A Stevens’ Therapy Startup for Trauma Victims, and More – New York City News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week.
Mobile Treatment Tools Can Change Way People Recover from Trauma – Stevens Institute of Technology SOB News
The Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business recently profiled Mira Therapeutics, a new homegrown startup that uses tech to “help patients manage their symptoms, and give therapists powerful new treatment tools.”
Co-founded by Stevens students CJ Internicola, Seth Kirschner, Gregory Mercado, Nicholas Gattuso, and Annika Roll, the startup’s interactive Mira mobile app “guides patients through crises like flashbacks, anxiety attacks, and dissociation using clinically-established grounding techniques.
Specially designed for veterans, sexual assault survivors, police officers, medical providers, and many other people living with trauma, Mira also records progress by “automatically tracking symptoms and suggesting daily journal prompts.”
Internicola writes, “There are thousands of mobile apps on the market that improve mental health. We are creating technology that addresses problems unique to people living with PTSD. Mira is positioned to become a holistic improvement in the way people recover and grow from trauma.”
“We want to create technology that improves everyday life, translates into better therapy sessions, and ultimately, ameliorates suffering.”
You can find out more about the therapy startup here.
Democratizing Finance and the Unexpected Future of Fintech – Gabelli Connect
PayPal CEO Dan Schulman recently visited the Gabelli School of Business to share his insights about fintech at an event co-sponsored by the Gabelli Center for Global Security Analysis titled “Democratizing Finance: Expanding Access Through Fintech.”
Schulman told the audience, “We have a mission, which is democratizing financial services. It’s very inclusive [and it’s] about all citizens having access to the digital economy…probably the most important value for us is inclusion and diversity. Because if we have a mission that includes all citizens, we need to represent that as a company.”
Center for Financial Services Innovation president and CEO Jennifer Tescher used the event as an opportunity to talk about diversity in fintech—or lack thereof.
“I would say that, why don’t we have more women anywhere? I think it’s a particular challenge in the world of engineering, which cuts across any tech. Why don’t we have more women in financial services, forget about fintech. I think it’s a huge problem.”
You can find out more about the recent event here.
Summit Explores Future of Selling in a Digital World – Rutgers Business School News
As part of a summit that focused on “the future of selling in the digital world,” the Rutgers Business School recently hosted two panels comprised of a diverse array of sales executives:
Panel #1
- Phil Cohn, Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales for Samsung
- Jeff Clachko, Senior Vice President for NBC Sports Ad Sales
- Gary Carleton, President of Sales-Healthcare for UPS
- Tolga Akcura, Co-Founder of eBrandValue
- Joel Silverman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Synchronoss Technologies
Panel #2
- Rita Fawcett, Vice President of Cardiovascular Sales for Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Frank Palumbo, Senior Vice of Cisco’s Global Date Center Sale
- Rahsan-Rashan Lindsay, Executive Vice President, TV One
- Jim Sterbenz, Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales at Campbell Soup
The first panel “delved into the role of analytics, metrics and customer relationship management for sales professionals” while the second panel focused on the “challenges and opportunities in sales as a result of technology.”
The keynote speaker was Cocoa Exchange President John Wycoff who extolled the virtues of the growing gig economy, which forecasts to have 7.7 million workers by 2020 due in large part to the growth of digital sales tools.
You can find out more about the recent event here.
Oxford Saïd MBA Employment Rises Alongside Tech Industry Interest and New School Research
There’s no doubt that the tech industry and the MBA are becoming cozier. From fintech to well-known tech firms, MBAs are chasing after jobs at tech companies and vice versa. And this shift has definitely been felt and reflected at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School.
Over the last several weeks, the school has been talking up the importance of tech. It starts with the release of the latest Oxford MBA employment report, revealing that the employment rate had risen to 91 percent. It continues with the revelation that more MBAs are heading into the tech industry than ever before. From there, Saïd released a new research report, “Understanding Chief Digital Officers” to find out about this new position and how people can succeed in this new tech role.
As we said, it’s been a few busy weeks. So, we’ll take you on a brief deep-dive of the latest Oxford Saïd MBA tech news
Oxford MBAs Exhibit Mobility, Capability, and Interest in Tech
Although the UK is still facing a challenging economic environment, Oxford Saïd MBAs are overcoming. This year, the employment rate rose to 91 percent, and the average salary increased to £71,550, both of which are reliable indicators that Oxford MBAs are well set for their future careers. As Stuart Jagot, the Director of Career Development says, “Results demonstrate the international mobility and capability of the Oxford MBA.”
