Friday News – Sweetgreen Comes to Georgetown, Merage Honors Digital Transformation, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this week, including the Sweetgreen founders returning to their alma mater, Georgetown McDonough.
Center for Digital Transformation Selects Top Companies for Digital Innovators Award – Merage School of Business News
The Center for Digital Transformation at UC Irvine’s Merage School of Business named three companies that exemplify the center’s mission: “Advancing the competitiveness and productivity of business in the digital economy.”
Using responses from its annual survey, the Center selected Target, Aetna/CVS Health, and Quad/Graphics for work in reinventing themselves to compete in the digital economy. The six elements of each business that the Center observed were the companies’ culture of innovation; the level of technical ability of the workforce; how well the companies apply digital technologies; strategic vision; and the investments the companies made in new technology.
Vijay Gurbaxani, the Director of the Center for Digital Transformation, says “Our survey examined 150 companies, but among them, these three companies stood out. Transformation is especially challenging for legacy companies—[those] incorporated before 1990—because they have to change in fundamental ways that younger, natively digital companies don’t.”
The winners were honored at this year’s annual Road to Reinvention Conference, along with a dinner on March 20, 2019. For more on the Center and the conference, click here.
Sweetgreen Founders Reflect on Success – McDonough School of Business News
The founders of fast casual salad chain Sweetgreen visited their alma mater, McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University, to discuss the evolution of their company. The event, which took place on April 16, 2019, was part of McDonough’s Stanton Distinguished Leaders Series.
Georgetown McDonough School of Business alumni Jonathan Neman (B’07), Nicolas Jammet (B’07), and Nathaniel Ru (B’07), seen above, speaking at their alma mater on April 16 / Photo via msb.georgetown.edu
Jonathan Neman (B,07) says, “We found this niche in the market where there was an opportunity to have something that was fresh and healthy, but also affordable and fast.” Noting that he and his partners were challenged to find any healthy food choices on campus, Neman continues, “We wanted to figure out how we could create something essentially for ourselves in the beginning.”
Neman’s classmates, Nicolas Jammet and Nathaniel Ru came up with the idea during their senior year at Georgetown. After being turned down for funding, they decided to crowdsource from a reliable audience: friends and family. The team gathered $300,000 in funding and the company took off. Initially called ‘Greens’ the original location of the restaurant was on campus
With social impact at the heart of Sweetgreen’s business model, the founders have begun several initiatives involving sustainable farming and access to healthy foods for underserved communities. The company also seeks to reduce waste at every level of production.
New Study On Ways to Inoculate Teens Against Junk Food Marketing – Chicago Booth Newsroom
A professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business recently published research on the affects of junk food marketing on adolescents.
Professor Christopher Bryan, along with the other members of his research team, discovered a method to protect teenagers, (especially boys, who are most susceptible), against the harmful effects of food marketing. The study, which took place in a Texas middle school, presented students with an exposé-style piece on corporations that manipulate consumers to make unhealthy choices. The stories revealed facts to the students about how addictive junk foods are marketed to poor and vulnerable populations.
Another group of students were given more traditional marketing materials about the benefits of healthy eating. The first group made, on average, more healthy decisions at the cafeteria on subsequent days. Professor Bryan says, “What we’ve done is turn that around on the food marketers by exposing this manipulation to teenagers, triggering their natural strong aversion to being controlled by adults. If we could make more kids aware of that, it might make a real difference.”
The study, “A Values-Alignment Intervention Protects Adolescents from the Effects of Food Marketing,” was published in mid-April.
The Fox School is Hitting the Road – Fox School News
Temple University’s Fox School of Business is launching a new alumni event called “Fox on the Road,” with the goal of providing professional development and networking opportunities in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.
The events will feature keynote speakers on trends and topics in their industries. More details are coming soon, and Fox is seeking input on how the series can be most useful to alumni.
Upcoming events this spring include a joint effort with Wharton Alumni of Philadelphia at WeWork on 5/1, an Alumni Association Cheer Station at the Broad Street Run on 5/5, and a TedX Philadelphia talk on 5/15. The TedX Event’s theme will be “Unintended Consequences.”
