Valery Yakubovich - Faculty Research in Knowledge@Wharton

On the Clock: Are Retail Sales People Getting a Raw Deal?

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:54:21 EST

Ann Taylor Stores -- a New York-based retailer of upscale women's clothing -- is using a new computer scheduling system that assigns the busiest and most desirable hours to employees with the strongest sales numbers. Those with less success on the selling floor get far fewer and less desirable hours when new schedules are posted. While systems like these can help improve productivity, Wharton faculty and others warn that they are no substitute for hands-on management when it comes to dealing with workers.

Russia's Best-known Investment Banker, Ruben Vardanian, on Building Trust in a Fast-moving World

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:25:47 EST

When 22-year-old Ruben Vardanian became General Director of Troika Dialog in 1992, he applied international banking standards, stressed transparency and built a young, multicultural and cooperative workforce. It wasn't easy in the rough-and-tumble Russian economy of the 1990s, but his company is now Russia's oldest and largest private investment bank. Wharton management professors Valery Yakubovich and Michael Useem spoke with Vardanian about entrepreneurship, education -- and staying honest -- in Russia.

A Sizzling Real Estate Sector Draws Local and International Interest

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:36:47 EST

Las Vegas has nothing on Moscow. The City of Sin is America's hottest urban real-estate market. But prices there pale compared with those in Moscow. According to at least one consulting firm, this Russian city is the most expensive in the world for expatriates, and soaring real estate prices have largely propelled its rise to the top of the list. The reason is simple: Demand is outstripping supply. Moscow simply doesn't have enough safe, modern and spacious apartments that foreigners and rich Russians want.

Cell Phones, Cosmetics, Coffee: Russians Go on a Shopping Spree

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:36:42 EST

Pent-up demand for consumer goods is surging in Russia, thanks to seven years of oil-lubricated economic growth. After decades of privation under the Soviet system, many Russians now find themselves with rubles in their wallets, eager to buy a range of newly available items ranging from IKEA furniture to designer watches to expensive meals at restaurants. It's a retail revolution -- helped along by credit cards and a more efficient banking system -- that shows no signs of slowing down. As one investor in Moscow puts it: "Oil prices could drop to $40 a barrel. Russians are still extremely rich."

Russia: 'Floating on an Enormous Pool of Petrodollars'

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:36:32 EST

No one disputes that oil has fueled Russia's return to international prominence. The country has the world's second biggest oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia, and its largest natural gas reserves. Each uptick in the price pumps billions of additional dollars into the Russian economy. The problem is, however, that oil-rich nations seldom transform their resource endowments into innovative market systems or branch out into other industries. Indeed, "petrostates" usually don't take steps to prepare for the day when their wells run dry. Will Russia be any different? Experts weigh in.

No Going Back: Russia Today Suggests Stability Instead of Chaos

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 15:36:52 EST

Twenty years ago, few would have predicted that Russia would soon experience an economic boom. The country's economy had been shackled for decades by Soviet rule. It managed to produce oil, nuclear warheads, Kalashnikov rifles and very little else of interest to the market economies in the West. Then came the reforms of former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, perestroika, the revolution of former President Boris Yeltsin, free markets, and billion-dollar fortunes for at least a few. But how are average Russians faring under these changes, and what challenges lie ahead in areas like health care, education and employment?

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.