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25 Apr 2022, 12:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Badger Executive Talks: Dorri McWhorter Leverages Business Principles To Move Society Forward |
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If Dorri McWhorter (BBA ’95) were to write a book, she says it would be titled either Lead with Love or Lead with Joy. Either way, these titles are a succinct way of summing up McWhorter’s leadership style: focusing on her team and moving society forward. McWhorter’s career has helped her develop a robust EQ, but don’t be fooled by the fact she’s employing her leadership prowess in the nonprofit world. “I’m a capitalist at heart and believe it should be done in a more human-centered way,” says the CEO of YMCA Metro Chicago. “It’s important for us to think about all work through a social impact lens.” McWhorter shared her thoughts on leadership and her career journey during a recent Badger Executive Talk, a virtual speaker series featuring executives from the UW–Madison alumni community. Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, led the conversation and fielded questions from alumni. After double majoring in accounting and human resources at the Wisconsin School of Business, McWhorter held several roles that followed the evolution of technology across industries—from consulting at Arthur Andersen to internal auditing and consulting in telecommunications, healthcare, and retail, until eventually earning partner at Crowe Horwath LLP, a global public accounting, consulting and technology firm. “I’m a change junkie,” says McWhorter. “Disruption is an opportunity, and I relish opportunities to create a big impact.” The pivot to nonprofits began when McWhorter saw an opportunity while serving as a volunteer on the audit committee for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. As McWhorter witnessed high turnover at YWCA despite its successful programming, she knew there was opportunity to bring her business expertise in a larger capacity. She led the YWCA as chief executive officer from 2013-2021. During her leadership tenure at YWCA, McWhorter was instrumental in helping the nonprofit develop an innovative investment partnership to guide investment capital towards sustainable companies. YWCA partnered with Impact Shares (a nonprofit fund manager), resulting in the launch of the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), called “Impact Shares YWCA Women’s Empowerment.” She also transformed human resources by changing the chief human resources officer to a “chief possibility officer,” a reflection of the values of an employee-centric culture that McWhorter was determined to establish. She surrounded herself with a team of people who could help. “We built a highly qualified team of experts to help. I had a cocktail of a leadership team of professionals from both the private and public sectors. It was important to know how to build and leverage your teams to get the projects done.” Despite moving to her current role as chief executive officer at YMCA Chicago during the pandemic, McWhorter saw it as an opportunity to innovate. She refers to the current employment crisis not as “the great resignation,” but as “the great reassessment.” “It’s not that people don’t want to work. They just don’t want to do it in the way they were doing it before,” says McWhorter. “I’m excited about seeing this new normal. As leaders, we get permission to lean into the change. We get to be on the forefront to see how it can change for the better.” McWhorter’s knack for finding solutions also continues at the YMCA. She is diversifying the nonprofit’s approach to the communities it serves. “The YMCA geographic footprint is uniquely diverse, encompassing urban, suburban and rural communities whose needs—from food equity to mental health support—vary greatly across the marketplace. Our job is to lean in and help meet those needs uniquely.” When asked about McWhorter’s own career journey and the path she’s paved, she refers to her father who always told her that no one is better than she is, followed quickly by a reminder that she is not better than anyone else either. “When I became partner, I was the first Black partner in a 90-year history at Crowe Horath. And as the first Black CEO and first female leader for the YMCA in its 164-year history, I have to model what we want to see change. I actively choose the perspectives around me. Diversity done right is good for everyone.” Visit the Alumni Events page for more information about the talks and links to view past conversations. The post Badger Executive Talks: Dorri McWhorter Leverages Business Principles To Move Society Forward appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
03 May 2022, 11:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB Faculty and Staff Excellence Honored During Annual End-of-Year Celebration |
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Each spring, the Wisconsin School of Business recognizes faculty and staff for outstanding achievement in the areas of research; teaching; student learning and engagement; service and staff recognition; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The annual awards ceremony also commemorates faculty and staff for milestone years of service and honors those retiring in the current year. Here is a full list of the 2022 awardees: Faculty Research Awards WSB presents the Erwin A. Gaumnitz Research Awards to recognize noteworthy achievement in an area of research. The awards are peer-nominated based on the caliber, significance, and productivity of the research.
Teaching Awards The school recognizes excellence in teaching with four teaching awards.
