UC Irvine Jumps in FT Ranking, USC Alum Takes on MetroLink, and More – Los Angeles News
Let’s dig into some of the biggest business school news emerging out of Los Angeles this weekend.
Merage Climbs in Financial Times Rankings – Newswise
UC Irvine’s Merage School of Business has climbed in the Financial Times rankings, to 24th among nationwide schools and to 8th among public school of business in the U.S.
Dean Eric Spangenberg says of the rise, “We have always been committed to serving our students, and that effort is being recognized… Students know that when they choose the Merage School they’re changing their trajectory, gaining the skills and experience they need, whether they’re competing for influential, high-paying leadership jobs or launching their own businesses.”
Merage’s faculty diversity is also helping the school earn some well-deserved praise. More than half of the business school’s faculty are women, making it the first in the world for this distinction. Additionally, the school has the 7th highest salary increase for alumni compared to pre-MBA earnings.
As for research capabilities, Merage placed 37th in the world and 29th in the United States.
See the Newswire press release for more on the UC Irvine ranking. You can also read more about the recently released ranking FT here.
USC Marshall Alum to Revolutionize Metrolink – USC Marshall News
A USC Marshall School of Business alum is tackling an enormous task—shifting car-centric Los Angelenos to using public transportation.
Stephanie Wiggins, (EMBA ’07) has been named CEO of Metrolink, LA’s commuter rail system. She recently says of her appointment, “I’ve been in transportation for 24 years, and I’ve always been engaged on some level with Metrolink issues. But to now be in the C-suite … it’s a humbling experience [and] an incredible privilege.”
Metrolink may be an integral part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Wiggins is not only the first African American to be named to this position in the agency, but also the first woman. She will be facing with the additional challenge of revamping an outdated and underutilized system, which will be more important than ever during the 2028 Olympic Games.
Having held high level positions at several of the agencies that comprise Metrolink, Wiggins is perfectly suited to lead the way as the system evolves. Born in Oakland, CA, Wiggins attended Whittier College for business administration. After taking a temp job with the transportation commission in Inland Empire, CA, her career began to flourish during the pursuit of her MBA.
One of Wiggins’ primary projects has been implementing the FasTrak program on two of the major freeways in LA – the 10 and the 110. She noted, “I had to leverage everything I learned at USC … Not only to turn that project around but to get it deployed and operational and marketed. Everything I learned at USC Marshall helped me in getting the FasTrak™ lanes up and running.”
For more on Stephanie Wiggins and her role with Metrolink, read here.
California Economy Finishes 2018 on a Strong Note – Graziadio News
David M. Smith, Ph.D., a leading economist at Pepperdine Graziadio, was quoted recently in the LA Times on the recently released employment statistics for California.
While the rate of unemployment is declining, it does not necessarily mean the job market is truly stable. While “jobs are available for those who are in need of employment … Increasingly employers, especially small and medium-sized businesses, are struggling to find workers. Employers are grumbling about not having enough help and new hires simply not showing up,” Smith says.
He was, however, generally optimistic about the future of the California market. With a 3.2 percent rise countrywide in wages, the landscape for the state of California looks a bit brighter as well. Though the data is not yet available, Smith says, “we can say confidently it will closely mirror the national numbers.”
Click here to read more from the LA Times article.
USC Tells the Story of Their Own Hero, and More – Los Angeles News
We’ve rounded up the top news stories coming out of the Los Angeles metro this week.
A Hero MBA – USC Marshall Newsroom
The Marshall School of Business at USC recently celebrated the graduation of the MBA Class of 2018, including Marine Corps Cap. Corban Pierce. Pierce, his MBA now in hand, hopes to use his degree to start a nonprofit that will help children around the world.
“I wanted to find a school that shared my values of entrepreneurship and helping people,” Pierce recalled on his decision to attend Marshall in a recent interview. “I found that spirit at USC.”
Pierce, who has served the country as the executive officer at Reconnaissance Training Company in the Marine Corps. He was attracted to USC for their combination of unrelenting high standards and flexibility. Pursuing the online MBA at Marshall, Pierce was able to continue his work training young Marines at Camp Pendleton, be a father to his five-year-old son, and still earn his degree. He plans to continue his military service after graduation, and is excited to put the skills he learned in the program to work. “It’s not about solving major crises,” Pierce said, commenting on his long-term goal of using business to create lasting change.
“It’s solving small things.”
You can read more about Pierce’s experience with the USC Marshall Online MBA here.
California Gains More Than 39,000 jobs; Unemployment Falls to Record Low – LA Times
A recent LA Times report from the Employment Development Department revealed a boost in the California economy throughout April, despite worries of an economic downturn. In March, the unemployment rate in the state had fallen to a record low of 4.2 percent, but April showed widespread job growth throughout multiple sectors. In the professional and business services sector alone, California witnessed an increase of 8,500 jobs.
“Each month in 2018, it seems that California’s employment boom will end, and each month it continues,” commented former director of the Employment Development Department Michael Bernick. In fact, all metros in Southern California saw an increase in the number of jobs throughout April. With 11,200 added jobs, San Diego County had the highest of any region in the state, and Los Angeles was close behind with an increase of 6,400.
