Present Value Podcast

Kaitlin Woolley discusses the psychology behind goal pursuit and motivation, information avoidance, and the role food consumption plays in facilitating social connection. A rising star in the field of marketing, Professor Woolley also reflects upon the most influential mentors and educators throughout her life.  Kaitlin Woolley is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the SC Johnson Cornell College of Business.  She is also the Clifford H. Whitcomb Faculty Fellow and Co-director of the center for behavioral economics and decision research.  Her research has been published in top-tier academic journals and has received coverage from popular media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and NPR. Professor Woolley received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from our very own Cornell University in 2012, and an MBA and PhD in Behavioral Science from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2017. Links from the Episode at presentvaluepod.com LinkedIn:

Raja Rajamannar, the Chief Marketing Officer at Mastercard, shares his thoughts about building a brand in today’s world. Raja discusses his career journey spanning everything from consumer packaged goods to financial services and technology. A pioneer in the field of marketing, Raja introduces the concept of “multisensory branding” and describes how Mastercard has developed a sonic brand that captures its identity. Raja also discusses the 2019 re-branding of Mastercard and explores the changing role of the CMO today. Raja Rajamannar is the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer and President of the healthcare business for Mastercard. Prior to Mastercard, Raja held executive leadership roles in healthcare, financial services, and consumer packaged goods industries. Raja received an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, in Bangalore, India, and a Bachelor of Technology degree in chemical engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India. Links from the Episode at presentvaluepodcast.com Lin

Doug Fearing discusses how a background in computer science led first to academia and then to the world of professional sports. Doug touches on what has changed in the world of sports analytics in the last decade, including a shift from descriptive statistics to 2D and 3D kinematic analyses of player movement, and the differences between how a team’s payroll budget affects assessment of a player’s value. Doug also speaks to the ways his work in baseball can be applied to other major sports including football and basketball, and talks about the thought process that goes into a trade like the one that sent Mookie Betts to the Dodgers in the 2020 offseason.   Doug Fearing is the co-founder and president of Zelus Analytics, an Austin-based sports analytics company that applies an innovative business model to build the world’s best sports intelligence platform. Doug’s career in computer science and operations research has spanned positions in academia as well as industries such as automotive, transportation an

Professor T. Colin Campbell joins us for an interview on a range of topics relating to nutrition, whole-foods plant-based diet, and academic freedom. The conversation explores the definition of nutrition in the context of his research in China that revealed the relationship between animal protein consumption and chronic diseases as well as the correct way to think about diet. Campbell also reflects on the pushback on his research he experienced from policymakers and industries and asserts the importance of having academic freedom in universities. Professor Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus at the College of Human Ecology division of Nutritional Sciences. He is widely recognized as a top researcher in the field of Nutritional Science. Professor Campbell has published over 300 research papers and 3 books, including The China Study, which became one of America's best selling books about nutrition. In 2011, he was featured in the documentary ‘Forks Over Knives’. In his over 45 years at C

Professor Gautam Ahuja distinguishes between two different types of innovations for a firm, generative appropriability and primary appropriability. He then discusses how a firm can better organize itself to encourage innovation, through investments in fundamental or basic research and, counterintuitively, tighter controls on R&D budgets. Professor Ahuja also discusses what motivated him to leave an attractive job as a regional sales manager, to become a professor and shares some of the challenges that he faced along the way. Gautam Ahuja is the Eleanora and George Landew professor of management and organizations at SC Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and is an award-winning researcher in the fields of competitive analysis and innovation. Professor Ahuja currently serves as the editor in chief of Organization Science, one of the premier journals in his field. At Johnson, he teaches the popular course Cases in Strategic Management. In 2011, he was ranked the second Most Popular Prof

Louis Hyman discusses the rise of the gig economy and how the gig economy is a consequence of “income volatility.” He discusses the ways businesses and the federal government can support gig economy workers as well as the current “productivity paradox.” He then discusses the history of personal debt in the United States and the tools that were created to expand the use of credit. He also discusses changes to the provision of consumer credit post-2008 financial crisis and his thoughts on whether lending institutions will change their practices towards gig economy workers. Finally, he discusses ways businesses are engaging marginalized groups as both labor pools and consumers. Louis Hyman is a historian of work and business at the ILR School of Cornell University, where he also directs the Institute for Workplace Studies in New York City. He has published two books on the history of personal debt (Debtor Nation and Borrow) as well as a book about the history of the rise of consultants, temps, freelancers, and

For this special edition episode covering the COVID-19 pandemic, the Present Value team connected with some of Cornell’s top minds to discuss various aspects of the crisis. Dean Andrew Karolyi, Dean Lynn Wooten, Professors Li Chen, Vishal Gaur, and Kaitlin Woolley discuss the impact of COVID-19 on financial markets, crisis leadership, supply chain disruptions and retail operations, as well as personal motivation amidst social distancing. Andrew Karolyi is the Deputy Dean and College Dean for Academic Affairs at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. He is a professor of finance and holder of the Harold Bierman Jr. Distinguished Professorship in the College’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. He is also a professor of economics in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. Lynn Wooten is the David J Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at Cornell University’s Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Li Chen is an Associate Professor of Operations, Technology and Inform