James M. Johannes Outstanding Faculty Award for Excellence in Executive Education Teaching This award recognizes service to WSB’s Center for Professional and Executive Development.
Student Learning and Engagement Award This award recognizes faculty and instructional staff member(s) who have inspired student learning, demonstrated collaborative efforts across units, and built in plans to grow and/or be sustainable over time.
Wisconsin School of Business Service Awards WSB’s service awards recognize an individual’s outstanding contribution and exemplary service to the school.
Wisconsin School of Business Staff Recognition Awards WSB recognizes outstanding employee contributions that illustrate and reinforce our core values and contribute to the success of our students, corporate partners, alumni, and each other. The awardees demonstrate characteristics that set us apart; that contribute to The Wisconsin Idea, and are building blocks for Roadmap 2025, the school’s strategic plan.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awards WSB recognizes outstanding employee contributions that illustrate and reinforce our core values and contribute to the success of our students, corporate partners, alumni, and each other.
See the 2021 award winners. The post WSB Faculty and Staff Excellence Honored During Annual End-of-Year Celebration appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
03 May 2022, 13:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB Supporters Help Drive Campaign Success and Competitive Programs |
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The Wisconsin School of Business (WSB) Fund ensures that the school is able to invest in top priorities and remain competitive and innovative. Gifts support transformational student experiences, professional development opportunities, experiential learning projects, and allow for investments in both immediate and long-term strategic goals. Gifts made to the WSB Fund are greatly appreciated and help move the school forward. The following milestones this quarter wouldn’t have been possible without donor support. First class of BEL scholars graduates this May The first cohort of the Business Emerging Leaders (BEL) scholars graduates this month. This group began their journey with WSB as high school students, spending time during the summers taking business classes and exploring career pathways. The inaugural group of BEL scholars have job placements ranging from companies like BP to Blackstone and are ready to take their WSB experience with them into the world. All Ways Forward Campaign success The All Ways Forward comprehensive campaign closed with just over $282 million, which exceeds the business school goal by over 40 percent and has had particularly significant impact on faculty support and student scholarships. The university closed the overall campaign with at least $4.2 billion raised, far in excess of the original goal of $3.2 billion. WSB programs receive national recognition WSB consistently performs well in national rankings and reviews. The Princeton Review recently ranked the marketing MBA program #3 in the 2022 rankings for Best MBAs for Marketing. The full-time marketing MBA program provides students with a depth of curriculum and applied learning that helps prepare them for internships and careers in the industry. The MS in business analytics was ranked #8 among public schools in the U.S. from QS World Rankings 2022. Students in this one-year MS program gain hands-on experience and build career-ready analytics skills to provide insight and actionable recommendations in any business setting. Alumni and friends support student scholarships on Day of the Badger This spring, Business Badgers came together in support of student scholarships on Day of the Badger. More than 320 donors helped meet the campaign goal and raise over $210,000 for the Wisconsin School of Business Fund. Gifts will be put to work to recruit the best and brightest incoming class to lead the future of business. The post WSB Supporters Help Drive Campaign Success and Competitive Programs appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
06 May 2022, 12:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Developing Executive Presence to Achieve Business & People Results |
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When advancing in your career, the skills, behaviors, and mindsets of “executive presence” are must-haves to inspire confidence and build quality relationships with team members. Defining an authentic and personal executive presence is essential to becoming a successful leader. During this EdgeUp webinar, Taura Prosek (BBA ’93) explores a four-part framework to improve individual executive presence. This framework is focused on determining how you show up, how you decide, how you manage emotions, and how you inspire. [b]How you show up[/b] A compelling leader communicates with others in a manner that balances projecting confidence and professionalism with valuing authenticity and personal style. Quality executive presence requires clear verbal and non-verbal communication. The way a leader communicates gives others a good sense of how they conduct themselves, and what they can expect from them in the future. Three ways a leader can show that they are communicating with presence and intention are active listening, making eye contact when speaking with others, and using positive body language. [b]How you decide[/b] Effective leaders make decisions that ensure their teams deliver excellence and achieve