Darden Businesscasts

Scientists assert that global warming must be kept below two degrees Celsius to avoid insurmountable global disruption. Getting there will require near total decarbonization of economic activity by 2060. Agriculture accounts for a significant amount of GHG emissions worldwide but is also the one sector being hit the hardest by a changing climate. As the global population continues to grow – an additional 2 billion people predicted by 2050  – industry stakeholders are working diligently on technology solutions that will increase productivity while reducing carbon footprint. We take a closer look at the two largest sources of GHG emissions – livestock farming and soil management – and explore the best practices and technologies that support carbon-smart farming.  We'll then discuss the levers and opportunities in more detail with Darden Professor Mike Lenox, who is a co-author on the forthcoming report titled Path to 2060: Decarbonizing the Agriculture Industry. We would like to thank Dominion Energy’s Ryan C

Scientists assert that global warming must be kept below two degrees Celsius to avoid insurmountable global disruption. Getting there will require near total decarbonization of economic activity by 2060. Industrial manufacturing accounts for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and worldwide.  Efforts to reduce energy consumption through more efficient operations have greatly reduced emissions but more innovation and investment is needed to decarbonize this critical sector.  What levers could be pulled to facilitate a more rapid transition to low-carbon manufacturing?   We focus on the three largest emitters of CO2 – steel, cement, and petrochemicals – and explore some of the ideas and technologies best positioned to decarbonize these industries, and the challenges faced for broader adoption. We then discuss the levers and opportunities in the industrial sector with Darden Professor Mike Lenox, who is a co-author on the report titled Path to 2060: Decarbonizing the Industrial Sector.  

In our discussion with economists Pedro Matos and Jan Bena we explore their research on the impact of foreign investment on corporate innovation, as measured by number of patents. They describe the global corporate patent dataset they created, which is hosted by the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and available for use by any scholars around the world who seek to better understand innovation outcomes. Matos and Bena share why this resource is novel and useful for researchers who have experienced limitations with earlier patent datasets. Hosted by Erika Herz from the Batten Institute.

As the world economy has become increasingly globalized and complex, it's not obvious what effects foreign investors have on the companies whose stock they hold. Is it possible that these foreign investors provide pools of capital that firms can access in order to produce stronger companies, or do global institutional investors behave more like a swarm of locusts, resulting in short-term corporate policy making such as reduction in capital expenditures?  We discuss these questions and implications for corporate leaders with Pedro Matos, Darden finance professor and faculty director of the Mayo Center for Asset Management, and Jan Bena, professor at the University of British Colombia Sauder School of Business and a Batten Research Fellow. Matos and Bena are co-authors of the briefing,Testing "The Locust Hypothesis": The Impact of Global Investors on Long-Term Investment & Innovation. Hosted by Erika Herz from Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Family owned and controlled businesses, which account for 90 percent of all U.S. companies, rarely outlive their founders to survive the next generation. Only one in three defies the odds, but that requires a well-thought-out transition plan and, in some cases, even a non-family member to step in and lead, according to a new white paper by the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. All growing businesses face challenges as they build from their entrepreneurial beginnings — whether they are global conglomerates or successful local companies. Family business owners who wish to retain control through the generations face a distinct set of challenges and opportunities. The paper drills into the issues of intergenerational transfer and offers insights into what family business owners should consider as they work to create sustainable businesses and plan for the future. A series of original case studies also demonstrates hardwon lessons learned from

Preparing for the next leadership transfer, from third to fourth generation, Jim and Joe Bright are solidifying a healthy future for their 91-year old family business. Through hard work, discipline and a lot of heart, the Bright family continues to shine and credits success to their desire to stay nimble. The world continues to change and how a company reacts, or fails to react, may have a lasting impact for future generations.

An award-winning landscaping company embraces stewardship governance by creating a unique culture of employee ownership and responsibility, inspiring staff to work toward common goals of outstanding customer service, teamwork and growth.

GrayCo began as a lumber company and pivoted to become a commercial real estate venture when the moment was right. While for years the leadership was comprised only of non-family members, Lawrence Gray brought just the experience the business needed in investment strategy and general management and was able to boost not only family engagement but also maintain its tradition of philanthropy.

When all is said and done, it was important to do what was best for the family. With over half a century of experience and wisdom, the family behind K&K 5&10, K&K Toys and Dollar Tree reflects on lessons learned while navigating the toy industry and pioneering discount retailing. From the early days under the family patriarch to a new company and second generation leadership, and ultimately the decision to go public, the Perry family recounts how a dwindling industry, changing landscape and sudden growth led to necessary decisions – always made in the best interest of the family.