Waldman discusses his decades of research into labor economics, including the role of job promotions, the benefits of lateral moves, and how resume padding may improve social welfare. He also describes his research in rational thinking, planned obsolescence, and product bundling and tying. He reflects on the personal life lessons he learned from his father, who survived the Holocaust.  Professor Waldman teaches Economics at the CU MBA Program. He first joined Cornell in 1991 and received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from MIT and a PhD in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania.  Links from the Episode at presentvaluepodcast.com Faculty Profile: Michael Waldman - Johnson Research: IDEAS / SSRN NY Times: Planned Obsolescence Article Faculty Last Lectures: 2016 - Michael Waldman

From being too overconfident when picking stocks to anchoring on a low number when buying a car - Guggenmos and Rennekamp illustrate the common biases that individuals face and connect these to managerial decisions. They also discuss their newly coined term I-FOMO, Investor Fear of Missing Out, which is used to assess how changing investor communication practices are impacting everyday investors.  Professor Ryan Guggenmos and Professor Kristina Rennekamp (MS '11 and PhD '12) introduce the field of behavioral accounting by discussing the common biases that individuals, investors, managers, and regulators face when making decisions.

Frank discusses his new book, Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work. We discuss social contagion and its power to influence our choices. What have we missed in the past? And how we can leverage our tendency to mimic others to confront societal threats moving forward. Professor Frank’s "Economic View" column appeared monthly in The New York Times. He received his BS in mathematics from Georgia Tech, and PhD in economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Book Link: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691193083/under-the-influence (Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work) (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XKFLWCT/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_dg1kEbMCAV02R (Amazon Link)) Profile: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/faculty-research/faculty/rhf3/ (Robert H. Frank - Johnson)  Twitter: https://twitter.com/econnaturalist?lang=en (@econnaturalist)

Nintendo of America's former President and COO, Reggie Fils-Aimé, breaks down his lessons in leadership and reflects on his career. How did he end up at Nintendo? And why did he choose to be there? Reggie discusses fundamentals companies need when building a brand. He chats with us about his favorite lessons in leadership, and how to turn life (or product) failures into future successes. Reggie Fils-Aimé is the inaugural leader in residence at the Dyson School at Cornell University. He held marketing roles at Procter & Gamble, Pizza Hut, and Guinness Import Company. Reggie was class of 1983 from Dyson (then AEM), and the recipient of the Walter Day Life Achievement award by the International Video Game Hall of Fame for his services to the gaming industry. Episode Article: https://business.cornell.edu/hub/2020/02/14/present-value-fils-aime-leadership/ (Johnson Business Feed) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reggie-fils-aime-nintendo/ (Reggie Fils-Aimé) Dyson Leader in Residence: https://b

How to measure risk in emerging markets? What is the deal with the US dollar? And what is the impact of the US-China Trade Conflict? We explore global trade policies, cryptocurrency, and what it all means for markets around the world. Eswar Prasad is the Nandlal P. Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy and professor of economics at the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and the former head of the International Monetary Fund. Andrew Karolyi is Deputy Dean and College Dean for Academic Affairs at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. He is also a professor of economics in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. Professor Karolyi is a scholar in investment management with a specialization in international financial markets, and the author of Cracking the Emerging Markets Enigma. He is a professor of finance and holder of the Harold Bierman Jr. Distinguished Professorship in the College’s Johnson Grad

Former U.S. Air Force Officer, Sarah Kreps discusses U.S. War Financing - from the Revolutionary War to modern day. To what extent should political leaders be held responsible for the use of force?. From the rise of Social Media to the spread of Fake News, Sarah discusses the role technology plays in modern day war financing. Sarah Kreps is a Professor of Government and Adjunct Professor of Law at Cornell University. In 2017-2018, she was an Adjunct Scholar at West Point University's Modern War Institute. She is also a Faculty Fellow at Cornell Tech (NYC). Dr. Kreps has held fellowships at the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Virginia’s Miller Center for Public Affairs. She has a BA from Harvard, MSc from Oxford, and a PhD from Georgetown. Between 1999-2003, she served on active duty in the United States Air Force. Episode Article: https://business.cornell.edu/hub/2020/01/15/kreps-war-finance-democratic-accountability/ (Johnson Business Feed) Fa

