Graduate Programs

These are ‘Best of Times, Worst of Times’ for Risk Managers

Posted on by Claire Hall
Thomas Sullivan '00 MBA
Thomas Sullivan ’00 MBA

When a major retailer had a security breach, and consumer information was compromised, it created a ripple effect at Stamford-based First County Bank.

First County Bank customers inundated their local branches seeking new debit cards, and many wanted replacements right away. The bank is able to produce about 1,000 new cards a day in-house, but has to contract out for bigger projects, said John Bonora, senior vice president and chief risk officer at the bank, and a 2011 graduate of UConn’s MSFRM program.Continue Reading

New Members Inducted into Business Honor Society on Sunday

Posted on by Claire Hall

More than 100 UConn business students were inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma scholastic honor society during a dinner and ceremony on Sunday evening.

Beta Gamma Sigma recognizes students with the highest academic achievement at the undergraduate, masters and doctoral levels. Students from Storrs, Stamford, Hartford and Waterbury attended the ceremony in the Dave Ivry Seminar Classroom at School of Business. Keynote speaker was Dean John A. Elliott.Continue Reading

Does SOX 404 Have Teeth?

Posted on by Claire Hall

A regulation that is supposed to provide a warning bell and greater transparency for investors is hampered by a lack of enforcement, according to new research conducted by accounting professor David Weber.

Professor David Weber

The School of Business has awarded one of its 2015 Best Paper Awards to Weber for his research titled, “Does SOX 404 Have Teeth? Consequences of the Failure to Report Existing Internal Control Weaknesses,” co-authored with UConn doctoral student Biyu Wu and Sarah Rice of Texas A&M. It will appear in the American Accounting Association’s premier journal, The Accounting Review.

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MSBAPM & Alteryx Data Challenge

Posted on by Anna Radziwillowicz

Alteryx has partnered with the MS in Business Analytics and Project Management program (MSBAPM) at the University of Connecticut School of Business to host a 2-week data challenge beginning on March 30, 2015. The competition focuses on leveraging the power and flexibility of the Alteryx platform along with skills gained in the MSBAPM program to solve the challenge. Students can submit projects as teams of up to four. Finalists will be invited to present their projects to a panel of distinguished judges, including Alteryx’s Chief Scientist, and various amazing prizes will be awarded.

More information about the data challenge can be found at the website:

MSBAPM Students are exuberantly forming teams to research about the Alteryx software, to understand the platform, how it’s used, and how the software aids analytics. Good luck to the participants!

Accounting, Finance Faculty Members Recognized for Outstanding Research

Posted on by Claire Hall

2015-03-20_facultyThe School of Business has awarded its 2015 Best Paper Award to professors David Weber, from accounting, and Jose Martinez, of finance, for their exceptional research articles that will appear in esteemed academic journals.

Weber’s research paper is titled, “Does SOX 404 Have Teeth? Consequences of the Failure to Report Existing Internal Control Weaknesses.”

“Picking Winners? Investment Consultants’ Recommendations of Fund Managers,” is the title of Martinez’s work. His paper also recently received a prize from the University of Cambridge and the Commonfund Institute.

“Both papers are to appear in very prestigious journals in their respective fields, The Accounting Review and Journal of Finance,” said Sulin Ba, associate dean of academic and research support. “The selection committee was particularly impressed by the public policy implications that came out of both research projects. These implications will have an impact on our society in the years to come.”

The competition was intense this year with 10 nominations, all papers accepted in top academic journals, Ba said.

“Dr. Weber’s paper, co-authored with Ph.D. student Biyu Wu, addresses the requirement that corporations and their auditors publicly disclose internal control weaknesses, which is one of the most contentious and costly provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act,” said Mohamed Hussein, accounting department head. “The study is important because it shows that the enforcement mechanisms surrounding internal control reporting are often ineffective and in some cases may even provide disincentives for compliance.”

