Smith Newslink MBA - An eNewsletter for MBA Students at the Robert H. Smith School of Business

News Briefs

Part-time MBAs Present Business Cases to Carly Fiorina
Team Kodak Touch Wins Carly Fiorina, New York Times bestselling author, former chair of HP and Smith MBA '80, had to make a very tough choice when she took on the role of judge in the final round of the first ever Smith Technology Challenge, held at the Smith School on February 23, 2007. The competition started late last year when hundreds of part-time MBA students split up into 58 teams of five students each, prepared to put their analytical skills to the test on a real-world problem involving how the Eastman Kodak company has dealt with the disruptive technology of digital photography.

The winning team, Kodak Touch -- comprised of Ted Towne, Peter Carlson, Josh Wooldridge, Tina Gupta, and Randy Lakin -- won $1,000 each and high praise from the respected panel of judges, including Fiorina, Smith School Dean Howard Frank, Associate Dean for Professional Programs & Services Scott Koerwer, and Harvard Senior Lecturer Willy C. Shih.
►Full Story

Smith School Experts Headline Forum on China & India
Smith School Dean Howard Frank, Dingman Center Entrepreneur-in-Residence Tien Wong and Smith School Fellow Wei-Wu He were among the business leaders providing insight into doing business in China and India at a Northern Virginia breakfast forum on February 28, 2007. Dean Frank moderated an expert panel that included Wong, Wei-Wu He and three others at Surviving & Thriving in the Flat World: China, India, and You! The event, presented by Potomac Executive Biz and co-sponsored by the Smith School, drew more than 150 area business people. Frank opened the forum by describing the entrepreneurial spirit, excitement and hard work he has seen traveling in both India and China.
►Full Story

Smith Students Organize First China Business Forum, April 6
The Smith China Business Association is excited to be hosting a new conference designed to bring together students, faculty, and industry insiders to discuss the latest trends revolving around key economic issues and prospective business trends in China. This year’s program will provide a forum for the analysis and exploration of challenges surrounding China’s budding Private Equity and Investment markets through panelist presentations and discussion, participant focused Q&A, and networking opportunities throughout the day.

►Find out more and register online now!

Spring Business Ethics Lecture Series
The next Spring Business Ethics Lecture Series has been rescheduled for March 26: Dr. George Ellard, Esquire, Baach, Robinson & Lewis, will talk on "Business-related fraud." Ellard is a partner with Baach, Robinson & Lewis. He has had broad experience as a federal prosecutor, white-collar defense counsel, and a civil litigator. Ellard received a JD, as well as a PhD in philosophy, from Yale University, where he was articles editor of the Yale Law Journal. ►Complete Bio

On April 18, Smith alum B. Gary Dando, retired partner, Ernst & Young, will talk on "Ethics in business." Dando first started working for Ernst & Young in 1964 after he graduated from what was then the College of Business and Public Administration at the University of Maryland. He was elevated to partner at the firm in 1976. He retired in June 2001 after 37 years with firm. ►Complete Bio

Mark your calendars now and stop by the Frank Auditorium, 5:30-7 p.m. to hear these enlightening speakers.

Week of Asia a Huge Success!
Week of Asia was held the week of February 26, 2007, and was a huge success again this year. The week was host to several events, including guest speakers from the South Korean and Thai embassies, foreign films, games, performances, and the second annual Asian fashion show. Sponsored by the Asian MBA Association, the event provides a way for Asian students to share their culture, politics, and clothing with the Smith community.

Asia Night, held Thursday, March 1, 2008, featured a performance by second-year MBA Benjama Kounthongkul, who offered a traditional Thai song and dance, while in a beautiful Thai wedding dress. Entire families participated in the fashion show, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. National costumes and typical dress were on display from Asian countries and regions, including Mongolia, India, China, Thailand, Korea, and Japan. Other students offered games from their countries.

“The Chinese yo-yo was pretty wild,” said first-year MBA Donald Wood. “It was neat to learn about other cultures. There were six food stations, too.”

Students enjoyed sampling the smells and tastes of other countries. On behalf of the Asian MBA, outgoing club president Richard Liao thanked his classmates and the administration for coming to the event and for their support of Asian students and culture at Smith.

