Business & Entrepreneurship

Bill Michalski/WUSTL PublicationsA loan finances a young person’s education. Twenty years later, that child is working, contributing to the economy and paying off their loan. As they repay, the capitalized value of the loan pays back their debt to the previous generation in the form of a pension.Funding social security and education are often thought of as separate issues. But the two issues should be linked, says economist Michele Boldrin, the Joseph Gibson Hoyt Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis. In the same way that younger generations take care of their elders as a kind of “return” on their parent’s investment, so too can the U.S. invest in the educational needs of its children and have the accumulated debt be paid off to retirees when it comes due.

The Olin Business School has appointed a new associate dean and director of the undergraduate degree program, effective Jan. 1, 2008. Jeff Cannon will take the reins from Gary Hochberg, Ph.D., who is stepping aside after overseeing the BSBA program for 25 years and helping it attain international recognition for excellence.

The Washington University-Fudan University EMBA Program is ranked seventh-best international executive MBA program in the world and, for the second consecutive year, as the best program in mainland China, according to 2007 rankings released last week by The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers.

The Olin Business School has appointed a new associate dean and director of the undergraduate degree program. Jeff Cannon will take the reigns from Gary Hochberg on Jan. 1, 2008. Hochberg is stepping aside after overseeing the BSBA program for 25 years and helping it attain international recognition for excellence.

“An Impending Influenza Pandemic? What has been learned from 1918?” is the focus of a St. Louis community forum from 7:45-11:45 a.m. Nov. 9 in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom in Anheuser-Busch Hall. The program features discussions by city, county and national health directors and explores how St. Louis can use lessons from past flu outbreaks to prepare for a global bird flu pandemic that some experts see lurking on the horizon.

The Washington University-Fudan University EMBA Program is ranked as the 7th best international executive MBA program in the world and, for the second consecutive year, as the 1st program in mainland China, according to 2007 rankings released today by The Financial Times, one of the world’s leading business newspapers.

“An Impending Influenza Pandemic? What has been learned from 1918” is the focus of a St. Louis community forum from 7:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Nov. 9 in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom, Anheuser-Busch Hall, Washington University in St. Louis.

Streaming video can make for a very authentic form of communication.While most businesses pay lip service to the importance of communication in managing change, few successfully do it. A business professor from Washington University in St. Louis says using the internet to stream short videos every week from the CEO is the first step toward smooth transitions.

Major League Baseball implemented revenue sharing to create incentives for ball clubs to build their teams and build their fan base. It’s ended up having the opposite effect, according to a business professor at Washington University in St. Louis. The amount a small-market team receives from the league may be more profitable than the revenue it gets from winning a game. Michael Lewis proposes an alternative way of distributing MLB revenues that creates incentives for ballclubs to create good teams and fill stadiums. (video available)

The stock market might be nervous due to the subprime loan mess, but Stuart Greenbaum, Ph.D., former dean and Bank of America Professor Emeritus of Managerial Leadership for the Olin Business School, is bullish on the situation. Despite the circumstances, this is not a time to panic, says Greenbaum.