In the News: Smith School of Business Professors Lend Expertise to Media

Professors from the Robert H. Smith School of Business often serve as experts in the media. Here are a few excerpts of various faculty members sharing their knowledge on a range of business topics:

Smith School senior associate dean of learning Joyce Russell was recently quoted in a story in The Atlantic about Millennials and how members of this generation are navigating the job market (and not just freeloading in their parent’s basement). In fact, she notes that many young people are actually educating their parents on important issue and technologies.

Russell says one of the biggest obstacles that many over-50 job seekers must confront is ageism, saying:

“I think it’s coming really from an old belief that people are going to be retiring soon, so why would you hire somebody who’s over 50 if you can hire someone who’s 40? But that’s really a fallacy, because there’s research that shows older workers are highly dependable. They don’t have as much absenteeism and sick days, and (they have) stronger loyalty.”

In other news, Facebook recently stirred up some controversy, in what Inc. calls a “Wall Street magic trick.” In a recent meeting, shareholders passed a measure to issue 5.7 million shares of a non-voting C Class stock. Co-founder, chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with and the company’s other B Class shareholders, can sell off portions of their fortune without diluting their influence over the company.

Facebook, behind Zuckerberg’s 54 percent voting power, adopted this power play to maintain control of the company while he follows through on a pledge to give 99 percent of his shares — the C Class shares — to charity. Zuckerberg already held the majority of shareholder votes despite owning just 28 percent of all outstanding shares.

This didn’t sit well with Christine Beckman, management professor at the Smith School of Business:

“I favor democracy to govern a nation, but Facebook isn’t a country, it’s a company, and a benevolent dictator isn’t necessarily a problem for a corporation.”

Also making headlines, The Federal Aviation Administration’s initial set of rules for commercial drones, which is sure to invite plenty of unmanned aircraft systems into U.S. airspace, will not include Amazon Prime shipments.  Although, the new rules do include “ample leeway” to make them interpretable as “a good development for ultimate deployment of delivery drones,” says marketing professor P.K. Kannan at the Smith School of Business:

“But this also suggests there is ample leeway for companies such as Amazon and Google, who have been investing heavily in drone technology, to showcase their technology and make test flights over pubic and congested areas. Such demonstrations are necessary for all parties concerned to feel confident about drone technology and its widespread commercial deployment.”

regions: Baltimore / Washington, DC

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