Olin Business School

In their quest to reduce air pollution, states are implementing new and easier ways to ensure that automobiles are both safe and environmentally friendly. Some states, like Missouri, allow private repair shops to conduct both safety and emissions tests simultaneously, making it easier for car owners to renew their license plates. But there’s a potential problem with the new plan, according to a business professor at Washington University in St. Louis: repair shops have very strong incentives to cheat, but not in a way that helps reduce pollution.

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

Banks with sound portfolios will be fine, says a WUSTL expert.The stock market might be nervous now due to the subprime loan mess, but Stuart Greenbaum, former dean of the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis, is bullish on the situation.

The Olin School of Business has overhauled its MBA program to better reflect the school’s core principles of creating knowledge, inspiring individuals and transforming business.

Mattel and Ford are just the latest in a long line of companies to enact a product recall. Whether it’s lead paint or tainted dog food, every manufacturer faces the potential that its product needs to be taken off the shelf. How a firm handles its logistics and marketing after and before a recall can make or break a company’s success in the long run.

A private equity acquisition of Jaguar and Land Rover might be the best thing to happen to the companies, according to a professor at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. “The public-equity firms will clean house,” said Anne Marie Knott, associate professor of strategy. “They will find the areas of poor performance and turn them around.”

The John M. Olin School of Business has received a major gift from the Bauer Foundation to establish the George and Carol Bauer Professorship in Organizational Ethics and Governance.

Hong KongIn the days leading up to China’s taking over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997, the media and political pundits were spouting cautionary tales of how China would ruin Hong Kong’s success as Southeast Asia’s financial center. Were the foretellers of doom correct in their outlook? Not at all, says David Meyer, visiting professor of business at Washington University in St. Louis. In fact, ten years later, both Hong Kong and China have reaped the benefits.

Is she safe to hire?Companies with 500 employees or more can expect to be sued for discrimination at least once a year, and the cost to defend the accusation can cost as much as $15,000, even if the allegation is found to be without merit. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 (CRA-91) held great promise for protecting workers from discrimination in the workplace, but the potential cost of litigation makes some firms wary of hiring minorities. A business professor at Washington University in St. Louis has come up with a plan to circumvent potential lawsuits in a way that benefits both employers and employees.

Washington University in St. Louis is creating a new International Center for Advanced Renewable Energy and Sustainability (I-CARES) to encourage and coordinate university-wide and external collaborative research in the areas of renewable energy and sustainability — including biofuels, CO2 mitigation and coal-related issues. The university will invest more than $55 million in the initiative, according to Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.