results. Providing clear expectations to employees, having a clear point of view, and seeking multiple perspectives can help leaders come across more confident, competent, and decisive. Prosek states that it is important to define the problem clearly before trying to solve it, and she encourages leaders to be intentional about making employees feel that their opinions and feedback are valued in the problem solving process. [b]How you manage emotions[/b] Good leaders manage their emotions in order to build trust and be viewed as a role model by those in their organizations. One key aspect of executive presence is knowing how to act with emotional intelligence. Psychologist Daniel Goleman, as quoted by Prosek, defines emotional intelligence as “your ability to recognize, understand, and use the role of emotions to manage yourself and your relationship with others.” Being aware of emotions improves self-awareness, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Those who are emotionally intelligent embrace change, let go of mistakes, and neutralize toxic people. [b]How you inspire[/b] Motivating a team requires more than a compelling vision; a leader who can effectively energize a team and engage others in their vision will find great success when navigating change. Communicating a clear compelling vision that aligns with a mission’s organization is critical. It’s important that teams understand the “why” behind the organization and its mission, as people are more engaged when they feel aligned with the purpose behind actions. Constructive leaders inspire employees by utilizing storytelling to connect, build trust, and create a high performance environment. Taura Prosek (BBA ’93), is an executive consultant and coach with Stewart Leadership and specializes in executive presence, leadership, and career coaching. Prior to joining Stewart Leadership, she worked for the Wisconsin School of Business, Cielo Talent, and GE Healthcare, in the areas of finance, sales, and talent acquisition and development. Prosek[b] [/b]is a Gallup-Certified Strengths coach, Stewart-Certified in LEAD NOW!, and is PCC level certified with the International Coaching Federation. She has an MBA from Kellogg at Northwestern University and a BBA from the Wisconsin School of Business at UW–Madison. The post [url=https://business.wisc.edu/news/developing-executive-presence-to-achieve-business-people-results/]Developing Executive Presence to Achieve Business & People Results[/url] appeared first on [url=https://business.wisc.edu]Wisconsin School of Business[/url]. |
12 May 2022, 19:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: ‘Perseverance, Determination, Scholarship, Leadership:’ WSB’s First BEL Scholars Graduate |
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For Business Badger Katie Haghighi (BBA ’22), the pace won’t slow after Saturday. Once the marketing and international business major has diploma in hand, she’s committing her energy and efforts to the startup she founded: Regener8, a platform that tackles the global textile waste crisis by connecting fashion designers with consumers. Come late summer, she’ll begin a consultant position with United Health Group while continuing to work on Regener8 on the side. Haghighi is one of 17 scholars from the inaugural cohort of the Business Emerging Leaders (BEL) Program who will graduate this week. Started by the Wisconsin School of Business in 2016, the donor-funded BEL Program is a college preparatory program for high school students from diverse backgrounds that have strong academic records and leadership skills. “We are so excited to see our first group of BEL students graduate,” says Jim Franzone, assistant dean of the undergraduate office. “They are truly an amazing group. This has been a seven-year journey for these students.” Since starting their time with WSB as high schoolers, this group of BEL scholars has excelled academically, developed their leadership capacity, and made an impact on campus in countless ways. “These are leaders who will shape the future of business and I can’t wait to see the impact they make.” – Jim Franzone “We have graduates who have started new student organizations, led the effort to create the Multicultural Center at the school, worked to remove racist symbols from campus, and acted as mentors to other BEL students,” says Franzone. Many of the soon-to-be-graduates have accepted positions across a variety of industries and organizations including BP, Spaulding Ridge, Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, and Madison International Reality. Others will launch careers in recruiting, social media marketing, and business development. Some are continuing their education by pursuing law school, educational policy studies, and the master’s program in arts and creative enterprise leadership at WSB. “These are leaders who will shape the future of business and I can’t wait to see the impact they make,” adds Franzone. Developing future business leaders BEL was designed to give top-performing high school students exposure to business and a business education, with the vision that today’s talented high schoolers would become tomorrow’s business students and eventually, distinguished alumni and industry leaders. Thanks to an anonymous donor, BEL scholars who apply and are accepted to the University of Wisconsin–Madison as business majors receive a four-year tuition scholarship.  