technology workshops targeted to technologists and business professionals. read more about the Supernova 2005 Conference
Wharton Hosts Annual Leadership Conference
The Wharton Leadership Conference on June 9 is devoted to exchanging ideas on how great leadership can best be developed and applied - whether in the private, public, or nonprofit sectors. The event is sponsored by Wharton's Center for Human Resources, Center for Leadership and Change Management, and Executive Education. Speakers include Maria Bartiromo, host of CNBC's "The Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo" and "Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo;" Marcus Buckingham, former leader of The Gallup Organization's Strengths Management practice, author of The One Thing You Need to Know; Peter Hillary, world adventurer who twice reached the summit of Mt. Everest; and Todd S. Thomson, chairman and chief executive of the Wealth Management Sector (Smith Barney, Equity Research, and the Private Bank) at Citigroup, Inc. more information on the Leadership Conference
Heard on Campus
A number of executives came to Wharton in March to discuss business and leadership, including:
April 1   - Janet Hanson, founder of Milestone Capital Management
April 2   - Wei Christianson, Chairman of Citigroup China
April 2   - Thomas Sowanick, Chief Wealth Management Strategist at Merrill Lynch
April 5   - Stuart Weitzman, W'63, President of Stuart Weitzman & Co.
April 12 - David Courtney, CFO of TiVo
April 12 - Tom Torok, Chief Database Editor of The New York Times
April 13 - Ian and Shep Murray, Co-founders of Vineyard Vines
April 13 - Ramu Potarazu, President and Chief Operating Officer of Intelsat
April 14 - Utz-Hellmuth Felcht, Chairman of the Management Board of Degussa AG
April 21 - Jack Welch, former Chairman and CEO of General Electric

Prof. Geczy named to NASDAQ Economic Advisory Board
Professor Christopher Geczy has been named to the Economic Advisory Board of NASDAQ. The primary function of the EAB is to provide advice and guidance to the board of directors of the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. on issues relating to market structure.
FibrinX Wins Wharton Business Plan Competition
Student team FibrinX, whose tissue sealant provides a safer and cheaper adhesive to prevent excessive bleeding during surgical procedures or after traumatic injury, won the $20,000 grand prize in the Wharton Business Plan Competition. The prize was awarded at Wharton's annual Venture Finals on April 26, at which student finalists received a total of $75,000 in combined cash prizes, access to capital, and in-kind legal/accounting services. The students of FibrinX include Dhaval Gosalia, a University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering PhD candidate, and Jonathan Goodspeed, WG'05. read more
Wharton's webCafe Honored by ComputerWorld
Wharton's webCafé collaborative instructional environment has been selected as a Computerworld Honors laureate and will have a case study included in the 2005 Computerworld Honors Collection. This is the third Wharton application selected for the Computerworld Honors Program: both SPIKE's Course Auction and WRDS received Computerworld Honors in years past. read more
Landmine-Clearing Invention Tops the Competition at the First PennVention Contest
A machine that could revolutionize the cleanup of landmines in war-stricken countries took top prize at the first PennVention competition, a contest designed to encourage and reward University of Pennsylvania student inventors and entrepreneurs. The winning team, HRI Minesweeper, comprised Samuel Reeves, W'05, and his friend Josh Koplin. Their device, a machine to detonate landmines more safely and cheaply than existing mine-clearing devices, could begin a viable solution to a global problem. read article
Wharton Undergrads Open Case Competition to High School Students
Wharton undergraduates held the 4th Annual Wharton Case Competition on March 19. The competition is entirely student-run and open to all Penn undergraduates. Wharton students wrote a case about business ethics in the pharmaceutical industry. In an effort to involve local high schools and spread the word about business education at Wharton, two teams of juniors from Masterman High School were invited to compete. Committee members met with the Masterman students prior to the event to help them prepare. The Masterman students competed against the rest of the 12 undergraduate teams. Judges included MBA and PhD students, as well as faculty members. Students on the winning team were: Aileen Nowlan, W'05; Prem Tumkosit, C'05; Sebastian Carden, W'05; and Michael Farias, C'05/GAS'05.
Wharton Team Wins McGill Management International Case Competition
A Wharton undergraduate team won the McGill Management International Case Competition. The case was a marketing analysis of a product (a golf swing analyzer), including the approach the group would advise the company to take. Members of the winning team included: Danielle Qi, W'06/C'06; Shannon Jensen, W'06/C'06; Roni Elchahal, W'05/C'05; and Gabriel Mandujano, W'05/C'05.

