Report: Robust global financial system necessary for economic growth

Authored by Anjan Thakor, PhD, the John E. Simon Professor of Finance at Olin Business School, “International Financial Markets: A Diverse System is the Key to Commerce” provides a broad overview of the global financial system and how it supports economic growth, facilitates global trade and creates opportunities for companies, entrepreneurs and individuals.

Five strategies to improve 529 plan access for all income levels

State-sponsored college savings plans, often called 529 plans, offer tax incentives to facilitate saving for postsecondary education. Low- and moderate-income families are less likely to have college savings than higher-income families. To address this inequity, a number of states have launched 529 savings match incentive programs. A recently released CSD report examines the program design of all state 529 savings match programs and offers recommendations aimed to facilitate access, increase program participation and perhaps reduce administrative costs.

Navigating the ‘new normal’ economy at Olin

The financial crisis and recession have changed the global economy and the way business works. Figuring out the “new normal” economy is challenging managers everywhere to develop new strategies and initiatives. Olin Business School is offering three new programs to sharpen professionals’ skills as they navigate the uncharted waters of the “new normal” economy.

May the best M&A win!

WHO: M.B.A. students at the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. WHAT: The second annual A.G. Edwards M&A Competition. Students with the best M&A proposal will win $2,000 for first prize and $1,000 for second place. WHERE: The Knight Center for Executive Education (room 200) located on the Danforth Campus of Washington University. WHEN: Thursday, April 19 at 6:15 p.m.

What happens in the boardroom doesn’t stay in the boardroom

Corporate governance has been in the forefront of public debate lately, thanks to such high-profile events as options backdating, the awarding of inflated CEO compensation packages and efforts to augment shareholder empowerment. These larger scandals have implications that reach beyond the boardroom into every aspect of an enterprise. Ultimately, the transgressions take their toll on all of society, according to Stuart Greenbaum, former dean of the business school at Washington University in St. Louis.

Knight class: Former Emerson head Knight brings high-profile CEOs to business course

For the second year in a row, the Olin School of Business is offering a course that includes a succession of “celebrity” CEOs as guest speakers. The class, “Creating Exceptional Value: Performance Without Compromise,” is co-taught by Chuck Knight, chairman emeritus of Emerson, and Anjan Thakor, Ph.D., senior associate dean and the John E. Simon Professor of Finance.

Earnings statements can trigger reactions in a company’s supply chain

When good fortune smiles on a company, the stock market responds by valuing the firm more favorably. It’s well known that good news for one firm means other companies in the same industry will be affected as well. But a business professor at Washington University in St. Louis says we can also anticipate a predictable connection between news announcements of a company and its suppliers or customers.

Options backdating is part of a tradition of boosting executive pay by bending the rules.

Managers can find way to increase their compensation.Now that the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has returned from its summer holiday, members have put the recent spate of backdating stock options at the top of the agenda. Over the summer, several companies have been caught up in the practice, which skims the top off a firm’s profits. According to professors at the Olin School of Business, the backdating of options is just one of the ways to time executive compensation in a way that enable executives to maximize their own pay. More…
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