Lynn Perry Wooten discusses her research in crisis leadership, the glass cliff phenomenon, and “positive deviance” behaviors for managers and organizations.  On crisis leadership, she uses case examples of Chipotle and Boeing to illustrate the different competencies leaders need when navigating a crisis. She illustrates how leaders and organizations can foster “positive deviant behavior” and resiliency in order to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Lynn Perry Wooten is the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations of Cornell University’s Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management. Dean Wooten received a BS from North Carolina A&T State University, an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University, and a PhD in Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Links from the Episode at presentvaluepodcast.com Episode Article: https://business.cornell.edu/hub/2019/11/06/present-value-wooten-leadership/ (Johnson Bu

Cheryl Stanley discusses the basics of wine tasting and ongoing trends in the wine industry. Specifically, Stanley defines the fundamental vocabulary used in describing wine, how to read a wine label, and how to start building a wine collection. She also details how restaurants construct wine lists and the nuances behind wine pricing, debunking the myth that the most expensive wines are not always the best. Stanley elaborates on trends shaping the beverage industry right now including the impact of cannabis on wine consumption and what the future holds for Pernod Ricard. And because the best way to learn about wine is to drink it, Stanley hosts a tasting and shares how to drink wine, starting with how to properly open a bottle (including a screwtop!) and finishing with the right way to sniff, slurp, and spit or swallow.  Cheryl Stanley is a lecturer in Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration. She teaches courses in beverage management, including the very popular introduction to wines course which hundreds

Natalie Mahowald discusses the challenges presented by climate change from both a scientific and international perspective. Specifically, Professor Mahowald discusses the findings from the UN special report on climate change, that she co-authored, entitled “Global Warming of 1.5 ºC” which studies the impacts of a warming planet. Mahowald goes deeper into the roles of the developed and developing world, as well as the private sector, in tackling this significant challenge. And discusses the technology required to mitigate its effects and how the international community may develop in a more sustainable way. She also explains why she remains an optimist today, despite the immensity of the challenges surrounding climate change.  Professor Mahowald is the Irving Porter Church Professor of Engineering at Cornell University in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and a Faculty Director for the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. She earned her undergraduate degrees in Physics and German from Wa

Vishal Gaur discusses the innovative ways that retailers are modifying their operations and using data to make strategic decisions. Specifically, Gaur discusses how firms can mitigate product expiration challenges by exploring different packaging sizes or moving a product’s location within a store. Gaur goes on to explain how inventory levels can help predict a firm’s financial performance. He also discusses why boosting sales growth isn’t necessarily the best strategy for mature firms to pursue. Faculty Page: https://www.johnson.cornell.edu/faculty-research/faculty/vg77/ (Vishal Gaur - Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management) Research: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=1111834 (SSRN Page)

Ifeoma Ajunwa, professor at the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell, discusses the interplay of law and technology in the multiple stages of an employee’s journey, from algorithms that hire the “ideal” worker to mobile apps that monitor workers’ performance. She points out that many of the legal frameworks used today do not contemplate and do not address the issues that arise from the use of the workplace technologies we have now. Professor Ajunwa offers examples of how hiring algorithms can inherit existing human biases, when left unchecked. And she cautions listeners to read the fine print when signing up for employee wellness programs, as many have been found to sell collected data to third parties.  Professor Ajunwa is an Assistant Professor at the Industrial and Labor Relations School at Cornell University, an Associate Faculty Member at Cornell Law School, and a Faculty Associate at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard Law School. She holds a PhD in sociology from Columbia University an

Hernan Saenz, Johnson faculty member and Bain & Company partner discusses how a company’s strategy must not only reflect a set of choices but must also lead to a set of actions taken in the marketplace. As an example, he shares how Southwest Airlines made a series of clear strategic choices in flying point-to-point, and from secondary airports and cities, all with one type of aircraft, to redefine the economic boundaries of the airline industry. He draws on his over twenty years of experience in management consulting to discuss how digital impacts business strategy, the challenges business leaders face in implementation, why cost productivity is so important, and best practices for talent and change management. Hernan holds a Master’s in Business Administration and a Master’s in Industrial Labor Relations from Cornell University, as well as an MS in Economics from Stanford University, and a BA in Economics from Harvard University. Episode Article: https://business.cornell.edu/hub/2019/06/22/present-v

Former Chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods and Mondelez International, Irene Rosenfeld discusses her 30 years in the food industry, the choices that defined her career and how her time at Cornell shaped her career. Rosenfeld’s career as a CEO at Kraft and Mondelez can be defined by a few strategic decisions. She discusses in detail her decision to continue pursuing a complicated acquisition of Cadbury despite tremendous opposition from the British public, press, and politicians. Rosenfeld also discusses why CEOs today should engage with activist investors, why she decided to split Kraft into two companies, and the fun story of how the name Mondelez was born. Rosenfeld holds a bachelor’s degree (‘75), master’s of science (‘77) and a PhD (‘80) all from Cornell University. Episode Article: https://business.cornell.edu/hub/2019/07/01/irene-rosenfeld-reflects-food-industry/ (Johnson Business Feed) Bloomberg Profile: https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=616556&privcapId=334