Sponsored Content
The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has long been considered an industry leader in business education. Its faculty is world-renowned, its curriculum top-tier, and its research has helped shape the business industry.
To share this industry-molding research with business-enthusiasts everywhere, Wharton runs its regular podcast, Ripple Effect, on its online business journal, Knowledge at Wharton. First launched in March 2023, 73 episodes have been aired, each addressing pressing topics of today such as “AI in Education” and “The Role of Firms in Immigration and Economic Prosperity.”
What Is the Ripple Effect Podcast?
Wharton’s faculty research the big questions. They delve into AI, explore financial literacy, evaluate the ever-changing leadership landscape, and uncover how the economy operates. The relevance of their research is clear, undeniable even; but how can those not privy to Wharton’s academic circles access it?
Enter Ripple Effect: the podcast that spotlights Wharton faculty and the research they conduct. Interviewed by Dan Loney—a world-class broadcaster with over two decades of experience—Wharton faculty “dive into what inspired their studies and how their findings resonate with the world today.”
The podcast translates complex and intricate research findings into information that you can use in your work, your life, and your studies. Each month, Ripple Effect addresses a different topic, grappling with complex subjects over a series of episodes and interviews.
Ripple Effect can be streamed on:
Ripple Effect in January: Cryptocurrency
The topic tackled by Ripple Effect in January was cryptocurrency. Amidst a surging crypto market, the first series of 2025 platforms the research of four Wharton professors.
Why Crypto, and Why Now?
Business schools have been closing in on cryptocurrency for several years, recognizing the need to understand this growing technology. And what better time to reveal all that they have researched than now—amidst the rapid cryptocurrency changes that have begun 2025.
Bitcoin, for example, has reported record highs, has experienced unusually little volatility over the last year, and has been allowed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) “to be part of mainstream investing funds.”
As conversations on cryptocurrency surge, Wharton’s faculty reveal their insights.
Episode Deep Dive
1. Confidence in Cryptocurrency (a two-part episode) with David Reibstein and Z. John Zhang
The Episode
The first installment of the cryptocurrency series takes the form of a two-parter; a split episode in which Dan Loney interviews Wharton marketing professors David Reibstein and Z. John Zhang.
The first part of the episode compares crypto’s current level of success with the success people expected of it; analyses the circulating “brands” of crypto; examines consumer attitudes and the influence that these have on the value of cryptocurrency; and makes predictions on future crypto pricing.
The second part delves further into the influence of consumer confidence on cryptocurrency, questioning whether scandals can have an impact on its value and the resilience of the market. It then goes on to examine the “who” and the “what” of crypto—who are the people and what are the businesses that drive it, and what can these tell us about its future?
The Guests
David Reibstein is the William Stewart Woodside Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School. A marketing expert, the co-founder of Bizrate.com, and an award-winning teacher, Reibstein’s research interests span marketing models, competitive marketing strategy, and marketing ROI.
Professor Z. John Zhang teaches Marketing Management to EMTM students at Wharton, and Pricing Strategies to undergraduate and MBA students. His research has been published in journals such as Management Science and the Journal of Marketing Research, and focuses on competitive strategies, pricing strategies, and market entry—among others. Zhang has won awards for both his academic research and his teaching.
2. Cryptocurrency and Blockchains with Kevin Werbach
The Episode
The second installment of the cryptocurrency podcast sees Dan Loney interview Kevin Werbach. Their conversation examines Blockchain, the tool that makes the digital assets and payments of cryptocurrency possible.
Werbach explains the concept of Blockchain—what it is, how it works, and what its potential is. He dives into the various contexts in which we see this technology applied, taking care to emphasize its fundamentally revolutionary nature and the scale of change that it represents. He outlines the question marks still hovering over Blockchain, and explores the problem of promoting innovation while maintaining regulation.
The Guest
Kevin Werbach is a pioneer of gamification in business. He runs a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that is popular with hundreds of thousands of students and, in 2012, he published a book named “For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business.” His long career has spanned roles such as founder of technology analysis and consulting firm Supernova Group; counsel for New Technology Policy at the FCC during the Clinton Administration; and co-leader of the review of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the Obama Administration’s Presidential Transition Team in 2008.
At the Wharton School, Werbach is a professor and the chair of Legal Studies & Business Ethics.
3. Understanding Cryptocurrency: Confidence, Challenges, and Consumer Perceptions with Cait Lamberton
The Episode
The third installment of the cryptocurrency series platforms Dan Loney’s discussion with Cait Lamberton. Together, they examine the extent to which consumer confidence drives crypto value, the psychological factors underlying that confidence, and the differing attitudes and classifications of crypto amongst both academics and the general public.
Lamberton presents fascinating insights into her work. She explains the difficulty behind classifying and understanding the “moving target” that is crypto; the problem of the “currency” nomenclature compared to the behavior of crypto; and her development of a “consumer cryptocurrency confidence index.” Especially interesting is her explanation of distributed trust, belief in regulatory authorities, and the impact that this has on the value of cryptocurrency.
The Guest
Cait Lamberton, MBA, PhD, is the Alberto I. Duran Presidential Distinguished Professor of Marketing at the Wharton School. Her research examines empathy in health care settings, the sharing economy, marketplace dignity, individuals’ inherent worth—and more. She has received multiple awards for her contribution to the marketing industry, including the American Marketing Association’s Erin Anderson Award, which is given annually to the field’s top female scholar and mentor.
Outside of her research, Lamberton has held roles that range from advisory positions in the financial services to consulting for the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education.
