B-School Bulletin: SOM Narrows New Dean Pool

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Myths Of The Gig Economy, Corrected

News from Harvard Business School

“Every day there are news stories about the so-called gig economy where workers contribute part or full-time labor — not as employees with benefits, but as independent contractors. Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, the ride-sharing giant, proudly declared on September 10 that ‘very few brands become verbs.’ The same week Upwork, a platform for hiring freelancers, filed for an IPO, as did Fiverr, which boasts that it offers a ‘freelance services marketplace for the lean entrepreneur.’ Indeed, the gig economy has not only turned millions of Americans into contractors, but it’s given the more successful entrepreneurs the tools to grow even faster. A fast-moving startup can secure talent as it needs it, outsource more quotidian tasks like payroll, and stay lean and mean; indeed, I see entrepreneurs employ this approach through my work at EY supporting creative, successful startups.

“But there are lots of myths about gig work, whether full-time or part time. It’s growing, but not as much as you think, and in ways that may be very different than you imagine. It might even be better for older executives than recent grads. Here are a few myths worth dispelling.”

Dartmouth Tuck Dean Matthew Slaughter. Tuck photo

Want To Save Globalization? Invest In Human Capital

News from Dartmouth Tuck

“Here in the United States, next Tuesday, November 6, is Election Day. Voters will have their say on all seats in the House of Representatives and a third of the seats in the Senate. Most forecasts are that the Democrats will take control of the House, while who will control the Senate hangs in the balance. We want to pull your attention back from the vitriol of these races to gaze upon the roiling globalization landscape from which this vitriol springs.

“We live in a time of protectionist backlash. U.S. President Donald Trump has started a trade war with China, upended the North American Free Trade Agreement, imposed tariffs on the United States’ closest allies, withdrawn from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and talked endlessly about building a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border. But the backlash against globalization goes far beyond the president himself. In fact, his presidency is more a symptom of it than its cause. Even as they may decry the president’s particular methods, many voters and politicians in both parties approve of his objectives.”

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At Columbia, Fashion Exists In Pockets

News from Columbia Business School

“If you stop and ask yourself what fashion is, chances are you’ll think of clothes. What starts as a superficial understanding of the sartorial choices we make every morning quickly expands to include the many ways in which these choices reflect some greater truth about our shared human experiences. Garments are legible. Fashion reflects personal ambitions, advancements in craftsmanship and technology, and reactions to political and current events surrounding us at any given moment.

“It is difficult to talk about fashion without talking about New York City. New York Fashion Week is one of the ‘big four’ fashion weeks worldwide, up there with Paris, Milan, and London. The City is also home to headquarters for some of the most renowned fashion houses across the globe, including Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Marc Jacobs. The fashion world and the world of New York City exist within and of each other.

“Courtney Lyons, a sophomore at Barnard, came to New York City for college specifically to pursue a career in fashion after graduation. Lyons chose Barnard because, even though the College does not offer a fashion major, she saw the value of a liberal arts education that would allow her to explore her love of fashion in the context of an array of other disciplines. But she wishes the College offered more academic opportunities to engage with the local industry: ‘I think it’s a disadvantage [to be at Barnard] if you’re interested in fashion.’”

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From Audits To Entrepreneurship: Master Of Accountancy Alum Launches Financial Services Firm

News from Vanderbilt Owen

“Reggie Ford (BA’13, MAcc’14) has been an entrepreneur for as long as he can remember. At the tender age of eight, he embarked the first of many ventures when he asked a friend to draw designs of Looney Tunes characters, which he then traced onto T-shirts with paint pens and sold to other children. ‘That was just really exciting for me to put something out there that people wanted and liked to buy,’ Ford said.

“After that, Ford dabbled in a variety of fields, from operating a one-man barbershop during his college years to starting a social media management and web development company that eventually fizzled out. He hit upon a winning idea with Rosecrete Wealth Management, which he recently launched after a stint in accounting.”