The BEL program builds in time for relaxation, group bonding, and summer fun with activities like the Madison Mallards baseball game. BEL’s foundation is built upon four pillars: community experience, personal growth, academic excellence, and career exploration. During summers in high school, BEL students spend several weeks on campus and learn about business fundamentals and the career pathways available to them at WSB. They meet with industry leaders through on-site visits to top companies such as Google, Target, Accenture, and Trek Bicycle, and hone their entrepreneurial and leadership skills through hands-on learning sessions like “Badger Tank” (based on the popular “Shark Tank” television show). During this time, they also build relationships and community with other BEL scholars as well as WSB instructors and faculty. Once accepted into UW–Madison, the BEL Program maintains a network of support and resources with the BEL undergraduate students on campus. “I attribute a large part of my success and growth to the people I have met and leadership skills I learned through BEL,” said BEL scholar Mikol Tsopnang (BBA ’22) in 2019 when she was a first-year undergraduate student. The supply chain management and operations and technology management major is set to graduate this week. “I truly do not know where I would be without the constant support of the BEL Program and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.” Persistence through the pandemic BEL went fully virtual during the summer of 2020 due to the pandemic. High school students in the BEL Program worked remotely from home but had the continuity of the same instructors who now taught in a virtual space. Those already in college followed UW–Madison pandemic protocols. Given the disruption, it was hard to sustain a feeling of community in the same way. Resurrecting that connection throughout the Spring 2021 semester and beyond has been “super gratifying,” says Tiffany Vanphravong, pre-college services manager with the undergraduate program office.  BEL scholars explore Chicago while on a site visit to Google and Accenture. “It has been a pleasure seeing scholars gather for various BEL events and seeing all of them build a strong sense of community once again,” says Vanphravong. “Overall, it has been a great pleasure to be in these spaces of joy, curiosity, and growth with the BEL scholars.” “These students certainly didn’t anticipate having their college career disrupted through the pandemic and we couldn’t be prouder of their perseverance, determination, scholarship, and leadership,” adds Franzone. From BEL beginnings to career launch As Haghighi’s undergraduate career comes to a close, she finds herself reflecting on all the ways she has benefitted from the BEL Program. “Everyone in BEL inspires and motivates me to be my best self,” she says. “BEL has allowed me the opportunity to grow into the confident and successful Asian and Middle Eastern woman I am today by relieving the financial stress of higher education and providing me with a community of strong leaders.” The post ‘Perseverance, Determination, Scholarship, Leadership:’ WSB’s First BEL Scholars Graduate appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
13 May 2022, 15:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Spring 2022 Commencement: A Look Back at the Business Badger Experience |
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Sometimes, it’s good to take stock of where you’ve been so that you can focus on where you’re going. With graduation only a day away, seven notable Wisconsin School of Business graduates share their next chapters, relive WSB favorite moments, and dispense some words of wisdom on what they’ve learned as Business Badgers. Hao Tran (MS ’22) Program/Degree: Masters of Science Business Analytics Spring 2022 Commencement: A Look Back at the Business Badger Experience appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
16 May 2022, 12:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Expanding Innovation and Access: WSB Announces the Redesign of the Executive MBA |
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Building on recent innovation with new flexible offerings and curricular modernization, the Wisconsin School of Business is announcing plans to redesign one of three MBA programs, the [url=https://business.wisc.edu/graduate/mba/executive/]Wisconsin Executive MBA[/url]. The redesign is part of an effort to develop an agile, market-driven portfolio of graduate degrees for professionals at every stage of their careers. The redesign of the executive MBA follows the successful launch of the [url=https://business.wisc.edu/graduate/mba/professional/]Wisconsin Professional MBA[/url], a new program that started last year with a hybrid delivery of in-person and virtual learning. Enrollment in the redesigned executive MBA program is expected to open in the fall of 2023 with classes starting in the fall of 2024. The redesigned program responds to industry demand, where executive-level professionals show a continual need for opportunities to expand their skills and elevate their leadership to take on business’ shifting dynamics. “People at this stage in their careers are seeing all sorts of new challenges,” says Enno Siemsen, associate dean for graduate programs. “How do I grow my business? How do I manage change? How do I think about strategy? How do I think about leadership? How can I make effective decisions and get others to make effective decisions?” The redesigned program will give executives tools to answer these questions within a more flexible delivery model that enables students to better balance the strenuous nature of their careers and