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In the current economic climate, many executives are tempted to change strategies quickly or reinvent their company in hopes of finding a new model to weather the downturn. For UPS CEO Scott Davis, however, leadership during the "Great Recession" has meant staying the course. Davis told the audience at the recent Wharton Leadership Conference that his strategy for surviving the last two years involved sticking to the company's core values of integrity and partnership.

Indonesia's economy is on track to hit $1 trillion in GDP by 2014. The country is the world's third-largest democracy, and is in a demographic sweet spot -- half its population is under 30. But Indonesia is more widely known for natural disasters and natural resources than for its industry and infrastructure. Gita Wirjawan, a 44-year-old former investment banker with Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan, last year became Indonesia's chairman of Badan Koordinasi Penanaman Modal (BKPM), the country's Investment Coordinating Board, a ministerial-level post. He believes "the world needs to understand Indonesia in a different way." Wirjawan spoke with Knowledge@Wharton about his efforts to attract global investors.

For years, the tourism industry grew almost effortlessly. Those days are over. Tough economic conditions have awakened companies in the industry to the fact that they must better anticipate customers' needs and reinvent their business models. That was the theme of a panel discussion at the recent Wharton Global Alumni Forum in Madrid. Panelists spoke about population shifts, the need for greater concentration in the sector and the rise of new middle class consumers with a desire to travel.

Whether they are artists or executives, every worker has the potential to be excellent. The challenge for any leader, according to Boston Philharmonic conductor Benjamin Zander, is to tap into employees' strengths and give them the tools they need to shine. In a speech at the 14th Annual Wharton Leadership Conference, Zander described how the same techniques he uses in the concert hall can be employed in creating a happier, more successful business environment.

Committed to the "double bottom line" of financial returns and social progress, Women's World Banking (WWB), with its global network of 40 microfinance institutions and banks, offers credit, insurance and savings products to low-income women in developing countries. Recently, however, microfinance has been facing some tough challenges, including "mission drift," a competition for talent and questions about the effectiveness of its business model. During a presentation at the 14th Annual Wharton Leadership Conference, Mary Ellen Iskenderian, CEO of WWB, describes the innovative ways her organization is moving to meet these challenges and expand its global mission.

American companies will continue to fall behind their counterparts in emerging markets such as China or India unless they move toward what Deloitte's John Hagel III calls "the edge," which is where passionate, change-driven employees collaborate with others on the kind of innovations that prevent a company from seeing its core business model slowly erode. During a talk at the recent Wharton Leadership Conference, Hagel discussed how CEOs can look to sources such as the online game World of Warcraft for inspiration in finding a successful path forward.