Nien-hê Hsieh - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

Can Twitter Promote Itself into Profitability?

Wed, 26 May 2010 16:26:29 EST

Last month, Twitter unveiled "Promoted Tweets," a new ad system the company hopes will turn the service into a profitable endeavor. Though much talked about, Twitter faces a set of intertwined business conundrums. How can it help businesses create a level of engagement with consumers that turns tweets into a useful tool for marketing and customer service? How can Twitter then parlay those efforts into a viable, income-producing strategy for itself? Wharton experts and others say finding a successful model for the Promoted Tweet is only one of the challenges the company must overcome to avoid the fate of former "next big things" like Netscape, Excite or Pets.com.

Do Multinational Corporations Have an Ethical Obligation to Assist Those in Need?

Wed, 23 Feb 2005 16:12:25 EST

At the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, one particular topic drew unusually strong support -- the need for organizations across the board to contribute more to the war on global poverty and illness. Part of this push towards greater social advocacy is directed squarely at corporations, whose resources are seen as necessary to address such specific problems as the AIDS crisis in Africa and the lack of vaccines for children in the developing world. At the same time, critics of the corporate social responsibility movement respond that a company's main duty is to its shareholders, not society at large. Last month, Wharton legal studies professor Nien-hê Hsieh tackled this topic during a seminar on "Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and the Ethics of Assistance," in which he noted that two principles may justify corporate social responsibility: Rescue and fairness.

Marketing Ethics in a Post-Terrorist Economy: What is the Right Pitch?

Wed, 21 Nov 2001 00:00:00 EST

Following the events of Sept. 11, marketers and advertisers must reconsider not only what products they sell but how they sell them � all against a backdrop of the War On Terror, the Anthrax scare and a badly slumping economy. What approach can companies and ad agencies adopt that is both ethical and effective? Wharton faculty, and the manufacturer of one uniquely American product, offer some suggestions.