Archive for January, 2009

Spawn creator Todd McFarlane knows he’s hitting his target audience when people such as clergymen, political activists and soccer moms call his companies to complain about the latest toy, video game or music video. McFarlane has turned a comic book character he first doodled in high school into a multimillion dollar franchise by selling hip products to a different crowd that other toy manufacturers simply ignore, he told students Jan. 13 at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Ariz. | Video: Todd McFarlane on entrepreneurship (3:57) |
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By Chip Gehle, Thunderbird graduate

2008 will be remembered as one of the worst years in the history of the U.S. stock and capital markets. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by as much as 44.2 percent, and the Nasdaq Composite Index dropped by as much as 51.6 percent during 2008. They closed the year with losses of 36.3 percent and 43.8 percent, respectively. The declines in the U.S. stock markets were mirrored or exceeded in foreign stock markets.
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Business managers caught in a recession must choose selectively where they want to win. Thunderbird Professor Michael Moffett, Ph.D., said cash-strapped organizations struggling to set priorities should start by considering at least four things: Their customers, employees, cash flow and long-term vision. “Managers today must do the same or more with less, and they know it,” said Moffett, who holds the Continental Grain Professorship in Finance at Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale, Arizona.
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By Ángel Cabrera, Thunderbird president

Managers consumed with maximizing short-term profits—and with them, the value of their stock options—rather than creating real, sustainable value have destroyed billions of dollars in shareholder and taxpayer money. A culture of unrestrained greed lies at the root of the current economic meltdown that has seen banks collapse, markets tank and unemployment rates soar.
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By David Bowen, Thunderbird Professor

As economic conditions continue to hit companies hard, many are facing the daunting task of downsizing their workforces. No manager wants to do it, and no company goes unscathed in the process. But managers forced to cut jobs in these trying times can soften the blow if they take the steps necessary to salvage perceptions of workplace justice.
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Private banker Steve Klemme has spent more than 20 years as a wealth manager for some of the richest families in the Middle East. The job requires the naturalized Swiss citizen and 1985 Thunderbird graduate to know his clients well. “Some of my best friends are my clients,” says Klemme, managing director of J.P. Morgan’s private banking operations in the Middle East since 2006. He socializes in his clients’ homes, meets their families and even writes letters of reference for their children when they apply to college. The special access gives Klemme insight on what it takes to sustain wealth and pass it on from one generation to the next. | Video: Steve Klemme on cross-cultural negotiations (2:30) |
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