Knowledge@Emory -- Managing Technology

If AT&T Wins Battle for T-Mobile, Will More Consolidation Follow?

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 20:49:58 EST

On August 30, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit to block telecommunications giant AT&T's proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. Opponents of the plan warn the merger would "substantially" reduce competition, while proponents see consolidation in the industry as vital and inevitable. Faculty at Emory University's Goizueta Business School weigh in on the debate.

Will Technology Overshadow Politics in 2011?

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:53:24 EST

From the demand for raw materials and political maneuvering to evolving trends in technology, 2011 will be a year of innovation and possibly reconciliation if the U.S. Congress and the White House can work together. Faculty at Emory University's Goizueta Business School say the new year offers opportunities for American politicos to tackle the deficit—or not—and for businesses to make headway with M&As and innovations now that the economy is showing signs of improvement.

Can Social Media Spur Companies to Increase R&D Spending?

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 10:53:24 EST

In lean times the decision between investing in innovation and coasting on existing products or technologies can be a tough call. According to research by Ashish Sood, an assistant professor of marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, innovation is a must in these times. But for those executives on the edge, Sood and other faculty at Goizueta contend that the conversations sparked by social media sites can help define customer wants and allow firms to better tailor R&D. According to Sood: "It’s easier now to do smaller experimental studies and use that information in a larger product development environment to adjust a company’s efforts during the R&D stage.”

The Impact of Online Information Gathering on Consumer Spending

Wed, 29 Dec 2010 17:51:40 EST

The online holiday shopping bonanza has been a welcome gift to retailers who, along with other Americans, suffered through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. During Black Friday—the first day of the Thanksgiving-to-New Year’s period in which retailers typically earn most of their money—online sales rose 9 percent over 2009 to $648 million, making it the heaviest online spending day of 2010, according to comScore, a digital business analytics firm based in Reston, VA. But are online vendors freezing out willing consumers concerned about privacy issues? That’s the suggestion of new research by Ramnath Chellappa, associate professor of information systems & operations management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. Vendors who ignore this issue are not only leaving money on the table, says Chellappa. They may also be inviting legislators to curb the practice of online information gathering.

Charging for Digital Content in the Land of Free Rides

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 11:58:17 EST

Late to the game, American newspaper owners have spent years playing catchup, experimenting with a plethora of tactics all aimed at remaining relevant and eking out a profit. Although a bit battered and bruised, media owners have finally begun to embrace the technology that nearly destroyed their industry. “The mobile side of the business and the social media side of the business are still the Wild, Wild West, much like the dotcom boom of the nineties,” says Doug Franklin, executive vice president of Cox Media Group. Speaking at a recent “Business for Breakfast” meeting sponsored by The Goizueta Partners Society, an alumni group of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, Franklin argues that traditional journalists must position themselves as a value-added, lending a credible, analytical voice to cut through the digital noise.

Upgrading to Disappointment: When Duct Tape Won't Dampen Consumer Rage

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 15:44:33 EST

A season of blockbusters often showcases a few duds. Where electronics are concerned, however, the duds have recently proliferated and customer ire is high. In July alone, Consumer Reports refused to recommend Apple’s iPhone 4 because of reception problems, and confusion reigned over the future of HP and Microsoft’s tablet computer. An overwhelming array of choices—two or three new mobile phones supported by Google’s Android operating system seem to be released each month—is leading to a rise in consumer fatigue. Faculty at Emory University's Goizueta Business School explore the current situation and offer ways electronic companies can recapture their audience.

Technology as a Lifeline During Natural Disasters

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:28:01 EST

Broadband Internet and mobile technologies now reach even the most remote corners of the world, making us all more immediately connected place than ever before. This is particularly the case during times of natural disaster, when connectivity—from tweeting one’s location from under a pile of rubble to accessing life-saving information—can materially affect the outcome for victims and empower them to lead their own rescue efforts. Experts at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School believe we need to continue the spread of mobile technology to help shape and, eventually, drastically improve disaster response strategies. “We can't control the outcomes of disasters,” says Benn Konsynski, chaired professor of information systems & operations management at Goizueta, “but technology can hopefully influence them.”

