VSB Inspiring Minds Podcast

Millions of people have been working from home for many months due to the pandemic. The shift has drastically altered commuting habits, spending patterns and --for many -- workplace communication. People feel disconnected from their colleagues and cranky about perceived slights. In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Jake Galgano ‘21 VSB talks with Manuela Priesemuth, PhD, Associate Professor, Management & Operations, about the ways companies can support their WFH employees while continuing to set expectations and effectively manage for success. NOTE: This podcast was recorded at the height of the pandemic and references events from March through September of 2020.

For many people, the path to success can seem hard to follow. Even high-achieving students and employees can find themselves unsure about which choice to make when they reach a fork in the road. Critical decisions can be easier to make with the help of a mentor. In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Patrick Haley ‘21 VSB talks with Joyce E. A. Russell, PhD, The Helen and William O’Toole Dean of the Villanova School of Business about the positive benefits of mentoring -- not just for the person seeking advice, but also for the mentor.

When your flight arrives at gate K, how long will it take you to walk to gate C, where your connecting flight departs? What about a walk from your hotel on 37th street to a park on 45th? Cities and businesses label our journeys in myriad ways, and those labels have an effect on how we perceive distance. In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Liz Ford ‘21 VSB talks with Shelly Rathee, PhD, Assistant Professor, Marketing & Business Law, about the expectations people have when destination labels use letters or numbers, and how businesses can use those expectations to drive consumer behavior.

Many companies make the decision to outsource some of their IT systems, such as payroll, because outsourcing can improve efficiency and reduce costs. But outsourcing contracts can also be used as an accounting trick, to make a company seem to be more profitable than it really is. In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Susan Rykowski ‘20 VSB talks with Stephen Liedtka, PhD, associate professor, Accounting & Information Systems about the factors that may result in questionable outsourcing decisions.

Closing the gender pay gap has become a goal for many companies -- and many countries. But the process isn’t as simple as giving every woman a raise. So how can companies adjust pay disparities while boosting morale and making themselves attractive to strong female candidates? In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Kelsea Wong ‘21 VSB talks with David Anderson, PhD, Assistant Professor of Management & Operations, about strategies for pay equity. Dr. Anderson has worked with 23 companies in Iceland to close the gender pay gap.

Can you understand a company’s culture by crunching the numbers? In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Emily Brown ‘19 VSB talks with Jennifer Altamuro, PhD, Associate Professor, Accounting about a recent paper she co-authored that focuses on corporate culture in the pharmaceutical industry. Dr. Altamuro and her colleagues used data about compliance with federal regulations to gain an understanding of the companies’ internal accepted practices. She says a weak compliance culture can have implications for shareholders and board members, as well as employees.

It seems the “Gig Economy” is here to stay. More people are working in nontraditional arrangements with employers than ever before. But are those workers happier -- and better off -- than salaried employees? In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Lucy Finnegan ‘18 VSB talks with Cheryl Carleton, PhD, Assistant Professor, Economics and Mary Kelly, PhD, Associate Chair, Economics about what factors contribute to job satisfaction, and how those factors differ based on gender and job type.

Nonprofit organizations do good work, but only if they can attract enough donors to support their mission. Donors crave information to help them make their donation decisions, and effective nonprofit organizations feed that craving with radical transparency. In this episode of Inspiring Minds, Manny Garcia ‘18 VSB talks with Erica Harris, PhD, The Andrew J. Melton Jr. ’42 Assistant Professor, Accounting & Information Systems about the financial reasons nonprofits should tell the whole story about their operations -- especially when the news is good.