News Roundup – Smeal Rises in Rankings, Graziadio’s Noteworthy Alumni, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this week, including some Online MBA rankings updates, and more.
Penn State Online MBA Rises Three Spots to No. 6 in U.S. News‘ Best Online Programs Rankings – Penn State Smeal News
Penn State Smeal’s Online MBA has risen three spots to land at sixth on U.S. News and World Report’s list of Best Online Programs.
This is the fourth year in a row that the degree has landed on U.S. News‘ top ten. With the use of statistical and peer-reputation surveys, the publication ranks schools in five different categories. For Online MBAs, the categories include engagement; student performance; faculty credentials and training; and student services and technologies.
Smeal’s Online MBA for Veterans also ranked fourth among degrees of its kind. “Our many partnerships and resources at Penn State allow us to offer a menu of more than 20 concentration choices that serve an extremely diverse span of interests. This accolade is a testament to our dedication in delivering an excellent program to a student body of exceptionally talented individuals,” says Stacey Dorang Peeler, Penn State Online MBA managing director.
You can read more about the rankings here.
RidersShare Launched Peer-To-Peer Motorcycle Rentals in Los Angeles – UCLA Anderson News
A UCLA Anderson School of Management MBA recently made news with a new vehicle sharing program unlike any other: a ride share for motorcycles.
Gillermo Cornejo, Founder and CEO of RiderShare, started the business with assistance from Anderson’s Venture Accelerator. Cornejo and his teammates were given the opportunity to interview thirty executives from the sharing economy in order to formulate their business plan. The team also received an award from the Pritzker Group Venture Fellows laid the financial groundwork for RiderShare.
Cornejo recalls growing up with a love for motorcycles but was prohibited by the cost of owning and maintaining one. Thus spawned his idea for RiderShare.
The service works by offering free listings to motorcycle owners who wish to rent out their bikes. Through a vetting process, renters and riders qualify to participate. They also must be 21-years or older. Cornejo and his team currently run services in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, and Denver. For more on RiderShare, read here.
Faculty Feature: Yun-Oh Whang – Katz Graduate School of Business News
Professor Yun-Oh Wang of University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business had another title before he began to teaching: serial entrepreneur.
After starting three companies, Whang decided to turn his passion into a full-time teaching position. He is the faculty director of Katz’ MS in Marketing program, in addition to serving as Assistant Clinical Professor of Business Administration at the school.
“Since my practitioner days, I have always been fascinated by marketing because it deals with consumers so directly,” says Whang. “Humans are simply impossible to understand, so it makes it extremely rewarding when marketing clicks with consumers.”
This clever take on marketing as a means to understanding the human condition is part of what makes Whang such a popular professor at Katz.
“I teach Marketing Research and Consumer Behavior,” Whang says, “in addition to a variety of other courses in global, sports, and digital marketing. My classes focus on application. I am a firm believer of ‘learning by doing.’” Whang also hosts companies for student talks, encourages students to participate in contests such as the Adobe Analytics Case Competition, and perhaps most importantly, makes sure they know how to relax. He hosts an end of year dance and karaoke party at the end of each year.
For more on Whang and Katz’ MS in Marketing, read here.
Foster Now Accepts the Executive Assessment for Admissions Into Part-Time MBA Programs – University of Washington Foster School of Business Blog
The University of Washington Foster School of Business has announced that it will accept the Executive Assessment (EA) test as part of the application for all work-compatible MBA degrees.
A new exam administered by GMAC, the EA is designed for working professionals. It measures applicants’ workplace skills with a 90 minute test covering verbal, quantitative, and integrated reasoning skills.
Morgan Sage, Associate Director of the Tech Management MBA program, says, “We are thrilled to provide applicants the additional option of taking the Executive Assessment. With greater emphasis on professional experience, we believe that the EA is positioned to better assess the academic capacity of working professionals.”
Read here for more on the Executive Assessment and applicable program information.
Graziadio Announces the 2020 Notable Alumni – Pepperdine Graziadio News
Each year, Pepperdine Graziadio chooses 44 of the most notable alumni among their worldwide ranks of over 40,000 across the world.
