Intellectual Powerhouse

Strategy as Wicked Problem

Problems, like poverty and terrorism, that cannot be definitively resolved have been labeled "wicked." A wicked problem has innumerable causes, morphs constantly, and has no correct answer. It can be tamed, however, with the right approach. An article written by John C. Camillus, the Donald R. Beall Professor of Strategic Management at Katz, appearing in Harvard Business Review (May 1, 2008) explains how executives can tell if they are dealing with a wicked problem and a social process for remedying them. Read the full description of the Camillus' article.

Ray Jones: One of BusinessWeek’s “Favorite Profs”

A BusinessWeek survey reveals that Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior and Human Resources Management Ray Jones can make a business lesson out of just about any experience—that’s just one reason his undergraduate students voted Jones their “favorite prof.”

Finance Professors Study SOX

A study conducted by Katz finance faculty members Leonce Bargeron and Chad Zutter, both assistant professors, and Ken Lehn, the Samuel A. McCullough Professor of Finance, was mentioned in a July 26 article in The Economist. Their study looked at the effects of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 on publicly traded American companies.

Read the full text of The Economist article (PDF).

CNBC Gets Brad Agle’s Insight about Executive Bonuses

Wall Street bonuses: Fair or frivolous? That was the question at the heart of Professor Brad Agle’s Dec. 13 interview on CNBC’s “Power Lunch” with Sue Herera. Agle, director of Pitt’s David Berg Center for Ethics and Leadership, and Steven Hall, managing director of executive consulting firm Steven Hall Partners, participated in the interview.

Read a summary of the segment or watch a video clip.

New York Times Reports Findings of Jeff Inman’s Mood-Food Study

“Unhappy people seek the reward of tasty, yet unhealthy snacks, such as buttered popcorn or M&M candies,” found Jeff Inman, Albert Wesley Frey Professor of Marketing, and former Katz PhD student Nitika Garg. Their research paper was published in the January 2007 issue of the Journal of Marketing and was the subject of a Jan. 8 New York Times article.

Hot Stuff

IEE Executive Director and Katz/CBA Assistant Dean Ann Dugan knows hot stuff when she sees it, particularly when a family business is concerned. Dugan was quoted in the March 30 New York Times regarding the McIlhenny Company, a fifth-generation family business and maker of Tabasco.

Read about how the fiery condiment maker weathered Hurricane Rita in 2005 and why Dugan says, “They have a good process for how they make decisions.” (PDF)

Public vs. Private

According to Katz/CBA faculty members Leonce Bargeron, Frederik Schlingemann, and Chad Zutter. if a company you own stock in is ripe for a takeover, you should hope that the company acquiring it is not a private equity firm.