Nine Business Lessons We Learned in 2017

We learned plenty in 2017: How to build a stronger business network, what technology means for the future of accounting, and why a challenge to a Nobel Prize-winning theory will shape the future of finance education in colleges.

This past year’s nine biggest business lessons from experts at the McCombs School of Business:

1. Network Builders
   Proven strategies to connect and build powerful relationships.
2. The Myth of the Obsolete Accountant
   There’s a persistent rumor that in the not-so-distant future, technology will replace accountants. Nothing could be further from the truth.
3. Fixing Finance’s Embarrassing Paradox
   Why it’s time to rethink how corporate finance is taught, according to a business school professor.
4. When No One’s Looking, Merging Firms Manipulate Earnings
   When one company acquires another, it often promises that higher earnings will result. Do firms conspire to pump up those earnings by tinkering with the balance sheets of the companies they’re acquiring?
5. The Strategist Behind Dell Medical School’s Value-Based Health Care Vision 
   Elizabeth Teisberg is focused on establishing a comprehensive new kind of health care system that costs less and delivers more.
6. Is Your Smart Phone Draining Your Brain
   Adrian Ward has dared to question everyone’s favorite tech device. His findings will doubtless open further inquiry and perhaps spur new work habits.
7. Tax Reform, Explained — Well, Some of It
   Lawmakers are talking about tax reform, tax cuts, and something called budget reconciliation. Here’s what it means and where we stand.
8. Business Genius Can be Borrowed
   Bold, new business models are often copied from other industries.
9. Looking for a Trustworthy CEO? Hire a Military Vet
   For companies hoping to avoid hassles with the IRS, financial restatements, or class-action lawsuits, consider a military background for your top brass.