News

All School of Business pressroom news

Business Briefs (Summer 2013)

Posted on by

Bridging the Gap between Business and Human Rights

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 3 (Summer 2013)

businessbriefs_humanrights

Robert C. Bird, Northeast Utilities Chair in Business Ethics and associate professor of marketing, and his colleagues hosted a colloquium titled, “Bridging the Gap between Business and Human Rights.” The event took place on May 14-15, 2013 to explore the potential for common ground between business and civil society groups in the area of human rights. Attendees at the conference explored how firms perceive and interact with human rights, examined how voluntary regimes can positively influence business behavior, and analyzed how multinational corporations can align their interests with human rights in their chosen markets.

Pictured: Lisa Laplante (UConn School of Law), Stephen Park (UConn School of Business), and Norman Bishara (University of Michigan) during the May colloquium,”Bridging the Gap between Business and Human Rights.

UConn Students Win 1st Place in Statewide Competition – Venture Business Category

On Friday, April 26, eighteen finalists from nine Connecticut universities competed in the statewide 2013 Connecticut Collegiate Business Model Competition. Among the first place winners were UConn School of Business undergraduates Tim Hidu ’13 and Paul Melancon ’13, whose business, Sea Green Organics, was awarded first place in the venture business category, coming ahead of three competing MBA teams from other universities. Sea Green Organics aims to commercially produce and distribute an organic liquid seaweed-based lawn fertilizer.

Travelers EDGE Scholars Identify Growth Opportunities for Local Organization

Travelers EDGE Scholars Begum Abadin ’15, Kurtis Adei ’14, Janice Tate ’14 and Andrea Llivichuzhca ’14 presented a marketing strategy to the New England Air Museum (NEAM) as part of the Travelers EDGE Venture project for 2013. Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment) works to help underrepresented students attain college degrees, as well as a competitive edge when entering the job market.

NBC Sports and Olympics at Stamford Learning Accelerator

Executives from NBC Sports and Olympics in Stamford met with over 80 UConn students at the Stamford Learning Accelerator (SLA) in March. Arranged by Brian Brady, director of the SLA and instructor in residence, the event was video streamed live from Stamford to the School of Business Café in Storrs, where students at the main campus were able to simultaneously participate and pose questions to the NBC Sports team.

MIS Students Develop Tracking System for Connecticut Department of Banking

During the Spring 2013 semester, a team of Management Information Systems (MIS) students, as part of their capstone course taught by Professor and Ackerman Scholar Sulin Ba, developed a Microsoft SQL Server based Enforcement and Examination Tracking System for the Consumer Credit Division of the Connecticut Department of Banking. Despite the complexity of the project, the students were able to provide a system solution that the Consumer Credit Division staff can incorporate and use.

Cigna CIO Mark Boxer ’87 MBA Addresses Undergraduate Business Students

businessbriefs_markboxer

UConn School of Business Dean John A. Elliott welcomed Mark Boxer ’87 MBA, executive vice president and chief information officer at Cigna, to campus on March 12th. Boxer spoke to a full audience of 240 undergraduates about the importance of information technology in the insurance industry and for Cigna. He also shared his career experiences and spoke about Cigna’s career opportunities in information technology for business majors.

Pictured: Undergraduate students gather to hear Mark Boxer ’87 MBA speak on the importance of information technology.

Marketing Students Develop Advertising and Promotional Campaign for 2013 Honda Civic

businessbriefs_hondacivic
In an Integrated Marketing Communications course taught by William Congdon ’75, former publisher of Popular Mechanics and adjunct lecturer, a team of students—named the “Blueprint Integrated Marketing Team”—engaged with EdVentures, Inc. to develop “Honda Push-Play,” an advertising and promotional campaign for the 2013 Honda Civic Sedan.

Pictured: UConn students experience the 2013 Honda Civics on Fairfield Way and participate in games and giveaways.