Scientists assert that global warming must be kept below two degrees Celsius to avoid insurmountable global disruption. Getting there will require near total decarbonization of economic activity by 2060. Electricity generation accounts for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and worldwide. Electric grids around the world are being decarbonized but a complete shift to 100% clean energy will likely take longer than 40 years. What will facilitate the transition and what threatens progress?  Let's begin by reviewing four zero-carbon emission generation sources and technologies that could lead us into the clean energy future – hydropower, nuclear energy, wind, and solar. We'll then discuss the levers and opportunities for solar and wind adoption with Devin Welch, Sun Tribe Solar, Erik Haug, Apex Clean Energy and Darden Professor Mike Lenox, who is a co-author on the forthcoming report titled Path to 2060: Decarbonizing the Electric Utility Industry. This is the second in a series of podca

Why has the rate of U.S. entrepreneurship been on a steady decline for the past decade and what does it mean for the U.S. economy? Sean Carr, Ph.D., Executive Director of Darden’s Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation speaks with Prof. John Haltiwanger from the University of Maryland and the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), whose research has played a major role in our understanding the determinants of firm-level job creation, job destruction, firm dynamics and economic performance. He has published more than 100 academic articles and numerous books including Job Creation and Destruction (with Steven Davis and Scott Schuh, MIT Press).

Scientists assert that global warming must be kept below two degrees Celsius to avoid insurmountable global disruption. Getting there will require near total decarbonization of economic activity by 2060. Transportation accounts for a quarter of GHG emissions in the U.S. but with the help of electric technologies we believe that we can decarbonize the passenger car sector by this deadline. The first part of the podcast tells the story of the electric car and the market conditions and innovations that have paved the way for electric cars today. We then follow the story with an interview with Darden Professor Mike Lenox (https://ideas.darden.virginia.edu/authors/michael-lenox/), an expert in business innovation and strategy and co-author on the report titled Path to 2060: Decarbonization of the Automobile Industry. Topics we cover include (1) the era of ferment occurring as incumbents and entrepreneurial ventures battle to become the dominant electric vehicle platform. (2) how global d

How do you focus managing something as important yet abstract as user privacy? How do you define success? In this episode, Darden alumni Inbal Reichman Cohen discusses her time at Facebook managing privacy. 

With something as complex as a robot, can you still use short cycle innovation techniques like Lean Startup? The answer from Ira is a big "Yes" and he'll tell you more about how they do it at iRobot, makers of the widely popular (and super useful) robot vacuum, Roomba.

In this episode you'll hear how Amazon product manager Duygu Karaboncuk keeps their Woot property fresh and relevant for users. Duygu describes where and how she finds insights about how to improve customer experience and how she grooms and tests new ideas. You'll also hear about her use of Amazon's vaunted 'press release process' where PM's write a future press release to describe the impact of a new idea.  

Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy is an IT industry icon and considered one of the world’s greatest entrepreneur for his trailblazing work creating the global delivery model, which launched India as a major player in the IT industry. Traveling to the University of Virginia to receive the 2017 Thomas Jefferson Foundation Medal in Global Innovation, Murthy joined Darden School of Business Dean Scott Beardsley for a special C-Suite Insights interview in front of a live audience to share his story founding Infosys, his tips for today’s entrepreneurs, his advice to help India become a more business-friendly global economy and his outlook on technology trends for the future.

American Banker named Barclays Investment Banking Vice Chairman Barbara Byrne the second most powerful woman in finance in 2016. She has also financed a Hollywood movie about a female investment banker and launched a fund that invests in women-led companies. She sat down with guest host Melissa Thomas-Hunt to discuss her work blazing trails for more women to join the traditionally male-heavy fields of investment banking and finance. She also discussed the impact Brexit is having on Barclays, the London finance industry and the United Kingdom, in addition to how Brexit is one of many examples around the world of populist frustration with weak economic growth.

The Darden Leadership Speaker Series welcomes Barbara Byrne, a Vice Chairman within the Investment Bank at Barclays. Based in New York, Ms. Byrne is Chairman of both Barclays Americas Citizenship Council, overseeing strategic programs to foster global economic growth and opportunity, and Barclays Social Innovation Facility, a cross-business resource dedicated to the development of self-sustaining commercial solutions to social challenges. With over 35 years of financial services experience, Ms. Byrne has been at the forefront of developing and leading longstanding partnerships with some of Barclays’ most important multinational, corporate clients. She is responsible for leading cross business teams in delivering the firm’s products and services to those clients, and is the primary architect of several of the firm’s marquee transactions. She has held senior management positions in Energy and Technology Banking groups throughout her career, and has led diverse strategic advisory initiatives across the firm focu

"We need to find the right user for the right product. That's my goal." If you're interested in the role of 'growth product managers' or growth in general, tune in for a first hand perspective from Google product manager Nastia Root. In this interview, Nastia describes the role and focus of the growth PM. You'll hear about the ways she drives growth on Google for Work (formerly Google Apps) and how she arrived at the role of growth PM.   

The Darden Leadership Speaker Series welcomes Claudy Jules, Ph.D., Managing Director, Accenture Strategy, Talent & Organization. Dr. Jules leads Accenture’s strategy consulting work globally on leadership. He has extensive experience working as an advisor and executive coach to corporate, government and NGO executives, providing counsel on a wide range of organization and leadership issues in many countries globally. A prolific author and innovative thinker on leadership effectiveness, Dr. Jules writes and presents on a range of topics including executive leadership, top team effectiveness, coaching and global operating models. He holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Case Western Reserve University. This event was co-sponsored by Darden's Black Business Student Forum (BBSF). Recorded 22 February 2017.