lives. The program will feature new and innovative courses, expanded experiential learning, and increased executive mentoring. The school will continue to expand the development of new micro-credentials and badges as part of its graduate portfolio innovation initiative. Like the professional MBA, the new executive MBA will reach different types of professionals and expand the school’s geographic footprint outside of the Madison area. Students will benefit from greater networking opportunities and be able to connect with a more diverse pool of professionals. Leadership development and flexibility for high-level executives From a structural standpoint, the executive MBA will shift from an in-person, all-day Friday and Saturday format, to an experience that highlights the best aspects of virtual and on-campus learning. The school will preserve the curriculum’s focus on teaching high-level economics, operations, finance, marketing, and leadership, and the program’s emphasis on networking and collaboration will remain steady. Students will continue to work in teams, but they won’t be tasked with long days away from their work and families, and they’ll be able to more easily access program materials and correspond with classmates and faculty from wherever they are. The program has always been built on the strength of its student body, which is traditionally made up of entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, and military veterans in addition to corporate executives and leaders on the path to the C-suite. The updated program format will better mirror the workplace experiences of these professionals and help them fit their education into their busy schedules. “Time commitment is one of the biggest barriers for prospective students, who often consider pursuing a program for over ten years before applying,” says Betsy Kacizak, director of admissions for the MBA and master’s programs. “Working professionals continue to receive encouragement and support from their employers to pursue an MBA, but they now seek options with a mix of in-person and virtual learning.” Intentional strategy for program growth This program transformation is part of a long-term goal for the school to deliver a nimble, market responsive graduate program portfolio. Over the last three years, WSB has been growing and optimizing its graduate programs as part of Roadmap 2025, the school’s strategic plan, and Dean Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy’s vision for delivering a global platform for lifelong learning. “Business is going through a rapid transformation. We want our programs to mirror the future of work and respond to the changing needs of the digital economy,” says Sambamurthy. “The redesign of the program will strengthen executive education offerings for working professionals with the built-in flexibility and customization the market demands.” “Business is going through a rapid transformation. We want our programs to mirror the future of work and respond to the changing needs of the digital economy.” —Albert O. Nicholas Dean Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy The redesign research process started in the fall of 2021 when it became more evident that professionals increasingly sought hybrid options for their degrees. Comprehensive market research is helping guide the development of the new program. The school’s graduate portfolio includes three MBA programs, including two part-time programs, the executive MBA and the professional MBA, and one residential program, the [url=https://business.wisc.edu/graduate/mba/full-time/]Wisconsin Full-Time MBA[/url]. Four specialized master’s programs were also launched in the last three years, expanding the school’s rich portfolio of programs to rapidly respond to demand from both students and industry. Students can now choose one of [url=https://business.wisc.edu/graduate/masters/]eight one-year programs[/url] to jumpstart their ideal careers. A redesign built on recent success Launched last year, the Wisconsin Professional MBA Program proved that a hybrid delivery model could be successful for the school’s working professional students. Students in the professional MBA program experience a 50-50 blend of in-person and remote coursework. They spend one weekend a month on campus and take virtual classes on Wednesday nights. Fifty-seven students made up the program’s inaugural class, and the program will expand this upcoming school year with new cohorts starting in the fall and spring. One of the key successes of the program’s first year was enrolling professionals that would have traditionally struggled to complete a degree on campus in Madison. Connor Tingstad, a senior financial analyst at Target, lives in Minneapolis, for instance. “I chose the Wisconsin School of Business for the reputation and quality of school, but also because I wanted a program that was flexible in terms of working virtually, while also allowing me to network in person with my fellow cohort,” says Tingstad. Following the model established by the professional MBA, the new Wisconsin Executive MBA is investing in educating professionals where they are—in life and in the country. The redesign is a major step forward in addressing the needs of business professionals who are on the go—or at home, juggling the responsibilities of business, parenting, travel, and much more. “WSB’s investment in the executive MBA program is important,” says executive MBA alum Tim Williams (MBA ’19). “The redesigned program will deliver an excellent opportunity to not only gain proficiency