Zicklin Insights
The New Normal In Business
Webinar Series 2022
Featuring business executives and faculty discussing business opportunities that have emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please join Dean Fenwick Huss, Larry Zicklin, faculty members, and executives for these Zoom webinars, providing insights that will resonate with you on many levels.
Can Humans be More Humane?
December 13, 11 am
In the past, the State of California led the country toward tougher nationwide automobile mileage and emissions standards, and now it’s leading the way for more humane treatment of animals raised for food.
Relevant legal issues include interstate commerce challenges to California law and whether California can require that meat products sold there but produced in other states meet its standards for the humane treatment of animals. One such case is now before the US Supreme Court.
What are the possible effects of large-scale animal production on society? On the environment? On the potential evolution of diseases? On the future of family farms?
Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) discusses these questions with Valerie Watnick (top left), Professor of Law in the Zicklin School of Business Law Department who has written several law review articles on these topics, and John Ikerd (top right), Professor Emeritus from the University of Missouri and author of several books on sustainable agriculture and economics. With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right).
Video coming soon!
Corporate Tax Morality:
Is it the Spirit or the Letter of the Law?
October 11, 11 am
While it’s legal to minimize taxes, some corporations push the limits of the law and pay average tax rates much lower than might seem fair. Just one example–among many–is the NJ-based pharmaceutical firm Merck, said to pay in 2021 an effective tax rate of 11%, roughly half the US average corporate tax rate of 21%.
Do firms have a moral obligation to obey the spirit of the law in addition to the letter of the law? Are they bound by Delaware law that requires them to work in the interests of their owners and shareholders? Or should the tax law be modified to make it clearer that the spirit of the law is relevant and often determinative?
Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57, left) discusses these questions with Prof. Michael Meisler (top left), Lecturer in the Stan Ross Department of Accountancy, and Prof. Daniel I. Halperin (BBA, ’57; top center), Stanley S. Surrey Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School. With an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right) and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top right).
The Dark Side of Social Media
September 13, 11 am
What is it in social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram that we spend so much time on them? Are we addicted? Are social media users’ behaviors different than addictions to gambling or alcohol? If so, how are they different? What do we lose by using social media for leisure?
Do social media providers design their platforms in ways that entice users to spend more and more time on them?
What are the harms of social media to our society? Are there any long-term side effects? What can (or should) be done about it?
Larry Zicklin (BBA ’57, left) discusses these questions with Assistant Professor Isaac Vaghefi, (top left) of the Zicklin School of Business Paul H. Chook Department of Information Systems and Statistics, Niam Yaraghi (top center), Assistant Professor of Business Technology at Miami Herbert Business School at the University of Miami and a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution’s Center for Technology Innovation, and with an introduction by Dean Fenwick Huss (right), and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwen Webb (top right).
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).
Video of webinar coming soon!
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).
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).