Department News

Articles about activities within the academic departments

Paper Received Best IS Publication of the Year Award 2010

Posted on by Claire Hall

A paper co-written by faculty members of the University of Connecticut School of Business Department of Operations and Information Management has been nominated as the best ACM TMIS paper of 2010 and is also one out of five recipients of the Best IS Publications of the Year Awards 2010.  The paper, titled “Why Give Away Something for Nothing? Investigating Virtual Goods Pricing and Permission Strategies,” was co-written in December 2010 by Dr. Sulin Ba, Professor; Dr. Dan Ke; Dr. Jan Stallaert, Associate Professor; and Zhongju Zhang, Associate Professor.

The Best Publications Awards were established to recognize the breadth of high quality work that is being published in the Information Systems discipline. This award was designed to bring outstanding papers across a range of journals to the attention of the IS community, and to give due credit to the journals in which they are published. Each year journal editors nominate the best paper published in their journal in the preceding year. A committee composed of Senior Scholars reviews the nominations from journal editors and selects five papers as the recipients of this prestigious award.

“Why Give Away Something for Nothing? Investigating Virtual Goods Pricing and Permission Strategies” is about the world of virtual goods.  The question of how a creator sets prices for a virtual good, as to maximize their profit, is discussed.  The major difference with virtual goods is that many times consumers will want to use multiple copies of the same good, which results in an increase in the consumer’s utility.  The focus of the research is on the copy permission of virtual goods.  An economic model is developed and examined under different conditions, to find which setting is best for the copy permission that leads to the highest profit, as well as how subsequent pricing strategies are affected.  Both theoretical and practical implications of researched are discussed within the paper.

Future Potential in IT Careers

Posted on by Claire Hall

Sponsored by: Department of Operations and Information Management, and Central CT Chapter of the Society of Information Management

University of Connecticut students were given the opportunity to ask career questions and prod the minds of senior IT leaders at a special presentation in the Rome Commons Ballroom at South Campus on Thursday, October 20th, 2011. This presentation, titled, “Future Potential in IT” was sponsored by the Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM) and the Central CT Chapter of the Society for Information Management (SIM). It was a unique occasion for students to talk to senior IT leaders and recent graduates in the field. Continue Reading

Three Management Professors and a Ph.D. Student Receive a Scholarly Impact Award for their research

Posted on by Claire Hall

The Journal of Management (JOM) reviews all articles published in JOM five years prior and awards the top five highest impact papers . All JOM papers published in 2006 were considered for the 2011 Scholarly Impact Awards. A committee of four Associate Editors considered each paper according to the following criteria:

  • Number of citations (both with and without self-citations)
  • The breadth and quality of the papers/journals citing each paper
  • Total downloads
  • Perceived quality and potential for continued impact

The committee explored who cited each paper–whether the papers are being cited by top journals, as well as whether the papers are having wide penetration. Then the committee considered the strength of each paper and its potential for continued contribution.

The University of Connecticut School of Business is honored to have a paper written by three of its professors and a Ph.D. graduate recognized by the JOM. The paper, titled “Ambidexterity and performance in small- to medium-sized firms: The pivotal role of top management team behavioral integration” was written by: Michael Lubatkin, Thomas John & Bette Wolff Family Chair in Strategic Entrepreneurship and Professor, Management Department; Zeki Simsek, Associate Professor and Ackerman Scholar, Management Department; Yan Ling, UConn Ph.D. graduate; John Veiga, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics, Management Department.

Sage, SMA, and JOM will be recognizing this achievement at their annual board meeting at the Academy of Management conference. At this event, a Best Paper Prize will be awarded. The Best Paper Prize comes with a cash honorarium.

UConn MIS student wins an information systems security scholarship from ISACA

Posted on by Claire Hall

In Fall 2010, students from the University Of Connecticut School of Business participated in an opportunity to compete for a $500 scholarship sponsored by the Greater Hartford Chapter of ISACA. ISACA is a leading independent, nonprofit, global association for the promotion of information, guidance and certifications in the field of auditing security controls for computer systems. The competition was held in conjunction with the undergraduate elective course IT Security, Governance, and Audit, offered by Professor Dmitry Zhdanov of the Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM).

Student presentations were evaluated based on the following criteria:

Relevance of the presentation to the audit and risk management profession

  • The extent of the student’s work including depth of research, ability to communicate and synthesize the materials, approach taken and completeness of the subject matter
  • Delivery of the presentation.

