http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/ 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) 2012 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/faculty/matwyshyn_andrea.jpg http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/faculty/ 125 45 Wharton Faculty Research Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2725&source=rss Programs like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn have become a popular way for families and groups of friends (or groups of strangers) to share information and organize their lives. Now corporations are hoping they can tap into those capabilities as a way to improve employee productivity, collaboration and communication on the job -- and a long line of software vendors are hoping to position themselves as the ones to help make the integration of social networking and business a reality. Is it worth the effort? Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:47:44 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2717&source=rss Right now, Skype is a go-to service for far-flung families and friends trying to stay in touch. It offers free or low-priced calls and the chance to converse face-to-face via a webcam. But the company, which is widely expected to launch an initial public offering in 2011, wants to move into the business communications market and become a place where deals are made by CEOs and rank-and-file employees alike. Wed, 16 Feb 2011 15:29:54 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2673&source=rss As AT&amp;T's exclusive partnership to offer the iPhone dwindles to its final days, many are already speculating about how Apple's deal to sell the device through Verizon will affect AT&amp;T's bottom line. While conventional wisdom is that AT&amp;T will face a challenging 2011 without sole rights to sell the iPhone, say Wharton experts, the company still has a chance to minimize any damage inflicted by Verizon. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:05:35 EST Law and Public Policy http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2653&source=rss Julian Assange, the Australian founder of WikiLeaks, the controversial website that has been posting classified government documents, is now being held without bail in the U.K., awaiting extradition to Sweden on a rape charge. But sensational news aside, his site's recent release of confidential U.S. State Department cables has opened up a fundamental debate over privacy of information versus public access on the open web. It also has implications for businesses and corporations with sensitive information to shield, according to experts at Wharton and the University of Pennsylvania. Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:38:32 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2650&source=rss Though Research in Motion still occupies a dominant position in the U.S. smartphone market, there are rumblings that the Canadian maker of the BlackBerry -- a phone once so addictive to its predominantly business-centric audience that it gained the nickname &quot;CrackBerry&quot; -- is in danger of being overshadowed by its rivals. Experts say a stronger, better-targeted marketing campaign and a few buzz-worthy new devices would go a long way toward cementing the BlackBerry's popularity with corporate customers and attracting the mass market as well. Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:38:32 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2636&source=rss In the world of web browsers, it's beginning to look a lot like the 1990s. Back then, the Internet was just starting to become an integral part of daily life and Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer vied for control of the market. This time around, the browser battle includes an increasing number of competitors, most notably Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. Newcomers like RockMelt, a start-up that promises to integrate web browsing with social networking, are banking on innovative new features to stand out. But does winning the browser space mean much in environments -- like mobile devices -- that increasingly focus on standalone web-connected apps? Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:27:40 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2592&source=rss On September 1, Apple CEO Steve Jobs launched the latest version of Apple TV, a set-top device that allows viewers to rent movies and TV shows. Meanwhile, Google plans to embed its search and video services on televisions from Sony. And Samsung is developing apps for its TVs and trying to woo software developers. These efforts are all part of the latest attempt to conquer the digital living room, an area that, so far, has failed to make consumers think differently about their viewing habits. Wharton faculty and other experts weigh in on what it would take to make a fully technology-integrated home entertainment ecosystem a reality. Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:42:34 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2590&source=rss AT&amp;T and Verizon are about to throw the dice in a bet that will put billions of dollars on the line. The companies, the two largest mobile phone operators in the United States, are expected to launch a pilot program to see whether their customers are ready to trade credit cards for smartphones equipped with similar swipe technology for making purchases. But will Americans want to put aside their comfortable relationship with plastic credit cards? And can they overcome security concerns about adopting a new payment system? Industry experts weigh in. Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:42:34 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2582&source=rss 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. Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:07:02 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2573&source=rss Yahoo is busy integrating social networking features from Facebook and investing in online content. Microsoft touts its new search engine, Bing, every chance it gets in an attempt to take on Google. And AOL, the ailing Internet services company, has spent the last year restructuring and divesting. At the recent Supernova conference in Philadelphia, Brad Garlinghouse, president of AOL consumer applications, described the company's transformation as an attempt at a &quot;second act.&quot; Wharton faculty weigh in on what it would take to bring aging Internet companies like AOL up to speed.&nbsp; Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:14:34 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2517&source=rss Growth spurts in the technology industry used to come in the form of ground-breaking startups. But the industry is maturing, and many companies are now large established firms. When these businesses want to increase their industry share, step into new markets or jumpstart their innovation engines, they often turn to mergers and acquisitions -- particularly when they can score a bargain by scooping up a former highflier that is down on its luck. But as companies in other established industries have learned, the hard work often begins after the deal closes -- and the buyer tries to get the erstwhile highflier back up in the air. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 16:48:25 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2505&source=rss What spending in the mobile advertising industry lacks in heft, it more than makes up for in buzz. Witness Google's recent purchase of AdMob, which brings together the two largest mobile ad networks, and Apple's recent efforts to gain a stronger foothold in the market. The battle between the two major players could represent a tipping point for mobile advertising, Wharton experts and others say, and suggests that the sector could become a significant money-maker in the future. Wed, 26 May 2010 16:26:29 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2500&source=rss Last month, Twitter unveiled &quot;Promoted Tweets,&quot; 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 &quot;next big things&quot; like Netscape, Excite or Pets.com. Wed, 26 May 2010 16:26:29 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2482&source=rss With more than 400 million users, social networking giant Facebook theoretically has a lot to lose if it sidesteps privacy without consumers' consent. But each time the company introduces new features that make users' personal information available to an increasingly wide circle, the site continues to grow. This time,&nbsp;the company's&nbsp;new &quot;Open Graph&quot; plan -- an attempt to link Facebook users to other parts of the web by sharing their &quot;likes&quot; and other activities across sites -- has come under scrutiny. Will users revolt -- or will they adapt to Facebook's ever-shifting privacy policies and what some Wharton experts view as deliberately difficult opt-out procedures? Wed, 12 May 2010 15:14:35 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2478&source=rss In March, Apple sued rival smartphone maker HTC over patent infringements. Earlier this year, Motorola sued Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, for similar reasons. And last year, Nokia sued Apple -- only to be counter-sued. According to experts at Wharton, the flurry of patent battles playing out in the smartphone arena is the mark of a young industry with billions of dollars at stake. And while companies like Apple have much to gain from aggressive patent protection, there are some potential downsides to that strategy as well. &nbsp; Wed, 28 Apr 2010 14:56:07 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2463&source=rss Microsoft has a lot riding on Windows Phone 7, the company's attempt to revive its mobile strategy and introduce an operating system that is more consumer friendly. With the move, the software giant is hoping to recapture momentum in a U.S. smartphone market dominated by Apple's iPhone and Research in Motion's BlackBerry, with Google's Android platform quickly gaining buzz. But Wharton experts say it's unclear if the company's latest offering will make Microsoft &quot;phone fashionable&quot; again. Wed, 31 Mar 2010 14:51:19 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2429&source=rss Apple, which brought consumers such hits as the iPod and iPhone, is wading into a new product category with the launch of its iPad, a touch-screen tablet computer that CEO Steve Jobs has said puts &quot;the Internet in your hands&quot; -- and apparently much more. In fact, Apple has positioned the iPad as a universal device that not only functions like a laptop but also can play music, movies and video games, show pictures and hold a library of books. That puts it in direct competition with netbooks and popular single-use gadgets like Amazon's e-book reader, the Kindle. Will iPad be the one device that fits all, or will it just become one more gadget to juggle? Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:52:49 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2416&source=rss On January 5, Google launched the Nexus One -- its new &quot;superphone&quot; -- with a good deal of fanfare. Although the launch itself was quickly overshadowed by the online giant's surprise showdown with China over censorship, the company's attempt to rewrite the rules of the wireless industry has not gone unnoticed. Through its online store, Google is selling the Nexus One directly to consumers, sidestepping service providers that operate as device gatekeepers under the traditional sales model. The operation is off to a somewhat rocky start, leaving some observers to wonder whether Google can adapt to its new role in direct sales, but the bigger question is whether Google can alter consumer behavior and the economics of an entire industry. Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:35:09 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2367&source=rss In a year when DVD sales are falling and studios are facing major shakeups in their executive ranks, the movie industry has at least one success story to cheer about: Netflix. Despite the recession, the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company continues to thrive and is now in a race to transition to a business model focused on streaming content online while continuing to exploit its current model based on physical DVD distribution. According to Wharton faculty, Netflix has managed this balancing act deftly so far, but growing competition in digital distribution means that it may not have an advantage for long. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:19:29 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2354&source=rss Faint rumblings have begun in the social networking landscape. Facebook acquired smaller rival FriendFeed in August; Friendster, viewed as an also-ran in the U.S., has refocused its operations on the Asia-Pacific region; and News Corp., owner of MySpace, has reshuffled executives and restructured the unit as traffic to the site slows. Experts at Wharton say there's still a lot of growth left in the sector, but a round of consolidation, reinvention and restructuring is likely in the not-too-distant future. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:33:51 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2349&source=rss As social networking sites and 24-hour Blackberry access blur the lines between business and personal lives, managers and employees are struggling to develop new social norms to guide them through the ongoing evolution of communications technology. Wharton faculty and other experts say the process of creating rules to cope with the ever-expanding reach of modern communications has just begun, but will be shaped largely by individuals and organizations, not top-down decrees from a digital Emily Post. Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:48:04 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2340&source=rss The last four years at Skype have been anything but dull. In 2005, eBay bought the popular Internet-based phone service in a deal that raised plenty of eyebrows. But with eBay's $2.75 billion sale of Skype on September 1, one whirlwind era closes and another one begins. The key for Skype now is to find new ways in the emerging &quot;communication ecosystem&quot; -- as one Wharton expert calls it -- to monetize a service that most of its customers are used to getting for free. Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:45:37 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2330&source=rss As it expands into new markets with additional products and platforms, Google is beginning to look a bit like Microsoft in the mid-1990s: A company with big ambitions and an ever-growing list of competitors. Its latest skirmish with Apple over an integrated telephony and voicemail management application for the iPhone is just one example of what is likely to come, according to Wharton faculty and other experts. In addition, they say, as Google tries to be&nbsp;virtually everywhere that consumers are, it needs to avoid making the same mistakes that Microsoft made,&nbsp;and it should pay close attention to privacy issues. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:37:02 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2317&source=rss With Internet usage forecast to grow 45% globally over the next four years, the web has become a paradise for cybercriminals. Many people don't yet fully understand the enormity of the threat -- to individuals, their families and the companies that they work for, warns Andrea M. Matwyshyn, professor of legal studies and business ethics at Wharton and editor of a forthcoming book titled, <em>Harboring Data: Information Security, Law and the Corporation</em>. In an interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Matwyshyn and two of the book's contributors discuss the major risk management gaps that are leaving valuable data assets unprotected. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:11:11 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2295&source=rss The cable television industry's answer to the increasing threat from Internet video sites such as YouTube and Hulu focuses on a clear-cut strategy: Make cable subscriptions portable to any Internet accessible device, such as a laptop computer or even a mobile phone, for no additional charge. Experts at Wharton say the move is a promising early step in meeting the Internet video challenge, but they expect more such experimentation ahead. Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:41:58 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2262&source=rss A generation is growing up with social networking web sites such as Facebook and MySpace, casually posting accounts of their lives for their friends -- and the world -- to see. Few of these users realize that the information they post, when combined with new technologies for gathering and compiling data, can create a fingerprint-like pattern of behavior. The information provides opportunities not only for legitimate businesses, but also for identity thieves and other predators, according to faculty at Wharton and elsewhere. Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:08:51 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2208&source=rss With the economy mired in a recession, even some full-time employees are joining independent consultants, writers and musicians in learning how to use online social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter to increase their contacts and tap into possible customers or clients. Indeed, according to Wharton experts and others, developing a personal brand can be as important for a financial advisor as for a rock musician. Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:21:37 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2202&source=rss The world may be buzzing about Twitter, but will the San Francisco-based messaging service with the high cool factor ever be a money maker? Or will it operate at a perpetual loss, as one Wall Street analyst suggested, &quot;until the next cool Web 2.0 social networking concept comes along and Twitter tweets no more.&quot; Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:21:37 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2186&source=rss Heartland Payment Systems, a credit card processor, may have had up to 100 million records exposed to malicious hackers. Payment processors CheckFree and RBS Worldpay, and employment site Monster.com have all reported data breaches in recent months, as have universities and government agencies. Experts at Wharton say that personal data is increasingly a liability for companies, and suggest that part of the solution may be minimizing the customer information these companies keep. Wed, 18 Mar 2009 16:34:51 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2107&source=rss Small, inexpensive netbooks -- portable computers smaller than notebooks but dependent on the Internet for file-storage and software -- are likely to have a disruptive impact on the PC industry, but there are many questions to resolve, experts say. Will netbooks poach sales of laptops? Are they replacements for smartphones? How will a weak economy affect sales? Will the devices increase the popularity of cloud computing? Stay tuned as this new technology continues to evolve. Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:18:24 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1978&source=rss On May 20, the non-profit One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program unveiled the second version of its XO laptop, which is designed to bring affordable, modern technology to children in developing countries. In April, Intel announced its next-generation Classmate PC, which targets the same market. Meanwhile, Microsoft has been tweaking its Windows XP operating system for these educational devices, which also run on the open source Linux operating system. Experts at Wharton say that the focus on third world countries is promising, but they question whether these efforts will be effective. Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:25:47 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1937&source=rss The boundaries between work and play are beginning to disappear as consumer technologies -- including social networking tools, user generated content and wikis -- are increasingly adopted by corporate America. For technology companies, this emerging "consumerization" trend represents an opportunity, but it also brings new management challenges as companies struggle to embrace these technologies in a way that doesn't limit their usefulness but also doesn't result in lost time or money. And while there may be productivity gains for corporations that experiment with integrating the latest consumer gadgets, security remains the deal breaker, say experts at Wharton. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:43:25 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1882&source=rss <SPAN style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana">On January 10, Amazon.com announced a partnership with Sony BMG Music Entertainment to offer music downloads without digital rights management software, which typically limits how content can be used. Amazon now has all four major music labels, along with thousands of independent ones, selling songs without DRM technology. While DRM may be all but dead in the music industry, experts at Wharton point out that it is still widely used in the online video industry due to what one faculty member calls "a different market dynamic."</SPAN> Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:49:57 EST Marketing http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1865&source=rss <SPAN style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana">On November 6, Facebook outlined a strategy to integrate more targeted advertising into its popular social networking website. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw the new initiative as an opportunity for users to refer products to each other and allow friends to share information as they shopped online and visited other websites. The system, called Beacon, was also intended to lead to more relevant -- and profitable -- advertising through precise targeting based on a user's buying habits, social circle and geography. But on December 5, after receiving numerous complaints, Zuckerberg issued an apology and changed the way Beacon operates. The whole incident, according to Wharton experts, raises questions about privacy, marketing tactics and what consumers can expect in the future.</SPAN> Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:42:26 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1832&source=rss <SPAN style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana">It's been a busy few weeks for Adobe Systems, Microsoft and Google. All three have announced plans or new technologies that will address the latest vision of software's future -- one that combines the features of web-based applications with desktop software to create a hybrid model offering the best of both worlds. Indeed, the question today is not so much whether this desktop/webtop model will be adopted, but rather, which company will provide the best platform for implementing it. Knowledge@Wharton looks at both the opportunities and the limitations of this new approach.</SPAN> Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:08:31 EST