in the actual mechanics of how business works, but will enable each class member to become a better, more effective leader equipped with the latest knowledge and expertise to confidently grow and transform the relevant opportunities they choose to pursue.” Michelle Bougie (MBA ’20), Sr. Director – Marketing, GE Healthcare, says the networking component is essential for executive students. “My Wisconsin EMBA experience has been invaluable to my career and personal development . . . relationships forged through the experience have continued well beyond graduation. These networks have been a great resource to tap into for additional points of view and enrich one’s lifelong learning,” says Bougie. Applications to the new executive MBA program are expected to open in the fall of 2023. Current executive MBA students will continue with the fully in-person program format through to graduation while the school reimagines its delivery. The last cohort of the current program format will be the class of 2023. Starting now and through the program’s launch, the MBA admissions team remains available to advise and consult with prospective students. Individuals interested in an executive MBA program can schedule a 30-minute consultation or [url=https://business.wisc.edu/graduate/mba/executive/#block_6217f8e2a4bf9]sign up to receive the latest program information[/url]. The post [url=https://business.wisc.edu/news/wsb-announces-executive-mba-redesign/]Expanding Innovation and Access: WSB Announces the Redesign of the Executive MBA[/url] appeared first on [url=https://business.wisc.edu]Wisconsin School of Business[/url]. |
18 May 2022, 15:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB’s Doctoral Students Graduate: ‘You Will Script Your Own Future’ |
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Professor Karla Zehms remembers her first dissertation rejection well. Biking home through Madison’s Arboretum, she was so devastated that she didn’t even realize she was in the wrong lane—until she saw the traffic barreling toward her. Today, Zehms, the Ernst & Young Professor in Accounting and the associate dean of doctoral programs and research at the Wisconsin School of Business, ranks among the most prolific and impactful researchers in her field. Zehms shared her experience during Friday’s hooding ceremony for Wisconsin School of Business doctoral students and their assembled family and friends. Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy, WSB’s Albert O. Nicholas Dean, presided over the 16 graduating students and gave the keynote address. “It is our faculty and colleagues’ passion for doctoral programs and research that enables us to recruit top-notch students from across the world, prepare them for careers in [academia], and place them in excellent schools,” Sambamurthy said. He noted that this year’s job placements for graduates of WSB’s PhD program include five top-tier research institutions and four top international universities. Sambamurthy recalled to graduates a mentor from his own doctoral days who imparted what today is known as “engaged scholarship.” “When I came to Wisconsin, I realized that’s the Wisconsin Idea: that scholarship must be both rigorous and relevant, that our research must go beyond the four walls of this building, beyond the confines of our academic community,” said Sambamurthy. “And we have an opportunity to speak to multiple stakeholders, fellow researchers, students, policy makers, and business leaders.” Giving back is also important. “I encourage you to find your own mentors, emulate their life and examples,” Sambamurthy said. “But as you grow and establish your own reputation, become mentors for the next generation.” Garnering top placements This year’s graduating class will join high-ranking research institutions in tenure-track, assistant professor positions. Some of the placements include: Duke University; George Mason University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Houston; State University of New York at Binghamton; Peking University HSBC Business School; and the University of Toronto, among others. “The marketing department is extremely proud of its graduating class of five PhD students,” Neeraj Arora, the Arthur C. Nielsen, Jr. Chair in Marketing Research and Education and a professor in the Department of Marketing, says. “They are emblematic of the high standard of scholarship and teaching that we instill in our students. They will spread the academic values of the Wisconsin School of Business all over the world.” Marketing graduate Srinivas Tunuguntla (MS ’17, PhD ‘22) is headed to Duke. In addition to the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Genevieve Gorst Herfurth Award that he received in January, Tunuguntla and co-author Paul Hoban received the American Marketing Association’s Paul E. Green Award. The award recognizes their article, “A Near-Optimal Bidding Strategy for Real-Time Display Advertising Auctions,” first published in the organization’s Journal of Marketing Research (JMR). Per the website, “the Paul E. Green Award recognizes the article in JMR that demonstrates the greatest potential to contribute to the theory, methods, and practice of marketing.” Tom Linsmeier, the Thomas G. Ragatz Accounting and Law Distinguished Chair and a professor in the Department of accounting and information systems, noted the impact that the future accounting faculty graduating from WSB will make, including his advisees: Zach King (PhD ‘22) and Mayer Liang (PhD ‘22). “Zach has developed an exciting research program