Jagot calls it a “tech revolution” with a significant number of MBA graduates launching successful tech careers. And much of that success is due to the school’s relationship with the industry.
For example, MBA student Daniel Peach worked in consulting before he took a year out to study at Oxford Saïd. From there, he built upon his tech credentials and analytical roles until he eventually landed an internship with Google. “Oxford Saïd’s relationship with Google was extremely helpful,” says Daniel. “The careers team also gave me some great preparation for the interview—particularly on behavioral aspects.” And he’s not the only success story.
MBA student Marla Woodward made the successful transition from product manager to a tech sector internship at Cisco. And William Ou made the transition to the fast-evolving world of fintech, thanks to his MBA at Oxford Saïd.
“When I arrived in Oxford there was so much going on with blockchain technology which, honestly, I had never heard of. In one of the many company presentations at the School, I met the people from Blockchain.info, the world’s most popular bitcoin wallet, where I eventually did my Summer Internship and got into the cryptocurrency/blockchain world.”
The new Digital Marketing Pathway for tech-minded students has been an enormous help. The pathway provides access to General Assembly online curriculum, which helps students develop the tech skills they need for their future careers. There’s also the Oxford Saïd Careers Academy, which helps MBA students with career development planning, guidance, practical exercises, and 1-1 coaching in their career of choice. Together, these programs have helped Oxford Saïd students become successful in tech careers. (Learn more.)
Oxford Saïd Goes Inside the Role of Chief Digital Officer
For the aforementioned “Understanding Chief Digital Officers” paper, the business school interviewed 41 Chief Digital Officers (CDOs) in 13 countries to understand who they are, what they do, and how they can be successful. Researchers found that the role was full of “challenging contradictions” with a severe lack of clarity around the role and a wide range of tensions.
Lead author Gillian Brooks says:
“The CDO role has typically been created by large, established companies who can feel under threat from digital disruption in their markets as well as being excited by the opportunities that new technologies can offer. But there is no consensus on the ideal background or qualifications for a CDO, where the role should sit in the organizational structure, or even what a CDO does.”
The authors explain that CDOs are forced to do their job and define it at the same time with other C-suite executives having no understanding of what a CDO does. This makes the CDO role highly dependent on the goodwill and support of the CEO because if they’re not on board with their position, then nothing gets done. At the same time, while a CDO’s role is transformative, it’s also transient, since many times they can end up making themselves redundant.
Author Michael Smets, Associate Professor in Management and Organization, says:
“We discovered that, whatever their background, the most successful CDOs were those who are comfortable with uncertainty and ambiguity. They embrace complexity and paradox by finding ways to make seemingly incongruent, contradictory elements of their roles fit together.”
The combination of Oxford Saïd’s MBA curriculum, which supports tech, and the School’s tech-centric research and career development have made the tech industry attractive for Saïd MBAs. And it doesn’t look like that interest will wane anytime soon.
You can learn more on the school’s website and check out the full report here.
Merage Jumps in Rankings, UCLA Grows Greener, and More
Let’s take a peak at some of the biggest Los Angeles business school stories that have emerged this week.
UC Irvine’s Merage School Jumps Forward in The Economist‘s Rankings – UCI Merage School of Business News
University of California, Irvine’s Paul Merage School of Business jumped forward in The Economist’s 2018 ‘Which MBA?’ rankings, with a move from 39th to 37th in the U.S., and 56th to 52nd in the global standings.
Assistant Dean Jon Kaplan of Merage’s MBA and specialty master’s programs says, “[What is unique about the program] is our focus on preparing students to be leaders in a digitally driven world. When you combine that with our continuous efforts to attract the best and brightest students and to provide them a one-of-a-kind experience, you start to see the rankings improve.”
Earlier this year, Merage’s Executive MBA program was ranked 20th in the U.S. and 30th globally. Dean Eric Spangenberg reiterates the program’s focus on digital transformation.
