Please join us for an exclusive conversation with Kindbody Founder and CEO Gina Bartasi on Friday, Nov. 5. This virtual fireside chat is part of the Dean’s Speaker Series, hosted by Kenan-Flagler Business School Dean Doug Shackelford. The discussion will be lead by Brad Staats, Associate Dean of MBA Programs, Professor of Operations, Sarah Graham Kenan Scholar & Faculty Director of the Center for the Business of Health.
The health and economic data from this past week brought both good and bad news about the state of affairs in North Carolina. Health data suggest the growth in new cases is slowing, that hospital capacity remains available and that we might be getting a better handle on identification. While this is certainly encouraging in the battle against the pandemic, a similar levelling off in business activity does not bode as well for the economy. In this week’s commentary we seek to unpack some of the details in the data to understand what may be a new plateau.
Health systems have employed online and phone-based triage tools using automated algorithms to quickly determine which COVID-19 patients may need the most attention. Primary care can also be transformed through the broad application of automated algorithms, writes researchers including Bradley Staats, faculty director of the UNC Center for the Business of Health, but this requires building automated clinical processes that are safe and effective.
Kenan Institute Chief Economist Gerald Cohen explains the vital importance of productivity to the health of our economy, both domestically and globally, and why that is only one metric of societal health.
Often the story of successful places is predicated on the story of an individual who was instrumental in creating institutions and making connections that were transformative for a local economy. Certainly this is the case for Silicon Valley in California and Fred Terman, the Dean of Engineering at Stanford University, USA, who offered his garage to his students, Hewlett and Packard, and encouraged other start-ups. Or George Kozmetsky, the founder of Teledyne, who created the Institute for Innovation, Creativity and Capital (IC2) and mentored over 260 local computer companies in Austin, Texas. Any reading of the lives of these individuals highlights their connection to community and motivations beyond making profits.
Kenan Scholars will join executives in Durham at Pacific Western Bank, a national financial institution with a community focus. With over $26 billion in assets, Pacific Western provides comprehensive community banking, national lending and venture banking services.
Kenan Institute Distinguished Fellow Tara Watson discussed "An Economist’s Guide to Immigration Reform" before an audience of UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School faculty and students on April 11.
Join experts from Wells Fargo, First Citizens Bank, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise for a discussion on the North Carolina CEO Forum’s launch of a new framework to aggregate non-standard, real-time data to guide policy and business next steps. Join Tuesday, July 7, at 11 a.m. EDT.
During this panel, attendees will learn from three leading experts on how to assess their own situation, create calm and create a foundation from which to make sound decisions. Panelists with expertise in financial, personnel and legal issues will provide insights. In addition, there will be an expert who will guide businesses on assessing where they stand and developing a framework and timeline of tasks to be accomplished.
The list of stores that have closed or gone bankrupt in 2020 reads like a “who’s who” of venerable retail giants. Although retailing has been experiencing tectonic shifts for several years, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated both challenges and opportunities. In this Kenan Insight, we explore four major trends in retail, with a particular focus on food retailing.
The widespread adoption of technological advances has made the move to working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic a success. In this Kenan Insight, we look at why the switch was such a win, its impact on worker productivity, and what it means in the long term for workers, office spaces and cities.
The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise will host its Annual Open House Thursday, September 7, during which the newly re-envisioned business policy think tank and its affiliated centers will educate and engage with the UNC-Chapel Hill community and beyond.
Fifteen students from Kenan-Flagler Business School have been selected as members of the third class of undergraduate Kenan Scholars. The two-and-half-year program, sponsored by the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, brings together business school majors and minors who have exhibited outstanding leadership on campus and in the community.
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.
As the middle class shrinks and consumer debt, education and healthcare costs increase, a national conversation has focused on the wealth gap within America and the realities of the American Dream.
The Blockchain Club at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School was proud to host the Power of AI and Blockchain conference on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. The goal of the conference was to expand student and community understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain topics with a focus on application.
As part of the “Investment Strategies” breakout session at the Investing in Affordable Housing Symposium, Erin Smith of Bank of America's Community Development Corporation, Pamela Watkins-West of Nuveen and Wade Casstevens of Linden Property Group discussed ways in which organizations are looking at new and innovative investment strategies to expand affordable housing creation and preservation in the region.
Many Americans expect newly inaugurated President Joe Biden to achieve progress in improving the quality of the environment. In this Kenan Insight, we explain why we support these expectations, examining what Biden has already done in his brief tenure, the feasibility of the plans he’s outlined thus far, and whether (and how) he can propel the U.S. to a leadership role in sustainability.
Join NCGrowth-SmartUp on Wednesday, May 27, as we discuss mental health amidst COVID-19. Joined by a panel of experts, we’ll explore resources and strategies to help business owners and their essential workers manage stress and anxiety in this turbulent time.
Much has been made about the labor force participation rate, or the percentage of Americans over 16 who are working or actively looking for work — and for good cause, given the number of unfilled vacancies at U.S. firms. If fewer Americans are working, it is going to be harder for firms to staff all of their openings. Currently, 62.2% of adult Americans are working or looking for work. This compares with a historical average of 63.9% in 2019. With 259 million adult Americans, this 1.7 percentage point decrease in the labor force participation rate translates to a missing 4.4 million workers. And the narrative to date has primarily focused on how many Americans made changes following the COVID-19 pandemic (in response to lockdowns, layoffs, health concerns or care responsibilities) and the sizable fraction of these Americans who are still sitting on the sidelines. Given the steady drumbeat of news about how firms are unable to fill all their positions, there is much interest in how and when we expect these workers to return to the labor force. So, when can we expect them to join the labor pool?