Co-op

In a video interview on BusinessWeek online, Dean of Northeastern University's College of Business Administration, Thomas Moore discusses the importance of the schools co-op program.

To watch this video, go here:
http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/thecoop.htm

Trade Disputes

In an April 5 United Press International story entitled, "Analysis: 'Made In U.S.A.' losing cachet," the reporter discusses how there has been less concern over the trade deficit between the US and Japan and China. Tony Gao, a professor at Northeastern University's College of Business Administration gives the reason for trade disputes. "Trade disputes are used by governments and political leaders to achieve both political and economical objectives. As trade disputes with major trading partners can have major benefits and costs, the choices of when to start a dispute, where (in which industry) to start the dispute, and with whom to start the dispute must be made in a careful and calculated way. We could trust that the government officials and political leaders have done thorough reviews of both the political and economic consequences of the dispute and the likelihood of success in achieving both political and economic gains," said Professor Gao. "Today the Japanese automakers have made a lot of friends here and there, and it's frankly rather hard to gain politically by doing battle with them again."

To read the full story, go here:
http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/analysismade.htm

IT Risks

Jan Koster, managing director at UHY Advisors discusses the balancing act of risk mitigation in managing IT risk in companies such as Citigroup. "The most difficult part of prioritizing IT risks is that many times it's a guessing game, such as trying to determine how much an organization will lose if it doesn't implement a patch on its router or if its data is breached and the loss becomes public knowledge," says Jan. "Obviously, the higher the potential loss or impact to the company, the more important it is to implement a risk mitigation procedure."

To read the full story, go here:
http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/oddsare.htm

The Importance of Soft Skills

In an April 2nd U.S. News & World Report article entitled, “Acting Like You Mean It,” by Carolyn Kleiner Butler, she discusses the growing need from employers to hire MBA graduates with strong soft skills such as communication, leadership, and teamwork. More and more business schools are discovering the importance of these skills. Northeastern University's Associate Marketing Professor Bruce Clark describes the challenge in learning communication. “They involve our own emotions and other people in a way that technical skills do not," says Professor Clark.

To read the full story, go here:
http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/actinglike.htm

Convenience For Middle-Aged Females

In the April 2nd edition of BusinessWeek, the story entitled, “What Do 35-Year-Old Women Want?,” by Elizabeth Woyke, focuses on challenges that apparel retailers have faced when trying to sell their products to middle-aged women. A couple of retailers have closed their divisions tailored to middle-aged women due to lack of success while others have retooled their women’s clothes line. One aspect that marketing professor Tony Gao considers important for shoppers is convenience. “The boutiques' department store location should appeal to moms looking for one-stop shopping,” says Professor Gao. “While the look is sleek, with walls featuring quotes from Diana Vreeland and Katharine Hepburn, convenience is key.”

To read the full story, go here:
http://www.paradigmshiftpr.com/whatdo.htm