MBA Program Deemed ‘Best Value’

May 28, 2015

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The full-time MBA program at the University of Connecticut School of Business is among the “Best MBA Programs for Value” in the country, according to Poets and Quants, a news website specializing in business-school evaluations.

In an article released May 9, the web site highlighted the program after reviewing research by several other studies that evaluate programs using different methodologies. The UConn program ranked No. 13 by Value Colleges and No. 21 by GraduatePrograms.com.Continue Reading

Accelerate UConn Program Launches

May 27, 2015

UConn Launches Program to Help Students, Faculty Transform Ideas for Technology into Commercialized Products

New Haven Register – The University of Connecticut is launching a program to help students and faculty transform ideas for technology into commercialized products. The school kicked of its Accelerate UConn program with a ceremony Tuesday in Storrs. The program, which builds upon UConn’s existing technology transfer, incubation and commercialization infrastructure, is being funded by a three-year, $300,000 grant by the national science foundation.

An Empirical Model of Drug Detailing: Dynamic Competition and Policy Implications

Management Science, forthcoming

Hongju Liu. Co-authors: Qiang Liu, Sachin Gupta, and Sriram Venkataraman

Although the pharmaceutical industry is mainly driven by innovation, it spends an enormous amount of money on marketing. Among various marketing vehicles, detailing – personal selling through representatives – accounts for the single largest expenditure. The vast amount of detailing spending in the pharmaceutical industry has drawn the attention of the public and of policy makers. As a result, the practice of detailing in the marketing of prescription drugs is undergoing significant changes. Continue Reading

How Competitor Brand Names Affect Within-Brand Choices

Marketing Letters (forthcoming)

Kunter Gunasti and Berna Devezer

In a recent research forthcoming at Marketing Letters, Dr. Gunasti and his co-author show that consumer choices among different models of a brand name can be affected by exposure to a competitor brand name that forms an incidental trend with the numbers in the focal brand names. For instance, a consumer shopping for a Mercedes and trying to choose between a Mercedes C330 vs. C340 can be exposed to a competitor brand such as a BMW 320i, which increases the chances that he will leave the store with the higher number focal brand Mercedes C340. Although the competitor brand is not even available to choose and it is not considered, its mere presence seems to affect consumers’ focal choices.Continue Reading

Research Seminar with Caglar Igmak, University of Miami

May 26, 2015

On the invitation of the Marketing Department, Professor Caglar Irmak from the University of Miami gave a research seminar titled, “Merely Available: Products May Be Effective without Actual Consumption” on Friday, April 3. This research shows that providing people with access to a relevant product, without them actually using it, can enhance their performance. For example, participants with access to coffee were faster at a reaction-time task than those without access to coffee. Continue Reading

Accelerate UConn Program Launches in Groton

The Day.com – University professors and their students have plenty of ideas for new technologies but no formal launching pad from which to shoot them skyward.

And that’s where the new Accelerate UConn program comes in, taking a different tack in promoting much-needed entrepreneurship throughout the state, officials said Monday during a meeting with professors and administrators at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. It was the first in a series of meetings to be held at UConn campuses throughout the state to announce the program.

Time to Flex

Giving Workers More Control of Their Time May Be Good for All

Rep-Am.com – When she first began working there 15 years ago, Beekley Corp. in Bristol was a fairly traditional company. “We were of the mind that everybody needed to be here, 9 to 5,” said Maureen O. Gallo, vice president of human assets and operational excellence at the medical supply company. But when the company began asking its employees what it could do to make them perform at their highest level, one fact was clear: They wanted flexibility.

A Day of Celebration

May 22, 2015

Robert Shiller, 2015 Commencement Speaker

Nobel-Prize Winning Professor Tells Business Graduates to Do Well, Do Good

The business world can sometimes seem like a vicious place, but as UConn School of Business graduates begin their professional careers, they should stay faithful to their moral compass and never lose sight of the well-being of the communities they serve.

That was the advice offered by graduation speaker Robert J. Shiller, the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. He is also the Sterling Professor of Economics and a professor and fellow in finance at Yale University.

Shiller spoke Sunday May 10 to an enthusiastic crowd of undergraduates, parents and friends under the dome of Gampel Pavilion. UConn President Susan Herbst and members of the Board of Trustees were also present. This year nearly 700 undergraduates received their bachelors’ degrees in business.Continue Reading

Research Seminar with Ting Zhu, University of British Columbia

On the invitation of the Marketing Ph.D. students, Professor Ting Zhu from the University of British Columbia gave a research seminar about “Can Price Matching Defeat Showrooming?” on Friday, April 17th. This research studies the impact of Best Buy’s recent price-matching policy on the price competition between Best Buy and Amazon. Specifically, she examines whether the policy can defeat consumers’ showrooming behavior. Data indicate that both Best Buy and Amazon adjusted prices in the same directions. Continue Reading

Business Hall of Fame Induction

2015 Hall of Fame Recipients
Pictured L to R: 2015 Hall of Fame inductees David B. Greenfield ’84, Norman W. Lacroix ’72 MBA, Wendy Reeves Watkins ’74

Alumni Say Though Campus Has Changed, the Camaraderie at UConn Remains the Same

The School of Business welcomed four new members to its Hall of Fame and paid tribute to veterans of the U.S. Armed Services in a May 8 ceremony at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.

Among the inductees were: David B. Greenfield ’84; Norman W. Lacroix ’72 MBA, Wendy Reeves Watkins ’74. The late Brigadier Gen. James S. Creedon ’53 was inducted posthumously.

Dean John A. Elliott noted that this year’s inductees have not only achieved tremendous success in their careers, but have made a personal commitment to the betterment of their communities by advocating for and supporting higher education, theaters and museums, food banks and many other deserving institutions.Continue Reading