Will E-Reader Innovation Capture Customers and More Market Share?

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:20:37 EST

Holiday shoppers looking for the latest e-reader may be out of luck. Four days before Black Friday, the newly launched Nook from Barnes & Noble sold out—the first unit hadn’t even shipped—and Amazon.com’s popular Kindle is flying off the virtual store shelves. After initially slow widespread acceptance, e-readers are gaining momentum. Newer versions of the Kindle were launched in February and May, and Apple is reportedly launching its own e-reader in 2010. With increased competition and continuous upgrades, will Kindle be able to retain its top spot, and will the technology ensure the gadgets become as popular as cell phones?

Applying Technology to Boost Sales and Cut Costs in Retail

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:48:02 EST

From department stores to grocery stores, goods are regularly reordered and restocked, regardless of how many customers have come by. This can lead to customers staring at empty bins because restocking hasn’t happened yet or employees wasting time and inventory trying to restock a full shelf. In a new research paper, Richard Metters, associate professor of information systems and operations management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, and coauthors look at data capture at these “unattended points of sale” to assess how much more profitable retail can be by adopting the latest technology. Data is gathered from the retail sector with perhaps the least amount of inventory information: the vending machine industry.

Will Technology Continue to Drive Changes in the Stock Market Model?

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:54:41 EST

Technological developments and a broad move to strike down political barriers to commerce have helped lead to an explosion in the pace and scope of investment trading. As innovation in this area continues to evolve, what will be the likely results? To explore the possibilities and pitfalls of the changing market, Knowledge@Emory spoke with Benn Konsynski, a chaired professor of business administration for information systems and operations management at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and with Ramnath Chellappa, an associate professor of information systems and operations management. Among the highlights, the professors believe that increased regulation will guarantee an expanded role for technology.

How to Manage Your Brand in Today�s New Media Market

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:15:42 EST

In today's era of social media and search, the nature of marketing no longer prioritizes instilling "faith" in a company or creating a "trust me" attitude. According to Sundar Bharadwaj, associate professor of marketing at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, a marketer's skill set now focuses on monitoring, measuring and demonstrating the value of new types of spends to senior management. Bharadwaj spoke as part of a recent panel discussion, “How to Manage Your Brand in Today’s Market,” that was cosponsored by the Atlanta Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators and AIGA, the professional association for design. In the discussion, panelists addressed the delicate balancing act between harnessing new media and protecting brands.

Uncharted Waters: Navigating the Transition of Television Technology

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:01:04 EST

As more television viewing moves to the Internet, the questions of who controls the video content and how to keep customer demand satisfied continue to plague TV executives from all arenas. With so much money at stake, the major players want to avoid the mistakes the music industry still faces in the aftermath of challenges like Napster. During a recent panel discussion on the "Future of TV: Disruptive Changes in Video Services” held at Emory University's Goizueta Business School, industry experts shared opinions on the likely outcome of this new transition in technology.

The Net Impact of Netbooks? It Depends on Who Uses Them for What

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:24:51 EST

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.

3D Movies: Adding Depth or Falling Flat?

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:36:10 EST

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg called the latest 3D movie technology "the greatest innovation to occur in the movie business in 70 years." A bevy of theater chains are exploring or installing digital cinema and 3D systems in the second half of 2008 into 2009. Intel and others are creating tools for companies to make a new generation of 3D animation films. Experts at Wharton say 3D movies are back in vogue, but it's unclear whether the latest greatest technology can give theaters a sustainable competitive advantage over other forms of entertainment.

