Keith Weigelt - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

'Mustaches for Kids': Charities Adopt Private Sector Models to Tap New Funds

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:27:19 EST

In the wake of the global financial crisis, social enterprises are hastening their transition from the traditional donor model to rely more on market mechanisms long established in the private sector. In so doing, organizations hope to not only survive the current recession, but also to create a foundation for long-term sustainability, say Wharton faculty and executives at non-profit institutions.

Carol Bartz's Challenge at Yahoo: Choose a Path, Build a Team and Do It Fast

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:32:55 EST

New Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has a long to-do list -- chart the company's strategy, weigh a potential search partnership with Microsoft, boost morale and round out her management team -- and not much time to deliver amid a weak economy that is hurting online advertising, say experts at Wharton.

The Liberian Widows Initiative: A Helping Hand that Stretches from the U.S. to Africa

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:42:47 EST

Kristin King and Kate Brubacher are founding members of Liberian Widows Initiative (LWI), an organization to aid women devastated by the Liberian Civil War. LWI provides small business loans and savings accounts to members of the extreme poor -- Liberian refugee women who struggle to feed their families and send their children to school. LWI was an outgrowth of Brubacher's residence in West Africa during 2004-2005. Brubacher is now at Yale Law School and King is a second year MBA student at Wharton. King and Wharton management professor Keith Weigelt talked to Knowledge@Wharton about the challenges of running a grass-roots microfinance initiative several thousand miles away.

Some Free Advice for Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 14:40:29 EST

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is about to find out that being a CEO is a lot different than being the ceremonious Chief Yahoo, as he was called until last month. Yang, who became Yahoo's new CEO on June 18, faces a daunting to-do list that includes reinvigorating the company, closing a performance gap with Google, thwarting challenges from social media sites such as Facebook, delivering financial results that make Wall Street cheer and charting a course for the future. His first deadline comes in about 100 days. Knowledge@Wharton asked faculty members for advice on how Yang should handle this management challenge.

Microfinance at a Crossroads: How Best to Create Value for the World's Poorest Citizens

Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:48:45 EST

The business of making loans to poor people in underdeveloped countries is entering a critical period of development, according to panelists at this year's Wharton Finance Conference. On one hand, they say, foundations and other non-governmental groups have shown the private sector that there is money to be made in lending to these population segments. But they also warn that the drive for profit could leave behind some of the world's neediest citizens. Meanwhile, as an indication that microfinance is indeed on the global agenda, economist Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 12.

Yahoo's Strategy: Stay Out of Microsoft's Crosshairs?

Wed, 14 Dec 2005 16:41:41 EST

Yahoo defines itself as "a leading global Internet communications, commerce and media company" and, in doing so, has managed to stay somewhat out of the fray as giants like Google and Microsoft battle each other over everything from search dominance to providing a platform for next-generation web development. In fact, Yahoo's position as primarily a media company is likely to keep it quietly at the forefront of the next generation of world wide web players, say experts at Wharton. Even more importantly, they add, the strategy could give Yahoo a clever way to compete -- by targeting multiple areas, such as music, search and e-commerce -- without riling its major competitors.

Microcredit Is Becoming Profitable, Which Means New Players and New Problems

Wed, 20 Apr 2005 15:36:00 EST

Microcredit, the innovative financial tool that provides very small business loans to poor people, is moving into adolescence and must wean itself off non-profit donors to become an established part of the global capital structure, according to experts in the field. One example of its success is the interest that large commercial financial institutions, including Citigroup and Deutsche Bank, are now showing in microfinance, which could increase access to credit for the poor. At the same time, challenges remain in attracting private capital, lowering costs and interest rates, and developing regulation.

Television�s Digital Dilemma

Wed, 28 Aug 2002 00:00:00 EST

On August 8, 2002, the Federal Communications Commission issued a ruling requiring that all TV sets 13 inches or larger include tuners to receive over-the-air digital broadcasts by July 1, 2007. The ruling, however, doesn�t involve just broadcasters and the companies that make TV sets. It is part of an attempt to establish order over a technological vortex that has sucked in the government, broadcasters, cable companies, TV set manufacturers and Hollywood.

Should You Ever Trust a Stranger?

Thu, 28 Sep 2000 08:47:40 EST

Should people who have done little or no business together trust one another? That is a question that often comes up in concrete ways, especially as business becomes global and migrates to the Internet. For example, the auto makers that are setting up Covisint, an online marketplace, have been aggressive competitors for much longer than they have been partners. How far should they trust each other�s intentions? Similarly, on online auction sites like eBay, strangers who have no face-to-face or phone contact do deals with one another. How can they develop alternative trust-building mechanisms in the absence of personal contact? Two Wharton professors, Teck-Hua Ho and Keith Weigelt, address these issues in a new paper based on a novel, multi-level experimental game. Their key conclusion: Make your intentions clear when dealing with strangers. The more you do that, the more you will generate trust.