Rutgers Students Spark Social Entrepreneurship, and More – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week, including Rutgers students jumping into social entrepreneurship.
Artificial Intelligence Gets Real – Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business Blog
Artificial Intelligence is now a $20 billion global industry and investment in AI is projected to triple in the next three years. AI is gradually reshaping many aspects of our daily lives right now. For instance, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Echo use AI-type processes, along with Google Maps and Translate. Notably, AI has become integrated into our transportation and medical systems, from self-driving buses, to diagnosing X-rays, AI has shown itself to be highly reliable for many processes.
Electrical and computer engineering professor K.P. “Suba” Subbalakshmi and founding director of SIAI (the Stevens Institute for Artificial Intelligence), asserts, “Simply put, our vision is to drive AI research and application that solves some of those tough ‘big’ problems that have so far resisted solving.”
AI will profoundly reshape society as we know it, but Subbalakshmi reassures the public,”It will permeate everything that we are doing, that’s a fact. But how it’s going to permeate sensibly and how that will affect our lives is in our hands, not the machines’.”
You can read more from the recent Stevens blog entry here.
Enactus Competition Sparks Student Interest in Social Entrepreneurship – Rutgers Business School News
Enactus is a group at Rutgers Business School that fosters social entrepreneurship as a way for students to empower their communities. Ben Foresti, a member of Enactus, worked with the chapter’s executive board to organize a social case competition that inspired a group of Rutgers students to create a unique high school-based incubator program to address food insecurity in New Brunswick.
“We thought a case competition would be a good way to introduce the wider public of Rutgers to social entrepreneurship,” Foresti says.
Foresti shares how he become involved in Enactus:
“While I was exploring clubs to join, I thought I wanted something that would give me good professional development and I was also looking to do something volunteer related. Enactus seemed like a good intersection of the two concepts. It offers professional development and there’s also the focus on improving your community in a sustainable way. It struck me as a perfect organization.”
Foresti reflects on his motivations for holding a social case competition. “We thought a case competition would be a good way to introduce the wider public of Rutgers to social entrepreneurship.”
You can find out more about the article here.
The Evolution of Wine Futures Pricing Research – Whitman School of Management News
Recently, professor Burak Kazaz of Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management delivered a talk late last year, offering faculty and Ph.D. students a closer look into his research on wine futures pricing. Kazaz’s research collected a range of data from New York to the Bordeaux region of France in order to to build a mathematical model that would predict wine futures prices.
During his talk, Kazaz provided an overview of the wine supply chain, which begins with the winemakers. He notes:
“It is important to note these wine markets do not sell only physical bottles of wine. They also sell wine futures. ‘En primeur,’ or wine futures, is a purchase method that allows distributors to purchase wine while it is still in the barrel before it is bottled.”
Kazaz’s predictive model has shown astonishing accuracy, with an average error rate of only 10 percent. Neil Taylor, vice president at Live-ex wrote to the team lauded Kazaz, “Your predictive model is certainly the most accurate I have seen of all of the work we have either done ourselves or participated with.”
Check out more from the recent article here.
Strong Hiring Numbers Highlight Banner Year for NYC School – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week.
Strong Hiring Proves Employers Crave Stevens’ Blend of Business, Technology Skills – Stevens Institute of Technology SOB Blog
The class of 2018 at the Stevens Institute of Technology’s School of Business recently posted a 98 percent placement rate, earning salaries of $72,480; far above NYC and national averages. The Stevens MBA focuses on how data and analytics are changing the way professionals work and how technology creates new opportunities while solving complex problems.
Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies Dr. Ann Murphy notes, “We enjoy close relationships with managers in financial services, accounting, technology and media, which keeps us ahead of the rapid changes in industry. That real-world input influences our curricula, which helps our students get better internships and the jobs they want upon graduation.”
Seth Kirschner ’18, who majored in Business & Technology before accepting a position as a cyber risk advisory consultant with Deloitte, asserts, “The industry expertise of the faculty at Stevens comes through so clearly in the classroom. You’re learning from professors like Dr. Kevin Ryan, who have patents and years of experience in the telecom industry, or a turnaround strategist like Dr. Murad Mithani, who teaches you how to change a failing company. As a student at Stevens, you’re surrounded by excellence.
You can read more about the Stevens’ Class of 2018 here.
The Social Benefits of Candid Photos – NYU Stern School of Business News
New joint research from NYU Stern Professor Alixandra Barasch finds that candid photos elicit a more favorable response in certain social situations because they are seen as more authentic.
Barasch co-authored a new paper with Wharton’s Jonah Berger entitled “A Candid Advantage? The Social Benefits of Candid Photos,” which uses five experiments to determine how candid photos increase interest in observers in the realm of friendship and dating.