Driving Adobe: Co-founder Charles Geschke on Challenges, Change and Values

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:05:35 EST

With PostScript, PDF and Flash, Adobe Systems introduced technologies that laid the foundation for desktop publishing, electronic document interchange and interactive web content. But the difficulties Adobe faced during its 26-year history were many: shifting business plans, Apple aligning with Microsoft to compete with key Adobe technologies, a hostile takeover attempt from a leading competitor, and a management crisis that led to the firing of four top executives. Adobe co-founder and co-chairman Charles Geschke spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about how the company's core values helped Adobe address these challenges and position the company for the future.

From Toys to Tools: Exploring Virtual Worlds in the Classroom

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 11:01:09 EST

Virtual worlds are transforming the way business operates by creating new templates for accomplishing tasks from training and collaboration to product design and marketing. In a new course offering from Emory University and its Goizueta Business School, “Virtual Worlds and New Realities,” students and faculty explore issues surrounding emerging types of virtual worlds and immersion technologies while participating as avatars in Second Life and other virtual world environments. According to Benn Konsynski, a chaired professor of information systems and operations management at Goizueta who co-taught the course with Emory Vice Provost for International Affairs Holli Semetko, the expanding use of rich immersion technologies is “creating unlimited opportunities for business.”

Virtual Worlds: Mapping a New Business Reality

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:12:46 EST

Virtual worlds are poised to play an ever greater role in business, politics, and day-to-day life. Though less than one percent of the world’s population currently participates in virtual worlds, the actual number is higher than the number of Internet surfers in 1994, says Benn Konsynski, a chaired professor of information systems and operations management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and co-chair of a recent conference entitled, “Virtual Worlds and New Realities in Commerce, Politics and Society.” The conference invited academics, gamers, entrepreneurs, social scientists and information technology specialists to discuss the growth and future of virtual worlds such as Second Life and Kaneva. The technological demands and opportunities they present will lead to rich, immersive media, says Konsynski, transforming the business landscape both online and in the office.

Supporting Decision Making with the Power of Excel

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:49:28 EST

Delving into the world of Excel and its various applications can be an explorative and, believe-it-or-not, fun way to enhance knowledge and productivity contends, Elliot Bendoly, an associate professor of information systems and operations management at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. In his new book, Excel Basics to Blackbelt: An Accelerated Guide to Decision Support Designs, Bendoly provides a compilation of information he’s used to teach management courses cloaked in a user-friendly format that will help bridge the developers’ divide between the available basic reference materials and the more advanced programming guides. Notes Bendoly: “The reader who goes through the book as a novice to application development will come out with a strikingly novel way of thinking about solving problems in the real world.”

Do Innovations Ever Pay Off? The Value to Investing in Innovation

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:24:54 EST

Management has often been criticized for an earnings-focused short term orientation in order to boost the firm’s stock price, while, unfortunately, reducing or delaying investments in risky, long term innovation projects. The underlying assumption is that stock markets do not value investments with long term payoffs. Not true suggests Ashish Sood, an assistant professor of marketing at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, and Gerard J. Tellis, a professor of marketing at the Marshall School of Business, University of California, in their paper “Do Innovations Really Payoff? Total Stock Market Returns to Innovation,” forthcoming in Marketing Science, the top journal in the marketing field. Sood and Tellis have devised a new metric that will help businesses calculate the total payoff to an innovation project by assessing the stock market returns to the entire innovation project via event study analysis and, in turn, recognize the utter importance of preserving their R&D budgets.

Will IPTV Revolutionize or Further Fragment the Television Viewing Audience?

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:24:54 EST

More than 50 years ago, CBS aired the first U.S. coast-to-coast color television program—coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade. But as TV and the Internet converge, the TV of today, along with its hundreds of channels and on-demand capabilities, may soon join CBS’s inaugural coverage as a bullet point in the annals of TV history. Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) has the power to rock television viewing the same way music downloads changed the recording industry and the way we listen to music. Recently, a diverse panel of industry experts gathered at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School to discuss the recent progress made in the area of IPTV. According to event organizer Benn Konsynski, a chaired professor of information systems and operations management at Goizueta, IPTV “isn’t just about convergence of media; it’s about convergence of life practices.”