PDFs in a Flash: What Drove the Adobe Systems-Macromedia
Merger?
Last year Bruce Chizen, CEO of Adobe Systems, the software company best known for its portable document format (PDF) technology, spoke to Knowledge@Wharton in his San Jose, Calif., office. read more

Six Degrees of Separation: Examining Back Door Links between Directors and CEO Pay
Yes, it pays to be friends of those who pay you, or even to be friends of their friends. That, roughly speaking, is the conclusion of a study analyzing the impact of director relationships on the compensation of chief executive officers. read more

Giving Employees What They Want: The Returns Are Huge
David Sirota, co-author of The Enthusiastic Employee: How Companies Profit by Giving Workers What They Want (Wharton School Publishing), believes far too many managers stifle employee enthusiasm across the board by using bureaucratic or punitive techniques that should be reserved for a troublesome few. read more

The Japan Times
March 4, 2005 — Andrew Metrick, associate professor of finance, was quoted in an article about business ethics and company takeovers.

The Los Angeles Times
March 7, 2005 — Thomas Donaldson, Mark O. Winkelman Professor and professor of legal studies, was quoted in an article about corporate ethics and Boeing.

Australian Financial Review
March 11, 2005 — Gary Gorton, Robert Morris Professor of Banking and professor of finance, was cited in an article about product investing.

The Economist
March 19, 2005 — Kevin Werbach, assistant professor of legal studies, was quoted in an article about mergers in the telecommunications industry.

Financial Times
March 20, 2005 — Martin Conyon, assistant professor of management, was cited in an article about executive pay in England and the U.S.

National Public Radio
March 21, 2005 — Brian Bushee, assistant professor of accounting, was interviewed about accounting practices at Time Warner.

The Wall Street Journal
March 22, 2005 — Susan Wachter, Richard B. Worley Professor of Financial Management and professor of real estate, finance and city and regional planning, was quoted in an article about the positive aspects of renting property as opposed to owning it.

Alumnus Screens First Feature Film
Alumnus Sushil Tyagi, WG'96, returned to Philadelphia last month to screen his first feature film, "Hari Om," at the Philadelphia Film Festival. The film recently premiered at the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, was runner-up for the Audience Award at the Vancouver Film Festival, was nominated for the grand prize in Tokyo, and won the international competition at the Bangkok International Film Festival. "Hari Om" is an English film that takes viewers on a romantic adventure through Rajasthan. read more
Cassandra Cummings, WG'95, was interviewed about her career as business development manager of the Media/Entertainment Technology Convergence Group at Microsoft. (Black Enterprise, 3/1/05); Pyotr Panov, WG'86, has been named deputy director of The Boston Consulting Group's Moscow Office. (The Moscow Times, 3/3/05); Robert A. Bowman, WG'79, was featured in an article about media executives and the impact that technology has had on the media industry. Bowman serves as CEO of Major League Baseball Advanced Media LP. (BusinessWeek, 3/7/05); Kenneth Robert Whyte, WAM'03, has been named publisher and editor-in-chief of Maclean's Magazine. (The Globe & Mail, 3/12/05); and Corrado Passera, WG'80, was featured in an article about his career as the head of Banca Intesa. (BusinessWeek, 3/21/05).

Wharton Alumni Reunion Weekend
(May 13-15)

Commencement Ceremonies
(May 15-16)

Global Alumni Forum: Singapore
(May 27-28)