UConn School of Business Ranked Among Top 100 Most Social Media Friendly MBA Schools

Evaluated on presence and activity levels in social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and others, the University of Connecticut School of Business was ranked among the “Top 100 Most Social Media Friendly MBA Schools for 2013” by OnlineMBAPage.com.

Read More

View all business briefs, accolades, and media mentions at business.uconn.edu/pressroom.

Message from the Dean (Summer 2013)

Posted on by

This article first appeared in the UConn Business magazine, Volume 3, Issue 3 (Summer 2013)

Dean ElliotWhat a year it has been, and what an exciting year is approaching. In this issue of the UConn Business magazine we celebrate a number of recent events and initiatives, but the big news is certainly Next Generation Connecticut, the transforming decision by the State of Connecticut to invest $1.5 billion in UConn over the next ten years. Key features of this investment are the need to foster economic growth and the desire to ensure that students have access to education that will prepare them for key career opportunities, while also developing them as people, as citizens. These features are at the core of who we are and what we do.

As you will read in this issue, we offer an innovative Master of Science in Business Analytics and Project Management, which prepares its graduates for great careers in a rapidly growing industry. You can hardly open a newspaper today without seeing examples of data analytics at work: whether it is about pushing advertisements to you as you shop online; or analyzing the human genome and drug efficacy; or searching for cyber-terrorists. While not all of our programs are in the news daily, our various programs excel at preparing our students for excellent career opportunities.

Also in this issue you will read about our very successful and over-subscribed Geno Auriemma Leadership Conference held at Mohegan Sun this spring. It brought executives together from across Connecticut and beyond to examine leadership practices, with particular attention to leading a diverse, cross-generational work force. This is one of many examples of active engagement with the business community in mutually beneficial ways. The article in this issue on the Northeast Utilities project is an example of such a partnership. Over several semesters our students worked under the guidance of a faculty member to help NU develop a solution for their need to have more diverse suppliers prepared to bid on projects and deliver services and products to NU. We are pleased not only by the resulting program to train venders, but also by the significant learning opportunity that our students enjoyed as they encountered real world problems and worked with faculty and NU executives to define and solve the problem.

The Next Generation initiative has other significant features that will transform UConn and the School of Business. We will be doubling the size of the student body at the Stamford campus, and many of those students will be business students. We will also add residential facilities and thereby transform the student experience. UConn is moving its West Hartford campus into downtown Hartford, and we will be able to co-locate our undergraduate and graduate business programs to that location. This will be very good for our programs and equally good for the city of Hartford. A more vibrant downtown is in everyone’s interest. Finally, we will be adding some 5,000 new students to the Storrs population and many will want to pursue business.

So this year will be exciting as we begin to implement these initiatives. We will be hiring exceptional new faculty to support our growth. We will be welcoming outstanding students. As these groups come together, I look forward to sharing their stories with our alumni and friends. Thanks, as always for your interest and support.

elliott_john_signature

John A. Elliott

Dean

Edwin W. Tucker

Posted on by

In Memoriam: Edwin W. Tucker

Edwin Tucker who served as Professor of Business Law at UConn for 39 years, passed away on May 16, 2013. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of New York University and Harvard Law School, he also received graduate degrees from New York Law School and Trinity College. Following service in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict and a law practice in Brooklyn, NY, he began a long teaching career at the UConn School of Business. Teaching was his passion, and he deservedly received numerous awards, including the E. Harris Harbison Award for Gifted Teaching, the School of Business Outstanding Teacher. Professor Tucker wrote over 100 legal articles and authored/co-authored six legal textbook. He retired in 2003 as a Distinguished Alumni Professor and Professor Emeritus of Business Law.

Ed and his wife, Gladys (who passed away in 2009) having shared 57 years of marriage were long-time members of the Storrs community. They were very generous with their time and support of many local social service organizations. He is survived by his daughter, Pamela Tucker (New York, NY) and his son Sherwin (East Granby, CT). Memorial donations may be made to Windham Hospital Foundation, 112 Mansfield Avenue, Willimantic, CT 06226.