“Good numbers,” said Dave Smith, an economist at the Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management. “There are no signs of a potential downturn. The potential risk factors are overheating.”
Read more about California job gains and the employment report here.
ABC’s Move to Ax ‘Roseanne’ Reflects Businesses are Often at Front Lines of Culture Wars – U.S.A. Today
UCLA Anderson School of Management Jay Tucker, executive director at the Center for Media, Entertainment & Sports, recently commented on the cancellation of the Roseanne reboot by the ABC network, after its titular star, Roseanne Barr, posted several inflammatory tweets regarding Valerie Jarrett—a former aide under President Barack Obama—in comparison to apes from the ‘Planet of the Apes’ film franchise.
In an interview with USA Today, Tucker remarks, “In an earlier (TV) era, it would have taken half a season to make that decision after much internal analysis.”
“But the network now faces a backlash from other quarters. Many of the comedian’s fans blame the show’s cancellation on political correctness and are threatening a boycott of their own.”
You can read the remainder of the article here.
California Job Growth, and More – Los Angeles News
We’ve rounded up some of the biggest news coming out of Los Angeles business schools this week.
California Gains 35,500 jobs, and Unemployment Falls to Record-Low 4.4% – Los Angeles Times
In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Business and Management economist Dave Smith spoke about California’s remarkably positive streak of job growth, saying, “I don’t see how we can avoid decent wage growth, which is a positive thing for workers.”
“In Los Angeles County in January, employers added 7,200 jobs. In Orange County, payrolls rose by 4,300; in the Inland Empire they increased 2,000.” – Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times
You can read more about the story from the Los Angeles Times here.
Graduate Career Mentor Programs for Spring 2018 – CSULB Newsroom
The Graduate Career Mentor program for spring 2018 at the California State University, Long Beach College of Business and Administration kicked off on February 12th, continuing its work of connecting industry professionals with current CSULB graduate students. Currently, 20 graduate students in both the MS Supply Chain Management and Accelerated MBA program have mentors.
The program, which is overseen by assistant director of graduate business career services Michelle Levy, aims to pair current students with professionals to develop a strong mentor-mentee relationships. Not only will the mentor help students navigate through their business degree, but will also vastly expand their professional network, offering professional advice and helping discover new opportunities.
Click here for more information on the Graduate Career Mentor Program at CSULB, or to learn how to become a mentor yourself.
YouTube Will Add Information from Wikipedia to Videos About Conspiracies – The Verge
YouTube CEO and UCLA Anderson MBA alumni Susan Wojcicki has been dealt an unfortunate hand with her company; being forced to confront the rise of conspiracy theories.
Wojcicki spoke about the way YouTube is changing its methods at South by Southwest in Austin, saying, “When there are videos that are focused around something that’s a conspiracy—and we’re using a list of well-known internet conspiracies from Wikipedia—then we will show a companion unit of information from Wikipedia showing that here is information about the event.”
Buzzfeed technology reporter Ryan Mac recently discussed the issue in more detail on his Twitter feed, noting those utilizing the site to spread conspiracies tend to craft shady or out-right false information much faster than Wikipedia can counteract it.
.@SusanWojcicki “If there is an important news event we want to be delivering the right information.”
Minutes later she says, “We are not a news organization.”
— Ryan Mac (@RMac18) March 13, 2018
Find out more about Wojcicki and YouTube’s attempts to curb toxic conspiracies here.
UCLA Anderson Professor Andres Terech Talks Halo Top Success In LA Times
Halo Top, the healthier alternative to standard ice cream, has ousted Ben & Jerry’s and Haagen-Dazs, and is now the number one selling ice cream pint in grocery stores. In an interview with the LA Times from Ronald White, UCLA Anderson School of Management professor Andres Terech spoke on whether Halo Top’s model is sustainable.
Halo Top’s founder, Justin Woolverton, another UCLA graduate, perfected the ice cream recipe in his kitchen with a $20 ice cream maker. Woolverton was working as a lawyer at Latham & Watkins when he started experimenting in the kitchen to create an ice cream that would fit into his diet. After establishing Halo Top, Woolverton got the product into Whole Foods and a few other chains via cold-calling.
“It took me a year to figure out how to really make ice cream. I had a good $150,000 in credit cards just to rack up. I mean, it was headfirst. It was a risk,” Woolverton said.
Woolverton’s team does not work in traditional offices, but rather a co-working space in the Fairfax District of LA. The team members generally do the bulk of their work from home. They alternate between getting together at the co-working space and communicating electronically. According to Cal State Northridge Professor and Interim Dean, Deborah Cours, the team’s technique is to outsource production and distribution so that they can focus solely on brand strategy. In this way, Halo Top’s success is widely considered a testament to building a strong brand.
Halo Top has also been in the news lately because of its completely bizarre Kubrick-esque commercial, which is both the year’s most frightening ad as well as its best.
Terech received his Ph.D. in marketing from Anderson in 2004. His work on branding, pricing, and retail has appeared in publications like Case Research Journal and Harvard Business Review.
Metro Jobs Report: Seattle Minimum Wage, Breaking Up Amazon and More
Let’s dig into the latest job news …
UCLA Anderson Professor Explains Why Drug Prices Are So High
When drug prices go through astronomical price surges, a lot of blame goes around.