The alumni on this list embody the characteristics that the voting board determines to embody the notion of positive impact upon their industries and communities.
Among this year’s notable alumni are Marissa Andrada, Chief People Officer at Chipotle, who earned the Fully Employed MBA in 1992; Candi Castleberry-Singleton, VP of diversity partnership and strategy engagement at Twitter, (EMBA ’06); Robert Kyncl, (Fully Employed MBA, ’97) Chief Business Officer for YouTube; and Fiona Ma (Executive MBA, 00), who is the state of California’s 34th Treasurer.
Read here for the full list of 2020’s notable alumni.
News Roundup: UVA Darden Ranks First in Student Satisfaction, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this week, including UVA teachers earning high honors.
Accolades: Students Rate UVA Darden No. 1 for Inspiring, Supportive Professors– UVA Today
UVA’s Darden School of Business has received top overall ranking from Bloomberg Businessweek in teaching.
The publication surveyed more than 10,000 Class of 2018 business students from 126 different schools. Darden achieved a perfect score of 100 based upon the survey prompt ‘My Instructors Were Inspiring and Supportive.’ Both The Economist and The Princeton Review have given Darden top ratings, the former for “Which MBA 2018?” and the latter for “Best Professors.”
In Bloomberg‘s survey, Darden also made the top ten in two categories: “My Education Inspired Me to Pursue an Ethical Career” (7th) and “Courses Were Taught By the Right Mixture of Academics and Business Professionals” (9th). You can read here for more on UVA Darden’s top rankings.
NYU Stern Executive Education to Host SRW & Co.’s 2020 ASEAN Global Leadership Program in NYC – NYU Stern News and Events
NYU Stern’s Executive Education division will host consulting firm SRW & Co for The Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Global Leadership Program from April 13 – 17, 2020.
The program came to Stern last year for the first time since its inception in 2009. Since then, it has been held at leading business schools across the U.K, China, and the U.S. This year, the program will be based around four themes: Globalization; Analytics; Leadership; and Innovation. Attendees will be executives from both the public and private sectors in a wide cross section of industries.
Raghu Sundaram, Dean of NYU Stern, says of the event, “The Stern School has a rich legacy of transformation, harnessing the dreams and energy of New York City and the world beyond, to open new horizons, create new networks and spark new ideas. We look forward to a week full of thoughtful discussion and a lively exchange of ideas with the participants and our faculty … we’re delighted to host this group of esteemed senior executives from South East Asia in April 2020”
Attendees to the program will participate in a combination of experiential learning modules, team building exercises, and discussions with leading Stern faculty. Read here for more on the ASEAN, SRW & Co., and the upcoming conference.
Penn State Smeal Announces Promotions in Academic Rank– Penn State Smeal News
Effective July 1, 2019, five members of Penn State Smeal College of Business‘ faculty received promotions for the current academic year.
Jess Cornaggia, Ph.D. specializes in corporate finance, financial intermediation, credit ratings, and household finance. She has been promoted to Professor in the Department of Finance. Srikanth Paruchuri, Ph.D. will be promoted to professor in the Department of Management and Organization. Parachuri’s work focuses on the evolution of entrepreneurial ideas and innovation, along with the research and development of new technologies.
Smeal announced its newest internal teaching promotions, with many notable faculty members earning a much-deserved title boost.
Matthew Gustafson, Ph.D. has received tenure, along with a promotion to associate professor in the Department of Finance. His research focuses upon personal finance, regulatory issues in finance, and capital raising. Anh Le, Ph.D., who is an expert in the area of fixed income, also received tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor in Finance.
Zhongyi Yuan, Ph.D. was promoted to associate professor in the Department of Risk Management, and he also received tenure. His research specialties are rare event simulation, catastrophe risk modeling, extreme value theory, and insurance-linked securities. For further information on the new faculty, read here.
Class of 2019 Encouraged to Find Their Voices and Make a Positive Impact on the World – UCLA Anderson News and Events
UCLA Anderson celebrated 2019 Commencement last month to celebrate the full-time, fully-employed, and Executive MBA classes, along with those completing their doctoral degrees.