UConn Business | Volume 3, Issue 3 | Summer 2013

Categories:

Marketing Professor, CIBER Director Receives AMA Global Marketing Award

Posted on by Claire Hall

Professor Subhash Jain, Marketing Department, has been selected by the Board of the American Marketing Association Global Marketing Special Interest Group (GlobalSIG) to receive the AMA Global Marketing SIG’s 2013 Significant Contributions to Global Marketing Award. This eminent award recognizes a marketing educator for a lifetime of significant contributions to the field. The key criterion is the achievement of a record that has influenced the advancement of global marketing and thought.

Jain, director of the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) at UConn School of Business, was commended for his research, teaching, and service contributions that have helped disseminate global marketing knowledge across the globe. The award was presented by Secretary of the Global Marketing SIG, Professor Frank Franzak of Virginia Commonwealth University, at the Global Marketing SIG Member Reception. The reception was held on Saturday, August 10, 2013 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts, as part of the American Marketing Association 2013 Educators’ Conference.

Pictured: Professor Frank Franzak, Virginia Commonwealth University, Marketing Department Head Robin Coulter, UConn, and Professor Subhash Jain, UConn.

Accounting Professor Receives National Educator Award

Posted on by Claire Hall

Richard Hurley ’94 Ph.D., professor of accounting at the UConn School of Business, received the prestigious National Educator Award from the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) on July 17. The award, which “was formally established to recognize an individual who has made significant contributions to educating and training government financial managers for more than two decades,” was presented to Professor Hurley at the Association’s Annual Professional Development Conference (PDC) training event in Dallas, Texas.

From the Association of Government Accountants (AGA):

“Dr. Hurley received this award in recognition of his vast contributions to the education and training of accountability professionals and students in advancing financial management. His presentations, courses and writings cover a wide range of accountability topics and his expertise as a practitioner and university professor is quite evident. He consistently receives excellent evaluations of his work and is well-respected in the field of government financial management. Dr. Hurley is a member of the AGA New York Capital Chapter.

Dr. Hurley has been a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York for 30 years and has also been a licensed Attorney in the State of New York for over 35 years and is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Tax Court.

He has written the fraud edge column for Fraud Magazine, which is a column devoted to fraud education for the benefit of academics and practitioners, and he currently co-authors a column entitled Global Fraud Focus.

He is also a member of the New York Society of CPA’s and is a member of the Forensic Litigation Services Committee of the State Society and a member of the Anti-Money Laundering & Counter Terrorist Financing Committee.

Dr. Hurley has written and presented in the field of accounting and security fraud and auditing issues related to fraud detection and prevention. Dr. Hurley teaches MBA courses in Financial Accounting and Reporting, Financial Statement Analysis, Forensic Accounting & Fraud Examination for UConn in Stamford, Connecticut where he has been a professor for 14 years.”

Professor Hurley will be giving several presentations this upcoming fall, speaking to three AGA chapters: Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Lincoln, Nebraska. He will also be speaking at the annual investigator’s conference for MetLife and John Hancock this coming October.

Upcoming UConn Stamford Conference to “Celebrate Women Entrepreneurs” in Connecticut – SOLD OUT

Posted on by Melissa Ferrigno

SOLD OUT – The Connecticut Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs Conference is sold out. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Connecticut’s first state-wide conference celebrating and supporting women entrepreneurs arrives Friday, September 20, 2013 at 8:30 a.m. at UConn’s Stamford campus. The event provides women business owners with an opportunity to network, showcase and expose their ventures to a state-wide audience, participate in a variety of educational and business building workshops, as well as meet, share ideas, and network with other women entrepreneurs.

This event is being presented by the UConn School of Business. Sponsors include Webster Bank as the Platinum Sponsor, TD Bank as a Gold Sponsor, and First County Bank as a Silver Sponsor. Bronze Sponsors include: People’s United Bank, Northwestern Mutual/The Bender Financial Group, Wells Fargo Advisors, Logicbroker, and LLBH Private Wealth Management of Westport, Connecticut. Hearst Media Services is the exclusive media sponsor.

