Knowledge@Wharton Business Research Journal

Financial Services on Aisle Nine: Wal-Mart Gives Banks a Run for Their Money
Despite being pilloried by the public lately, a banker's lot can't be all that bad. At least, that's what Wal-Mart executives must be thinking. Over recent months, there has been a flurry of announcements from the world's largest retailer about the expanding array of banking products sold at its U.S. stores. Company officials insist that their main aim is to reach the "unbanked" and "underbanked" with the type of low-cost services that cemented Wal-Mart's reputation as a retail giant. So do traditional retail banks on Main Street USA have reason to worry?

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Is Network Neutrality Permanently Stalled at the Finish Line?
The long-running network neutrality debate is once again front and center after another flare-up, this one stoked by a recent policy proposal jointly developed by Google and Verizon. The seven-point plan was panned by net neutrality advocates but cheered by industry players, making it unclear whether regulators, legislators and private industry can forge a deal. Among the stickiest issues is that advocacy groups continue to demand 100% network neutrality, while wireless broadband providers want the ability to manage their networks and generate enough cash flow to continue to invest in infrastructure.

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Computer Compatriots: Taiwan and China Draw Economically Closer
Despite the diplomatic and military twists and turns between China and the island of Taiwan, the two countries are fast becoming virtually one in the vital field of information technology. The extent of this collaboration is stunning: Taiwanese factories on the mainland make more than 85% of the monitors for the world's desktop computers, for example, and more than 90% of all laptop computers. Knowledge@Wharton looks at the pace -- and the challenges -- of this rapidly evolving economic integration.

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VC 'Super Angels': Filling a Funding Gap or Killing 'The Next Google'?
A new crop of small, nimble and tech-savvy venture capitalists are trying to bring back into vogue a more entrepreneurial, forward-thinking and risk tolerant model for investing in start-ups. Dubbed "super angels," these firms and individual investors fill the funding gap between angel investors and large VC firms. Although the sector boasts success stories, it also faces challenges -- including some industry observers who complain that super angels are cutting short the lives of companies that could be "the next Google" by selling them before they have had time to develop a market. 

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'A Clash of Expertise': Adding Human Rights to the World Bank's Agenda
Are human rights an intrinsic value, a set of universal freedoms to be protected as ends in themselves? Or are human rights a means to an end -- a fast track to economic development, peace and prosperity? A lawyer might argue the first, an economist the second. And if the argument took place at the World Bank, the economist would probably win. In a recent paper, Wharton professor of legal studies and business ethics Galit A. Sarfaty explains why conflicts in expert interpretations can stymie the progress of any idea within an organization.

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Anatomy of a Merger: 'Hostile Deals Become Friendly in the End, Right?'
When Roche Holding acquired full ownership of Genentech last year, the $46.8 billion deal was the culmination of a more than 20-year relationship between the Swiss pharmaceutical giant and the Silicon Valley biotechnology company. In a recent presentation at Wharton San Francisco, Steve Krognes -- a former Roche executive who is now senior vice president and CFO of Genentech -- talked about the pharma company's decision to pursue the merger, efforts to raise capital amid the beginnings of the 2008 recession, and the aftermath of the deal.

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