Maryland Professor Documents Dot-Com Ventures

/in , , /by

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that David Kirsch, a University of Maryland Professor, has created an electronic archive, documenting the rise and fall of Internet-related ventures over the period 1996 through 2002. The archive, which was started thanks to grants from the Alfred P. Sloan foundation and the Library of Congress, so far lists basic information for 2,400 dot-com companies, with about half of these entries fleshed out with business plans. The archive also offers “Top Ten Lessons from the Dot-Com Meltdown.”

Wharton Conference Brings Clarity about China’s New Path

/in , /by

The Wharton China Business Forum was held recently, and brought together business leaders and economics, for enlightening discussions about China’s financial reform, entrepreneurship, consumer markets, environmentalism, energy issues and other topics.

Panel of Experts describes the “Road to an IPO”

/in , , /by

This morning a panel of experts convened at the NASDAQ MarketSite to describe the measures that any company considering an IPO in the future should be taking: 1) Strengthen internal controls to be in compliance with SOX 404, 2) Develop accurate forecasting of quarterly earnings, 3) Streamline the quarterly closing process (the SEC is unforgiving to companies that cannot file their 10-k within 45 days), 4) Look to add independent board members as necessary, 5) Look to add a financial expert to the Board audit committee, 6) Look into enhanced Directors and Officers liability insurance 7) Make sure your CEO/CFO has the energy and commitment to speak to analysts and investors, on a pre-IPO and post-IPO basis, 8) Consider if this is the right time to hire a COO and full-time Investor Relations officer. Panel members included Mark Davis (Deloitte & Touche), Stephen Older (Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld), James Runcie (UBS Investment Bank), David Guyer (Eyetch Pharmaceuticals), Heather Sweeny (NASDAQ), and moderator Ed Paisley (The Deal). The panel discussion was sponsored by the Executive Council of New York.

“Future for Investors” remains bright if Developing Economies Prosper

/in , , /by

Speaking to University of Pennsylvania alumni yesterday about his new publication “Future for Investors”, Wharton Professor Jeremy Siegel explained the importance to the United States that the economies of China, India and other developing coutnries continue to prosper. In 1950, there were seven workers for every retiree in the United States; by 2050, there is projected to be less than two U.S. workers for every retiree. For Americans to be able to retire at 65 or less, the Indian and Chinese economies must continue to prosper, so they can provide goods in exchange for U.S. monetary assets. U.S. equities have provided a historical real return of 6.5 to 7%. Professor Siegel projects that even with the surge of retirements between now and 2050, US stocks should still provide a 5.5 to 6% annual real return.

40,000 New Blogs Popping up Each Day

/in , /by

Business Week reported on 5/2/05 that “there are nine million blogs out there, with 40,000 new ones popping up each day.” Rudofsky Associates will be posting news items and resource links on this blog, which has been created by the terrific folks at Beyond Paper