Come to the 14th Annual Bradford Awards Banquet
The Black and Hispanic MBA Associations invite the entire Smith community to attend their signature event: the 14th Annual William D. Bradford Minority Awards Banquet. The event, which honors companies and people that have made a noteworthy impact on minority communities, will take place Thursday, March 15, 2007, at 5:30 p.m. To be held at the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center, the event will feature Mr. Donta L. Wilson, President - Battlefield Region, BB&T Bank, as keynote speaker. Mr. Wilson will speak on "Diversity: Delivered or Delusion" and highlight that while many firms believe diversity has been achieved in Corporate America, others believe that it is only a delusion. As well, scholarships will be awarded to those students who have made outstanding contributions to their community.

Tickets for the event are $25 for students, $50 for non-students. The ticket price includes dinner and two drinks during the reception. The attire for the event is business formal.

To register for the 14th Annual Bradford Minority Awards Banquet, please visit http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?5S,M3,3896c792-a88a-41f2-8233-44539708bfe7.

If you have any questions or if your organization is interested in helping to sponsor this event, please contact Eric Grant at (202) 271 - 8568 or via e-mail at egrant2007@rhsmith.umd.edu.

For more information on the Black and Hispanic MBA Associations, please visit the following sites:
- Black MBA Association: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/organizations/bmbaa/index.htm
- Hispanic MBA Association: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/organizations/hmbaa/

Noted Campbell's Soup VP Kicks Off Executive Speaker Series
Irene Chang Britt, the VP and general manager of Campbell Soup’s Sauces and Beverages division, spoke to more than 100 students on March 2, 2007, encouraging each to 'know yourself' to become a better leader. A vibrant speaker, Britt recounted the challenges she’s faced as a woman, a minority, a foreigner, an entrepreneur, and a corporate professional, and how she turned those challenges into opportunities. Included in her speech were her 10 pillars of leadership.

“It was really interesting to hear from someone at that level. To listen to how she got where she is, what she had to go through as a person and a professional,” said first-year MBA student Donald Wood.
►Full Story

The Tradition of Excellence Continues
After a fabulous year in which student leaders across all clubs provided exceptional leadership and brought an infectious enthusiasm for club activities, the time has come for the MBA Class of 2007 to pass on the baton to the Class of 2008. Various clubs have transitioned or are in the process of transitioning. Here is a list of some more results.

Graduate Marketing Association
President - Don Wood and Matt Bardill
VP Finance - David Schneyer
VP Communications - Laura Bennett
VP Career Relations - Tekisha Harvey
VP Interactive - Ted Martin

International Club
President: Alex Guo
VP Finance: Wei-Wei
VP Marketing: Liubov Luzhnova
VP Student Affairs: Hideki Kakuma

BMBAA
President, Tekisha Harvey
Executive Vice President, Okon Enyenihi
VP of Marketing & Communications, Rukhe Aghomo
Vice President of External Relations, John Bullock
VP of Finance, Iffy Kaja

Healthcare Business Association
President: P Kenyon Crowley
VP of Marketing: Shaoshan Tang
VP of Career Development: Jared Niedenthal
VP of Finance: Hsueh-Wen Chu

Supply Chain Club
President: Brandon Yamashita
VP External Relations: Ramin Riahikhoee
VP Finance: Songtao Yu
VP Career Development: Eduardo Vargas

Entrepreneurship Club
Co-Presidents: Tom Hessen and Anne Zeeman
VP of External Relations: Lettie Goodridge
VP of Marketing/communications: Ike Kim
VP of Finance: (An)drew Schiff
VP of Programs: Ben Slavin

More Latest News

♦ Smith CIBER to Host Global Security Seminar, April 12, 13

♦ 7th Annual Netcentricity Conference on April 27

♦ Smith Honors Students Visit Hawaii over Winter Break

♦ Professor Steve Loeb's Contributions to Accounting Ethics Topic of New Journal Article

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Spotlight: Peter Brown, Managing Director of the Office of Career Management

As managing director of the Smith School’s Office of Career Management (OCM), Peter Brown oversees two critical functions at the school: attracting recruiters and preparing students for the job market. The OCM is responsible for recruiting top employers to Smith and the staff ensures that students are prepared for their job search by providing assistance with resumes, cover letters and interviews. The most rewarding aspect of Brown’s job is that his work creates a win, win, win situation in which employers are pleased with Smith students; students are pleased with their placement into rewarding jobs; and the Smith School benefits as a whole from building both employer and student relationships.
►Full Story

