City Women’s Network: Are markets really efficient?

The Chicago Booth School of Business has invited CWN members to a lunch time session with Eugene Fama, who is credited as the father of the efficient market hypothesis, and Daniel Hertzberg, International Editor of the Wall Street Journal.To register please go to www.eventbrite.com/event/312268002.Venue information: dress code is Business; nearest tube is Bank; telephone number is 020 7070 2245.

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Open House – New Directions: Practical Skills for Returning to Law Practice

For information about our innovative and unique program to facilitate attorneys’ return to the legal marketplace, please come to our upcoming Open House. New Directions graduates will be attending to describe their experiences. You provide the questions – we provide food, beverages and answers!

Session 2, 2009: July 13, 2009 – December 18, 2009 – in New York City

Please RSVP to agewirtz@law.pace.edu by April 21, 2009

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Eurohedge Summit 2009

Held in Paris every spring, the EuroHedge Summit is a major hedge fund event which attracts the industry’s elite from around the globe. This year, at a time of unprecedented turmoil and stress across the entire financial industry, we will be discussing the many challenges, opportunities and structural changes facing hedge funds under the overall theme of ‘Strategies for a Changed World’. We are expecting another big turn-out for what will be a crucial forum for debating and discussing the major changes sweeping the industry. • Experience a unique networking and educational opportunity with hedge fund professionals from all over the world
• Learn from a line-up of speakers you simply will not find at another hedge fund event
• Focus on the industry as a whole, as well as individual strategy areas
• Mingle with the best and biggest hedge fund firms in Europe, as well as U.S. and international firms active in Europe
• Debate informally with senior level hedge fund managers and investors on key industry issues
• Endure no pre-prepared presentations, set-piece speeches or marketing pitches
• Enjoy an up-to-date programme put together by our informed and experienced editorial staff
• Discuss the most topical issues to you and your industry
• Combine networking and education with 2 enjoyable days in the heart of Paris in the springtime!

Register here

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When You Work with a Jerk: The Bad Apples Study

iStock_000003208024XSmall[1]_1.jpgBy Paige Churchman (New York City)

Eliza Byington was unhappy at her job. There was no camaraderie. People didn’t work together, they barely spoke to one another. Then one of her colleagues was out sick for a long while, and the change in atmosphere was dramatic. Byington and her coworkers became a team — people started helping each other, went out for drinks together; they even played classical music in the office. Life was good. Work was productive. But when the person returned, things went right back to the way they’d been. How could one guy make such a difference? He wasn’t the boss, and, granted, he mocked people, but he wasn’t mean. He wasn’t even the kind of person you’d secretly wish would disappear so life would be easier.

“I guess it’s true,” said Byington, “A bad apple really does spoil the barrel.” She and her husband were students of organizational behavior at the University of Washington Business School, so they combed the academic research to substantiate the old saw. But all the research actually supported the opposite: Individuals conform to group dynamics. At Byington’s job, the group seemed to be conforming to one person. Was this an anomaly or would the same thing happen with other people? Could they show what was behind it? Her husband was Will Felps, and he made it his PhD thesis. How, When, and Why Bad Apples Spoil the Barrel was published in 2006, with Byington as co-author, and has had a bit of play since being featured on a December This American Life episode called “Ruining It for the Rest of Us.”

Read more

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FWA 2009 Annual Dinner and 25th Anniversary Women of the Year Awards

The 2009 FWA Annual Dinner – the FWA’s largest fundraising event — will present its 25th Women of the Year Awards honoring the proud achievements of two distinguished women professionals, and the exemplary leadership roles they have played in the public and private sector.

Register here

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Voice of Experience: Jacqueline Akerblom, National Managing Partner for Women’s Initiatives, Grant Thornton LLP

Akerblom__Jacqueline_1_1_.jpgby Pamela Weinsaft (New York City)

“In my opinion, the number one barrier to success for women in public accounting is the lack of visible role models. If a woman does not see other women succeeding, it is very difficult to aspire to partnership and senior leadership within a male dominated firm,” said Jacqueline Akerblom, National Managing Partner for Women’s Initiatives and Programs, Audit Partner and International Business Center Director at Grant Thornton LLP.

