Business & Entrepreneurship

Washington University in St. Louis has licensed a system developed by Washington University engineers that is meant to detect counterfeit credit cards by reading a unique magnetic “fingerprint” on the stripes of credit cards and other objects that carry magnetic information. The system — called Magneprint — was invented by Ronald Indeck, Ph.D., Das Family Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at Washington University.

Business experts from all over the world will come to the Olin School of Business at Washington University to participate in a three-day conference on corporate governance Nov. 11 to 13. “Key Issues in Corporate Governance,” co-sponsored by the Olin School, the Center for Research in Economics and Strategy (CRES), and the Journal of Financial Intermediation, will be held at the Charles F. Knight Executive Education Center. The conference will feature two days of academic presentations and a third day devoted to panel discussions among senior corporate executives, policymakers and academics. Topics include financial markets and corporate governance regulation in the United States and similar issues in the European Union.

The Center for the Study of Ethics and Human Values, in conjunction with the John M. Olin School of Business and the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis, will present a tax ethics forum on Oct. 29. “An Ethics Forum for Tax Practitioners” will be held from 8:45 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 29, preceded by a continental breakfast at 7:45 a.m., at May Auditorium in John E. Simon Hall. Peter J. Wiedenbeck, the Joseph H. Zumbalen Professor of Law, and Nancy Pechloff, CPA, of the Olin School of Business will moderate the forum featuring five panelists.

The top economic advisers for President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry will debate at 8 a.m. Oct. 8, the day of the second presidential debate, which will take place at Washington University in St. Louis. The event will be held at Lee Auditorium in the Missouri History Museum, Lindell Boulevard at DeBaliviere Avenue in St. Louis’ Forest Park. John Berry, columnist for Bloomberg News, will moderate the debate between the two advisers.

President George W. Bush’s recent push for the establishment of an ownership society features partial privatization of Social Security by diverting a portion of the payroll tax into individual accounts. “Privatizing Social Security is a dangerous idea,” says Merton Bernstein, a nationally recognized expert on Social Security. “Despite widespread criticism and misunderstanding, Social Security is in good shape for the future and its funding can be made solid by modest measures. In contrast, privatization would cost $3.75 trillion.”

StewartCan Martha Stewart regain the trust of her customers or could Enron’s former chief Ken Lay get a new job under the clouds of suspicion left in the wake of their legal problems? It depends upon the match between how they respond to the allegations and the extent to which the alleged offense is perceived to involve their integrity or their competence, according to a recent study by Washington University in St. Louis professor Kurt T. Dirks and three colleagues.

In November, 26 incumbent U.S. senators will be on election ballots. Chances are, most of them will win, according to a study by Washington University in St. Louis professor Gautam Gowrisankaran and two colleagues.

It’s a compilation of essays spanning four decades; they offer clear, no-nonsense economic policy analysis.

GreenbaumStuart I. Greenbaum, Ph.D., dean of the John M. Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, has announced his intention to step down as dean effective June 30, 2005, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton. Greenbaum has served as dean since 1995 and was named the Bank of America Professor in July 2000.

He “has led the John M. Olin School of Business with distinction and significant success,” Chancellor Wrighton says.