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Protecting Your Data from a New Generation of Hackers
Cyberattacks are becoming more common, and hackers are rapidly growing bolder -- but many companies and individuals still do not have strong safeguards in place to protect personal and financial information, and even a firm's trade secrets. In some cases, guarding against threats is extremely difficult, and many of the related legal questions have yet to be answered. But businesses ignore the issue at their own peril, observers from Wharton and elsewhere say.
From: July 03, 2012
Social Media Before the Internet: Tales of Victorians, Comic Book Fans, Phone Phreaks and CBers
Although the current spate of social media platforms burst onto the scene within the last several years, these tools have antecedents in earlier, traditional media. Before Facebook and Twitter, before MySpace and Friendster, before Usenet newsgroups and AOL chat rooms, we can see the drive to use media platforms to make interpersonal connections. Kendall Whitehouse, Wharton's director of new media, takes a look at how our desire to virtually connect with others has long been evident in media -- from the telegraph and newspapers to comic books and radio.
From: June 20, 2012
How Forces That Drive the Mobile Industry's Growth Also Threaten Its Future
Thanks to the burgeoning popularity of smartphones, demand for mobile bandwidth is guaranteed to outstrip supply for many years to come. Considering the industry's growth in the world's poorest regions, everyone, everywhere will soon be a mobile customer. But Terry Kramer, former president of Vodafone Americas, told an audience at Wharton San Francisco this month that the same forces that are driving mobile's success are also threatening the industry's foundation.
From: June 20, 2012
After Broadband: Imagining a Future When Connected Networks Are All-pervasive
What will the future be like a decade from now when fast networking and connected devices are almost ubiquitous? How will social, family and community life change? What will be the impact on fields such as manufacturing and health? A group of entrepreneurs, executives, policy makers and other experts brainstormed about these questions and more at a conference held last month in Wharton San Francisco.
From: May 23, 2012
The Facebook IPO: What Went Wrong?
It has been a wild ride for Facebook lately -- and it doesn't seem to be over yet. The social networking giant made its long-anticipated market debut on May 18, only to see its stock barely rise above the opening price of $38. By May 22, the stock had fallen by 18%, and although it has bounced back slightly since then, some investors have filed lawsuits over how the company and Wall Street banks handled the IPO. What factors contributed to such a volatile debut? According to Wharton faculty, the problem is that no one knows for sure how to value Facebook's 901 million users.
From: May 23, 2012
Etsy Seeks Scale without Losing Its 'Street Fair' Aesthetic
Etsy was launched as a ragtag website for artists and craftspeople to sell their wares. Today, it has become one of the Internet's most prominent tastemakers. As the company grows, experts caution that it must be careful not to alienate its faithful shop owners and customers by going too commercial and straying from its independent, artsy roots, or by becoming bogged down in privacy and seller credibility concerns.
From: May 09, 2012
King of the Hill: Can Established Tech Companies Be Bested?
Replicating a less-established competitor's innovative offerings or features can be relatively easy for an incumbent technology company. The practice has become increasingly common -- to the point that many wonder if it's still possible for an upstart to enter an existing market and effectively compete. But that doesn't mean dominant firms like Google and Facebook should stop watching their backs, Wharton experts say. Despite reluctance on the part of users to abandon an established service, there is always the chance that a nimble newcomer will enter a market and eat away at an incumbent firm's user base.
From: April 25, 2012
'Inside Apple': Adam Lashinsky on the Future of America's Most Secretive Company
In the days and weeks before the new iPad was announced, the media was rife with rumors about what Apple fans could expect from the new device. But few might know that Apple employees were among those who waited anxiously to find out what their own company had planned. Knowledge@Wharton recently talked with Adam Lashinsky, a senior editor at Fortune magazine and author of Inside Apple: How America's Most Admired -- and Secretive -- Company Really Works, for a rare glimpse into one of the world's most innovative firms. (Video with transcript)
From: April 04, 2012
Vertical Integration Works for Apple -- But It Won’t for Everyone
In an effort to spur growth and attract consumers through a more seamless user experience, tech companies -- including Google, Amazon and Oracle -- are acquiring new business units in order to become more vertically integrated. It is an approach that for years has been successfully employed by Apple, which manages the hardware, software and related systems for its products all under its corporate umbrella. But Wharton experts warn that becoming a conglomerate creates a separate set of challenges, and may even hinder innovation within the sector.
From: March 14, 2012
Textbook Case: Apple and Others Strive to Be the Next Wave in Educational Publishing
While the $4.5 billion textbook industry seems ready for disruption, the latest digital offerings from firms like Apple may not be enough to overthrow it -- yet. Apple's approach, which revolves around the company's ecosystem and devices, poses certain limitations for institutions and for students, experts say, and the proposed cost savings from not having to purchase more expensive physical books may not add up. Also, it's unclear whether more elaborate, enhanced textbooks with 3-D graphics and animation will catch on and eventually replace the printed word.
From: February 15, 2012
