Forbes: “Taylor Swift’s Multigenerational Fan Base Could Unleash Exponential Box Office Enthusiasm” 09/07/2023
Judy Foxman, retired senior lecturer of marketing, comments on advance ticket sale numbers for the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film, anticipated to reach a record $100 million and gross even more. “Taylor Swift has been masterful at building a brand that appeals across generations because she projects as a powerful woman with relatability, grace and strength of character that can be felt by all. She’s an artist who others want to support and emulate.”

Poets&Quants: “Media & Internet Pioneers to Co- Direct SMU’s New Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership” 09/11/2023
William S. Spears, founder and CEO of Cenergistic and Cox Executive Board member, joins SMU President R. Gerald Turner at the Cox School to announce that proven business entrepreneurs and executives Megha Tolia, COO of Shondaland, and Nirav Tolia, founder of Nextdoor and chairman of Hedosophia, have been named co-founding directors of the William S. Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership at SMU Cox. “Entrepreneurship often starts with a spark, but the opportunity to learn from the experience of others is key to reaching the finish line,” says Spears. “I cannot imagine two better people than Megha and Nirav Tolia to inspire excitement on the SMU campus and beyond, focus our students’ talents and demonstrate what it takes to succeed.” Read more about the Tolias’ new leadership role with the Spears Institute at SMU Cox here.

Poets&Quants: “10 Biggest Surprises in Businessweek’s 2023-2024 MBA Ranking” 09/18/23
Longtime business school rankings guru John Byrne assesses the recently released Bloomberg Businessweek rankings. He cites Georgia and Texas as “the new centers of the MBA universe,” with Texas, in particular, being the home of seven MBA programs in the top 50 and three in the top 30, including SMU Cox at No. 27 (tied with Georgia Terry). Byrne describes SMU Cox as “the school to watch in the Lone Star State, having moved up 13 spots in 2023, buoyed by a 3.5-point increase in Compensation – and a 25.6-point jump in Diversity.”

The Dallas Morning News: “‘Crisis’: Dallas Has More than 3,400 Vacancies on City Staff” 09/19/23
David Lei, associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship, warns of potential long-term consequences that could befall the City of Dallas, with 20% of its jobs unfilled—more than 3,400 vacancies. “It becomes a dysfunctional spiral over time because the people who work there [are] faced with doing more with less, and the incentives to encourage that kind of overload get reinforced. When people leave, it has a reputational effect that this is going to be a pretty tough place to work and there’s not going to be that much support.”

Orange County Register: “A Blow to Liberty: Hong Kong is No Longer No. 1 in Economic Freedom” 09/20/23
Bob Lawson, director of the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom, researches and writes the annually published Economic Freedom of the World index, which rates economic freedom in 165 countries and jurisdictions. For the first time since the publication’s inception, Hong Kong has slipped from No. 1 to No. 2 behind Singapore. While Hong Kong still ranks high, Lawson warns, “The emerging risk is that China will continue to use its growing control over economic matters such as the ability to freeze the assets of individuals and companies who dare to speak out against Beijing’s undemocratic rule in Hong Kong.”

D Magazine: “Why DFW is the Nation’s Favorite Place to Call Home” 09/27/23
Michael Cox, executive in residence at the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom, and writer in residence Richard Alm explore the reasons behind the population boom in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan statistical area (MSA). They cite Institute colleague and Research Associate Professor Dean Stansel’s economic freedom index for U.S. metro areas, which finds that “DFW ranks fifth among 44 large MSAs” in economic freedom. Cox and Alm contend population growth is tied to the “fruits of economic freedom, including good and varied job opportunities, affordable homes, and more money to spend after taxes. In short, they come here for the chance at a better life.”

The Hill: “There are Two Sides When it Comes to Extending the Child Care Tax Credit” 10/08/23
Richard Alm, writer in residence at the Bridwell Institute for Economic Freedom, and Michael Davis, senior lecturer of economics and business strategy, co-author an opinion piece examining an apparent spike in child poverty rates as reported in U.S. Census data. They contend the increase was related to pandemic and post-pandemic adjustments in the childcare tax credit. Alm and Davis write, “The tax change didn’t eliminate any of child poverty’s root causes; without it, the kids fell back into poverty.”

U.S. News & World Report: “How to Write a Strong MBA Resume” 10/26/23
Jason Rife, Senior Assistant Dean of Career Management and Graduate Admissions, offers several key pieces of advice about what MBA applicants should and shouldn’t include in their MBA resumes to make them effective. Among other recommendations, he urges applicants to “explain your job as you would to a grandparent … It’s much better to use plain, clear language.” Rife also advises MBA applicants to highlight career advancement and positions of responsibility. “If you have been at a company and you had three different roles, you ought to make that very clear.”