http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn Knowledge@Wharton is an online resource that offers the latest business insights, information, and research from a variety of sources. Content includes analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports, and links to other websites. en-us Copyright (c) 2006 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/globals/images/katw_white.gif http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn 125 45 Knowledge@Wharton Research Leadership and Change http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2506&languageid=1 Not so long ago, China's e-commerce businesses looked unstoppable. Investors around the world flocked to their online offerings, as did Internet shoppers from across the country. So what happened in 2011 to change all that? According to Alfred Gu, CEO of Shanghai-based online apparel retailer Mecox Lane, the euro crisis and a host of other market factors reversed an irrational investor enthusiasm that had been propelling the sector up until the second half of the year -- and the aftermath hasn't been pretty. In an interview with China Knowledge@Wharton, Gu not only gives his take on the "fierce pressure" that hit China's e-commerce companies in 2011, but also offers his predictions for what they can expect -- and what they need for success -- in 2012 and beyond. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Real Estate http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2505&languageid=1 How has the housing bust and accompanying recession impacted the mobility of homeowners? Are divestitures always a smart move for companies? Can multinationals create a fact-based case for the real economic impact of their investment in different countries? Professors Joseph Gyourko, Emilie Feldman and Ethan Kapstein, respectively, examined these issues -- and what they mean for business and consumers -- in recent research papers. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Finance and Investment http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2504&languageid=1 If large parts of Europe fall into a recession, as many experts are predicting, it is likely to have negative, although varied, effects on economies around the world. As European leaders hammer out yet another package of solutions, Wharton faculty weigh in on the impact of a eurozone recession, as well as the pros and cons of the recovery measures that are up for debate. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Public Policy and Management http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2503&languageid=1 For foreign companies doing business in China, 2011 has been anything but dull. Over the past 12 months, they've been kept on their toes with a raft of new laws and regulations. That includes a new law requiring all foreign workers to start participating in the national social insurance scheme. The law affects any non-Chinese employee at local and foreign companies, and depending on where foreign workers are based and their residency status, it can mean compulsory contributions of the equivalent of nearly 50% of an individual's salary. Reactions have been mixed. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Leadership and Change http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2502&languageid=1 What makes a great leader? At a recent event, the seven winners of this year's Top American Leaders Award from the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard's Kennedy School and Washington Post Live shared personal observations on how they came by the passion that inspires their work -- and on what irks them about public life. Common in all their views is that leadership is about serving more than one's self. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Finance and Investment http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2501&languageid=1 Whereas poor entrepreneurs were at one time unable to get even one loan, now they frequently can get three or four. And that's a problem, according to participants in the 3rd Annual Women's World Banking Advanced Leadership Program, which took place recently at Wharton Executive Education. Too many loans can cause clients to "drown themselves in debt by borrowing from multiple institutions," noted one member of a roundtable set up by Knowledge@Wharton to discuss the challenges and successes of microfinance. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Managing Technology http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2500&languageid=1 Amazon will lose money on each Kindle Fire it sells. Sprint is not expected to turn a profit selling Apple's iPhone for at least three years. Both companies are banking on customer lifetime value (CLV), a marketing formula based on the idea of spending money up front to gain customers whose loyalty will reap rewards over the long term. The model is becoming more and more popular among technology companies, and as software companies increasingly turn to subscription-based business models through cloud computing, CLV will become an even larger issue, according to Wharton experts. Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Strategic Management http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2499&languageid=1 China's solar product companies now make more than half of all crystalline silicon photovoltaic panels sold in the world. In just a few years, Suntech Power, Yingli Green Energy, Trina Solar and a host of other Chinese firms have become industry pace-setters, driving international competition and pricing trends. But after blazing across the globe from small beginnings, is China's solar panel industry on its way to becoming a victim of its own success? Some of its fiercest rivals in the U.S. hope so, while others say that any kind of major trouble, including trade sanctions against China, would be a backwards move for the entire industry. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Managing Technology http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2498&languageid=1 Today's ever-expanding cache of online data is a store in more ways than one. Every tweet tweeted, badge unlocked, website searched and "Like" button clicked adds to the growing inventory of user information. Data miners then sort it, package it, market it -- and companies use it to better target customers. But how much sharing is too much, especially when consumers are not given a say over how their data is used? And is the exploding availability of information actually making companies less adept at predicting consumer behavior? Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST Finance and Investment http://www.knowledgeatwharton.com.cn/index.cfm?fa=viewfeature&articleid=2497&languageid=1 Thinking the unthinkable is something big global companies have been doing quite a lot of these days. There are many reasons why, and that includes Beijing's summer announcement that it is internationalizing the country's currency even more by making trade between local and foreign firms far easier, and possibly cheaper, than ever. Though barriers remain, that essentially means companies of all shapes and sizes have more foreign-exchange flexibility in settling cross-border transactions with suppliers, distributors and customers as they increasingly use the renminbi alongside the U.S. dollar or other big currencies. From the corporate perspective, is this too good to be true? Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 EST