One Small Business
Helping Others through Microfinance
December 2007 |
| Microfinance is often considered one of the most effective, flexible and
sustainable strategies in the fight against global poverty. It consists of
making small loans, usually less than $200, to individuals, usually women, to
establish or expand a small, self-sustaining business. Smith MBA student and
entrepreneur Cherry Kwunyeun discusses microfinance, how she
started her own business that uses microfinance to support small women-run
enterprises, and how other entrepreneurs can turn their idea into a successful
business venture. |
|
|
|
|
Get the Most from a Slow Housing Market
November 2007 |
|
The current housing downturn and the damage it's inflicting on the economy do
not appear to be over. With risky, adjustable-rate mortgages still being
offered, foreclosure rates could climb even higher. That's a big reason why the
stocks of the nation's 20 largest homebuilders have fallen an average 65% since
the start of 2007. Is there any good news in all of this?
Albert “Pete” Kyle discusses
the housing market -- options for potential buyers and sellers, what is causing
the downturn, has the war in Iraq impacted the situation, and how the greater
Baltimore/Washington, D.C. area is fairing compared to other regions throughout
the country.
|
|
|
|
|
How Will Recent Product Recalls Impact Manufacturing in
China?
October 2007 |
|
What do the recent manufacturing problems in China mean for U.S. businesses and
consumers? Anil Gupta
discusses the outsourcing of manufacturing to China, how this impacts U.S.
business and China’s role in the global economy. |
|
|
|
|
Customer Service Trends
September 2007 |
|
Who are customer service leaders? What do consumers expect and what can you do
to make sure your customers stay happy?
Janet Wagner discusses new
trends in customer service and what businesses can learn from success stories
like Southwest Airlines, Yahoo! and the U.S. Postal Service.
|
|
|
|
|
Social Responsibility: The Importance of Doing Good
August 2007 |
|
Social responsibility is creating a lot of buzz in many boardrooms today. But
what does it mean for a firm to truly be socially responsible and what are some
practical ways that even small companies can participate? Melissa
Carrier discusses the ways in which firms are meeting the social
responsibility challenge.
|
|
|
|
|
New Ways to Create Product Buzz and Reach Your Customer
August 2007 |
|
In today’s world of 24/7 communication, consumers are bombarded by television,
radio, newspaper, and online advertising—receiving approximately 3,000 messages
each day. Breaking through this clutter is critical for businesses trying to
reach their customers and differentiate themselves from the competition.
Kathy Boyle
discusses untraditional ways companies can target their audience in today’s
increasingly competitive advertising age. |
|
|
|
|
Private Equity Firms - Taxing the Super Rich
August 2007 |
|
Until recently few private equity firms expressed worry about what lawmakers in
Washington could do to slow the success of the buyout market. A bill that was
recently introduced in Congress took many private equity executives by surprise
and could potentially impact the way private equity firms sell shares to the
public. Albert “Pete” Kyle
discusses private equity billionaires, the loophole in the tax code that allows
America’s very wealthy to pay a much lower tax rate than working people and what
lawmakers are doing about it. |
|
|
|
|
Economic Growth of China
June 2007 |
|
China has been the biggest business story for the past few years and is on track
to become the world's biggest economy over the next 40 years, says Tien
Wong CEO of Opus8, Inc., a Chevy Chase, Md.-based private investment
firm specializing in middle market buyouts, private equity and venture capital
investment, and an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Dingman Center for
Entrepreneurship at the Smith School. |
|
|
|
|
Power Struggle over Rising Utility Costs
June 2007 |
|
Consumers around the nation are faced with rising utility costs. Residential
customers of Maryland's largest electricity provider will see their bills
increase by as much as 50 percent this summer under a plan that state regulators
recently approved. Charles Olson
discusses Maryland’s utility crisis, deregulation – and whether or not it really
provided competition, lower prices and a reliable power infrastructure – and his
take on whether or not Maryland power companies manipulated rates.
|
|
|
|
|
The Secret to
Success at the Box Office
May 2007 |
|
Will this summer be one of record-breaking proportions for the movie industry?
David Waguespack
has some predictions based on his research that assesses what makes a film
successful. Waguespack discusses social networks and self-confirming dynamics in
Hollywood, why established business partnerships are often critical to a film’s
success, and what has caused some of the biggest players in Hollywood to make
multimillion-dollar mistakes. |
|
|
|
|
Managing a Million-Dollar Fund - Experiential Learning at its
Best
May 2007 |
|
Today’s MBAs are considering business schools not only based on the school’s
reputation, rankings and curriculum – but, increasingly, based on the unique
experiential learning opportunities business schools offer. Businesses, too,
demand that today’s MBAs immediately apply the skills they learn in b-school to
the day-to-day responsibilities of the company. Tray Spilker, a
second-year MBA student, talks about the Smith School’s $1.2 million
Mayer Fund, his role as the fund’s portfolio manager,
and how today’s top business students are thriving as they put theory into
practice.