“Our team has done a great job of pivoting our curriculum to focus on how digital technologies are disrupting all aspects of the business world—not just in Silicon Valley, but across industries,” he says. “Students recognize that, and they choose to come here. This climb in the rankings is evidence not only of our teaching excellence and outstanding career services, but of the caliber of students we’re attracting.”
You can read more about Merage’s place in the rankings here.
How Green is Your Campus? – UCLA Anderson Blog
UCLA Anderson School of Management alum Nurit Katz (’08), the university’s Chief Sustainability Officer, recently gave a report on five major movements that the school has made to become a leader in green campus design.
For one, the business school’s Marian Anderson Courtyard is shaded from the California sun by ZON Powersol umbrellas that not only provide shade, but also utilize solar power for USB mobile devices.
In addition to the use of solar power, the school uses a 42-megawatt cogeneration plant that provides heat, cool air, and electricity for major facilities on campus such as the Regan Medical Center. The plant is partially powered by biomethane gas from a nearby landfill. The use of the gas drastically reduces the campus’ carbon footprint.
UCLA Anderson Chief Sustainability Officer Nurit Katz recently explained the major ways the LA school is moving forward with green energy innovation / Phot via blogs.anderson.ucla.edu
Green roof installation is another way the school is implementing sustainable technology, as shown in the Safdie Rabines Architects’ designed Court of Sciences Student Center food hall. Drought tolerant plants combine attractively with the surrounding landscape to provide natural cooling and water collection methods, while also providing attractive outdoor gathering space.
The Semel Healthy Campus initiative is another example of the school’s commitment to sustainability. With a garden at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, this initiative focuses upon healthy solutions for the campus and its neighbors by growing plants for food and medicinal purposes.
Finally, UCLA is working to reduce carbon emissions in the infamously congested city of Los Angeles through the use of the Bruin Bike Share system. This allows students to rent bikes for commuting around campus, making the standard non-automobile transit more visible. The project also allows inexperienced bikers to pair with those who are more seasoned to learn the rules of the road.
Graziadio Women in Leadership Series to Feature Intuit Exec – Pepperdine Graziadio Events
Mary Ann Somers, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Intuit, Inc., will be a featured speaker at Pepperdine Graziadio‘s Center for Women in Leadership (CWL) discussion series on November 8, 2018.
With a background at companies such as Coca-Cola, Hershey, Unilever, and Colgate-Palmolive, Somers has a wealth of experience in reviving struggling brands. She will speak about the increasingly relevant trends in FinTech, and the ways in which it has transformed production and profitability.
Since 2015, the Center for Women in Leadership has strengthened and empowered women in the Graziadio community, and connected them with leaders such as Somers as they move forward in their careers.
Somers’ discussion will take place at the West Los Angeles Campus from 4-6 p.m. on November 8. You can register here for the event.
New MBA Jobs: Morgan Stanley, Google, Nike, and More
Every MBA’s goal is to land their dream job, but why limit your choices to the United States? With so many great companies recruiting MBAs to develop businesses in markets across the globe, it’s hard to stay on top of all the opportunities out there. Here’s a selection of some of the most exciting open positions out there right now in the US, Europe and Asia: Continue reading…
McDonough FinTech Partnership Announced, and More – Washington DC News
What’s new in Washington DC’s business school scene lately? Let’s take a look in this week’s edition of our DC news roundup.
McDonough Announces Partnership for Global Fintech Innovation and Education — McDonough News
The McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University has partnered with the Fintech Consortium (FinCon) and announced a collaborative effort on a number of initiatives related to innovation and education in the rapidly growing field.
“Everything from technological advances like fintech or the impacts of globalization is changing the way business operates. Jobs are going to look different than they have in the past,” said Paul Almeida, dean of the McDonough School of Business. “This is why it is important for schools like Georgetown McDonough to ensure our students and alumni gain the right skills, mindsets, and relationships to be successful. This is why our faculty need to be at the forefront of producing thought leadership about these changes. And, this is why we must be innovative in our approaches to changing how and what we teach.”
According to the school, upcoming projects include the development of fintech certificate and degree programs, joint innovation labs, joint research and publication, and the exchange of fintech ecosystem data. FinCon will also invite McDonough faculty and students to take advantage of its global hubs in Singapore and Bahrain for the purposes of research and academic residencies.
You can learn more about this exciting fintech news here.
