It was widely anticipated, and it is widely suspected of being folly. Today, NASDAQ OMX and IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) jointly launched an unsolicited takeover bid for NYSE Euronext, which runs the New York Stock Exchange, a big derivatives market and various European bourses. (The Economist)

Visit http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2011/04/exchange_mergers to view the full article online.

 

Top business schools have become focused with improving their rankings to the point of sacrificing their diversity, says the head of a major MBA scholarship fund. How can they get back on track? (Fortune)

Visit http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2011/03/31/biz-school-rankings-leave-minorities-behind/ to view the full article online.

 

Wall Street, meet your post-human future. Uber-"quant" Cliff Asness bets that his high-speed computers and trading models can churn billions of dollars in profits in booms and busts alike. But can artificial intelligence really out-smart the market? (The Atlantic)

Visit http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/03/man-vs-machine-on-wall-street-how-computers-beat-the-market/73120/ to view the full article online.

 

Summer internship offers are up at top business schools as consulting, banking, and other industries begin tending to their talent pipelines. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/content/mar2011/bs20110331_960629.htm to view the full article online.

 

The Web has made it easier than ever to reconnect with long-lost professional colleagues. Does it pay to do so? New research says yes — and suggests that every smart manager will try. (MIT/Sloan Management Review)

Visit http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/2011-spring/52309/the-power-of-reconnection-how-dormant-ties-can-surprise-you/ to view the full article online.

 

In recent weeks politicians, investors and diversity groups have been discussing the gender gap in corporate board rooms. It's still up for debate whether legally mandated quotas are an appropriate tool to correct the imbalance. (Forbes)

Visit http://www.forbes.com/2011/03/31/women-corporate-board-female-directors-forbes-woman-leadership-worlds-largest-companies.html to view the full article online.

 

Last year Iceland’s volcanic ash disrupted air transport across Europe and gave the world’s manufacturing supply chain one of its biggest tests since the advent of the low-inventory, just-in-time era. Now, Japan’s quadruple disaster – earthquake, tsunami, nuclear alert and power shortages ndash; has put the supply chain under far greater stress. Three weeks after the massive quake, the extent and likely duration of the disruption are still unclear. (The Economist)

Visit http://www.economist.com/node/18486015 to view the full article online.

 

It has been lauded as one of the most promising ways of using the market to reduce poverty and boost economies in some of the world's most deprived areas. But in recent months the work of microfinance institutions (MFIs), which provide small loans to poor people with no access to traditional banking services, has come under scrutiny. (CNN International)

Visit http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/03/23/microfinance.africa.lessons/index.html to view the full article online.

 

While many MBA students may be well versed in the nuances of finance, accounting, and analysis, employers have recently indicated that they need a more diverse set of skills from many of these high priced employees. Increasingly, employers in various fields are seeking workers who have a proficiency in project management. (U.S. News and World Report)

Visit http://www.usnews.com/education/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/articles/2011/03/30/mba-programs-focus-on-project-management to view the full article online.

 

Are smaller competitors worried that Amazon's new music "cloud locker" will push them off the cloud? Not at all. Why they're welcoming the online retailing giant to just come on up. (Portfolio)

Visit http://www.portfolio.com/companies-executives/2011/03/31/some-smaller-cloud-music-companies-not-opposed-to-amazon-joining-fray to view the full article online.

 

Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) is considering the introduction of a service that would let consumers pay for goods in brick-and-mortar stores using their mobile phones, according to two people with knowledge of the project. (Bloomberg)

Visit http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-03-31/amazon-com-said-to-be-considering-mobile-payment-service-for-smartphones.html to view the full article online.

 

Over the last decade we assumed that once we found repeatable methodologies (Agile and Customer Development, Business Model Design) to build early stage ventures, entrepreneurship would become a "science," and anyone could do it. I'm beginning to suspect this assumption may be wrong. (Fast Company)

Visit http://www.fastcompany.com/1743870/entrepreneurship-is-an-art-not-a-job to view the full article online.

 

Representatives of some of the largest companies in the world testified that the new patent reform bill will enhance job creation in America. Yet the one and only group that actually creates all new job growth in the U.S. and could challenge those claims – i.e., startup entrepreneurs and small businesses – was not invited to speak. (Harvard Business Review)

Visit http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/03/playing_a_dangerous_game_with.html to view the full article online.

 

While the US economy is headed further into recovery, not every industry is performing well. Industries go through life cycles, and largely speaking, these are growth, maturity and decline. (IBISWorld)

Visit http://www.ibisworld.com/Common/MediaCenter/Dying%20Industries.pdf to view the full article online.

 

National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial discusses the League's new report, "The State of Black America: Jobs Rebuild America / Putting Urban America Back to Work," which includes contributions from noted economists, public figures – including First lady Michelle Obama (on creating healthier school environments) – scholars, policy experts and journalists. (CNN)

Visit http://inthearena.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/31/marc-morial-state-of-black-america-requires-investing-in-programs-that-create-jobs/ to view the full article online.

 

The initial offers seem too good to be true: cable, Internet and phone service for only $99 a month. Plus a free cable modem, a free wireless router, free high-definition channels, free HBO for three months and up to a $275 rebate! (Hartford Courant)

Visit http://www.courant.com/business/custom/consumer/hc-ls-how-to-reduce-cable-bill-20110327,0,4611430.story to view the full article online.

 

After years of shrinking credit limits, rising rates and new fees, not to mention government legislation, credit card users have every reason to question the value of the plastic in their wallets. And now that the dust has settled, many may find their current credit cards aren't as good as they could be. (SmartMoney)

Visit http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/deals/the-new-best-credit-cards-1301520786753/ to view the full article online.

 

The surprise resignation Thursday of David Sokol removes the most probable successor to Warren Buffett as chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway. Now Buffett and the Berkshire board may have to scramble to groom quickly a new heir apparent. (Barron's)

Visit http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052970204267004576234303066944200.html to view the full article online.

 

Jerry Brown, who reinvented himself from California’s "Governor Moonbeam" of the 1970s into an elder pragmatist as the U.S.’s senior state leader, faces one of the toughest tests of his career after Republican lawmakers blocked his deficit-cutting budget plan. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)

Visit http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-31/california-budget-setback-imperils-brown-agenda-after-landslide.html to view the full article online.

 

A new Stanford-World Bank field experiment in Indian textile plants finds the most compelling evidence to date that management matters. (Stanford Business Magazine)

Visit http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/bmag/sbsm1101/feature_textile.html to view the full article online.

 

Bonuses and stock options often improve performance. But they can also lead to unethical behavior, fuel turnover and foster envy and discontent. In this opinion piece, Wharton management professors Adam Grant and Jitendra Singh argue that it is time to cut back on money as a chief motivational force in business. (Knowledge@Wharton)

Visit http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=2741 to view the full article online.

 

After a season of record snowfalls and lengthy cold spells in many parts of the country, homeowners are finding their houses and landscapes unusually battered. Blizzards, wind and errant snowplows have conspired to make this spring one of long recovery, leading to an early sales uptick for the yard and home-repair industry. (Wall Street Journal)

Visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471904576230500999669500.html to view the full article online.