focusing on the accounting for intangible assets. His dissertation has the potential to change academic thinking about the accounting for R&D activities and is relevant to current accounting policy decisions. He has an exciting future as a researcher and teacher. He will represent UW well,” Linsmeier said. “Mayer is an outstanding teacher and has great potential as a researcher,” Linsmeier said. “She has a well-developed research program focusing on financial reporting classifications in the cash flow statement. Her dissertation is relevant to current international standard setting activities and extends academic research on the comparability of financial statements to specific accounting decisions. We are proud she is a Business Badger.” Tunuguntla, King, and Liang are examples of the next-generation thinkers that define WSB’s doctoral graduates. They are poised to educate a new wave of business leaders and perform research that will shape industry and inform business decision-making. Forever a Badger Sambamurthy reminded graduates that becoming a Badger is to join an “amazing community as members, and you will script your own future.” Dedicating oneself to a life in academia is a “noble choice,” he said. “It is gratifying. It is challenging, but it is extremely rewarding in terms of the impact that you will make, the countless lives that you’ll influence as researchers, as teachers, and through your outreach to industry and to society.” “You will blaze the trail,” Sambamurthy said. “And we will watch you with pride.” The post WSB’s Doctoral Students Graduate: ‘You Will Script Your Own Future’ appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
23 May 2022, 15:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: ‘Savor Surprises:’ A Conversation with Intuit Co-founder Scott Cook |
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In 1982, a wife got out the checkbook and had a conversation with her husband about the tedium of paying the bills. It was an ordinary, everyday moment, one that probably played out millions of times throughout American households of the era, except this particular wife was Signe Ostby (BBA ’75, MBA ’77) and her husband, Scott Cook. Their brief exchange would eventually generate Intuit, Inc., the financial software giant that includes Quicken, QuickBooks, and TurboTax. Intuit’s 2021 revenues totaled $9.6 billion with a market cap of $130 billion. Cook shared his insights in conversation with Vallabh “Samba” Sambamurthy, Albert O. Nicholas Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, for an audience of Wisconsin MBA students, faculty, and alumni as part of the school’s M. Keith Weikel MBA Leadership Speaker Series. Cook co-founded Intuit in 1983 and currently serves as chairman of the executive committee of the board. He was a former board member of Amazon, Procter & Gamble (P&G), and eBay/PayPal, as well as a consultant for Bain & Company and a brand manager for P&G. He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s in economics and mathematics from the University of Southern California. Here are some highlights from the conversation: A P&G education Cook’s early time with P&G proved to have a lasting influence on his approach to problem solving and entrepreneurship. “I took the P&G playbook and really applied it in a different category,” he said. P&G was an example of what Cook referred to as distinguishing between product and process. “You see that truly breakthrough companies, who then last for years or decades or generations, may be more famous for a product, but inside is a process,” he said. P&G products like Pampers or Tide might immediately come to mind, but the firm’s process was the creation of the brand management concept, Cook said. Other examples are Henry Ford’s Model T product versus the assembly line process, or Toyota’s vehicles versus their production system. “When you pick where you work, you’re picking that collection of methods and mindsets,” Cook said. He raised some eyebrows in 1976 by choosing P&G over tech companies like IBM, but it paid off. “The stuff I learned there was essential, and we saw direct competitors who hadn’t gotten those lessons make mistake after mistake after mistake. And ultimately, they’re all gone.” Weathering adversity Intuit’s early years “were all lows,” Cook said. He and his co-founder, a Stanford engineering student at the time, were in the process of creating what would later become Quicken. They decided to build out the product enough to have something to show to potential investors, and began to test it with consumers. The individual user experience wasn’t as important to the corporate world, Cook said, since companies generally mandated the software their employees used. “Ease [of use] didn’t matter for that market, but it did matter to us,” he said. Cook found an expert in user interface, and together they continued to test the Quicken model with real people to see how easily they could navigate it. “We’d put them in front of it and say, ‘Okay, here’s the bills, pay them,’” Cook said. They also timed the software, aiming to make it perform faster than anything currently on the market.  