Net Impact Hosts Second Happy Hour Case Discussion
On Thursday March 2, 2006, Net Impact hosted the second Happy Hour Case Discussion. The discussion was on Levi Strauss & Co’s decision regarding their business presence in China. More than twenty full-time MBA students participated in the lively discussion which was moderated by Professor Brian Shaffer, Net Impact's Faculty Advisor, and an expert on issues of economics, policy, and regulation.

In 1993, senior managers at Levi Strauss & Co., the world's largest brand-name apparel manufacturer, were deciding whether the company should have a business presence in China, given China’s human rights record. Levi’s China Policy Group has been asked to use the company's "principled reasoning approach" to make a recommendation based on the company's ethical values and newly-adopted global sourcing guidelines.

The hour and a half long discussion saw MBA students engage in deliberations over these difficult issues. Students shared with each other their experiences and thoughts as well as their interpretation of the law, ethics and economics of global sourcing.

One of the notable things about this successful event was that both domestic and international students shared their perspectives and compared experiences. This gave the discussion a well-rounded perspective. First year MBA student Demetris White said, “It is amazing that when you explore these issues with your colleagues you realize that these problems are so complex and have no easy answers. And I think that realization is an important part of my education.”[Smith Media Group, Sachin Agarwal, MBA Candidate 2007]

 

 

Leading Women Unite at Smith for Day of Sharing
What does it take for women to succeed in business? For one woman—Janna Morrison, senior vice president of customer care and technology services for Choice Hotels International—the secret to success was a series of lists and a very specific career map.

Morrison, who was a keynote speaker at the Smith School's Women's Leadership Conference (March 3, 2006), began her career as a road warrior, traveling six days a week helping to teach, advise and guide Choice hotel operators. She then moved into management, overseeing all the company’s employees west of the Mississippi. But her ultimate goal was to become part of the senior management team, and there weren’t any openings at the vice president level. Morrison decided to see if she could create a position for herself, writing a business case and a proposal. The proposal was accepted, and Morrison got her position. ►Full Story

Business Ethics Lecture Series
The Business Ethics Lecture Series, sponsored by the Smith School’s Accounting and Information Assurance department, kicked off on February 22 with a presentation by Barbara Hannigan, assistant general counsel and ethics officer of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB).

Addressing an audience of aspiring CPAs, Hannigan said that the PCAOB is private-sector-non-profit organization created by the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, to oversee the auditors of public companies in order to protect the interests of investors and further the public interest in the preparation of informative, fair, and independent audit reports. PCAOB was formed in response to the collapse of Enron and other publicly traded companies. Its creation marked the beginning of compulsory independent oversight for the accounting profession which regulated itself prior to the PCAOB. “These financial frauds revealed that the professional gatekeepers such as auditors, lawyers, and analysts had failed to do their jobs,” Hannigan said.

Deloitte Ethics and Compliance Officer Next Speaker in Ethics Series
Harold Tinkler, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, Deloitte & Touche will be the speaker in the second part of the Spring Ethics series. His presentation is scheduled for March 29, 2006, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Frank Auditorium.

Tinkler manages the ethics program for Deloitte & Touche USA, a Big Four professional services firm. This marks the Deloitte US firms’ first year of implementation of its new “Ethics in Action” training. Over 99 percent of the U.S. Firms’ 34,000 employees have completed both the online and corresponding classroom segments of the training, providing excellent timing in support of this address.

Among the issues Tinkler will address in his remarks is the fact that ethics is a mandate, not an option. Ethics is expected to become increasingly more important in the years ahead. The companies that will stand out are those that are managed well, with CEOs establishing an environment that encourages “doing the right thing.” Ethical organizations will be looking to conduct transactions with like-minded businesses.

Deloitte’s approach to sustaining an ethical organization focuses on converting code into culture. The Deloitte US Firms have created an ethics program to prevent issues from escalating and offers a values-driven approach that encourages talking, not tattling.

Tinkler will take questions from the audience following his remarks.

Date: April 19, 2006
Speaker: Dr. Mark Taylor, Academic Fellow, Securities and Exchange Commission
Topic: “Financial Statement Fraud and the Work of the SEC"

►Full Story

Happy Birthday University of Maryland!
On March 6, 1856, the Maryland General Assembly chartered a new institution of higher education, the Maryland Agricultural College. A documentary celebrating UM, "A Maryland Movie: 150 Years and Rolling," will debut on Maryland Public Television this week and features clips from our very own "The Smith Experience" video. Watch on local MPT stations on Wednesday, March 8 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 11 at 9:30 a.m. http://www.150years.umd.edu

Launch of Second Annual China Business Plan Competition
For the second year in a row the Smith School will sponsor the China Business Plan Competition, a chance for entrepreneurs to submit their business plan ideas and win a total of $50,000 in cash prizes. The competition will be open for entries starting on March 23, 2006 and offers a forum for the Smith School to foster the growth of entrepreneurship and world-class business ideas in China. For more information on how you can become involved as a sponsor, speaker or judge, contact Asher Epstein, managing director of the Dingman Center, e-mail: aepstein@rhsmith.umd.edu. More information about this year's competition can be found at: www.rhsmith-umd.cn.

D&IT Department Rewards Best Faculty Web Sites
For the past few months, faculty members in the Decision & Information Technologies (D&IT) Department have been busy updating their personal Web sites, taking part in a departmental contest for the "Best Faculty Web Site." An ad-hoc committee consisting of Holly Mann, Jeff Heebner, and Joydeep Srivastava examined all D&IT faculty Web sites and evaluated them on usability, look and feel, and content.

"We were very impressed by the quality of the new Web sites," said D&IT Chair Anand Anandalingam, who came up with the idea for the contest to try to get faculty members motivated to create and/or enhance their personal Web sites. "We especially liked Itir Karaesmen's site because of its clean and professional look and the content was well organized and comprehensive."

• 1st Prize ($1000 addition to Ceiling Account):
  Itir Karaesmen
• 2nd Prize: ($750 addition to Ceiling Account):
  Bruce Golden
• 3rd Prize ($500 addition to Ceiling Account):
  David Darcy
• Honorable Mentions ($500 addition to Ceiling Accounts): Ritu Agarwal, Zhi-Long Chen

All faculty members have personal Web space available on the Smith School Web server. To get access, visit: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/webmaster/