Barasch and Berger’s research finds that more candid, “real” photos are seen as favorable than staged ones, even in professional settings.
Barasch and Berger write, “People often assume that a curated, polished version of the self will generate the most favorable responses—that by smoothing rough edges and presenting one’s best side, others will like and want to interact with them more. But this assumption is not always correct.”
Barasch continues, “In some cases, viewers prefer an unvarnished picture because it seems more genuine. People value authenticity because it feels more accurate.”
You can read more about the research here.
Journalism Class Supports Lehigh’s West Coast Connections – Lehigh College of Business and Economics News
Launched in January 2017, the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter offers immersive learning experiences to six Fellows each year, offering a West Coast campus extension for Lehigh students based in Silicon Valley. This program is just one way in which Lehigh builds an academic bridge from Bethlehem to the innovation ecosystem of Silicon Valley.
Samantha Dewalt, managing director of the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter, describes the interdisciplinary program:
“The media fellows report on programs and events at the center, interview featured entrepreneurs and produce multi-media stories across a range of platforms about the risks and rewards of entrepreneurship. We work together to select projects the students are excited about and ones that will benefit both Lehigh and Nasdaq Center communities.”
Entrepreneur Craig Gordon, ’76, founder and Managing Director, Blueshift Research remarks, “I think this is a great example of Lehigh innovating in a course where there is nothing like it anywhere in the country. The enthusiasm was unbelievable. You want that at any experience you have at any university.”
You can read more about the Lehigh learning experiences here.
Energy Conservation, Healthcare Struggles, and More – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week.
Do as Your Neighbor Does? Neighbors Caring about the Environment Makes You More Likely to Conserve – Columbia Business School
When it comes to interpersonal decisions, group elements often become a heavy factor, including with conservation.
Columbia Business School Professor Adam Galinsky recently co-authored a new study in Nature Human Behaviour that may offer insight into how to affect meaningful changes toward climate conservation.
By focusing on “second-order normative beliefs,” the researchers illuminate that when it comes to topics like energy conservation, for instance, “what people believe their community members care about is an important predictor of individual conservation behavior, above and beyond people’s own beliefs about energy conservation.”
Galinsky explains, “The evidence shows that policymakers can’t simply ask people to reduce, reuse, and recycle. In fact, trying to reach people with subsidies for environmentally-friendly decision-making can backfire. Instead, the roadmap to improving perceptions of conservation starts with reminding individuals that their neighbors care about it. It’s important to shift the focus from trying to change what people believe to reinforcing what their friends believe.”
You can learn more about the research here.
Faculty Snapshot: Finding a Remedy for Health Care’s Struggles – Rutgers Business School News
The Rutgers Business School recently profiled Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management and Program Director for the Masters of Science in Healthcare Services Management, Xin (David) Ding, whose research studies “potential ways to increase hospital revenues through process coordination, patient involvement, and the cultivation of a patient safety environment.”
Professor Xin (David) Ding / Photo via business.rutgers.edu
The recent profile in Rutgers Business School News reads:
“While physicians and nurses traditionally have been trained to take care of clinical needs from patients, they don’t necessarily know how to manage operations and businesses well. With the transition from volume-based care to value-based care, supply chain concepts can help care providers maximize value through the optimization of their resource allocations.”
You can read more from the profile here.
In the Future, Everyone Will Be Able to Make Robots – Stevens Institute of Technology SOB News
The Stevens Institute of Technology President’s Distinguished Lecture Series recently hosted prominent robotics and AI researcher Daniela Rus who “challenged the audience to rethink conventional notions of robots.”
“Imagine the limitless possibilities that could arise from the ability to create the machines that can help save lives, improve the quality of life, or transport us to places we cannot go to on our own,” she notes.
“Right now we have the ability to use our technologies, coupled with interesting interfaces, to enable much more extensive capabilities. And while, today, we can begin to use natural language to program machines, how far can we go in connecting us directly to the machine?”
You can learn more about Rus’ research here.
Working in Healthcare? Rutgers Dishes New Advice – New York News
Let’s explore some of the most interesting stories that have emerged from New York business schools this week.
Working In Healthcare? Here’s How to Stay Relevant – Rutgers Business School News
The Rutgers Business School recently shared five reasons its Masters in Healthcare Services Management is the “answer for professionals … who want to up their game with analytic skills, leadership development and business knowledge.”
- Analytical skills are a necessity: “Data provides critical insights needed to inform better decision-making and improve operational efficiencies.”
- It’s all about delivering value: Stay “up-to-date about changes in health care and…value-based practices that ensure quality services.”
- Empowered to bring about change: “Students learn what it takes to change practices, make operational improvements, and be effective leaders.”
- It’s not as hard as you think: “Many courses can be taken online to supplement time in the classroom. And students are able to waive up to six credits for eligible work experience.”
