Vanderbilt Owen or Tennessee Haslam: Which School is Right for You?
The state of Tennessee likely brings to mind Graceland, Dollywood, the Appalachians, and the Great Smoky Mountains. But for those with an eye to top business schools, the Volunteer State is also home to several competitive MBA programs.
Continue reading…News Roundup – Gies Online MBA Powers Illinois, Graziadio Professor on Women in the Age of AI, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this week, including a Gies Online MBA helping power the state of Illinois.
Dr. Bernice Ledbetter Authors Opinion on Equipping Women with Opportunities to Thrive in Smart Machine Age – Pepperdine Graziadio Business School News
Dr. Bernice Ledbetter of the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School recently published her findings on the role of women in the age of AI.
A study by the McKinsey Global Institute found that smart machines will eventually perform the tasks performed by women in many business settings. Ledbetter’s research seeks to prompt lawmakers and policy makers to assist women in adapting their skill sets within this new landscape.
Dr. Ledbetter suggested three key guidelines to provide safeguards for women as work becomes automated—increase mentorship opportunities for women and outlets for women to hone leadership and utilize ‘soft skills;’ and to bolster investment in childcare and early childhood education. Women, according to research by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, account for 58 percent of the workforce that will be affected by automation.
As the Dean of Students and Alumni Affairs at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and Director of the Pepperdine Center for Women in Leadership, Ledbetter works to inform and instruct on the issues faced by women in every sector of the economy. For more on her study and the future of AI in the workplace, read here.
Cardinal Health Partners with Vanderbilt Executive Education for Two Custom Leadership Programs – Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Business News
Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management has been leading a strategic partnership with Cardinal Health Partners to produce some of the best and brightest executives in the healthcare field.
The two programs, entitled INNOVATE and INSPIRE, are both nine months in duration. INNOVATE brings together thirty directors for assignments meant to help solve global healthcare issues. The directors, who reside at various international locations, meeting face-to-face six months into the program. At the end of the nine months, the team presents their projects to Cardinal executives who decide which ones they will implement.
Vanderbilt’s partnership with Cardinal Health Partners has brought two new healthcare executive programs to the Owen Graduate School of Management.
INSPIRE is comprised of fifteen Cardinal Health vice presidents whose goal it is to hone skills in entrepreneurial thinking, organizational management, and trend spotting. After deciding upon one ‘mega trend’, teams analyze how the trend is active within their organization and how it can be maximized for the best impact.
The intent of each program is to help executives and leaders to shift focus from operational concerns into more strategic and creative thinking. Jerome Revish is a Cardinal Health Vice President for Services and a participant in the INSPIRE program. He says:
“I’ve been at the VP level for a little over two years now. I would say as manager and director, you’re so focused on execution and driving results … It’s now, at this level and the next level, where more of your job is centered around framing the strategy of where we need to be going, versus ‘how do I execute what’s in front of me today.’”
For more on Owen’s executive education programs, read here.
iMBA Helps Power Windfree’s CEO to Power Illinois Homes and Businesses – Gies College of Business News
The University of Illinois Gies College of Business’ iMBA program has helped one entrepreneur to help bring solar power to the Midwest.
Eric Heineman is CEO of Windfree, Illinois’ TOP installer of solar panels for homes and businesses in the state. The iMBA, Gies’ 100 percent online degree, was a perfect choice for Heineman as he juggled the responsibility of raising children and pursuing his goal of creating a socially responsible business.
Crediting the “solar boom” in Illinois for part of his success, Heineman says, ““I don’t know how I would be able to stay in a master’s program if I didn’t have the flexibility of the iMBA. It’s something I’m very thankful for.” The iMBA has been a vital tool in Heineman’s advancement to CEO, as his business decisions are directly applicable to his online curriculum.
“It allows me to constructively second-guess everything I’m doing, and I have a great sounding board for my ideas,” he continues. Windfree was founded in 2009, and it has become a leader in providing solar energy to schools and other non-profit organizations. Windfree is responsible for the installation of numerous solar power devices in the state, including the Illinois Governor’s Mansion.
Heineman will complete his MBA in 2020. You can read here for more on Heineman, Windfree, and the iMBA.
2019 Massachusetts Family Business of the Year Award Winners – Northeastern D’Amore McKim School of Business News
Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business honored some of the state’s leading family businesses during an awards program last month. For over a decade, a panel of judges has chosen businesses that exemplify success, specifically through multi-generational legacies of their organizations. Community involvement and innovation are two other criteria upon which the winners are chosen.
The Clark School received an award for medium sized businesses. Provo Wealth Management Group won the Marshall Paisner Award for Small Firms. The Hub Folding Box Company took home the large business award, and the Award for Community Involvement was presented to J. Calnan & Associates.
For the last thirteen years, recipients of the Massachusetts Family Business of the Year Awards have been selected by a panel of independent judges based on the following criteria: business success; positive business and family linkages; multi-generational family involvement; contributions to the community and industry; and innovative business practices or strategies.
You can read here for more on the Family Business of the Year awards.
News Roundup – Bad Advertising at Questrom, Awarding-Winning Faculty at Johns Hopkins, and More
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories from this week, including BU Questrom’s take on bad advertising, and more.
Darden of Carey Faculty Receives Johns Hopkins Catalyst Award – JHU News
The Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School recently honored Associate Professor Michael Darden with a Catalyst Award in acknowledgement of his early career accomplishments.