Penn State Smeal College of Business names two new members to Board of Visitors – Penn State Smeal News
Penn State Smeal’s College of Business has announced two new members to its Board of Visitors, which advises faculty and administrators on strategic decisions and trends in each member’s industries.
Smeal alum Farid Alias is President and CEO of Maybank in Malaysia. He received the Penn State Alumni Association’s Alumni Fellow Award, the organization’s highest honor, in 2017. Jerome Griffith, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Smeal in 1979, is the CEO of Land’s End.
Smeal Dean Charles Whitema says of the appointments:
“Both Farid and Jerome have significant C-suite experience that I expect will enhance the programs and services we provide for Smeal students…I look forward to the contributions they will make in the years to come.”
Farid Alias was named CEO of the Year at the ASEAN Business Awards Malaysia in 2015 and was awarded the CNBC Asia Business Leader Award for Corporate Social Responsibility, also in 2015. He is Vice Chairman of Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, and is also a member of the ASEAN Banking Council, the Asian Banker Association, and the Visa Senior Client Council Program. Griffith formerly served in executive positions at Esprit, Tumi, Tommy Hilfiger, and the J. Peterman Company.
Click here for more on other members of the Board of Visitors.
Friday News Roundup – Rutgers Accounting Partnership Announced, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this week, including Rutgers accounting expanding.
Rutgers To Offer Accounting Students International Exposure – Rutgers Business School News
Rutgers Business School has partnered with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) to give certified students the ability to offer public finance services in countries outside the U.S.
The memo of understanding between Rutgers and CIPFA states that current students and graduates of the Masters in Governmental Accounting Program can qualify to practice internationally after completing the online certification course, which will begin in September 2019.
Among the advantages of the CFA designation are access to networking opportunities, seminars, and ongoing professional development throughout one’s career—in addition to the ability to practice internationally. Rob Whiteman, Chief Executive Officer of CIPFA, says of the agreement. “CIPFA is delighted to be entering into a partnership with Rutgers University that will allow us to share our expertise and explore common goals to the benefit, not only of the students, but the public sector globally, which can only gain through greater cooperation among government accountants … [the] memorandum of understanding will enable the development and retention of top talent for government accounting.”
CIPFA CEO Rob Whiteman (center), alongside Dean Lei Lei (left) and Professor Irfan Bora at the Feb. 27 signing. / Photo via business.rutgers.edu
Click here for more about the CIPFA and Masters in Governmental Accounting program.
LeBow Hosts Webinar for Customizable MBA and More – Lebow News
On March 12, 2019 from 12-1 p.m., Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business will host a webinar for those interested in its customizable MBA. Information will also be available on all other postgraduate business education.
The session is open to all current and future students, and to full time, part time and international students.
Attendees will be able to connect one-on-one with admissions staff during the webinar, which will cover the following: full-time MBA; part-time MBA on the Philadelphia campus and in Malvern; the Online MBA; and the Masters programs in Accounting, Business Analytics, Economics, Supply Chain Management and Logistics, Marketing, and Quantitative Finance.
To register for the webinar, click here.
Goizueta Panelists on the State of Healthcare in 2040 – Goizueta Business School Insights
Emory University’s Goizueta Business School recently hosted a panel of senior managers from multiple healthcare sectors who made predictions on the future of the industry for both providers and consumers. Moderated by Associate Professor in the Practice of Organization and Management Renee Dye, the panel’s discussion focused specifically on the state of healthcare in the year 2040.
Panelists Jeff Fusile, President of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia; Judith Monroe, President and CEO of the CDC Foundation; Dane C. Peterson, Chief Operating Officer of Emory Healthcare; and Mike Van Den Eynde, Managing Director of Deloitte Strategy and Operations at Deloitte all contributed their insights at the February event.
Jeff Fusile commented on the rising cost of insurance:
“More than half of a family’s gross income goes to cover the average family of four’s healthcare cost—not a sick family, not a healthy family, the average family … “If we don’t make a change, 10 years from now, maybe 20 years from now, we’ll be here saying, ‘Now it costs 100 percent of your gross income.’”
