Launch of Knowledge@SMU & renewal of collaboration between Wharton and SMU

(1) Developed in partnership with The Wharton School, the new resource portal will present the latest research and analysis of SMU in a digestible and reader-friendly format.

(2) Launch also marks the renewal of a key collaborative relationship between Wharton and SMU.

Singapore, 28 May 2007 – The Singapore Management University (SMU) today launched a new online research and analysis journal – Knowledge@SMU – an Internet resource portal that brings together a collection of the latest business insights and research findings from a variety of sources. Developed in collaboration with Knowledge@Wharton, the new SMU knowledge portal is the first Asian academic partner and member of the Knowledge@Wharton Network, a worldwide resource affiliation originating from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, which has 900,000 subscribers worldwide. The launch also marks the renewal of a key collaborative relationship between the two universities for the continued development of the SMU undergraduate pedagogy and curriculum which is based on the Wharton model. In addition, the renewed collaboration includes joint research, faculty development, student exchange programs and executive education.

Knowledge@SMU, accessible at http://knowledge.smu.edu.sg, leverages the editorial and technical resources of the Knowledge@Wharton Network to translate the latest SMU research and analysis into dynamic, high-quality, easily accessible and reader friendly online content. The partnership with Wharton also enables SMU to showcase its world-class knowledge to a more diverse audience which includes not only the academic community and think-tanks but also professionals, executives, business leaders, entrepreneurs, government policy makers and the media.

Covering topics ranging from finance and investment, leadership and change, executive education, marketing, health economics, strategic management, law and public policy to innovation and entrepreneurship, the materials will have a strong focus on, and relevance to, Asia, written and delivered in digestible layman language. Examples of information available on the portal include cutting-edge research insights on the latest business trends and developments, interviews with worldwide industry leaders, articles on SMU faculty research, book reviews, conference reports and seminar papers. The portal also includes an in-depth searchable database of related articles and research abstracts, allowing quick access to information through simple mouse clicks. Knowledge@SMU replaces the three-year-old SMU Knowledge Hub, a popular and widely-read newsletter for the layperson that showcased the research activity of SMU faculty and collaborated on research with Wharton under the Wharton-SMU Research Centre.

The development of Knowledge@SMU is part of a wider research collaboration between SMU and The Wharton School managed by the Wharton-SMU Research Centre. The Centre brings together faculty from SMU and Wharton to carry out high quality joint research aimed at establishing a strong Wharton-SMU presence and visibility in the international research arena. With a focus on Singapore and Asia, the joint activity between Wharton and SMU helps to inculcate a strong research culture in SMU. As of May 2007, 66 projects have been undertaken by Wharton faculty in association with the Wharton-SMU Research Centre of which 59 are in collaboration with SMU faculty. A total of 52 projects have been completed so far, covering a wide range of topics in marketing, economics, finance, legal studies and management.

Under the collaboration arrangement, Wharton faculty will visit SMU every academic year usually during the summer months for research interaction with their respective counterparts and presentation of research findings at key public seminars held in SMU. In 2006, 11 leading Wharton faculty visited SMU. Please see Annex for examples of some recent key collaborated research between Wharton and SMU.

“It pleases us to collaborate with Singapore Management University in the launch of Knowledge@SMU,” said David Schmittlein, Deputy Dean and Chief Academic Officer of the Wharton School. “Knowledge@SMU will make the research created at Singapore Management University accessible to the entire Knowledge@Wharton Network and help continue the Wharton School's drive to discover and disseminate new business insights on a global scale.”

“Since the inception of SMU, we have fostered and benefited from a very close working relationship with The Wharton School in many areas of collaboration from undergraduate curriculum development and research to faculty development. It has helped a young university like SMU realize its potential in generating world-class research and scholarship. Knowledge@SMU is an important extension of this partnership. SMU is honoured to be the first academic partner and member of the Knowledge@Wharton Network to be based out of the United States ,” said Professor Roberto S. Mariano, Vice Provost for Research, Deputy Director of the Wharton-SMU Research Centre and Dean of the School of Economics, SMU.

About Knowledge@Wharton
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is committed to sharing its intellectual capital through Knowledge@Wharton, the school's online research and analysis journal. Knowledge@Wharton offers free access to analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and Wharton faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, conference overviews, book reviews, links to relevant content and a searchable database of more than 1,500 articles and research abstracts. Launched in May 1999, Knowledge@Wharton has evolved into a network of websites. The goal of the Knowledge@Wharton Network is to disseminate business knowledge and insights to readers around the world.

The Knowledge@Wharton Network includes three regional editions. Universia Knowledge@Wharton, launched in January 2003, is published every two weeks in Spanish and Portuguese. China Knowledge@Wharton, which commenced publication in March 2005, appears every other week with articles in simplified and traditional Chinese. India Knowledge@Wharton, also published bi-weekly, was launched in November 2006.

In addition, the Knowledge@Wharton Network includes three academic partners – Knowledge@Emory, Knowledge@WPCarey and Knowledge@SMU – published by Emory University's Goizueta Business School, Arizona State University's W.P. Carey School of Business and the Singapore Management University respectively.