Zicklin Insights
ZICKLIN TALKS Business
Webinar Series
Please join Interim Dean Paquita Davis-Friday, 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.
Silicon Valley Bank:
The Canary in the Coal Mine?
April 18, 2023, 11 am


On March 9, 2023, SVB, the sixteenth largest bank in the U.S., suffered a classic bank run, despite having received a clean audit from KPMG just 14 days prior. Did KPMG miss key signals? Will SVB’s failure be followed by others, and what are the implications for the broader economy?
Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) discusses these questions with Paquita Davis-Friday (top left), Interim Dean, Zicklin School of Business, and Professor of Accounting, Stan Ross Department of Accountancy, and Linda Allen (top right), William F. Aldinger Chaired Professor and Professor of Finance, Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics & Finance. With a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean for Executive Programs, Gwendolyn Webb (right).
Facial Recognition Technology: For Good or for Evil?
March 14, 11 am


Facial recognition technology is phenomenal: It makes it possible to track and identify individuals in new, unprecedented ways. Even though this technology has many benefits, such as supporting law enforcement, it also poses serious privacy concerns.
In what ways are commercial firms, government organizations, and the general public using facial recognition? What are the most beneficial and damaging uses of this technology? What are the key regulatory challenges? Considering how rapidly facial recognition technology is developing, how quickly must we establish meaningful policies to guide its applications?
Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) discusses these questions with Yafit Lev-Aretz (top left), Assistant Professor of Law in the Zicklin School of Business Law Department. With an introduction by Interim Dean Paquita Davis-Friday (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top right).
Corporate Proxies, Shareholder Votes,
and Making Your Voice Heard
February 14, 2023, 11 am



Years ago, individual shareholder/owners cast their own proxy votes on company proposals, but with the growth of institutional investment management, many of these votes are now cast by professional managers.
Do the investment managers solicit the views of the individuals who own shares in their funds? Do they rely on third-party advisors to determine their votes? Do they do their own due diligence to evaluate management’s proposals? If they disagree with management, do they feel they can run the risk of alienating corporations with whom they may be doing business? Can they — and should they — use their voting strength to induce corporate managers to focus on a host of issues not directly related to the firm’s business strategy, such as environmental, social and governance issues?
Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) discusses these questions with Jay Dahya (top left), Associate Professor in the Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance, and Caitlin McSherry (top, center), Director of Investment Stewardship and Senior Vice President, Neuberger Berman. There will be an introduction by Interim Dean Paquita Davis-Friday (right) and, after the discussion, a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top right).
Inside the NBA Bubble:
How Black Players Performed Better
without Fans
January 10, 2023, 11 am



In the NBA, predominantly Black players play in front of predominantly non-Black fans. Profs. Somekh and Falco use the ‘NBA bubble’, a natural experiment induced by COVID-19, to test whether the performance of Black players was affected by the absence of fans. In brief, their key finding is that Black athletes performed better relative to White players in the bubble when the fans weren’t present.
What data did the authors use and how did they set up their tests? Are their findings due to race – or to something else? What are the implications for the sport, the NBA, and the players themselves?
Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) discusses these questions with Prof. Babak Somekh (top left), Lecturer in the Bert W. Wasserman Department of Economics and Finance, and Prof. Paolo Falco (top, center), Visiting Assistant Professor, Stanford University, and Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Copenhagen. With an introduction by Interim Dean Paquita Davis-Friday (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top, right).