Akerblom started her career 25 years ago at the Los Angeles office of one of the Big 8 accounting firms. She was recruited to Grant Thornton while working as a manager for that competitor, and quickly moved up the ranks, progressing first to senior manager, then partner. As a new partner, she was asked to go to London to head up Grant Thornton’s US transaction group for Europe, where she stayed for four years.

Upon her return to the US in 1999, she was tapped to head up transaction advisory services for the West Coast. She soon became the national managing partner for international client services and was appointed to the Board of Governors for Grant Thornton International in 2000.

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2009 Advanced Negotiating and Drafting Major Business Agreements

Delivering Legal Services as an Integral Member of the Business Team

Get the latest practice tips on negotiating the best deal for your client for any business transaction and state of the art contract drafting by hearing from leading lawyers. They will discuss these and other hot button topics:

  • Negotiating and contracting with monitors, consultants, receivers,
  • bankruptcy trustees and insolvent debtors
  • Standard, design/build and construction management contracts
  • Understanding different negotiating styles
  • Pension funding and other exit considerations in the
  • employment contract
  • Negotiating and drafting the opinion letter in credit and lending
  • transactions: what can you concede, what you must require
  • Examining contracts for major energy projects
  • MAC clauses (material adverse change) and post closing survivability

Register here

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In Case You Missed It: News Round-up

martin.jpgContributed by Martin Mitchell of the Corporate Training Group

In case you were too busy to have kept up with all the news, contributor Martin Mitchell has gathered some important market events from last week to help you start this week well informed:

Mergers and Acquisitions

  • In its contingency plans for its European unit in the event of filing for bankruptcy in the US, General Motors is prepared to part with a controlling stake in its Opel/Vauxhall subsidiary effectively for nothing. An investor will be asked to pay at least €500m for the equity, but General Motors will inject the proceeds into Opel/Vauxhall.
  • Three major M&A deals were announced on the same day – Oracle agreed to buy Sun Microsystems for $7.4bn, Glaxo SmithKline agreed to buy Stiefel Laboratories for $3.6bn and PepsiCo offered $6bn in cash and stock to buy out investors in its two biggest bottling units.
  • Volkswagen is considering making a bid for Porsche’s automotive business. A bid would help relieve the net debt burden of Porsche’s parent company Porsche SE that currently stands at €9bn. The estimated bid price is thought to be in the €6bn to €9bn range. Porsche’s parent would still retain an interest since it would keep its 50.76% holding of Volkswagen.

Read more

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2009 CFA Institute Annual Conference: Enduring Principles for Long-Term Investment Success

Now in its 62nd year, the CFA Institute Annual Conference brings together investment professionals from around the world to hear industry leaders share insights on today’s most critical investment issues. Experts examine market trends, uncover new investment opportunities, and deliver practical investment advice. Join us to learn more about successful investment strategies and ways you can better serve your institutional or high-net-worth clients.

Who Should Attend

Portfolio Managers
Analysts
Chief Investment Officers
Chief Executive Officers
Investment Advisers
Pension Plan Investment Officers
Relationship Managers
Consultants

Register here

 

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Women Unlimited, Inc. National Conference 2009

The Unlimited Vision 2009 Conference will inspire and prepare you for the next decade of advancement for women. This important conference will be an unparalleled gathering of distinguished experts – where our Corporate Partnersand the alumnae and mentors associated with WOMEN Unlimited programs cannetwork and share forward-looking best practices for leveraging the unlimitedpotential of women in corporate America.

Here are some early highlights of what you can expect to experience during this twoand ½ day conference. These events and MORE will give you the solid, tactical approaches that can become critical differentiators for success… for your company, your colleagues, and yourself.

• “Creating and Realizing YourPersonal Brand Vision” – a challenging and inspiring keynote address bySusan Sobbott, President OPEN / American Express. Susan will set the stage forour learning about, networking, sharing, and putting into action an Unlimited Vision for women over the next decade

• An exploration of Executive SuccessPrinciples® with author and consultant Charmaine McClarie, whose expertise inrecruiting, developing, and retaining executive talent has been recognized byThe New York Times, Harvard Management Update, the London Financial Times, Forbes, and People magazine

• A stimulating discussion by Rosalyn Taylor O’Neale, author of Seven Keys 2 Success: Unlocking the Passion forDiversity

• A dynamic closing presentation by Dr. Tieraona Low Dog about moving beyond prevention to the conscious proactive promotionof health and vitality, specially geared for active professional women

For more information, and to Register

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