OPIM Professor Robert Day’s Combinatorial Auction Algorithm Employed Throughout Europe, Canada in Billion-Dollar Bidding Deals
When the Canadian government wanted to apportion mobile broadband services in February 2014—so that there would be plenty of cell-phone coverage, competitive prices and more provider options nationwide—it used an algorithm devised by UConn Business Professor Bob Day and his colleagues.
Day, a professor of Operations and Information Management in the School of Business, is an expert in combinatorial auctions. His services have been called upon by the governments in Canada and England, who have collected over $8 billion in auction revenues for just two projects he worked on in 2013 and 2014.Continue Reading
Volunteering in Immokalee, Florida and learning about migrant workers
Accounting major, Jhavier Leslie ’18 who is a freshman in the Travelers EDGE Scholars program spent his first spring break learning about himself and the migrant worker community in Immokalee, Florida. This opportunity is offered to UConn students through the Community Outreach Office. Jhavier shares what he learned about the migrant worker, their plight and hardships as well as what he learned about himself.Continue Reading
School of Business’ Social Enterprise Conference Attracting Leading Scholars, Entrepreneurs and Business Owners
“We don’t hire people to bake brownies, we bake brownies to hire people,” boasts the website of Greyston Bakery of Yonkers, N.Y.
Recognized as one of the best social enterprise companies in the world, Greyston Bakery’s mission is to provide individuals with employment, skills and resources to lift them out of poverty.Continue Reading
Pictured L to R: William Ryan, Outstanding Alumnus Stewart Lander and Interim Department Head Bill Ross at the reception.
Marketing Alumni Event Makes an Impact on Students
On March 25, UConn marketing faculty, alumni, students, and professionals gathered in the Benton Art Museum for the annual Marketing Student and Alumni Networking Event to exchange ideas, experiences, and advice. Surrounded by a Husky Basketball exhibit, “In the Paint: Basketball in Contemporary Art,” delicious food, and good company, all attendees enjoyed conversation about careers, school, and the terrible spring weather. This event strengthens relationships between all involved, and provides students the opportunity to build relationships at UConn and beyond.
Keynote speaker Stewart Lander, class of 1980, challenged the group with the line: “If you skipped class, took off work, or stayed out instead of going home, would you be missed?” In essence, what sets you apart from others? Stewart stressed the importance of finding your passion, building quality and lasting relationships, pursuing lifelong learning, and providing service to those around you.
Lander, who earned his master’s degree from UConn, has more than 30 years of experience in selling and leading large sales teams in the financial services industry. Named the 2013-2014 Outstanding Alumnus by the Marketing Department, his involvement in the school and community reflects the foundation of his speech. His words resonated with both professionals and faculty, who have experienced the truth of his words, and with the students, who look to follow the framework as they enter new careers.
About the event, Lander noted that, “the networking events give me a chance to interact with students and hear their enthusiasm regarding their vision for their futures. Alumni have much to offer these students, and want to assist students, just as they were helped when they were students.”
Senior marketing student Paige Gregory agrees: “Networking is incredibly valuable, but it can also be somewhat stressful. Networking with UConn alum, however, takes off some of the additional pressure. These are people who have, quite literally, walked in our shoes and are eager to help in whatever way they can.”
UConn Student to Spend Summer as Budding Entrepreneur
The Middletown Press – Anthony LeClair is making preparations to interview candidates for his business. He keeps his marketing materials in a binder and he’s already managing three employees making cold calls and going door to door to drum up interest for his operation.
UConn Center for Real Estate 50th Anniversary Academic Symposium
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics Studies, the Center hosted an international academic symposium. Attendees included research professors from countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, The Netherlands and Italy as well as top academics from across the United States.
The event held from March 26 through March 28 drew the submission of nearly 60 papers, from which 14 were presented. The process was very competitive, which was evident in the conference through spirited research and lively and engaging debate.
The Center would like to thank C.F. Sirmans and Dean Gatzlaff of Florida State University, and David Ling and Wayne Archer of the University of Florida for paving the way and allowing the Center to step in and hold the conference that would annually take place within their institutions. This group also promoted the conference and ensured the successful attendance. We also thank the UConn Center symposium committee of John Clapp, Jeff Cohen, John Glascock and Steve Ross. A special thanks and appreciation to John Harding for direction and guidance through out the symposium planning.
On the invitation of the Marketing Department, Professor Rajesh Bagchi from Virginia Tech gave a research seminar titled, “Is a 70% Forecast More Accurate than a 30% Forecast?” on Friday, March 27. This research examines how level of a forecast affects inferences about forecasts and forecasters. Specifically, forecasters often state the probability when making predictions about uncertain events (e.g., sporting games, stock fluctuations). Continue Reading
A professor who used chocolate chip cookies to teach about quality control, three researchers who had work published in top journals, and an educator who vigorously promoted the School of Business were among the 2015 Faculty Award recipients.
“This year we honored eight outstanding faculty members for their exceptional research, teaching and leadership achievements,” said Associate Dean Sulin Ba. “The selection process was particularly difficult due to the dozens of impressive nominees. We are fortunate to have such talented, creative and remarkable colleagues.”Continue Reading
The Honors in Business Association (HiBA) hosted a trip to visit the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and PwC. Approximately 30 students attended and were split into two groups, with one group visiting PwC and the other group visiting the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Students visiting PwC were hosted by Ann Ulett, northeast sourcing manager. Students learned about the day-to-day responsibilities of an accountant from a panel that included a recent UConn graduate followed by a team building activity. PwC also spoke about the future of the company in the city of Boston.
At the Federal Reserve Bank, students were hosted by Don Anderson ’99, vice president of network services. Anderson along with other officers of the Federal Reserve Bank gave an overview of the Bank’s corporate structure. Students also attended a presentation on the topics of economic growth and the Bank’s balance sheet by the associate vice President of accounting. The visit at the Federal Reserve Bank ended with a cash tour given by the vice president of cash services.
Brooke Wasserman ’15, an accounting major who visited the Federal Reserve Bank mentioned, “I found the overview of the balance sheet to be very interesting. The Federal Reserve Bank considers cash to be a liability on their balance sheet.” In Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), cash is considered an asset and not a liability.
Quian Callender ’16, president of the Honors in Business Association, states, “Site visits are extremely beneficial to students because they provide experiences that can’t be learned in a traditional classroom setting.”
About Honors in Business Association
Honors in Business Association (HiBA) is a student organization formed between the Honors Program and School of Business. HiBA strives to create a sense of community for students in both Honors and the School of Business and those with an interest in business. HiBA’s programming provides the opportunity for students to demonstrate and develop skills necessary to succeed in today’s business world all while building a strong alumni network. Contact information: uconnhiba@gmail.com or Quian Callender at quian.callender@uconn.edu.
UConn Today – Steven Graf ’15 (BUS) couldn’t stop thinking about what he had seen in Ghana after a May 2013 trip there with Global Brigades, a student organization that focuses on helping developing countries. The group, which included doctors, set up a health care clinic in a rural community. Many of the patients hadn’t previously had access to health care, according to Graf.
“Everyone in the surrounding area came, free of charge. We’d do the triage, they’d get a prescription, then they’d go to the pharmacy [at our clinic] to pick it up,” he says. “At the end of the week, we went back to talk to everyone. Fifty percent of the people that we were helping were doing worse or the same.”
