Plan Sponsors Act Defensively in Making Investment Decisions

Plan Advisor – Newly published research finds that plan sponsors’ expectations of performance are driven by past performance, investment consultants’ recommendations, and soft factors which they identify in their asset managers, such as having a consistent investment philosophy, clear decisionmaking processes and capable investment professionals.

Researchers Howard Jones, from the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, and Jose Martinez, from the University of Connecticut School of Business, say the partial dependency of expected performance on past performance and soft factors is not, in itself, irrational. Investors could use such variables as signals of future performance. However, what they did find irrational is that past performance is relied upon when it is uninformative about future performance, and the same was true for soft factors.


Moving Beyond Crisis Mode: Successful Corporations Merge Short-Term Goals, Long-Term Strategy, Expert Says

In a corporate world that is obsessed with immediate results, there is still plenty of need for long-term, strategic thinking, said David Souder, a management professor and the academic director of UConn’s Executive MBA program.

In a lively presentation, which touched on everything from light bulbs to major league baseball, Souder told 40 business executives that a progressive company must always strive for a balance between short-term goals and long-term strategy. Souder outlined four steps to bringing long-term goals into focus.Continue Reading



Marketing Scholars Lurie and Pancras Invited to Mobile Marketing Thought Leadership Conference

Nick Lurie - Mobile Conf
Professor Nicholas Lurie engaged in workshop discussions.

Nicholas Lurie and Joseph Pancras, associate professors of marketing, were invited to the Thought Leadership Conference on “Mobile Marketing and its Implications for Retailing” held at the Mays Business School, Texas A&M University on Jan 21-23. Leading researchers in mobile marketing and industry practitioners participated in work group discussions on five different areas of mobile marketing.Continue Reading


Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program Offered at Yale University

Developing Leadership Skills Through Interdisciplinary Learning in a Culturally Diverse Environment

The Yale Global Pre-MBA Leadership program will develop your practical knowledge of business and management in a global context, and inspire you to draw upon your leadership abilities in order to make a positive impact in your personal and professional endeavors. It will introduce you to the impact of management education and give you the tools necessary to hone your individual leadership skills. This is a two-week program for recent graduates from cultural backgrounds under-represented in graduate management education; the Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program will help you learn more about global business while introducing you to the benefits of an MBA degree.

Leadership and Impact – The Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program grows out of Yale SOM’s mission to educate leaders for business and society. The program helps you build your leadership skills and capacity, so that you can build a successful career that has a positive impact on your community and the broader world.

Global Diversity – A central mission of the program is to expose students to global diversity. By meeting students from the United States and around the world, typically under-represented in management education, all participants will gain an understanding of the complexities within and between societies, a critical element of leadership in today’s flatter, but nonconvergent, world. One 2013 student commented, “One of the best parts of the program was the diversity and type of people in the classroom. I did not expect to get as close as I did to the many smart people selected to be in the program.”

Apply – The program will begin June 14. The application is available on the Global Pre-MBA Leadership website; apply by April 3.

Alumni Spotlight – Kimberly Foster ’13





MSFRM Spring Festival Gala with UConn CSSA

Happy Chinese New Year! Spring Festival is the most important holiday in Chinese culture. Last Friday the MSFRM program joined the UConn CSSA (Chinese Student and Scholar Association) for the UConn 2015 Spring Festival Gala. The free event for UConn students included a buffet, performance from UConn students and scholars, and a lot of fun games and gifts!Continue Reading


Schedule for the Spring 2015 Global Business Leadership Seminar Series (GBLSS)

Offered only during spring semesters, these seminars afford students the opportunity to earn a Professional Development Certificate from the School of Business while learning from international business leaders. This certificate is available to all graduate and undergraduate UConn students, and students may earn a certificate each spring semester if they so choose. A certificate is achieved by attending three out of the four GBLSS lectures offered during the semester (students complete and submit a registration form at each of the three lectures attended). It is a great place to network and will enhance the understanding of the global economy. Continue Reading