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February 2009
Highlights
- Marketing Obama's Stimulus Package: It Depends
- An Optimistic Picture for Developing Countries
- Risk Taking Is Necessary Says Dimon of JP Morgan Chase
- Brenda Barnes Champions Women Returning to The Workplace
- Just Translating It into Spanish Isn’t Enough
to Reach Hispanic Audiences - Lessons From The Presidential Debates
- Wages and Productivity Thrive When Developing Countries Open Their Stock Markets
- Saving Babies in the Third World
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions Will Hurt California
- Climate Threatens Crops in the Tropics
The Economy
Marketing Obama's Stimulus Package: It Depends
Obama’s political strategists might have gotten an even bigger stimulus package if they had relied less on Democratic Party lawmakers to sell it. Or, taking another tack, they could have gotten more Republican support by not blaming that party for the financial crisis and by being more alarmist about the consequences, say researchers Neil Malhotra and Yotam Margalit.
An Optimistic Picture for Developing Countries
"There is, perhaps for the first time in history, a reasonable chance of transforming the quality of life and the creative opportunities for the vast majority of humanity," says Dean Emeritus Michael Spence, describing the report of the Independent Commission on Growth in Developing Countries, which he chaired.
Risk Taking Is Necessary Says Dimon of JP Morgan Chase
"You've got to decide what you want to do and what happens if it goes wrong," says Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase. Any CEO worth his salary knows risk-taking is necessary; it's the details that determine the outcome.
Gender and Diversity
Brenda Barnes Champions Women
Returning to The Work Force
Brenda Barnes has broken a lot of stereotypes as the CEO of Sara Lee Corp., including making sure corporate America is aware of the hidden talents of women who once stayed at home but who today want to re-enter the work force.
Just Translating It into Spanish Isn’t Enough
to Reach Hispanic Audiences
Four Hollywood media experts agree successful niche marketing requires starting from scratch to reach each distinct audience segment. “Whatever market you’re targeting, you must approach that market freshly and sell to it,” one speaker, writer and producer Roberto Orci Jr., told a Stanford Business School audience.
Lessons from Presidential Debates
An MBA course, Political Communication, helps students see the challenges of delivering messages to diverse audiences. From Stanford Business magazine.
The World
Wages and Productivity Thrive When Developing Countries Open Their Stock Markets
When a developing country opens its stock market to foreign capital, the resulting economic effect promotes salary growth and lets that nation realize an even more rapid growth in productivity, according to a study of 18 developing nations by economist Peter Henry.
Saving Babies in the Third World
Young alumni have turned a class project into a fledgling company creating low-cost incubators designed to save babies in parts of the world where traditional incubators are not an option.
The Environment
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Will Hurt California
A continuing rise in greenhouse gas emissions will put enormous strain on California's water supply and energy systems and have a devastating impact on certain crops say Stanford researchers.
Climate Threatens Crops in the Tropics
Rapidly warming climate is likely to alter crop yields in the tropics and subtropics by the end of this century, leaving half of the world's population at risk for serious food shortages, according to a study co-authored Rosamond Naylor, director of Stanford's Program on Food Security and the Environment.

