Knowledge@Wharton Newsletterhttp://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu 
November 21-December 4, 2001
What's  Hot
China's Entry into the WTO: What  Lies Ahead
After years of negotiation, the World Trade  Organization agreed on Nov. 10 to open its doors to the world's most populous  country and bring its 1.3 billion consumers more closely into the global  economy. The decision will create new sets of business winners and losers for  years to come. But perhaps more important, it presents a fresh opportunity for  governments, industries and individual companies to reshape the very nature of  the global marketplace. In a report prepared in collaboration with Beijing-based  People's Daily Online, Knowledge@Wharton interviewed experts for their  assessment of what lies ahead for China.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/whatshot.cfm 
Special Report:
Finding Business  Opportunities in an Uncertain Economy
The global economy was  declining long before September 11. Since then, it seems to have gone into a  tailspin, marked by volatile stock markets, sagging consumer confidence and  widespread layoffs. Most companies are trying to figure out how long it will  take for the economy to turn around, and what they can do to stay alive until  then. In an effort to answer these questions, Knowledge@Wharton teamed up with  CNET News.com in San Francisco to organize a panel discussion of leading  business executives from the U.S. and Europe. A special report on the  event.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/ss_112101.html 
Strategic Management
Oh, the Games  Enron Played
The dramatic disintegration of Enron has left a  lot of people wondering how this huge, publicly-traded company could have fallen  so far so fast. Wharton faculty and others help explain what went on behind the  scenes at Enron, where it is now clear that management exploited loopholes in  accounting procedures and created questionable partnerships involving top  company officials, among other tactics.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articles.cfm?catid=7&articleid=469 
Marketing
Marketing  Ethics in a Post-Terrorist Economy: What is the Right  Pitch?
Following the events of Sept. 11, marketers and  advertisers must reconsider not only what products they sell but how they sell  them - all against a backdrop of the War On Terror, the Anthrax scare and a  badly slumping economy. What approach can companies and ad agencies adopt that  is both ethical and effective? Wharton faculty, and the manufacturer of one  uniquely American product, offer some suggestions.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articles.cfm?catid=4&articleid=463 
Leadership and Change
Family Matters: Are Fords, Hewletts and Packards Right to Exercise  Their Clout?
Now that William Clay Ford Jr. has replaced  Jacques Nasser as CEO of Ford, and the Hewlett and Packard families have decided  to oppose H-P's merger with Compaq Computer, one wonders whether family members  have become wrecking balls, spoiling the well-laid plans of professional  managers and jeopardizing the company's future. Not exactly, say Wharton faculty  and others, who point to the importance of values, standards and personal net  worth.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articles.cfm?catid=2&articleid=468 
Managing Technology
The Evolution of  B2B: Lessons From the Auto Industry
Only a few years ago, B2B  exchanges were expected to completely alter conventional buyer-supplier  relationships. The reality has been otherwise. Only 10% of the 1,000 B2B  exchanges launched in the past 18 months are reportedly still in operation.  Meanwhile, the important B2B action seems to have shifted to industry-wide  exchanges run by incumbent firms, such as Covisint in the auto industry and  Transora in the consumer products sector. In a new research study, Wharton  management professor John Paul MacDuffie and colleague Susan Helper explore this  evolution.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articles.cfm?catid=14&articleid=466 
Leadership and Change
Reading the Signals: Janet Hanson, Founder of 85 Broads, on  Networking and Success
Janet Hanson, 14-year veteran of  Goldman Sachs and founder of investment advisory firm Milestone Capital,  described her rocky but ultimately victorious road to success at the Wharton  Women in Business Conference held earlier this month. Later in the day a panel  of women in international management positions talked about the cultural  challenges that still confront businesswomen both here and abroad.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articles.cfm?catid=2&articleid=464 
Real Estate
Real Estate Industry  Poised for Recovery Despite Slowing Economy
The real estate  industry comes into the current slowdown in a much stronger position than it was  in the 1980s. But the industry is also vulnerable to a number of stresses,  ranging from scaled-down activities on the part of tenants to a significant  decline in cash flows and a softening at the high end of the retail market.  Earlier this month, members of Wharton's Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real  Estate Center looked at what's ahead for real estate.http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/articles.cfm?catid=8&articleid=467 
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