Interim Dean Al Osborne, along with several other speakers, challenged the students to create social impact and to work to affect change where it is needed.
“If you listen and you work, I think there’s a chance for good to overcome evil. I want you to be the best versions of yourselves over time, become powerful [and] courageous. Use your voice—your identity, presence—and the courage to speak truth to power. If there were ever a time people needed to have voice, it is now.”
Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente, gave the keynote address, in which he encouraged the graduates to act as agents of change.
“I say to you today, never are the opportunities greater than right now for you, individually and collectively, to follow through on the promises you’ve made to all who are counting on you, whether they know it or not,” he said. As he has exhibited through his tenure at Kaiser, Tyson conveyed the sense that success must not only benefit individuals and organizations, but communities and families as well.
You can read here for more excerpts from the 2019 Commencement speeches.
The Power of Counter-Offers – University of Delaware Lerner College News
New research from professors of management at the University of Delaware Lerner College of Business and Economics has revealed important conclusions about the nature of negotiation.
John Sawyer and Dustin Sleesman’s article, “The power of phantom alternatives in negotiation: How what could be haunts what is,” which was co-authored by researchers from Southern Methodist University, was recently published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.
The study’s focus was the influence of ‘certain’ versus ‘phantom’ alternative to a negotiated agreement, and how each side in a negotiation behaves in the event of such alternatives. The example of a job seeker was used to illustrate the point. After interviews with two different companies (‘Companies A and B’), the job seeker receives an offer from Company A. Though Company B has not yet offered a position, the seeker behaves as though they have. The power of this ‘phantom’ alternative on a larger organizational scale was the subject of the study.
Sleesman explains:
“I teach this idea when it comes to approaching questions that you may be asked during a negotiation. Your counterpart may try to discern how much power you have by asking if you have a good alternative to their offer. As soon as you say, ‘I don’t have any other offers,’ you give away power. By stating that you might be receiving an alternative in the near future, you both answer honestly and preserve negotiating power.”
For more on the team’s research, read here.
The New Loyola Marymount Campus, UCLA on Cultural Saving Habits, and More – Los Angeles News
As we head into the final stretch of 2018 and the holiday season, we highlight some of the biggest stories coming out of the Los Angeles business school scene.
LMU Los Angeles Expands New Campus Offerings – Loyola Marymount News
2018 saw several significant changes at Loyola Marymount University’s College of Business Administration, laying groundwork for even further future expansion.
A new Dean, Dr. Dayle Smith, began his tenure in June, and the school also welcomed Joe O’Hannigan, Associate Dean of Graduate Business programs. In August, the EMBA’s Playa Vista Campus at Silicon Beach opened to the wider campus and community as a hub for graduate and professional education. In 2019, LMU will continue to increase its business school programming at Playa Vista.
“Being in the middle of the action makes us an even more attractive educational partner, and it also allows us to help influence the ideas and innovations that are emerging from Silicon Beach” Dean Hannigan says.
Among the new business degrees will be masters of science in business analytics and management, in addition to a variety of executive education certificates in film; leadership skills in the modern workplace and nonprofit management.
You can learn more about the recent Loyola Marymount University College of Business Administration changes here.
UCLA Anderson Professor on the Savings Habits of Immigrants – UCLA Anderson Review
UCLA Anderson Professor of Economics Paola Giulano, along with colleagues from the London School of Economics, recently published research on the savings habits of immigrant communities.
When individuals leave home, the team asked, what happens to the way that they save their money in the destination country? After observing 40,000 households in the United Kingdom, one of the largest destinations worldwide for immigrants, the team came up with a number of scenarios.
Basing their discoveries on total amount of monthly savings; tendency to save; and the degree to which wealth either changes or not over a period of time, the team revealed that families who saved in their home countries tended to save more across generations when they arrived in the UK. At the higher end of this scale were China and Ireland, and at the lower-saving end were Uganda and Pakistan.
You can read more about the team and their research here.
