B-School Bulletin: A Dog's Life (At HBS)

Measuring The Impact Of Dodd-Frank On Household Leverage

News from Northwestern Kellogg

“In the wake of the Great Recession, even noneconomists became familiar with the phenomenon commonly blamed for causing it: ‘household leverage.’

“Dramatized in the 2015 film The Big Short, this bit of jargon describes the relationship between a homeowner’s debt and the resources they have available to pay it back. If the former conspicuously outweighs the latter, the household is ‘highly leveraged.’

“This does not necessarily mean that household leverage always translates into missed payments, defaults, and foreclosures. But in 2007 and 2008, a cascade of those very effects helped overwhelm the global financial system.”

“I feel very happy today. The most fabulous gift that I have in my life is to be with my family,” Francisco Rodriguez said at a December 22 press conference in Bellingham Hill Park in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Photo by Anne Trafton/MIT News Office

MIT Custodian Francisco Rodriguez Released From Detention

News from MIT Sloan School of Management

“After being held in detention for more than five months by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), MIT custodian and father of four Francisco Rodriguez will be spending Christmas at home with his family.

“While in detention, Rodriguez missed the birth of his son and spent his own birthday away from his family. On Friday, Rodriguez thanked all of the supporters who worked for his release and said that his faith in God helped to sustain him throughout his detention.

“’I feel very happy today. The most fabulous gift that I have in my life is to be with my family,’ Rodriguez said at a press conference today at Bellingham Hill Park in Chelsea, Massachusetts. ‘It’s a miracle. Miracles can happen any time. It’s fantastic to be home and to be free.’”

Kartik Hosanagar

How This Professor Goes The Extra Mile To Build Connections Inside And Outside The Classroom

News from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

“Prof. Kartik Hosanagar is always looking for new ways to connect with his students. Hosanagar, the John C. Hower Professor of Operations, Information and Decisions, is known for his sense of humor and his outstanding dance skills.

“’One thing I generally try to do is not forget that I was once a student and hold on to a little bit of that,’ he said. ‘Sometimes I go in on day one pretending to be another student, and say “I heard the professor isn’t any good.” Then when I start teaching, they have this look.’

“’I play some pranks — it’s a good way to connect. It’s important to break the ice.’”

Employees’ Idle Time Costs $100B Per Year, Study Says

News from University of Texas-Austin McCombs School of Business

“Scrooges, take note.

“Companies in the U.S. shell out more than $100 billion in wages a year for time that employees are in between tasks or not actually working, according to a study from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

“The study, using a national survey across a variety of occupational categories, found that 78.1% of employees have idle time at work, with 21.7% of employees experiencing idle time daily.”

DON’T MISS LAST WEEK’S B-SCHOOL BULLETIN