Helping to greet attendees at this event will be Mary Holz-Clause, UConn’s vice president of economic development. Holz-Clause, whose office hosts the CT Small Business Development Center and administers several incubator programs to help entrepreneurs, states, “Women entrepreneurs often face unique challenges in growing their business. This conference will provide a forum for discussion, support, and identifying resources for helping women-owned business to thrive in Connecticut.”

This event begins in the morning with registration and continental breakfast and runs through an optional afternoon luncheon. Most of the activities are free and there is also no charge to register. Attendees can rent an exhibit table to market and sell their products and services during the event for $30. There is a cost for the keynote luncheon which is $50 per guest.

Says event co-founder Valarie Gelb, CEO and founder of TheBarnYardGroup, “Women entrepreneurs are vitally important to the economy in the State of Connecticut and this gathering of successful women gives us an opportunity to network and to celebrate our success.”

Representatives from the State of Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development as well as other organizations such as Connecticut Innovations and the Small Business Development Center will also be available to help attendees leverage available resources from the state. In addition, attendees will be able to attend free educational workshops on a variety of relevant topics that range from getting funding for your business, leveraging digital media, and accessing available resources from the State of Connecticut.

Janis Collins, startup company advisor at the Stamford Innovation Center, will be leading an event workshop on business/entrepreneur resources available from the State of Connecticut. “It is a great time to be a woman entrepreneur in the State of Connecticut. Not only have we committed the resources to help new ventures get off the ground faster—and more successfully—we have designed support programs to meet the unique needs of women entrepreneurs. Representatives from some of these resources will be attending the event to provide information about these programs,” she says.

The conference will conclude with an afternoon luncheon featuring keynote speaker Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of Bigelow Tea based in Fairfield, Connecticut, the #1 special tea company in the United States. Cindi will speak on leadership and motivation: “Leadership, what does that mean and how do we work on being the best leaders we can be? That is a question that must be a part of our daily thought process because only with strong and dynamic leadership can we expect to achieve success in our businesses. I will share with you my key areas of focus for getting my most motivated and effective teams all working together to drive the business forward,” shares Bigelow.

Event Details

All Connecticut women business owners and entrepreneurs from early stage to high-growth companies are welcome to attend.* Registration is free; just click uconn.biz/2013women to sign up.

Connecticut Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs
Friday, September 20, 2013
8:30am – 2:00pm
UConn Stamford Campus
Stamford, Connecticut
Register here >>

Join or follow the Twitter conversation: #CTCelebratesWomen

For more information about this event, contact Brian Brady, director of the Stamford Learning Accelerator, UConn School of Business at brian.brady@business.uconn.edu; Tim Dowding, associate director of the International Business Accelerator and professor, UConn School of Business, at tim.dowding@business.uconn.edu; or Valarie Gelb, CEO, TheBarnYardGroup at vgelb@thebarnyardgroup.com.

*Please note: While the Connecticut Celebrates Women Entrepreneurs one-day conference on September 20th is a celebration of women entrepreneurs, men are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Accounting Department Summer 2013 Newsletter Now Available

Posted on by Claire Hall

The Summer 2013 Accounting Department Newsletter is now available. There are many accomplishments by our students, faculty and alumni reported on the pages of this issue of the Newsletter. To highlight a few of these accomplishments, Emily Finn ’13 coordinated the VITA Program, which prepared 573 non-citizen tax returns. Emily and Kristina Allen ’09, ’13 MSA were selected as 2013 Hall of Fame Student Fellows. Annie Jensen ’13 was selected by the University Women’s Center as the School of Business recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Woman Academic Achievement Award. Congratulations to Ph.D. students Danielle Higgins and Li Qu for finishing their studies and best wishes for their faculty careers, Danielle at Baruch College and Li at Florida Atlantic University.

Congratulations to faculty members Sarah Rice and Dave Weber on their promotion to associate professors with tenure. Welcome to our new colleagues, Paul Glotzer and Arthur Schmeiser. Paul and Art bring a wealth of experience after distinguished service in the profession, Paul with the FASB and Shein, Cohen, Palmer & Company, LLC and Art as senior partner with Deloitte. In addition, we hope to add several tenure track faculty over the next two years.