This year’s award was presented to Bryan Sovinsky (pictured), a senior in Management Information Systems (MIS).  His project presentation covered the topic of Steganography, the art of concealing secret messages within ordinary computer documents, akin to writing in invisible ink. The Chapter also awarded five other participants – Gregory Coppola (MIS), Daniel Turcotte (MIS), Juan Ramos (ACES), Pathik Patel (Accounting) and Lori Gupta (Finance) – an annual membership in ISACA for their presentations which covered a wide range of topics on computer security.

The awards were presented and their achievements celebrated at a February 16, 2011 chapter meeting.

ISACA is a leading non-profit global provider of knowledge, certifications, and education on information systems (IS) assurance and security, enterprise governance and management of IT, and IT-related risk and compliance.  ISACA hosts international conferences, publishes the ISACA Journal, and develops international IS auditing and control standards, which help its constituents ensure trust in, and value from, information systems. ISACA also advances and attests IT skills and knowledge through the globally respected Certified Information Systems Auditor™ (CISA®), Certified Information Security Manager® (CISM®), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT® (CGEIT®) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control™ (CRISC™) designations.

From 1978, the Greater Hartford Chapter of ISACA has promoted the professional education and development of its members in the field of technology auditing and risk management.  For more information, visit .

The Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM), which offers the highly acclaimed Management Information Systems (MIS) undergraduate program, is consistently ranked in the top 25 in information systems graduate education (US News) and among the most productive and impactful research departments in the world (OR/MS Today, Communications of the ACM, Communications of the AIS, and AISNET). For more information, visit http://www.business.uconn.edu/opim/

UConn Announces MSBAPM Program

Posted on by Claire Hall

The University of Connecticut School Of Business is pleased to announce a new and innovative master’s degree program from the Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM).  The Master of Science in Business Analytics and Project Management (MSBAPM) is designed to meet the growing demand for professionals who can analyze, organize and manage high-value business solutions in today’s complex business environments. This 33-credit program, offered in Hartford, Connecticut, allows students to pursue the program either full or part-time beginning in any regular semester.  Applications are now being accepted for the program kickoff in Fall 2011. Continue Reading

School of Business Faculty Receive Fulbright Awards

Posted on by Claire Hall

Nora Madjar-Nanovska, Assistant Professor, Management Department; Han Srinivasan, Associate Professor and Fulbright Senior Specialist, Marketing Department; and Tim Dowding, Professor In-Residence Operations and Information Management Department, received Fulbright Awards this year.  Nora received a full research award that she will be pursuing this fall and Profs. Srinivasan and Dowding have been selected for Fulbright Specialist Awards for intensive visits abroad. Having three Fulbright Awards for the business school in the same year is a great sign of our recognition of being a globally-focused school.

Prof. Hussein Elected to University Senate

Posted on by Claire Hall

The University Senate has announced that Mohamed Hussein, Professor and Department Head, Accounting, UConn School of Business, has been elected to the University Senate for three-year terms beginning July 1, 2011 and ending June 30, 2014. The University Senate is a legislative body responsible for establishing minimum rules and general regulations pertaining to all undergraduate schools and colleges. The Senate also is responsible for establishing general educational policy in areas not reserved to the Board of Trustees, to the administration, or to the several faculties.

Students from the Program for Sales Leadership compete in the National Collegiate Sales Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

Melanie Nunes, a senior psychology major, and Michael Ferrone, a junior marketing major, represented UConn at the 13th Annual National Collegiate Sales Competition (NCSC), hosted by the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University in Georgia.  Melanie and Michael’s performances placed UConn in the top 3rd of the 61 schools that competed.  Melanie made it to the wildcard round, having placed 3rd in her first round session. Michael made it to the quarterfinals, having placed 4th in his first round session, and 1st in his Wildcard round session.

Inaugurated in 1999, the National Collegiate Sales Competition is the largest and oldest sales role-play competition in existence.  Instituted for the purpose of enhancing the practice and professionalism of the sales profession.  The NCSC, places students in simulated one-on-one sales call challenges. Each sales call is broadcast live to faculty and recruiters, who evaluate each student’s performance.

The NCSC hosts the top collegiate sales talent and sales faculty from the most elite University Sales Programs in North America. Up-coming sales graduates are provided a venue for sharpening their sales skills in a highly competitive environment and networking with their peers and sales faculty from across the United States. NCSC Corporate Sponsors have the opportunity to network with and preview the elite talent and greatly contribute to their education and careers and in turn make a great investment in the future of the sales profession.

Pictured (left to right): Cyndi Soucy, Whitney McIntosh, Melanie Nunes, Michael Ferrone