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This Week in Business
The Gillette Ad - Brands and Social Activism
Gillette released a new one minute, 48 second commercial on Twitter recently that has generated a lot of divided, emotional reactions from consumers. The ad tackles the issues of “toxic masculinity” – bullying, sexist talk, and violence – linking them to their signature tag line “the best a man can get.” It's the latest example of a brand taking on social issues of the day. While the ad has generated some criticism, with some men saying they will no longer use their razors, has this move been overall a win for them? Host Dan Loney is joined by Michael Kehler, a Professor of Masculinity Studies at the University of Calgary in the Werklund School of Education Research, and Hank Boyd, a Clinical Professor in the Marketing Department at the University of Maryland’s Smith School of Business, to discuss the strategy behind the commercial on Knowledge@Wharton.
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Faculty Prediction Series: Residential and Commercial Real Estate Trends for 2026
09:57|Susan M. Wachter, Albert Sussman Professor of Real Estate at the Wharton School, discusses the outlook for housing and commercial real estate, focusing on inflation trends, interest rates, inventory challenges, and what these forces mean for markets in the year ahead.
Faculty Prediction Series: Assessing Inflation, Jobs, and Markets Heading Into 2026
10:13|Jeremy Siegel, Wharton Emeritus Professor of Finance and Senior Economist at WisdomTree, shares his perspective on the state of the U.S. economy, analyzing recent rate cuts, inflation progress, employment data, tariff uncertainty, and what they could mean for markets and growth in 2026.
Faculty Prediction Series: The 2026 Labor Market Outlook and What Comes Next
10:37|Matthew Bidwell, Wharton Professor of Management, reflects on the cooling labor market, the influence of artificial intelligence, hybrid work dynamics, and what workers and graduates should expect as the economy heads toward 2026.
Faculty Prediction Series: Where Artificial Intelligence Stands Heading Into 2026
08:14|Ethan Mollick, Co- Director of Wharton Generative AI Labs, examines how artificial intelligence continues to advance without slowing, highlighting its growing business adoption, potential labor market effects, and the importance of guardrails as organizations prepare for 2026.
Free Versus Fair Trade in a Changing Global Economy
10:32|John Zhang, Wharton Marketing Professor, discusses his recent analysis of free versus fair trade, explaining the economic assumptions, political incentives, and distributional consequences of tariffs in today’s global trading system.
Why Today’s AI Bubble May Fuel Tomorrow’s Economic Growth
10:57|Lynn Wu, Wharton Associate Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, explains why today’s AI investment frenzy, while exhibiting bubble-like characteristics, represents a vital phase of technological evolution—driving infrastructure development, enabling future economic spillovers, and laying the groundwork for transformative advancements across industries.
Understanding the True Costs Behind Credit Card Lending
11:07|Itamar Drechsler, Wharton School Professor of Finance and Co-Director of the Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research, explains the economic forces behind high credit card interest rates, highlighting the roles of defaults, operating costs, marketing expenditures, and market power in shaping what consumers ultimately pay.
Examining How Amazon Fulfillment Centers Influence Local Economic Growth
11:56|Serguei Netessine, Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions and Senior Vice Dean for Innovation and Global Initiatives at the Wharton School, discusses new research analyzing how Amazon fulfillment centers affect county-level employment, median household income, and poverty rates.
How Chatbots Shape Emotional Well-Being in the Age of AI
10:58|Stefano Puntoni, Wharton Marketing Professor and co-director of the Wharton Human AI Research Project, discusses emerging research on AI companionship, its effects on loneliness and mental health, and the complex safety, ethical, and legal considerations shaping this rapidly evolving space.