The awards were first introduced at Carey in 2015 to support the efforts of professors like Darden who have shown originality and impact in their fields. Darden, whose work focuses on the economics health care markets and tobacco regulation, will receive a $75,000 research grant. He formerly taught health policy and management at George Washington University and economics at Tulane.
Darden received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of North Carolina. He is currently a research faculty fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Carey Business School Associate Professor Michael Darden, winner of this year’s Catalyst Award \ Photo via carey.jhu.edu
On the news of the award, Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels says, “There is no more urgent time than the present to renew our commitment to those whose ideas will improve the condition of our world and its people… By supporting the creative and ambitious research of early-career faculty, we are investing not only in the future of these exceptional scholars but of the entire academic enterprise.”
For more on the Catalyst Award and Michael Darden, read here.
Penn State Smeal Convenes Panel of Leading Infrastructure Experts to Discuss Challenges Facing the U.S. – Smeal College of Business News
The Penn State Smeal College of Business recently hosted a panel of some of the country’s leading experts in infrastructure and transportation. Members of the panel, convening in New York City, discussed some of the critical issues facing the country today.
David Welsh, Penn State Smeal alum and founder of Normandy Real Estate Partners, led the discussion. The panel included Sarah Feinberg, Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) board member and former U.S. Department of Transportation chief of staff; Anthony Coscia, chairman of Amtrak; Parick Foye, chairman of the MTA and Steve Plate, chief of major capital projects of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
Larry Silverstein, chairman of Silverstein Properties and developer of the new World Trade Center in New York City, co-hosted the event. “Our experience here at the World Trade Center showed us how important it is for government to work hand in hand with the private sector on large infrastructure projects. We can’t do them alone; we have to work together,” he says. “Our country’s transportation infrastructure is the lifeblood of our economy and society.”
The event was organized by Penn State Smeal’s Institute for Real Estate Studies (IRES), a privately sponsored research institute within the University.
MBA Students Provide Insights for Global Water Projects – OSU Fisher News
Three teams of students in OSU Fisher‘s Global Applied Projects program partnered with OSU’s Global Water Institute (GWI) and Global One Health Initiative (GOHi) to help create strategies for clean water initiatives in Kenya and Tanzania. Using a franchise model, the student teams analyzed the ways in which the clean water solutions could be profitable.
Ohio State Fisher students, working with OSU’s Global Water Institute (GWI) and Global One Health Initiative (GOHi) / Photo via fisher.osu.edu
Erin Collin, a second-year MBA student and graduate assistant at the GWI says, “Our goal was to help address these issues by developing a franchise offering that could be used to specifically address the challenges outlined above by adding more structure, resources and accountability.”
The students’ input will remain valuable as the GWI develops strategies for franchising, along with partnerships with local East African governments and universities, the World Bank, and clean water advocacy organization WaterAid. The teams who worked with the Global One Health Initiative had the goal of developing clean water infrastructure in Ethiopia. Students traveled to the region to connect with residents, conduct interviews, and visit sites.
“GAP was absolutely a highlight of my MBA experience because it provided me an opportunity to bring together so many of my passions: international development, public health, strategic and analytical thinking, teamwork and international travel,” says Courtney Clark, a second year MBA. “Writing our final report felt like the most meaningful thing I have done so far in the MBA program.” Read more on the GAP and its international partnerships here.
Dave Owens Named the Evans Family Executive Director of the Wond’ry – Owen GSM News
Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management has announced a new director for its innovation workspace, the Wond’ry.
David A. Owens is a Professor for the Practice of Management and Innovation at Owen, but his expertise stretches across disciplines. He is faculty director for the Vanderbilt Accelerator-Summer Business Institute, in addition to professor in the School of Engineering. Owens also holds appointments in the Peabody College of Education and Human Development as professor of the practice of teaching and learning, and the School of Medicine as an Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences.
“My goal is to help students, faculty and staff to be more effective innovators by making it easier to find tools, mentors, expertise and insights on innovation practice and design research. We will also increase the Wond’ry’s connections to Vanderbilt’s research centers,” says Owens of his appointment.
Owens has lent his product development expertise to a diverse group of organizations such as NASA, Nissan, Wrigley’s, LEGO, and Gibson Music. He has also served as CEO of Griffin Technology and as a product developer for IDEO.
Questrom Dean & Brand Expert Presents At Management Science’s 65th Anniversary Conference – Questrom News
Boston University Questrom School of Business recently hosted academic journal Management Science’s 65th Anniversary Conference, where Dean Susan Fournier headlined with a presentation on brand management.
In her talk, entitled “Taking Brand Seriously in the Age of Risky Business,” Dean Fournier discussed the ways in which brands can survive in an increasingly competitive landscape. Using such examples as PepsiCo’s failed ad campaign featuring Kendall Jenner in a protest scene, Fournier made various points on the success and failure of companies’ branding efforts.
Dean Susan Fournier’s presentation, “Taking Brand Seriously in the Age of Risky Business,” looked at the risks in advertising, including Pepsi’s advertising debacle, featuring Kendall Jenner.
Fournier, along with her leadership at Questrom, is also founder, president, and chair of The Institute for Brands & Brand Relationships, an international non-profit which promotes brand research and publications on the topic.
For more on the Management Science event and on Dean Fournier, click here.