“This paper is one of many research projects conducted by the UConn accounting faculty that addressed critical accounting and tax issues,” said Hussein, noting that UConn accounting faculty research has been cited in Congressional hearings and in the British Parliament.

Chinmoy Ghosh, department head in finance, said he is pleased with his colleague’s success.

“Within a very short period of time since arriving at UConn in August 2014, Jose has made a significant contribution in almost every aspect of the job. Acceptance of his paper by the Journal of Finance, the top journal in the discipline, brings tremendous visibility and prestige to the department and the school,” he said. “Very recently, his research has been recognized by a leading academic group in Europe. His style of teaching and knowledge drew great praise from the Risk Management students at both our Hartford and Stamford campuses.

“Jose has also shown great interest and objectivity in various academic issues currently under review by the department faculty. We are very pleased to have him as a colleague and look forward to many more productive years from him at the School of Business.”

The Best Paper Award is funded by the generous support of the Arnold M. Robin & Rochelle M. Robin Excellence Fund.

Related articles:

Professor Jose Martinez Earns Triple Recognition for Work on Dubious Investment Management

Professor David Weber Finds Lack of Enforcement Surrounds Key Provision of Sarbanes-Oxley Act

Picking Winners?

Posted on by Claire Hall

Professor Jose Martinez Earns Triple Recognition For Work on Dubious Investment Management

A four-year research project by UConn finance professor Jose Martinez found no evidence that recommendations by highly paid investment consultants to institutional investors subsequently outperformed the market.

Professor Jose Martinez

In his paper, “Picking Winners? Investment Consultants’ Recommendations of Fund Managers,” Martinez presents survey data from investment consultants with a combined share of 90 percent of the consulting market, and focuses on the recommendations consultants made for actively managed U.S. equity funds.Continue Reading

Have the Skills But Not Getting Promoted? Your Lack of Confidence May Be Sabotaging Your Career

Posted on by Claire Hall

Could you give a speech in front of a room of strangers? Would you have the courage to run for elected office? Could you ask for a raise—and stand a good chance of getting it?

Those were some of the questions that executive coach, lecturer and author Barbara Roche asked more than 100 people during a program titled, “Women, Wisdom and Worth.” Continue Reading

‘Demystifying Big Data’ is Subject of March 25 Breakfast Seminar Sponsored by University of Connecticut School of Business

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

2015-03-25_executive_breakfast_seriesThe University of Connecticut School of Business is offering a breakfast seminar titled, “Demystifying Big Data,” from 7:30 to 9 a.m. March 25 at the Society Room, 31 Pratt Street, Hartford. Professor Ramesh Shankar, assistant department head for the university’s information systems program, will discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with leveraging Big Data and extracting full value. Participants will gain an understanding of the business value offered by the emerging ecosystem of Big Data technologies such as Apache Hadoop, Spark, Hive, and others.

This a “must-attend” event for Human Resources, Marketing, Information Technology, Operations Management and Healthcare leaders as well as Chief Financial Officers, Chief Operating Officers and Chief Executive Officers. Business leaders will leave the seminar with an enhanced understanding of the potential of Big Data in their organization to improve functional and operational results.

Pre-registration is required and can be made online or by calling 860-486-5498. Seating is limited.

Dr. Shankar earned a Ph.D. from the Stern School of Business at New York University. His current research focuses on social media, strategic analysis of digital goods, such as software, music and video games, and the impact of information systems on business processes and structure of firms. He has served as a management consultant with many multinational corporations including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Morgan Stanley, Wipro Infotech and ICICI Ltd.

Business, Law Students Collaborate During UConn’s First Joint Negotiation Competition

Posted on by Claire Hall

The University of Connecticut School of Law hosted the first UConn Law School-UConn Business School Joint Negotiation Competition last month.

The event fostered professional achievement and collaboration among the students, with four MBA students continuing on to a regional competition at Villanova University in April.Continue Reading