Monroe’s remarks pointed out the complex factors involved in the growth of healthcare:
“The future really will depend on a complex web of things, all the way from science, technology and data to economics, political factors, social factors and certainly environmental factors … By 2040, we’re going to have new devices that we can’t imagine today. When you wake up, you’re going to have real-time blood pressure, biometrics and blood chemistries.”
Each panelist pointed out the vast changes that healthcare tech will undergo, along with the shift that will be necessary in order for the healthcare business to become consumer focus as opposed to profit driven.
Check out more from the recent panel here.
Loyola’s Sellinger School Announces New Classes in Downtown Baltimore – Loyola News
Loyola University Maryland’s Sellinger School of Business has announced that it will offer classes for its new Professional’s MBA hybrid cohort in Downtown Baltimore.
The Center Club at the Transamerica Building will be home to the cohort, which meets in conference rooms on Mondays from 6:30-9 p.m. The Professional’s MBA (PMBA) is offered as a part-time degree for professionals from all backgrounds, and it is designed so that students may pursue the degree at their own pace.
The Transamerica Building, the tallest in Baltimore, will host classes for the Sellinger School of Business Professional’s MBA hybrid cohort.
“We are delighted to open a downtown location that will bring our excellent business courses we offer into the heart of Baltimore …So many professionals live and work [here], and Loyola wants to meet them where they are,” says Sellinger Dean Kathleen A. Getz, Ph.D.
PMBA students, who will take 33-42 credits, will complete the remainder of the coursework online, but the Center Club will be the cohort’s hub for meeting and learning. For registration info and more on the PMBA click here.
Mendoza College of Business’ New “Interterm” Gives Real World Experience – Mendoza News
University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business now offers a unique course in which students can flex real world skills while earning credits and providing community service.
The “Interterm” is offered in the first week of March, and it is meant to promote engagement with organizational partners to complete a selection of projects that will benefit the company, the student, and the surrounding community. Thirty-four partners from across the country signed on for Interterm. Among them was HUNGRY, a catering company in Washington, D.C.; Waves for Water, which helped distribute filtration kits to those affected by Hurricane Maria, and the Catholic Volunteer Network, which will partner students with young people in Takoma Park, MD.
After an extensive survey process with Mendoza’s MBAs, the program was revamped from classroom case-studies to the experiential learning model that it used this year. Alice Obermiller, Associate Director for Experiential Learning in Graduate Business Programs says of the new curriculum, “[Students] wanted to engage in activities that tangibly built up their resume with demonstrated experiences working on real and timely issues … like most of us, [students] have many competing priorities, so they want to engage in things purposefully and that serve them most at the time.”
In addition to the Interterm projects, students will be able to take part in international immersion programs in China, South America, and South Africa. For more on Interterm and the immersion programs, click here.
Wharton Announces 2017 Graduation Speakers
The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business has announced its 2017 graduation speakers for the EMBA and MBA programs on both the Philadelphia and San Francisco campuses.
As in the past, Wharton’s ceremony will feature an exemplary roster of graduate alumni along with renowned faculty.
USC Marshall Prof Honored for Entrepreneurship Education
A USC Marshall School of Business professor of clinical entrepreneurship received top honors at a recent ceremony held by the U.S. Association for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) in Philadelphia.
Jill Kickul, head of Marshall’s Brittingham Social Enterprise Lab and professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship, received the honor during the association’s annual awards program. Continue reading…
Graziadio Alum on the Growth of LA’s Startup Scene
A Pepperdine University Graziadio School of Management MBA alum recently took to the keyboard to author an article on the thriving entrepreneurial community in Los Angeles.
Nobel Chang, (MBA ’15) co-founded Radiant Sky Energy, an asset management company specializing in the business of solar power.
UD’s Lerner College of Business Launches Diversity Council
The University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics has announced a new Diversity Council initiative that will appeal to MBAs and other students across the board.
Comprised of students, faculty and staff, the Lerner Diversity Council (LDC) will promote a climate of acceptance across gender and racial lines both on campus and in the wider community.
