Wharton 125 Events

Webcast of Leadership Roundtable Now Available
The Sept. 15 roundtable discussion of business leaders and Wharton faculty, which marked the 125th anniversary of the first day of classes at Wharton, is now available via webcast on the Wharton website. The panel, led by Wharton Professor Michael Useem, discussed the key elements of business leadership in an environment of global change. Other speakers included Connie Duckworth, WG'79, a former managing director of Goldman Sachs who now works creating economic opportunities for rural women in Afghanistan; C. Robert Henrikson, WAM'90, chairman, president, and CEO of MetLife; Alex Gorsky, WG'96, CEO of Novartis North America; and Jeffrey Katz, WG'71, real estate developer. Watch the webcast of the Leadership Roundtable

World-Wide Faculty Tours Continue
Alumni around the world continue to celebrate the School's 125th anniversary with receptions and faculty talks. Last month, Professor Kenneth Shropshire spoke in Portland. This month, Professor Marshall Meyer meets with alumni in Beijing and Professor Richard Herring will meet with alumni in London and Zurich. view upcoming 125th events

Wharton West Holds First Reunion
Nearly 300 MBA graduates, students, staff, and guests from Wharton West recently gathered for the first Wharton West reunion in San Francisco, held Nov. 4-5. The event featured a gala at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a family brunch, and appearances by Dean Harker and several Wharton faculty members, including Ziv Katalan, John Percival, and Eric Bradlow. Part of the School's 125th anniversary celebration, this event marked the 5th anniversary of Wharton West. read more

For more 125th events and information, visit the Wharton 125 website.

School News

Knowledge@Wharton Announces Launch of India Version
Knowledge@Wharton recently launched a new version of its website called India Knowledge@Wharton at a ceremony in Mumbai. The new site, which is free and published in English, will include articles that focus on India’s growing importance to the global economy. The School also is launching its first-ever mobile platform to meet the needs of mobile phone users, including those in India. The new India Knowledge@Wharton Mobile permits alerts, search, sign-ups, and browsing, and eventually will include the ability to download and listen to podcasts. read news release

Undergraduates Complete Nonprofit Consulting Project in Honduras
Several Wharton undergraduates returned in August from a nonprofit consulting project in Honduras. The students, members of the Penn International Business Volunteers, worked with the Foundation for Sustainable Harvest to improve the efficiency of microfinance practices on the local economy and advise cooperatives on how best to use granted resources. Students prepared a five-year plan, which they presented to the governing board of the foundation at the conclusion of the project. Wharton students on the team included: Anton Bernstein, W'08; Ryan Cochran, W'07; Derek Hwang, W' 08; Aileen Long, W'08; and Steven Ren, W'07. read more

Wharton Holds 38th Annual Seminars for Business Journalists
Every day, journalists are called upon to articulate a range of issues to help their audience make informed decisions. For 38 years, the Wharton Seminars for Business Journalists have provided nearly 2,000 members of the media with insights from Wharton faculty into topics such as financial markets, accounting principles, corporate strategy, and the global economy. Journalists from around the world attended this year's sessions, which were taught last month by professors Mary Ellen Carter, Olivia Mitchell, Barbara Kahn, Brian Bushee, and Jeremy Siegel. Media outlets represented included CNBC, Time Magazine, Forbes, USA Today, Nikkei Business, MarketWatch, China Central Television, and The Los Angeles Times. visit the Business Journalists website

Former Vice President Al Gore to Speak on the Environment at Alumni Event
The 2007 Wharton Global Alumni Forums will be held in Hong Kong, Costa Rica, and Switzerland, with the Costa Rica event featuring keynote speaker former Vice President Al Gore. The Hong Kong forum will be held on May 25-26, the Costa Rica forum will be held in San Jose on June 7-8, and the Switzerland forum will be held in Zurich on June 29-30. read news release

Alumni Chat Features Travelocity CEO/Site59.com Co-Founder Michelle Peluso
Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs will present an online alumni chat on Dec. 8th at 11:30 a.m. featuring Michelle Peluso, W'93, CEO of online travel company Travelocity and CEO and co-founder of Site59.com. Hundreds of students and alumni registered for WEP's previous chats with Shopzilla co-founder Farhad Mohit,WG'96; JibJab co-founder Gregg Spiridellis, WG'99; and AND1 co-founder Seth Berger, W'89, WG'93. Transcripts of prior chats and registration for the Dec. 8 session are available on the WEP Website. register for Alumni Chat

MBA Student Authors Book on Trend Trading
MBA student Kedrick Brown, WG'08, recently authored a book titled Trend Trading: Timing Market Tides, which describes how to trade equity trends with sound planning and money management discipline.