Graziadio Climbs Ten Places in Bloomberg Rankings – Graziadio News
Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business rose ten places in Bloomberg Businessweek‘s 2018 list of best business schools to 65th overall.
Dean Deryck J. van Rensburg said of the elevated standing, “Considering there are nearly 2,000 business schools globally, to be ranked in the top 65 sends a clear message to high-achieving professionals that we are delivering positive outcomes, both on-site and online, for our students.”
Pepperdine Graziadio jumped 10 spots on the newest Bloomberg Businessweek rankings for 2018.
Graziadio is also a leader on Bloomberg‘s list of entrepreneurship programs, ranking 13th in the U.S. and 16th globally. The Princeton Review also gave Graziadio a nod, ranking it the 14th best online MBA and the 7th best on the ‘Greatest Resources for Minority Students’ list.
“The continued recognition as one of the country’s finest institutions for business education is driven in part by our core values of integrity and innovation, as well as our desire to shape leaders that drive meaningful, positive change in their global organizations and communities,” van Rensburg says.
UCLA Anderson Coming Out Day, Digital Transformation, and More – Los Angeles News
Celebrate your Friday with MetroMBA and get familiar with the biggest Los Angeles business school stories from the previous week.
Out@Anderson Hosts Coming Out Day Anniversary Panel – UCLA Anderson
On Thursday, October 11, 2018, the UCLA Anderson School of Management marked the 30th anniversary of National Coming Out Day with an event featuring a panel discussion by MBA students, who shared their experience of embracing their LGBTQ+ identities both on campus and beyond.
Out@Anderson hosted the event, which took the form of a Fireside Chat. The organization prides itself upon providing a forum for students, faculty, and staff to gather safely to address issues relevant to themselves and their allies.
Coming out stories served as the jumping off point of discussion among the panelists, and a wide range of topics followed. One student, Diana Perez (MBA ’20) spoke of her time on active duty in the Air Force. “Although there has been significant progress on LBTQ+ issues in recent history, [such as the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’] … there’s still work to be done in the fight for equality,” Perez says in a statement released prior to the event.
Another student, Andrew Waldman, (MBA ’20), spoke of the need for vigilance in fighting for equal rights despite the liberal environment of UCLA’s campus and the city of Los Angeles itself. Discussions of revealing one’s identity at work, engagement with allies, and the nuances of LGBTQ+ experiences rounded out the event.
Digital Transformation and the C-Suite – USC Marshall Business Class Podcast
USC Marshall School of Business Professor of Management and Organization Bob Zukis recently spoke on an episode of the school’s podcast about the need for technologists at the highest levels of business.
Noting such factors as the influence of social media upon the U.S. presidential election (and the administration itself), Zukis warned that the necessary regulations and controls of social technology have not yet caught up with the technologies to the degree that they can generate positive outcomes.
USC Marshall School of Business Professor of Management and Organization Bob Zukis / Photo via marshall.usc.edu
If companies are to engage in true digital transformation, Zukis says, C-Suite leaders must be experts in the field.
“Only 14 percent of boardroom directors have any technology training … and even if someone on the board asks the right questions, they have a very low probability of understanding the answers.”
Director Richard Drobnick of USC Marshall’s International Business Education and Research (IBEAR) MBA program conducted the interview with Professor Zukis, which is available here for download.
Graziadio 50th Anniversary Endowed Scholarship – Pepperdine
Celebrating the business school’s 50th anniversary, Pepperdine’s Graziadio Business School revealed its open pledged drive to the “Graziadio 50th Anniversary Endowed Scholarship.”
In honor of our 50th anniversary, we’ve created a special endowed scholarship to support the next generation of Best for the World Leaders. Join us in creating a better future, and make your gift of $50 or more today: https://t.co/szf1HMzItt#Graziadio50 #B4TWL pic.twitter.com/GjaIfkP8Bb
— Pepperdine Graziadio Business School (@GraziadioSchool) October 10, 2018
Click here for more information on the brand new endowment.
USC Marshall Supply Chain, Student Engagement, and More – Los Angeles News
We’ve rounded up the news you need to know from this week out of the Los Angeles metro.