Anuj Mehrotra Named Dean of GWSB — GW News & Events
Anuj Mehrotra, a longtime administrator, researcher and faculty member at the University of Miami, will join the George Washington University School of Business this summer as the school’s new dean.
“‘I look forward to working with the school’s world-class faculty, professional staff, alumni, board members and other supporters as we continue to strengthen the school’s programs by anticipating and adapting to the shifting needs of students and the business community,’ Mehrotra said.”
Mehrotra has a track record of innovating MBA programs. At Miami, he led the development and launch of more than 10 new programs, including an online MBA and the Miami Executive MBA for the Americas, among others. He also taught various MBA and EMBA classes at Miami and Carnegie Mellon University.
Anuj Mehrotra
Read more about Mehrotra and his plans for GWSB here.
Alumnus and Podcaster Oscar Zeballos Talks Leveraging Unfair Advantages on Bootstrapping — News at Smith
The Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the Robert H. Smith School of Business produces its own podcast, Bootstrapped. Hosted by Elana Fine, Executive Director of the Dingman Center, and Joe Bailey, associate research professor at UMD Smith, each episode features interviews with founders, investors, and serial entrepreneurs.
The newest episode of the podcast gets a little meta, as UMD alumnus Oscar Zeballos EMBA 16, co-founder of Podcast Village and executive producer of Bootstrapped, joins the show to discuss the business model behind his podcast company and the future of podcasting.
To listen to the podcast, subscribe to Dingman Bootstrapped on iTunes or download the episodes on the Dingman Center website.
Cornell FinTech Disruption, Crowd-Funding Wisdom, and More – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York City business schools this week.
Fintech is Disrupting the Disruptors, and We’re Ready For It – Johnson School of Management Blog
S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management MBA candidate Arjun Devgan, ’18, highlighted how FinTech inventions such as cryptocurrencies, peer-to-peer lending, and smart insurance have begun to disrupt a post-PayPal landscape, which at one point disrupted traditional banking.
Devgan writes about two Cornell Tech intensives designed to “equip students to solve business problems in this age of digital transformation:” the digital marketing intensive and the fintech intensive.
“With my background in payments and remittances, the fintech intensive program offered me a launchpad to dive deep into the world of financial technology. Classes such as the Fintech Practicum, Business Models, Cryptocurrencies, and a Field Project with one of Citi Ventures’ portfolio companies offer a great combination of basic theoretical concepts and real-world experiential learning.”
Learn more about Johnson’s FinTech and Digital Marketing Intensives here.
Want People to Fund your Kickstarter Project? Sell Them on Your Reputation First – Binghamton School of Management Blog
Binghamton School of Management associate professor Ali Alper Yayla presented a new paper at the 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, which found that potential Kickstarter backers are more concerned about a producer’s “ethical characteristics than their actual ability to make and deliver the product.” Professor Yayla writes:
“We found that people worry more about the seller’s honesty than whether the seller actually has the ability and knowledge to finish and deliver on the product. People don’t want sellers to just take their money and run. Crowdfunding is interesting because you’re literally buying something that isn’t finished from a person who has never made it before. There are no product reviews, and there are no seller reviews.”
Read more about Yayla’s research here.
Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook’s Mess? – Forbes
In Len Sherman’s recent Forbes article “Can Mark Zuckerberg Fix Facebook’s Mess?”, the Columbia Business School executive in residence and adjunct professor noted the company’s seemingly astounding naivety of how much information was secretly (or not so secretly) being scrubbed for use by third party companies like Cambridge Analytica.
“It’s been hard to fathom how a company reputed to be run by one of the world’s most brilliant digirati, could have been so naïve in not recognizing the risks in giving outside developers broad access to Facebook’s user data, so lax in failing to ensure that rogue data in malevolent hands was destroyed before it could be weaponized, and so reluctant to advise users that their personal information was (and still is) floating around cyberspace. In short, what was Mark Zuckerberg thinking?”
Sherman theorizes that part of the issue is Zuckerberg’s sincere overconfidence that technology and innovation can only be used for a greater good, rather than being possibly manipulated by less-than-ideal forces. This, Sherman continues, was all done despite a litany of data that proved Facebook’s nefarious actors and less-than-strict partnerships were actively making the platform less safe year by year.
Click here to see the rest of Sherman’s work with Forbes.
