Tag: Olin in the Media

More than 200 business school professors sent a letter to Congress this month urging members to pass the Family And Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act – legislation that would create a national paid family and medical leave insurance program. The professors cite research showing the benefits of paid leave for workers and businesses and conclude that the FAMILY Act offers a smart, affordable way to establish a national standard. the media picked up the story. Prof. Andrew Knight was the only signatory from Olin.

The letter appears on the Wharton Work/Life Integration website

Read news release from the National Partnership for Women & Families
www.nationalpartnership.org

A sampling of the press coverage:
·         Washington Post: Business school professors give national paid leave policy a top grade (quotes a number of letter-signers; adapted also in the Los Angeles Times and the Bayou Buzz)
·         Bloomberg: Business School Professors Push for National Paid Family and Sick Leave Legislation
·         Mashable: Parents (and everyone) should get paid leave from work, say 200 business professors
·         Huffington Post Business: Business Lobby Might Be Last To Realize Paid Leave Law Makes Sense
·         The Hill: Professors Press Congress on Paid Leave
·         CNN Money: Business School Professors to Congress: It’s Time for Paid Family Leave (syndicated in 40 or so outlets across the country)
·         Harvard Business Review: Why Paid Leave Matters for the Future of Business (Professor Friedman’s opinion piece – shared on President Obama’s Facebook page late Friday afternoon!)
·         Huffington Post: Business School Professors for Paid Family Leave (Professor Behson’s opinion piece)

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports on the opening of a second Nordstrom department store in the Twin Cities. They turned to Olin adjunct professor Martin Sneider, an expert on luxury retailing, for his opinion on the new store in Ridgedale.

“It’s a home run for Ridgedale,” said Mar­tin Sneider, ad­junct pro­fes­sor of mar­ket­ing at Washington University in St. Louis. “They’re ap­peal­ing to the Mid­west­ern cus­tom­er who wants great cus­tom­er serv­ice and good brands in a nice set­ting.”

The Se­at­tle-based re­tail­er, which has been in the Twin Cities at the Mall of America since it op­ened in 1992, is a crown jewel for any mall. Its open­ing at Ridgedale this week is a turn­ing point af­ter near­ly three years of re­con­struc­tion at the mall in Minnetonka.

Link to article.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Dave Nicklaus asks Prof. Nick Argyres about the surge in mergers and acquisitions over the past 18 months.

Argyres thinks there’s finally been an uptick in confidence in the market thanks to the Fed’s decision to keep short-term rates at zero since 2008. “We’ve had cheap capital for a while but we haven’t had the optimism,” he said. “The news on the macroeconomy for the U.S. has been better and better in 2015.”
Link to article:  “Merger boom is a sign of confidence, or maybe overconfidence”
9/22/15

“Pragmatic problem solver and consummate professional” describe Olin alumnus Kurt A. Summers, Jr, BSBA ’00, Chicago’s City Treasurer, in a profile published by The Chicago Defender  Sept. 16, 2015.

After earning an MBA at Harvard, Summers’ career began at McKinsey & Company. He has been an investment banker at Goldman Sachs & Company, served as a Principal at Tidal Capital Partners; Chief Financial Officer, Head of Business Development at Balton Corporation; and as Management Director at Ryan Specialty Group, LLC. The decision to leave the corporate world to serve in city government was easy for Summers:

“I grew up in Bronzeville, a neighborhood that has suffered from disinvestment for years. Also in that neighborhood was Sam Patch, my grandfather, who was a close confidante to Mayor Washington. The Mayor was like an uncle to me. He and my grandfather taught me that no matter how successful you are, how much money you make, you have an obligation to use your talents to benefit your community.”

Link to article.

Sports Illustrated talked to Olin professor Glenn MacDonald about the possibility that the Rams football franchise might leave St. Louis.

“MacDonald says that the future of St. Louis without the Rams looks similar to the city’s future with the Rams, and as far as cities’ economies go, professional sports teams don’t have much of an impact. Plus, he says, among the ranks of NFL teams, the Rams likely fall near the bottom of the heap in terms of bringing dollars to their city.”
Link to article.