Lori Rosenkopf - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

'Brain Drain' or 'Brain Exchange': What Is the Cost When Immigrant Entrepreneurs Go Home?

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 15:58:47 EST

For a majority of highly skilled immigrants who want to start companies today, the promised land is no longer the United States, according to a recent report from the Kauffman Foundation. Some experts say the flow of immigrants back home to countries like India and China is a "brain drain" that robs the U.S. of new jobs and companies, and requires an immigration policy overhaul. Others see the flow as more of a "brain circulation" that benefits economies on both sides of the sea.

A World Transformed: What Are the Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30 Years?

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:51:20 EST

Is it possible to determine which 30 innovations have changed life most dramatically during the past 30 years? That is the question that Nightly Business Report, the Emmy Award-winning PBS business program, and Knowledge@Wharton set out to answer to celebrate NBR's 30^th anniversary this year. The list includes innovations from the world of technology, health care, energy and even finance. Can you guess which one is No. 1?

The Social Network Benefit: Losing an Employee Doesn't Have to Mean Losing Knowledge

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 14:39:32 EST

It's always been assumed that when employees leave their companies to join other ones that all their knowledge and experience leave with them. But new research suggests that, at least in the high-tech field, firms can wind up gaining access to the knowledge being generated at their former colleague's new place. The results of this research are presented in a paper titled, "Learning from Those Who Left: The Reverse Transfer of Knowledge through Mobility Ties," by Wharton management professor Lori Rosenkopf and Wharton doctoral student Rafael A. Corredoira.

Connecting the Corporate Dots: Social Networks Reveal How Employees and Companies Operate

Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:41:34 EST

With the recent disclosure of wiretapping by the National Security Agency and the booming success of sites like MySpace and Friendster, social networking is much in the news today. But serious interest in social networks can also be found among academics, consultants and corporations seeking to deepen their knowledge of how companies operate. While organizations have been aware of the power of social networks for some time now, researchers at Wharton note that mapping these connections can yield some potent insights about identifying key employees, how board members interact within and among companies, and how employee relationships can be better understood to improve productivity and the dissemination of ideas.

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Innovator

Thu, 13 Sep 2001 00:00:00 EST

When companies look for new knowledge as a way to spark innovation, they tend to look in their immediate neighborhood � companies that may be located nearby physically or in their own industry. That local approach is too limiting. For companies that are willing to reach out to longer distances and broader contexts, the payoff could be worth it, according to a paper by Wharton�s Lori Rosenkopf and Paul Almeida of Georgetown University.

Informal Knowledge Networks Can Lead to More Formal Strategic Alliances

Thu, 13 Apr 2000 14:26:41 EST

U.S. President Clinton�s recent trip to India and Pakistan brought to light the story of how poor rural towns in Bangladesh are communicating with outsiders through cellular telephones, often one per village. Few can argue with the concept that cell phones are connecting the world. In a recent research paper, Wharton management professor Lori Rosenkopf uses the cellular industry to illustrate a very different kind of connection: How company participation in industry-wide associations leads to the formation of strategic alliances.