Haas NewsWire


Haas NewsWire, April 5, 1999


CONTENTS
Zuckerman To Speak at Haas Commencement
Visionaries Debate New Economy at Cal
Haas Competition This Tuesday
Awards, Achievements & Announcements
Happening This Week

Haas NewsWire Archive
Contact Haas NewsWire


HAAS HEADLINES


MORT ZUCKERMAN ANNOUNCED AS 1999 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Publisher and real-estate developer Mortimer B. Zuckerman has been named as speaker at the Haas School graduation ceremony on May 23rd at UC Berkeley's Greek Theater. Zuckerman publishes U.S. News & World Report, the New York Daily News, The Atlantic Monthly and Fast Company. He is editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report and the founder of the Real Estate Investment Trust Boston Properties, Inc. Zuckerman's impressive list of affiliations includes Memorial Sloan-Kettering, The Institute for Advanced Study, New York University, and WNET. He is on the board of the Chase Manhattan Corporation National Advisory Board, Snyder Communications, Applied Graphics Technologies and Loews Cineplex. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the International Institute of Strategic Studies.Zuckerman also makes occaisonal appearanced on the PBS television show, The McLaughlin Group.

Mr. Zuckerman is a graduate of McGill University, McGill Law School, the Wharton Graduate School of Business, and Harvard Law School. He also holds three honorary degrees.

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VARIAN AND KELLEY DEBATE ECONOMICS OF E-COMMERCE

Haas Professor Hal Varian and former Wired Executive Editor Kevin Kelley discussed Internet commerce with the students and guests of the New Media Publishing course taught by Amy Shuen (Haas) and Paul Grabowitz (Journalism) last Tuesday, March 30th. Varian is the co-author (with Carl Shapiro) of the business bestseller Information Rules; Kevin Kelley is the author of a competing E-commerce book, New Rules for the New Economy.

Both authors agree that low replication costs on the web make strong brands more important than ever to online vendors. The low cost of doing business -- not counting expensive marketing efforts -- also affects the revenue stream. To stay in business vendors have to identify services that are difficult to replicate and decide for which services web customers are willing to pay. Survival strategies include bundling products, or making purchases from the same vendor easier than switching around, a process Varian and Shapiro call "lock-in." Another tactic for making money on the Internet is for companies to be bought out by a larger firm that wants to add services to its portfolio. "This is not the age of the Aquarius, it's the age of the Acquire-ius," said Varian.

Internet privacy is another hot topic. "I'm always in favor of more information," said Kelley, "You can have my phone number to call me if there is a problem with my order, not to make telemarketing calls to my home during my dinner hour." Varian agreed that consumers will face a cost to retain their privacy. Vendors are quickly finding ways to reward customers for giving up their private information with loyalty programs such as Safeway or Lucky's discount clubs, which gather information about shopping habits and in return yield lower prices.

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20TH ANNUAL HAAS COMPETITION

Do corporate managers have a responsibility to extend help to their business partners and customers in times of regional economic crisis or natural disaster? This is the question to be answered in the 20th annual Haas Competition, during which three Haas MBAs will present their views at the annual event to be held in Levi Strauss Plaza this Tuesday. (See event listing in Happening This Week for address).

Finalists JB Galan, Brooks Mendell, and Nancy Reiter, all first-year MBAs, will deliver 15 minute speeches before a panel of distinguished judges including Harold Brooks, CEO, American Red Cross, Warren Hashagan, Senior VP & CFO, The Gap, Inc.; Satish Rishi, Assistant Treasurer, Intel Corporation, Luis Valencia, President of Schwab Int'l, Charles Schwab; and Jane Wales, President & CEO, World Affairs Council. Dean Tyson will preside as master of ceremonies at the competition. First prize is $2,000, second and third prize winners receive $1,500 and $1,000 respectively.

For the last 20 years the competition has been made possible by the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. Wine & hors d'oeuvres will be served at 5:30. The competition and awards ceremony begins at 6:30. The event is sold out.

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AWARDS, ACHIEVEMENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

First-year MBAs Peter Cowing and Seyonne Kang are the new co-chairs of orientation for the class of 2001.

The financial aid office has moved from the recruiting center to the fourth floor of Student Services. The new room number is S-472; adjacent to the Evening MBA Program office.

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HAPPENING THIS WEEK

 

PH.D. SEMINARS
(Free and open to interested students and faculty)

 

ALUMNI CHAPTER EVENTS

 

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