October 13, 2009 at 9:50 am
Tonight at 7:30pm, WBUR will host a local economic roundtable at Jacob Sleeper Hall (871 Commonwealth Ave), moderated by NPR’s Kai Ryssdal, the host of “Marketplace,” public radio’s daily magazine of business and economics which boasts the largest audience for any business program in the U.S. on radio, cable or network television. Joining Ryssdal will be Lynn Browne, EVP at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston; Joe Roller, president & CEO of the Cambridge Trust Company; Mickey Levy, chief economist for Bank of America; and Kathleen Gaffney, president of Loomis, Sayles & Company in Boston. The event is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by 2:00 PM today to Corey Lewis clewis2@bu.edu.
October 9, 2009 at 2:57 pm
British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline PLC has spent more than $3.2 billion over the past five years on research and acquisitions specifically related to an anticipated flu pandemic. Now comes the payoff as the swine flu sweeps the world. Law Professor Kevin Outterson, head of the Health Law Program and an authority on drug marketing, said Glaxo deserves what it now can reap.
"It is very important for governments to reward Glaxo for these efforts. We should stop insisting on bargain prices for valuable vaccines produced to address pandemics."
Contact Kevin Outterson, 617-353-3103, mko@bu.edu
October 9, 2009 at 10:23 am
October 8, 2009 at 4:58 pm
With the bidding deadline for the Boston Globe here, some question if the two potential buyers - the California investment firm Platinum Equity, and the Taylor family - can handle the reported $115 milion in pension liabilities. Journalism Professor Fred Bayles, a former AP and USA Today reporter and long-time Globe watcher, says this all reflects the general state of the newspaper industry.
"Newspapers still can make money, especially if they trim off the excesses in staff and equipment acquired during the rock ‘n’ roll years. The Globe could be one of them if the pension and other obligations can be dealt with."
Contact Fred Bayles, 617-353-7736, fbayles@bu.edu
October 8, 2009 at 6:00 am
The Creative Writing Program will host The Robert Lowell Memorial Lectures tonight at 7:30 PM in room 206 of the Photonics Center. The event will feature acclaimed poet and BU alum Carl Phillips, recent graduate Brandy Barents and professor Rosanna Warren. The lectures bring a distinguished writer to campus each semester to read alongside a member of the creative writing program faculty to celebrate the legacy of Robert Lowell's poetry workshop at BU. The event is free and open to the public, including a reception and book signing to follow the lecture. Contact (617) 353-2510 or crwr@bu.edu for more information.
October 6, 2009 at 12:42 pm
The great healthcare-reform debate now moves to the floor of the House and Senate where Democrats wrestle with balancing priorities between affordable insurance and comprehensive benefits. School of Management Professor Stephen Davidson, author of "In Urgent Need of Reform: Saving the U.S. Healthcare System," says it's a false choice which doesn't address the need for insurers to change.
"If we insist on using private insurers and don’t create conditions under which they would eliminate fee-for-service payments, then we will continue to face avoidable dilemmas like this."
Contact Stephen Davidson, 617-353-7422, sdavidso@bu.edu
October 6, 2009 at 11:06 am
The D.C. Council is considering a bill to legalize gay marriages in the District of Columbia. The question is, will Congress block it? School of Law Professor Linda McClain, an authority on the same-sex marriage national debate, says the answer revolves around whether conservatives will expend their political capital on this symbolic issue.
Contact Linda McClain, 617-358-4635, lmcclain@bu.edu
October 5, 2009 at 3:38 pm
A report from the inspector general overseeing the government's bailout of the banking system says the Treasury Department was less than candid last fall about the health of the bailed-out banks. Visiting law Professor Elizabeth Nowicki, a former SEC attorney and Wall Street lawyer, says such lack of transparancy is what caused a run on the banks decades ago.
"It simply does not make good sense from the standpoint of shareholder and economic confidence for the Treasury Department -- and any financial entity -- to be anything less than completely honest, particularly in a time of banking turmoil and finance difficulty."
Contact Elizabeth Nowicki at enowicki@bu.edu
October 1, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Despite what his agent said, NFL quarterback Michael Vick has not re-signed an endorsment deal with Nike, which had dumped Vick two year ago following his arrest for bankrolling a dog-fighting ring. College of Communication Professor Chris Cakebread, who teaches sports marketing and advertising, says the risk to Nike is minimal one way or the other.
"Consumers have short memories, especially young consumers."
Contact Chris Cakebread, 617-353-3476, ccakebre@bu.edu
October 1, 2009 at 11:52 am
After months of legal scrutiny of Bank of America's takeover of Merrill Lynch, BofA CEO Ken Lewis says he'll step down at year's end. School of Management Professor James Post, an authority on corporate governance and business ethics, says the momentous changes that Lewis orchestrated left BofA vulnerable and Lewis himself personally accountable.
"What brought Lewis to this decision is the complex interplay of leadership, governance, and accountability."
Contact James Post, 617-353-4162, jepost@bu.edu
