In the News
![FROM BOARDROOM TO CLASSROOM | 'Through [Robinson's Executive] Doctorate program I am
obtaining the tools and discipline to conduct research...that will guide marketing decisions.' - Maureen Schumacher, Executive Doctorate student, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution](images/news1.gif) | China Would Feast on U.S. Big Bank Breakup
A breakup of the largest U.S.
banks, which has been proposed
by some members of Congress,
would allow competitors in
Europe and Asia – China in
particular – to gain an even larger
share of a market once dominated
by American firms. That’s
the opinion of Alfred Mettler,
a clinical associate professor of
finance, who was interviewed
about the topic by GlobalAtlanta.
Three of the five largest banks in
the world are Chinese. Only one,
said Mettler, JPMorgan Chase &
Co., is America-based. | Dhawan: Care Must be Taken in Determining Fed Rate Hike
Economic Forecasting Center Director Rajeev Dhawan, quoted in
the American Banker, said that the Fed will have to be very careful in
determining what interest rate they pay. “If they put the rate below
market rates, why would banks leave their money there? They have
to be aggressive in raising the rates if the economy recovers fast.” |
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Know Thyself 
Laura Morgan Roberts, visiting assistant professor in the Department of
Managerial Sciences, appeared on Canadian Television (CTV) to talk about
her central area of research, “positive identity in the workplace.” During
the interview Roberts noted that among several ways in which individuals
can view themselves positively “is by really defining and understanding the
character strengths that are unique and central to their self, and then acting
in accordance with those character strengths and virtues.” |
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Returns Reap Bottom Line Benefits
Many marketing managers are not fond of product returns. But, think again, says V. Kumar, executive
director of the Center for Excellence in Brand and Customer Management. In a bylined piece for the Wall
Street Journal by Kumar and J. Andrew Petersen of the University of North Carolina, the co-authors wrote
that “discouraging returns with policies like strict limits or only partial refunds…is a mistake.” |  |
| The reason: “customers who know they can return anything they can buy for a full refund…are more likely to buy than
shoppers who are afraid they might get stuck with something they don’t want or lose money on the return.” |
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Subprime Lessons Learned
Professor Shaun Wang covered lessons learned from the subprime mortgage crisis
in an article he penned for the Economist Intelligent Unit Executive Briefing. Wang,
who is director of the college’s actuarial sciences program, posits that “risk management
is not a luxury but a necessity.” His list of nine ways in which financial firms
and insurers should approach risk management to avoid future financial calamities
includes “recognizing that a strong risk management system starts at the top, having
in place a robust liquidity management system, and incorporating a rich variety
of economic scenarios for stress tests.” |
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Keep 'Em Laughin'
In an opinion article for the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, Perry Binder
stressed the importance of humor in
the classroom. The assistant professor
of legal studies and author of Unlocking
Your Rubber Room: 44 Off-the-Wall
Lessons to Lighten and Transform
Everyday Life, wrote that “humor in
the classroom mixes audience participation
and storytelling about the quirky
world around us.” He then lists several
“rules of engagement” to make humor
happen, such as “exaggerate to illustrate,”
and “expect the unexpected.” | A Matter of Time
“It’s only a matter of time before banks will have to get back to lending,”
Vikas Agarwal, associate professor of finance, told SmartMoney, which
filed a story about President Obama’s proposed legislation to limit the
size and risk taking of large financial institutions. Agarwal said that if
the proposals have an impact on credit cards, consumers can expect
more card offers in the mail since banks will look to boost revenues
by penetrating new markets. |
More Pay, Less Corruption?
Would paying high-ranking officials disproportionately more than lower
ranking ones lessen corruption in India? Ajay Subramanian, Bruce A.
Palmer Associate Professor of Risk Management and Insurance, says yes,
it would. Forbes India cites a paper by Subramanian and co-author Rajesh
Chakrabarti of the Indian School of Business in which they name Singapore
as a model of the higher pay/less graft scenario. Singapore ranks
third as Transparency International’s least corrupt country. India is 84th. |
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It's Never Too Late
Steve Olson, director of the Center
for Ethics and Corporate Responsibility,
said that it’s never too late to learn
the meaning and importance of ethical
conduct and that business schools have
a big responsibility to teach ethics in the
classroom. Interviewed by Georgia Trend,
Olson said, “We have to overcome a
lot of stereotypes. The biggest one is,
if you didn’t learn right from wrong as
a kid, it’s too late to learn it when you’re
in business school. The evidence is
absolutely to the counter.” |
Insuring the Entrepreneur
Bill Feldhaus, associate professor
of risk management, commented
to BusinessWeek on product
liability insurance for entrepreneurs.
Feldhaus recommends
that “you prepare a business plan
and solicit testimonials about
your product’s effectiveness.” He
also encourages getting independent
confirmation of your idea.
“Insurance companies that might
be skeptical and aren’t sure how
to price risk could be positively
influenced by good feedback.” |
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