Recognition

Wharton Course Auction Honored by Adobe MAX Award
The Wharton Course Auction recently won the Adobe MAX award in the Industry Innovator category. The awards honor "the most innovative, groundbreaking customer projects built with Adobe solutions in the past year." A trophy was presented to Jason Lehman, the lead developer on the project, by Adobe's CEO. read release; view list of winners

Wharton VIP Named "Entrepreneur of the Year"
The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce has named Wharton Venture Initiation Program alumnus Marco Lentini, C'96, WG'02, founder of the Gia Pronto restaurant chain, "Young Entrepreneur of the Year" as part of their 2007 Small Business Excellence Awards.

Reginald H. Jones Memorial Thesis Prize Awarded to Matthew E. Addison, WG'06
Matthew E. Addison, WG'06, was awarded the Lauder Institute's highest honor, the Reginald H. Jones Memorial Thesis Prize, which recognizes students who demonstrate comprehensive business knowledge within the context of an interdependent global economy. Addison's winning thesis, titled "Consorcios and Brazil's Consumer Credit Innovation," examines Brazil's "Consorcios," a group financing arrangement. read news release

Knowledge@Wharton

Efforts Are Growing to Trim the Fat from Employees -- and Employers' Health Care Costs
Perhaps it was the statement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta that more than 30% of all adults in the United States are obese, a number that has more than doubled since 1980. read more

Can't Find That Dress on the Rack? Retailers Are Pushing More Shoppers to the Web
Shoppers with tastes, or sizes, that fall outside the mainstream may have more trouble finding what they want in stores as retailers attempt to shift low-volume items to Internet sales. read more

What's Next for Netflix?
Ever since Netflix launched its online video rental service in 1999, conventional wisdom has suggested that the clock was ticking on its business model. First, there were worries that Blockbuster would squash Netflix. read more

Wharton School Publishing

School Publishing Title Selected as Recipient of the 2006 Berry-AMA Best Book in Marketing Award
Customers as Investments by Sunil Gupta and Donald R. Lehmann has been awarded the 2006 Berry-AMA Book Prize for the best book in marketing, recognizing innovative ideas and impact on marketing and related fields. read about the 2006 Berry-AMA Awards

Don't Just Relate - Advocate! by Glen Urban was selected as a runner-up for the prize.

Wharton faculty and staff can take advantage of expanded benefits, including discounts and free domestic shipping. Those who register to become a member can get free access to audio summaries, author interviews and other valuable member only content. Visit www.whartonsp.com/facstaff to register and access benefits. All WSP books also are available at the Penn Bookstore.

For more, visit the Wharton School Publishing website.

Wharton in the News

National Public Radio
September 4, 2006 — Professor Bernard Anderson, Whitney Young Term Professor; Practice Professor of Management, was interviewed about the future of labor unions.

The Australian
September 6, 2006 — A paper coauthored by Olivia Mitchell, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor; Professor of Insurance and Risk Management and Business and Public Policy, was cited in an article about the effect of baby boomers' asset-selling on the financial market.

The Economic Times
September 23, 2006 — Research by Paul R. Kleindorfer, Anheuser-Busch Professor Emeritus of Management Science at Wharton; Professor Emeritus of Operations and Information Management, was cited in an article about managing the risk of supply chain disruption. A report by Howard Kunreuther, Cecilia Yen Koo Professor; Professor of Decision Sciences and Business and Public Policy, was also cited. Steps developed by the Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center to help companies identify vulnerabilities were also outlined.

Financial Times
September 23, 2006 — Research by Gary Gorton, Robert Morris Professor of Banking; Professor of Finance, was mentioned in an article about the long-range value of investing in commodities.

The Wall Street Journal
September 26, 2006 — Mauro Guillen, Dr. Felix Zandman Professor in International Management; Professor of Management and Sociology, was quoted in an article about Spain's emergence as a mergers and acquisitions powerhouse.

The Wall Street Journal
September 26, 2006 — David Reibstein, William Stewart Woodside Professor; Professor of Marketing, was quoted in an article about the Johnny Cupcakes brand and issues surrounding the ability of small entrepreneurial businesses to grow.

Alumni in the News

Akhil Tripathi, WG'84, CIO of Harleysville Insurance Company, was featured in an article about the use of technology in the insurance industry. (Insurance & Technology, 9/1/06); Michael Luby, WG'98, founder and CEO of TargetRX, a pharmaceutical consulting company, was featured in an article about being selected by PharmaVOICE as one of the 100 Most Inspiring People in the Life Sciences Industry. (Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, 9/2/06); David Bruce, WG'87, president and CEO of EP MedSystems, was featured in an article about electrophysiology products which are used to diagnose cardiac rhythm disorders. (Science Letter, 9/12/06); Nate Davis, WG'82, president and CEO of XM Satellite Radio Holdings, was featured in an article about his career in the satellite entertainment business. (Washington Post, 9/18/06); Craig Wheeler, WG'88, was featured in an article about Momenta Pharmaceuticals, the biotechnology company, specializing in complex drugs, of which he was recently appointed CEO. (Health & Medicine Week, 9/18/06).

Faculty Tour: London
November 7, 2006
Richard Herring

Faculty Tour: Zurich
November 9, 2006
Richard Herring

2007 Wharton Economic Summit
April 12-14, 2007