Student Spotlight: Mathew C. Herman, MBAA Vice President of Marketing

Around campus, he is known as the Wine Connoisseur with the tag line “Name your price and Matt can and will suggest a great wine.” He was born and raised in Bellbrook, a small town in southwest Ohio. After graduating from Otterbein College with a BFA in theatre, he founded a non-profit theatre company with some fellow graduates in Chicago. Together, they produced plays for a few years and then he moved on to work as an actor and playwright. He uses the term “work” loosely, as he furnished his income working in fine dining.
►Full Story

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Smith School in the News

►The (Baltimore) Sun – March 4, 2007 – A story about fundraising events that involving diving into freezing water includes quotes from Tyser Teaching Fellow in marketing Hank Boyd. ►Read more

►CNN: Lou Dobbs Tonight – March 2, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici is interviewed for a segment about U.S. trade with China. ►Read More

►Washington Times – March 2, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici is quoted in a story about a House vote that would make it easier for workers to join unions. ►Read More

►The (Baltimore) Sun – March 1, 2007 – Business ethics and law professor Josh Newberg is quoted in a story responding to a Baltimore Sun story about minority business contracts. A follow-up story ran on the Associated Press wire. ►Read more

►Toronto Sun – Feb. 27, 2007 – Marketing professor Janet Wagner is quoted in a story about baby boomers and how marketers are catering to them. ►Read more

►Washington Post – Feb. 26, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici writes a letter to the editor in response to a story about tariffs and China. ►Read more

►Annapolis Capital – Feb. 25, 2007 – Former dean and Dingman Center founder Rudy Lamone is quoted in a story about the Chesapeake Innovation Center homeland security incubator. ►Read more

►Wall Street Journal – Feb. 21, 2007 – Business professor Peter Morici provides a quote in reaction a rise in consumer prices in January and the climbing Consumer Price Index.

More Smith School in the News

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Faculty Up Front

Smith School Honors Outstanding Teachers with Krowe/Legg Mason Awards
For more than 20 years, the Smith School has been honoring and rewarding outstanding faculty members, instructors and PhD students for their teaching excellence. The Krowe Teaching Award committee, comprised of faculty Smith School faculty members Galit Shmueli, Charley Olson, Mary Harms, and Jeff Kudisch, has announced the following winners and finalists for the 2006-2007 Krowe Teaching Awards and the Legg Mason Award. Nominations were received from students, alumni, deans, department chairs, directors and administrators.

Krowe Award Faculty Category (alphabetical order):

Anand Anandalingam (Decision & Information Technology)
Elinda Kiss (Finance)
Joyce Russell
Erich Studer-Ellis (Decision & Information Systems)

The Krowe Teaching Award faculty finalists were: Shreevardhan Lele (Decision & Information Technologies) and Rachelle Sampson (Logistics Business & Public Policy)

The Legg-Mason Award recipient is Raghu Raghavan (Decision & Information Technologies). The finalists in this category were Hugh Turner (Logistics, Business & Public Policy) and Oliver Schlake (Management & Organization).

The winners in the Krowe Award PhD/Adjunct Category are
Eugene Cantor, Bruce Michelson, Mike Pfarrer, and James Spina. The finalist is this category was Xiaomeng (Alice) Zhang.
►Full Story and previous winners

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Technology@Smith

Daylight Savings Time
Daylight Savings Time (DST) will be starting three weeks earlier and ending one week later beginning this year. This is due to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 passed by the American Congress. The standard DST period would have been April 1st through October 28th, but this year it will be March 11th through November 3rd. This affects ALL computer programs that utilize date/time, which is just about everything -- remember, all files are date/time stamped. It is particularly hard on calendar and e-mail systems.

To find out what Smith IT is doing about it, including what precautions you can take, please visit: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/smithit/DST.html

Campus Discontinuing Dial-up Service
The campus modem pool was originally created to enable faculty, staff and students to have remote access to the campus network at a time when commercial dial-up options were limited or unavailable. Eventually, this remote access service evolved to provide Internet access.

The vast majority of the campus community have switched to other commercial options over the years, and the modem pool usage has declined dramatically. Because of this decreased usage and the availability of other options, the number of modems supporting the campus dialup service is continually being reduced. The Office of Information Technology (OIT) will eliminate dial-up service completely on June 30, 2007.

Please contact the Office of Smith IT Help Desk at 301-405-2269 or helpme@rhsmith.umd.edu with any questions.

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Bulletin Board

Have a great spring break! Send us your vacation photos for the next issue of the newsletter. E-mail the webmaster.

The next issue of Smith Newslink MBA will be coming out the week of March 26.

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