#ZicklinTogether
ZICKLIN TALKS Business
Webinar Series
Please join Dean Fenwick Huss, Larry Zicklin, faculty members, and special guests for these webinars, featuring business executives and faculty discussing current business topics. This webinar series is offered by the Office of Executive Programs.
The Risk for the Corporation in Taking a Controversial Social Stance
July 12, 11 am
Imagine being a CEO under pressure to take a public stance on a controversial social issue like racial equity, gay rights, or abortion. You know your own firm’s commitments and values, but you also know that at least some of your customers and other members of the public have different opinions, often held very strongly.
Do you take a stance that is truly in line with your firm’s values? Or keep silent to avoid offending those who differ? What are the potential costs in either case? What is in the best interest of your firm’s shareholders? Your employees? Your customers, and even society at large?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ‘57, left) discusses these questions with Karen Brenner (top left), Executive Director of Law and Business Initiatives, NYU Stern School of Business, Paul Roth (top middle left), Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel, and Consultant to K2 Integrity, and with Professor David Rosenberg (top middle right) of the Zicklin School of Business Department of Law and Executive Director of the Robert Zicklin Center for Corporate Integrity. With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right), and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top right).
Whistleblowing: Good for Society, Bad for the Whistleblower?
June 14, 11 am
Whistleblower laws encourage employees to report illegal activities within an organization by providing retaliation protections and, in some cases, bounty rewards. The good is that employees who are aware of corporate wrongdoing are encouraged to report it and this should benefit the organization, its stakeholders, and society at large.
Yet, there may another side to this story. Do the laws encourage employees to “spy” on the firm? How have people fared after blowing the whistle? For that matter, what is the evidence on whether the laws have actually been effective in reducing corporate wrongdoing?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ‘57, left) discusses these questions with Professor Jennifer Pacella (top left), Kelley School of Business, and with Professor Valerie Watnick (top center), Chair of the Zicklin School of Business Department of Law. With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right), and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top right).
Video coming soon!
Big Data: Who Uses It? Who Provides It? And What Risks Does It Create?
May 10, 11 am
Businesses have the technology to capture billions of data items on a real-time basis – Big Data – but what are they actually doing with all this information? One application is the analysis of text in newspapers like the NY Times and the Wall Street Journal to gauge sentiment on the current state of the economy, so-called “Nowcasting.” Another is the use of financial data like credit card charges to better estimate firms’ revenues, with the potential for providing timely information to fundamental stock analysts. How well do applications like these really work? Are there other potential applications that might raise privacy and ethical issues?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ‘57, left) discusses these questions with Roger Freeman (top left),Co-Head of Data Science Team, at Neuberger Berman, and with Sebastiano Manzan, Associate Professor of Economics in the Zicklin School Department of Economics and Finance (top, center). With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top, right).
What Are the Key Risks Facing Global Banks and How Do They Manage Them?
April 12, 11 am
Global banks face a host of challenges. Traditional risks include future changes in the macro economy, interest rates, liquidity, and competition; newer ones are digital transformation, cryptocurrencies, reputational risks, and ESG issues. Dare we even mention how they must be dealing with Russia’s intervention in Ukraine?
How do these organizations measure and manage these risks? What are the potential implications of the failure of one such institution on the wider financial system?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ‘57, left) discusses these questions with Lisa Farkovits (top left), Managing Director and Global Head of Model Risk Management at Barclays, and with Kenneth Abbott, Lecturer in the Zicklin School Department of Law (top, center). With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top, right).
Video Coming Soon!
The NYC Office Market: What Might the Future Hold?
March 8, 11 am
Will “the office” ever be the same again?
During the two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, our working lives underwent profound changes. One of the most notable innovations was employees working from home on a large scale. Has this now become a permanent feature of our future working lives? How is the NYC office market adapting? Are “hot desks” in our future? What other changes are being considered and implemented to accommodate innovative, more flexible working arrangements? What are the broader implications for the NYC office real estate markets?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) discusses these questions with Michael Morris (MBA ’07, top left), Vice Chairman, Newmark, and with Steve S. Shigekawa, Senior Portfolio Manager, Managing Director, Neuberger Berman (top, center). With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top, right).
Good Auditors, Good Audits, Financial Failure: How Come?
February 8, 11 am
How is it that even the best, the sharpest, and the most experienced auditors sometimes miss red flags that lead to major audit failures?
Is it that they don’t understand management’s incentives and opportunities? Do they not have the experience, training, and knowledge of the firm and its industry that is needed to anticipate the likelihood of fraud? Are they are putting more trust in management than they should? Have they not exercised the right degree of professional skepticism? Or, could it simply be that they just aren’t looking for fraud?
Larry Zicklin (BBA. ’57, left) discusses these questions with William O’Mara (top, left), retired Global Head of Audit at KPMG, and with Senior Associate Dean Paquita Davis-Friday (top, center), a Professor of Accounting who has taught auditing at Baruch and served as a KPMG National Instructor. With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top, right).