- Hands-on learning: “Students in the program are required to complete a capstone project that gives them a chance to work with a real healthcare provider on an actual problem.”
You can read more from the recent RBS article here.
Answering the Call for AT&T: Interns’ Insights Add Value at Company’s Indian Operations – Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business News
The Stevens Institute of Technology SOB blog recently highlighted some positive accolades from AT&T Business’s senior VP of Service Excellence Paul Rosenbaum, specifically regarding the company’s longstanding history with Stevens.
Rosenbaum expressed his pleasure with the Business Intelligence & Analytics students who interned at the company’s office in Hyderabad, India this past summer. “We know the quality of the students, and many of our executives are Stevens alumni. My team in India and my team in the U.S. were really impressed with these students’ capabilities,” he says.
He explains that because “Stevens business students are bilingual in business and analytics [they are] well suited to leading technical teams.”
Five Stevens School of Business interns, alongside several colleagues and AT&T employees, from the company’s Hyderabad office / Photo via stevens.edu
Of the experience in Hyderabad, Sanjay Pattanayak, ’18, writes, “This is the first place I’ve worked where equal opportunity is given to individuals to bring ideas to the table or suggest solutions, rather than just top-down leadership.”
“Having that independence, and being encouraged to put your ideas into action, enables the development of you as an individual and strengthens the organization.”
You can read more about the school’s program and Rosenbaum’s observations here.
Lehigh Announces New Philly Focus for Flex MBA – MetroMBA
Next Spring, Lehigh’s Flex MBA program will unveil two non-degree courses developed by the MBA Test Drive Program for prospective students at the school’s Center City Philadelphia location (1800 JFK Blvd).
“From Plan to Action: Strategy and Organization” will investigate “business model development in today’s competitive environment as well as the use of disruptive innovation in strategy development” while “From Private to Public Company: A Path to Exit” will survey the “considerations involved” in taking a company public.
You can learn more about the new Lehigh Flex MBA course offerings here.
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.
Research Awards, Hackathons, Leadership, 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.
Four Executives Share the Essence of Leadership – Rutgers Business Blog
Citrin Cooperman partner Michael Napolitano moderated a discussion at this year’s Rutgers Business School CEO Evolution event between the following four executives:
- CEO and Angel Investor Braun Kiess
- MZM Construction and Management Owner and CEO Marjorie Perry
- Villa Restaurant Group President Biagio Scotto
- Yesterday’s Business Computers Cwner and CEO Tom Tsivgas
CEO Evolution is an annual platform for leaders to “inspire others in the business community.” This year’s guest speakers offered insights into their “challenges, mistakes, ambitions, individual strategies, and leadership styles.
Kiess talked about “what the next wave of college graduates will be looking for in their careers.”
“They don’t want to be just a cog in the wheel. They expect more from an employer than just a paycheck.”
You can read more from Rutgers Business News here.
Eyes on the Prize: Business, A.I. Skills Help Stevens Team’s Eye Health Entry Win Hackathon – Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business Blog
Stevens Institute of Technology School of Business’ Niraj Chaurasia, Medhavi Uniyal, and Vidya Sagar Polaki took home first prize at a one-day iCIMS hackathon last month, as well as prizes in Best Hack for Good and Best Use of A.I./Machine Learning, for a model that accurately “taught itself whether it was looking at a healthy or sick eye 90 percent of the time.”
The team used machine-learning techniques to build a “data set of healthy eyes, as well as eyes with various health problems, such as cataracts and glaucoma.”
Polaki explains that he hopes the team’s model might significantly reduce ophthalmology expenses and assist eye doctors in identifying eye problems.
“It costs, on average, $180 for an eye checkup in the U.S. So this would be a major cost savings. And when you visit the doctor, you have the data in hand, so you can be confident, have the right questions to ask and understand what remedy is available.”
You can learn more about the event here.
Economics Professor Receives Bright Ideas Research Award – Stillman School of Business News
Seton Hall University Stillman School of Business Professor of Economics Kurt Rotthoff received the Bright Ideas Award, which acknowledges faculty members “whose research significantly advances knowledge in their discipline area and delivers relevant findings to business practitioners.”
Rotthoff’s Journal of Sports Economics publication Structural Breaks in the Game: The Case of Major League Baseball, “analyzed nearly 150 years’ worth of Major League Baseball data [to] identify two significant eras: the free-swinging era, initiated by Babe Ruth, and the recent steroid era, marked by the increase of consistency in offensive power plays.”
Rotthoff explains:
“The research was exciting because it’s a method of measuring the performance of baseball players over time. Using batting statistics and some time-series statistical techniques, we determined certain points in the history of the sport that changed the entire game.”
You can learn more about Rotthoff’s research and award here.