|
|
|
|
|
Closing the Gap Between Knowledge and Action
May 2007 |
|
Businesses demand that today’s graduates be able to immediately apply the skills
they learn as students to the day-to-day demands of the company. Through unique
experiential learning opportunities at the Smith School, today’s business
students are closing the gap between theory and practice, and knowledge and
action. Dr. Gerald Suarez discusses Quality
Enhancement System and Teams (QUEST) Program's reality-based learning
experience that unites undergraduate students in business, engineering, and
computer, mathematical and physical sciences and how students are providing real
value to some of the region's top companies.
|
|
|
|
|
The Impact of Information Technology on the Investor
April 2007 |
|
Retail brokerage is one of the most successful examples of e-commerce, it is
estimated that about 25 percent of stock trades are entered online by investors,
more at brokers like Schwab, and close to 100 percent at brokers like eTrade.
Hank Lucas discusses how
IT is impacting the securities business today. Lucas also discusses the school's
7th Annual Annual Netcentricity Conference, themed the Transformation of
Financial Markets.
|
|
|
|
|
Has Your Doctor's Office Adopted to the 21st Century?
March 2007 |
|
Most industries use information technology to make their businesses more
cost-effective, more efficient and more productive. The healthcare industry is,
by many estimates, behind in the adoption of information technology. Many
physicians’ offices, hospitals and insurers still rely on archaic paper records
systems. How this is evolving and what part government will ultimately play is
an ongoing debate in Washington and within the healthcare industry.
Corey Angst, associate director of the Center for
Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the Smith School talks
about the latest debate in the healthcare industry, what it means for the you –
the patient, and what to expect down the road.
|
|
|
|
|
Marketing a Brand's Personality to Increase Global Sales
March 2007 |
|
If your brand was a person, what would this person be like? Brand personality --
an important dimension of brand equity -- is a critical component to any
successful international marketing strategy.
Amna Kirmani talks about
the five dimensions of brand personality (sophistication, sincerity, excitement,
competence, and ruggedness) and how the values of different countries impact
global strategy.
|
|
|
|
|
Surviving Past Start-Up: How to Find Capital for Your New
Business
March 2007 |
|
Nearly all entrepreneurs face challenges when it comes to finding capital for
their new ventures. It takes energy and creativity to locate the necessary
start-up financing. Asher Epstein, managing director of the
Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship, gives tips on ways
to identify and leverage resources when launching a new business.
|
|
|
|
|
Carly Fiorina on America's Position in the Global Economy
(Part 3)
March 2007 |
|
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina talks about the global
economy and America's role. Fiorina is the author of the recently published
book, Tough Choices: A Memoir. She received her MBA from the Smith
School in 1980. This is the final episode of a three-part series with Fiorina.
|
|
|
|
|
Getting a Job in Today's Competitive Marketplace (Job Trends,
Part 3)
February 2007
|
|
Investors, consumers and businesses had a number of concerns in 2006: high fuel
prices, less-than-stellar job growth and volatile swings in the stock market.
What are top employers looking for in an employee? Recruiters, students and
Smith's career management team give an assessment of current job trends, and
talk about how to find a job in today's competitive marketplace. |
|
|
|
|
Online Retail Hits Holiday High – Sales up 26 Percent from
Last Year
February 2007 |
|
This holiday season, online retail sales were up 26 percent from last year to
$27 billion, says Jie Zhang.
Zhang, a recognized expert on online marketing, says that "apparel and
accessories" is now the number one selling and fastest growing area in online
shopping. Watch and find out why online shopping is more popular than ever and
what trends and improvements consumers can expect in 2007.
|
|
|
|
|
$2.6 million for a 30-Second Advertising Spot?!
February 2007 |
|
Advertisers were eager to pay record amounts for the Super Bowl this year, and
they cashed in with an estimated 93.2 million viewers -- representing the second
most-watched Super Bowl broadcast ever. More than a dozen marketers (including
Anheuser-Busch, FedEx, General Motors and the Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola divisions
of PepsiCo) paid an estimated average of $2.6 million for each 30-second
commercial during Super Bowl XLI on February 4, 2007 when the Indianapolis Colts
defeated the Chicago Bears in Miami. But are the ads really worth the prices
advertisers are paying for them? And how are marketers trying to stand out?
Roland Rust gives
his expert advice on why advertising during the Super Bowl is so lucrative.
|
|
|
|
|
Carly Fiorina Talks about Women in Business (Part 2)
January 2007 |
|
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina talks about how women
can and are thriving in business today. Fiorina is the author of the recently
published book, Tough Choices: A Memoir. She received her MBA from the
Smith School in 1980. This is the second part of a three-part series with
Fiorina.
|
|
|