Nick Vyas Builds a State-of-the-Art Global Supply Chain Management Program – News at USC Marshall
“Forty years ago, there were 26 mega-cities worldwide. Now there are 70. The globalization cat is out of the bag. But how do we deliver to everyone?”
This question of delivery maximization here is asked by Nick Vyas, an Assistant Professor at the USC Marshall School of Business, and Director of the school’s Center for Global Supply Chain Management. From his past roles with now-defunct retail giants like Toys ‘R’ Us and the soon-to-be (you know it’s coming) defunct Sears, Vyas has seen a hefty degree of turmoil in the industry. At the same time, however, he has seen modernized giants like Amazon and Alibaba rise to the top, matching the increased demands of consumers.
In a 2017 CIO Review article, Vyas explains, “Big data has certainly changed the supply chain industry. Armed with such information, retailers are able to achieve better revenue positioning because product offers can be instantaneously changed to respond to customer demand shifts.”
USC Marshall caught on to the trends early, organizing the Online Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management program in 2013. Fast-forward five years, and Vyas is already seeing commendable improvement. ““We are seeing success,” Vyas says in a recent interview. “One hundred percent of the MS students are in internships. We prep them.”
You can read more about Vyas and the USC Marshall Online Master of Science in Global Supply Chain Management program here.
How Can Campuses Foster Student Success? Management Professor Examines Engagement – Mihaylo Business School News
A CSU Fullerton Mihaylo College of Business professor of management recently offered some advice on student engagement as a cornerstone of business education at any level.
Professor Gerard Beenen has sought to guide Mihaylo students, who will find themselves among 40,000 other CSU Fullerton students, in how to connect within increasingly competitive and challenging conditions.
“Large universities like Cal State Fullerton,” Bennen says, “… are facing challenging goals to help students graduate faster … in an era of tighter and tighter state budgets. When students feel connected … they help us achieve these goals. [These] students … are more likely to persist until they graduate. And once they graduate, they’re more likely to give their time and resources to the campus.”
Student clubs, of which Cal State Fullerton has 325, serve as a valuable beginning to form connections. But Beenen points out that a wider focus toward common goals is most beneficial. “When we say, ‘Titans reach higher,’ we appeal to a shared aspiration—a superordinate identity—that all of our student clubs can identify with, along with study groups, friendship networks and other informal campus connections.”
Professor Beenen is a frequent contributor to The Orange County Register. He has also spoke about his views on student engagement in The Leadership Voice, Mihaylo College’s Center for Leadership’s video series.
Bigger Reach, Higher Prices – American Economic Association
Matt Schmitt, UCLA Anderson School of Management Economist and Professor of Strategy recently remarked upon the state of competition within U.S. hospital systems in the U.S. for the American Economic Association.
In 2017, Schmitt observes, the highest number of hospital system mergers in recent history occurred, resulting in higher healthcare prices. This counters the stance of many proponents of consolidation who argue that it reduces competition, thus reducing cost.
Two factors may contribute to higher prices: change in management practices after mergers; and speculation on the part of the acquiring hospital. The latter factor is a motivator of merger for many hospital entities.
Schmitt analyzed 100 mergers between 2000 and 2010, and discovered that costs rose an average of 6 to 7 percent. The price increase impacted insurers, and the cost to patients is difficult to assess.
“In health care … there are several different layers of decision makers, all with potentially competing objectives. [This] research seeks to better understand the economics of these situations and whether policy may have a role to play in improving outcomes,” Schmitt notes.
You can read more about Schmitt’s research discoveries here.
UCLA Anderson Alumni Profile – Dr. Martine Rosenblatt
It’s clear that MBA education can take you to realms of success you hadn’t imagined, and pursuing your degree with a level of curiosity in a wide variety of fields is a sure way to maximize the value of your degree.
One UCLA Anderson School of Management alumnus, Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D., (MBA, 81) is an inspiring example of the heights one can reach with a high degree of determination and expertise in diverse pursuits. She also serves as a powerful role model for transgendered people in business, and is a fierce advocate of visibility for her community.
