The arrival of two approved COVID-19 vaccines provides a clear path to the end of the pandemic that held most of 2020 hostage. But a recent resurgence of the virus and skyrocketing rates of infection indicate that a full return to normalcy—including the pre-pandemic work environment— is still months in the future. In this Kenan Insight, we examine the relevant factors that will determine when and how we go back to the office.
There’s no escaping the growing interest in environmental, social and corporate governance investing, but not everyone agrees on how to define, measure or report the variety of factors considered under ESG. Professor Laura Starks of the University of Texas McCombs School of Business spoke on the subject in May at the Alternative Investments Conference, sponsored by the Institute for Private Capital. Starks’ keynote speech, highlighted here, examined the knowns and unknowns of ESG investing as well as new regulations that may be coming.
While the gender pay gap has received significant attention in recent years, little progress has been made to close it; in fact, in 2019, women still earned only 82 cents for every dollar received by their male counterparts for equal work. Policymakers in recent years have developed creative solutions aiming to close the gap, including bans prohibiting employers from asking for a job applicant’s salary history. However, in this week’s Kenan Insight, new research from our experts examines whether such well-intentioned bans are inadvertently lowering wages for all employees.
A new personal gift from Bruce Van Saun, Citizens Financial Group Inc. chairman and CEO, and his wife, Kathleen (Katie) Van Saun, will support the Kenan Institute’s annual grand challenge. Starting in 2023, the three-year gift will support the institute’s Distinguished Fellows, who advance thought leadership around the grand challenge’s theme, a key issue that affects business and society. The program is making its debut this year with an exploration of stakeholder capitalism and ESG investing. The Van Sauns earned their MBAs from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School in 1983 and were married in 1985.
Olga Hawn, faculty director of the Kenan Institute-affiliated Center for Sustainable Enterprise and assistant professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, was recently named to Poets and Quants' 2019 Best 40 Under 40 Professors. “Olga Hawn became the new Faculty Director of the Center for Sustainable Enterprise this academic year,” one nominator said. “Even with this new administrative duty, she has continued to pursue excellence in her research, presenting papers at top conferences, publishing in top journals and teaching her award-winning classes."
Growga, a yoga and mindfulness training company offering classes for children throughout the Triangle, was featured in a recent article in the Raleigh News & Observer. Growga is one of the startups supported by Launch Chapel Hill, an award-winning startup accelerator and co-working space supported by the Kenan Institute-affiliated Entrepreneurship Center.
In a recent episode of his award-winning show, “United Shades of America,” W. Kamau Bell interviews a Black man about systemic racism in America who said, “This country is not designed for us and, in fact, is designed against us.” As an African American, this observation triggered three critical questions.
Kenan Scholars were able to learn more about research in the business world on Nov. 6 at the “What is Business Research?” workshop. In this second of a series of workshops taking place this year, students from the Kenan-Flagler Business School — including the newly admitted Kenan Scholars class of 2023 and MBA Kenan scholars class of 2022 — heard from professors Brad Hendricks and Breagin Riley, as well as PhD student Andre Martin and Postdoctoral Research Associate Ayana Younge about their experiences in research.
As a second wave of COVID-19 cases makes its way around the world, the danger to the U.S. economy is clear. In this Kenan Insight, we examine the potentially damaging effects of the ongoing pandemic on an already battered workforce, and make the case for why Congress must act quickly to ensure economic stability.
Cryptocurrency has its critics, but it’s becoming an increasingly mainstream option for retail and institutional investors alike. In this Kenan Insight, we share some thoughts from former Co-president of Morgan Stanley Zoe Cruz and Rethinc. Labs Faculty Director Eric Ghysels on whether crypto has reached a tipping point for adoption by individual investors.
As The Wall Street Journal reported this week, Congress is gearing up for a potential showdown with the largest tech companies in the U.S. And with a bipartisan group of representatives pushing for legislation that would dismantle the monopoly power of Big Tech, this week's Kenan Insight revisits research on how regulating Amazon, Apple and others may be key to reviving the economies of America’s held-back cities and regions.
Cryptocurrency has its critics, but it’s becoming an increasingly mainstream option for retail and institutional investors alike. In this Kenan Insight, we share some thoughts from former Co-president of Morgan Stanley Zoe Cruz and Rethinc. Labs Faculty Director Eric Ghysels on whether crypto has reached a tipping point for adoption by individual investors.
The Leonard W. Wood Center for Real Estate Studies, along with the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, cohosted the UNC Affordable Housing Symposium last month. Experts in the field, as well as academic professionals, explored how the Triangle housing climate has shifted as business booms in the surrounding area and how the real estate industry can prepare for the future.
Post-COVID, tech firms are likely to continue to spread out across America’s cities. What factors determine their choices? For cities that seek to recruit the next Amazon HQ3, what do they gain from winning the competition? And from the perspective of their lower and middle-income residents, is it good or bad if they win?
China’s remarkable economic transition was going to face slowing growth at some point, but misallocation of resources and the country’s zero-COVID policy further complicate the picture.
Reeves Moseley, a political science and public policy double major with a minor in business, has always had a keen interest in public service. This past April, he had the opportunity to lobby on Capitol Hill with 80 other college students chosen to represent the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition.
Reeves Moseley, a political science and public policy double major with a minor in business, has always had a keen interest in public service. This past April, he had the opportunity to lobby on Capitol Hill with 80 other college students chosen to represent the Fraternal Government Relations Coalition.
Real Estate investments continue to rise in importance in the alternative asset space. But much is still to be learned about their value and performance.
Small businesses are an undeniable engine of growth for the United States, comprising 99 percent of all U.S. firms and driving nearly half our total economic activity. Yet small business owners across the country lack sufficient capital to succeed, grow and scale. The Kenan Institute has conducted a new analysis on the role of the Small Business Administration’s SBIC program in providing capital to the often-overlooked small businesses operating outside of metropolitan centers, as well as those owned by women and underrepresented minorities. You can access an overview of our findings, as well as key takeaways for business and policy leaders, by clicking below.
We are pleased to report that we have completed a spectacular year of growth and high-impact for the Kenan Scholars program.