» Access the Summer 2013 Accounting Department Newsletter (PDF)

In this issue:

  • Accountant of the Year
  • Annual Honors Banquet
  • New Advisory Council Members
  • Experiential Learning
  • Student Spotlight: Annie Jensen
  • Ph.D. Spotlight
  • 2013 Hall of Fame
  • Alumni Spotlights: Kimberly Foster, Pat Notti, and Scott Cowen
  • Alumni News & Notes
  • Faculty Accomplishments

Read the full newsletter here.

UConn Real Estate to Present at International Conference on Residential Housing Policy in China

Posted on by Claire Hall

The UConn Center for Real Estate and Urban Economic Studies is playing a key role in the International Conference on Residential Housing Policy in China, taking place at the end of July in Shenzhen. The conference will focus on housing policies and systems in China after twenty years of reform in their housing market system. The UConn Real Estate Center co-sponsored the conference together with the Shenzhen Real Estate Research Center and the Real Estate Research Institute at Tsinghua University.

Two UConn professors are among five guests from the United States invited to make presentations to an audience of Chinese scholars and government administrators. Professor and Center Director John Glascock will be discussing housing markets development and Professor Katherine Pancak will be discussing real estate law issues. The additional U.S. speakers asked to share their expertise in housing policy are Professor Robert Edelstein from the University of California-Berkeley, Dr. Alex Schwartz, author of “Housing Policy in the United States,” and Frank Nothaft, chief economist at Freddie Mac.

UConn EMBA in China 2013

Posted on by Claire Hall

Eighteen Executive MBA (EMBA) students from the UConn School of Business recently visited China as part of their Global Business Issues class.

Led by Professor Robin Coulter, EMBA academic director and Ackerman scholar, the group spent ten days in Beijing, the second largest city in China. They engaged with in-country business executives across multiple industries, becoming better versed in global business challenges and gaining first-hand experience in the dynamics of international business management.

Experiential learning is an important part of the UConn EMBA, which strives to develop truly global managers and thought leaders. For more than twenty years, the international study trip has enabled participants to experience firsthand how concepts and theories learned in the classroom are applied in the global arena.

Beijing is a modern metropolis full of vitality, together with a history of over 3,000 years. In addition to corporate visits, students were able to experience several historical wonders including the Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China.

Trip Highlights

U.S. Embassy – EMBA students had the opportunity to meet with Andrew Billard, a Commercial Officer working for the U.S. Commercial Service in China. Billard talked with students about doing business in China and how the Commercial Service helps bring American goods and services to China. (Pictured: UConn EMBAs visiting the U.S. Embassy in China)

Great Wall – EMBA students had the chance to visit one of the greatest wonders of the world. The Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus. With a history of more than 2000 years, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. »See photo

To view more photos from the trip, please visit us on Facebook.

Finance Department Professor Awarded GARP Grant

Posted on by Claire Hall

Assistant Professor Chanatip Kitwiwattanachai, Finance Department, UConn School of Business, has received funding from the 2013 GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) Risk Management Research Program for the project, “Learning Network Structure of Financial Institutions from CDS Data.” Grants are given under the condition that the paper contains new and original work. The project is one of six selected out of 56 proposals for an award of $15,000.

Projects were selected for funding in 2013 by a research committee of risk management practitioners, academicians, and researchers chaired by Professor René Stulz of The Ohio State University. According to GARP, the research committee seeks to provide funding for:

  • projects offering unique approaches and insights into problems of significance to risk management professionals;
  • projects of particular relevance to current global financial risk management issues and needs; and
  • projects with significant potential for bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Kitwiwattanachai’s project attempts to use techniques from artificial intelligence to extract network structure from credit derivatives such as CDS (credit default swaps). The project will shed light on how banks are connected in the system which will have implications on policy making such as the “too-interconnected-to-fail” problem.