Business & Entrepreneurship

Below is a link to the Washington University news release about the U.S. News & World Report undergraduate rankings for 2004-05: http://news-info.wustl.edu/news/page/normal/3627.html To view a full listing of U.S. News magazine, book and Web-only rankings for 2004-05, please visit the U.S. News & World Report site: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php

Kim G. WalkerKimberly Gayle Walker has been named chief investment officer at Washington University in St. Louis, effective Nov. 1, 2006. Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton announced the appointment. Walker comes to the university from her position as president and chief investment officer of Qwest Asset Management Company, part of Qwest Communications International Inc., where she oversees $14 billion in retirement and other assets and leads a staff of 23.

Research indicates that the system for computing golfers’ handicaps favors strong, steady players. The professor will present his findings on Friday, September 15. 10:30 a.m., at the Charles F. Knight Center on Washington University’s campus. The lecture is sponsored by the Boeing Center for Technology, Information and Manufacturing at the Olin School of Business.

When one company restates earnings, best to see what its peers are up to.No company wants to issue an accounting restatement; it’s a guaranteed way for the share price to drop 10 percent, on average. Investors, analysts and journalists alike view restatements as an indication of a problem within the company. As it turns out, restatements indicate that there is value in looking at its industry peer firms. More…

Recovering from a recession doesn’t include the entire economy.The “jobless recovery” that befuddled observers after the recession in the early 2000s was no fluke. It’s actually a pattern that we can expect to continue thanks to technology’s uneven impact across sectors of the economy. What’s more, this new trend in business cycles is as important in making policy decisions as it is in ensuring the stability of the country’s economy. More…

Managers can find way to increase their compensation.Now that the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has returned from its summer holiday, members have put the recent spate of backdating stock options at the top of the agenda. Over the summer, several companies have been caught up in the practice, which skims the top off a firm’s profits. According to professors at the Olin School of Business, the backdating of options is just one of the ways to time executive compensation in a way that enable executives to maximize their own pay. More…

Group work is the name of the game in many companies. The thinking is that workers will learn more and help each other when they are put into groups composed of people with a variety of expertise. But does this always happen? Some recent research suggests that it may not … at least not always.

When investors buy stock at inflated prices, they have a right to sue the company for any losses. Unfortunately, securities litigation isn’t paying off for shareholders – even when they win. Instead, large institutional investors and lawyers rake in the money and existing shareholders end up losing out.

Gas tax relief?With voters clamoring for relief from skyrocketing prices at the gas pump, politicians are floating a wide range of quick-fix solutions, many of which could cause more problems than they solve, suggests Paul Rothstein, a specialist in the economics of public spending at Washington University in St. Louis. More…

Low quality threatens the high end.What company wouldn’t attribute its profits to the quality product it produces? The answer might be: the company that competes on price. According to research from Washington University in St. Louis, producers of lower quality products actually have better prospects for gaining market share and improving their bottom line. The findings indicate the Chinese manufacturers could easily gain an edge over American producers. More…