This Week in Business

Lynn Wu, Associate Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions at the Wharton School, discusses how AI is driving a shift in blue-collar work, reshaping job responsibilities, and creating new opportunities for human judgment, adaptability, and problem-solving in an evolving workforce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Keys, Wharton Professor of Real Estate, discusses new research revealing how credit scores can impact homeowners insurance premiums more than climate risk, raising important questions about fairness, policy, and financial inequality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Z. John Zhang, Wharton Professor of Marketing, discusses how brands like Wawa scale beyond their regional roots by leveraging innovation, customer loyalty, and strategic expansion into competitive new markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Angela Duckworth, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions and Co-Director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative, discusses new findings from the Phones in Focus study on how school phone restrictions influence academic engagement, teacher satisfaction, and student wellbeing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefano Puntoni, Wharton Professor of Marketing, analyzes how OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic are pursuing distinct business models and growth strategies to compete in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Siegel, Emeritus Professor of Finance at the Wharton School and Senior Economist at WisdomTree, discusses how the Iran conflict, Federal Reserve decisions, and artificial intelligence are shaping market performance and long-term economic expectations. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Philip Nichols, Wharton Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics, explains how Iran has built a complex and adaptive banking and payments infrastructure under decades of sanctions while exploring its future in an evolving global financial system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nancy Rothbard, Deputy Dean and Professor of Management at the Wharton School, joins the show to examine how leaders respond to intensifying workplace disruption. The conversation covers decision bottlenecks, delegation, emotional regulation, and sustaining performance under pressure. Rothbard also discusses Wharton’s Owner/President and CEO Program, which helps executives strengthen strategy and succession planning. Learn more at: whartonopc.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Zaring, professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School, joins the show to explain the Federal Reserve’s consideration of a “skinny” master account for nonbank financial firms. The conversation covers payment rails, regulatory oversight, competition with traditional banks, and the implications for community lenders and financial stability. They also examine potential litigation and legislative responses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zeke Emanuel, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives at the Wharton School, joins the show to discuss recent reforms at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The conversation covers site-neutral payments, strengthening primary care compensation, innovation models, and efforts to address waste and Medicare Advantage risk adjustment. They also examine the broader fiscal and policy implications for the $1.7 trillion agency. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kent Smetters, Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School, breaks down the projected budgetary costs of conflict with Iran, estimates potential GDP losses driven by higher oil prices, and explains how supply shocks could influence inflation and Federal Reserve decision-making. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Judd Kessler, Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School and author of Lucky by Design, explains how artificial intelligence is eroding the signaling power of cover letters and elevating the importance of recommendations, networking, and real-world connections in the labor market. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stefano Puntoni, Marketing Professor at the Wharton School and Co-Director of the Wharton Human-AI Research Program, explains how artificial intelligence is pressuring SaaS margins, lowering barriers to entry, reshaping pricing models, and marking a potential inflection point for enterprise software markets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremy Siegel, Professor Emeritus of Finance at the Wharton School and Senior Economist at Wisdom Tree, analyzes the Supreme Court’s ruling on tariffs, the market’s resilience amid policy uncertainty, the potential impact of Kevin Warsh as Fed chair, and how geopolitical tensions with Iran could influence interest rates and economic growth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave Reibstein, Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School, explains how the school’s Cryptocurrency Confidence Index tracks U.S. consumer sentiment, explores links between confidence and price volatility, and examines the role of regulation and public perception in shaping the future of digital assets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Serguei Netessine, Wharton Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, discusses how U.S. sanctions on Lukoil are disrupting franchise agreements, banking relationships, and customer perceptions for locally operated gas stations in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management and Director of the Center for Human Resources at The Wharton School, examines the cooling in white-collar job openings, the impact of investor-driven cost cutting, the concept of “AI washing,” and why economic uncertainty is keeping companies cautious about expanding their workforce. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin Werbach, Wharton Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics, discusses the Stablecoin Toolkit and how clearer definitions, regulatory frameworks, and emerging use cases could position stablecoins as a bridge between digital assets and the traditional financial system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Americus Reed, II, Wharton Professor of Marketing, breaks down the strengths, themes, and competitive dynamics of this year’s Super Bowl ads, including the role of nostalgia, humor, artificial intelligence, and long-term brand storytelling. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kent Smetters, Faculty Director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model and Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at the Wharton School, analyzes the origins of billionaire and wealth taxes, explains why they consistently underperform revenue expectations, and explores their economic distortions at both the state and national level. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.