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This Week in Business
Retail 2019: A Look Ahead
We're featuring a series this month called “2019: A Look Ahead” and continue with a look at retail in the US. In 2018, 13 retail companies filed for bankruptcy protection, which is about half as many as 2017. While some like David’s Bridal and Mattress Firm may be able to reorganize their debt and find a way out of financial trouble, Sears Holdings looks like it will follow the path of Toys R Us and close its doors soon. Consumers have been spending more money, but as e-commerce is taking a large share of that, brick and mortar stores need to continue to find better ways in which to compete. To discuss how these retail trends will carry out in 2019, host Dan Loney talks with Barbara Kahn, Professor of Marketing at the Wharton school, and Mark Cohen, Director of Retail Studies at Columbia University Graduate School of Business and former CEO of Sears Canada, Lazarus Department Stores and Bradlees, Inc., on Knowledge@Wharton.
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Markets React to Iran Tensions and Rate Uncertainty
12:14|Jeremy Siegel, Wharton Emeritus Professor of Finance and Senior Economist at WisdomTree, explains how Iran-related tensions, Federal Reserve uncertainty, and continued AI sector expansion are influencing market resilience, investor sentiment, and the outlook for interest rates and equities.
Measuring the Impact of Europe’s Conservation Targets and Policies
14:00|Arthur van Benthem, Wharton Professor of Business, Economics and Public Policy examines how European Union land protection policies—despite meeting ambitious coverage targets—may fall short in delivering meaningful biodiversity and ecosystem restoration impacts.
Why Reverse Morris Trust Deals Demand Strategic Discipline
12:26|Emilie Feldman, Wharton Professor of Management, discusses how reverse Morris Trust transactions influence merger strategy, tax efficiency, and value creation through scale-driven synergies.
How AI Is Reshaping Blue-Collar Work and Skills
11:59|Lynn Wu, Associate Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at the Wharton School, discusses how AI is driving a shift in blue-collar work, reshaping job responsibilities, and creating new opportunities for human judgment, adaptability, and problem-solving in an evolving workforce.
How Credit Scores Shape Homeowners Insurance Costs Nationwide
12:10|Ben Keys, Wharton Professor of Real Estate, discusses new research revealing how credit scores can impact homeowners insurance premiums more than climate risk, raising important questions about fairness, policy, and financial inequality.
Scaling a Local Favorite: The Strategy Behind Wawa’s Growth
11:35|Z. John Zhang, Wharton Professor of Marketing, discusses how brands like Wawa scale beyond their regional roots by leveraging innovation, customer loyalty, and strategic expansion into competitive new markets.
How School Cell Phone Bans Are Changing Student Behavior
14:07|Angela Duckworth, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions and Co-Director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, discusses new findings from the Phones in Focus study on how school phone restrictions influence academic engagement, teacher satisfaction, and student wellbeing.
Inside the Business Models of Today’s Top AI Platforms
12:49|Stefano Puntoni, Wharton Professor of Marketing, analyzes how OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are pursuing distinct business models and growth strategies to compete in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence market.
How Geopolitics and AI Are Influencing Today’s Financial Markets
12:31|Jeremy Siegel, Emeritus Professor of Finance at the Wharton School and Senior Economist at WisdomTree, discusses how the Iran conflict, Federal Reserve decisions, and artificial intelligence are shaping market performance and long-term economic expectations.