Cook’s early years with P&G helped shape his approach to business and entrepreneurship. Armed with the product and a lot of solid data behind them, they reached out to investors. Zero interest. “We talked to over two dozen venture firms, and not a single firm believed that people would buy a computer for their homes, or didn’t believe they’d do their checkbook on it. And even if that happened, they didn’t believe they’d buy from us,” Cook said. Cook and his team had hoped for $2 million to put toward marketing. They ended up with only $151,000, but it was “angel money,” he said. “It kept the doors open, but we didn’t have the money for marketing. So that started years of struggle where nothing worked.” They were unable to pay salaries and scraped to pay the mortgage. Finally, things started to turn around. They had been able to incorporate some advertising and connect with several banks. “The business switched to tripling every year, just on that one product [Quicken] triple—then another triple, and then another triple,” Cook said. What was driving the overwhelming response? Customer word of mouth. The small consumer base they had was spreading the word like wildfire about this user-friendly new software. ‘Savor surprises’ When it comes to business model evolution, Cook said he’s learned to “savor surprises.” Back in the Quicken days, Cook noticed an odd phenomenon: Based on survey data, Quicken consumers were frequently using personal finance software in an office, not in their own homes. They were using it in their bookkeeping jobs, not for personal use. He talked to these users and found that they appreciated the ease and simplicity of the checkbook-style approach and wanted to apply it in their jobs—even though for the same price, small businesses could buy a full set of advanced accounting software. That was useful information. “We assumed the paradigm was, of course, they all used accounting [software]. No, they hate accounting,” Cook said. When Intuit launched QuickBooks in 1991, “we positioned it as the first accounting software with no accounting in it,” he said. The company outsold the competition within two months. Today, QuickBooks makes up half of Intuit’s business. “So that’s the surprise: savor surprises,” Cook said. “Go understand the things that don’t make sense. That’s often the market speaking, telling you something you don’t understand.” Similarly, Cook shared the backstory of Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of Intuit in the 1990s to the tune of $1.5 billion. Since both led major public companies, Cook and Gates held a secret meeting away from the press at the United Airlines Club at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. “We went in separately so nobody would see us going in the same room together,” Cook said. “We talked and we both got really excited about it, so excited we kind of lost our cool and walked out of the club into the concourse together, saying, ‘This will be the biggest deal in software history.’” The Department of Justice ended up investigating and the merger never happened, but Cook said it reminded him of the Garth Brooks hit, “Unanswered Prayers,” a song about being grateful for what didn’t work out. “One reason it turned out so well was because as soon as the deal was broken up, then suddenly all banks came to us because we were the chosen child—and now made friendly because we were not part of Microsoft,” Cook said. “So who knows, you can’t predict. ‘Thank God for unanswered prayers.’” The Giving Pledge In 2016, Ostby and Cook signed the The Giving Pledge, a movement started by Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates that encourages the wealthiest individuals to give the bulk of their wealth to philanthropic causes. Ostby and Cook’s commitment is focused on four main areas including education and tackling climate, especially controlling methane emissions, the more harmful greenhouse gas. Cook said their work on methane began roughly seven years ago. “Everyone gives the attention to carbon. Methane is 25 times worse for climate than a half-pound of carbon. It was largely not being funded, so we helped with getting started through measurement and detection. We work in medical research typically around autoimmune diseases, which has also led to the human microbiome. It turns out there may be a link between what happens in your brain and what happens in your gut.” Cook and Ostby established The Center for Brand and Product Management at the Wisconsin School of Business in 2002 in order to fill a gap in business education—no one was training business students to be top-notch brand and product managers. Both Cook and Ostby began their careers as brand managers, and both continue to play a hands-on role in the center to this day. The M. Keith Weikel Leadership Speaker Series at the Wisconsin School of Business enables Wisconsin MBA students to interact with and learn from accomplished business leaders and alumni. Executives from both the private and public sectors are invited to campus to address students. The series was established in 2004 with a gift by John J. Oros (BBA ‘71) and his wife, Anne Wackman. Today, the series continues as the M. Keith Weikel MBA Leadership Speaker Series thanks to a gift by M. Keith Weikel (PhD ‘66) and his wife, Barbara. The post ‘Savor Surprises:’ A Conversation with Intuit Co-founder Scott Cook appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
02 Jun 2022, 15:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB’s Manzoor and Tong Receive American Family Funding Initiative Award |
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Wisconsin School of Business professors Emaad Manzoor and Jordan Tong are the recipients of an American Family Funding Initiative award from the American Family Insurance Data Science Institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Master in Business Analytics program and served as its first academic co-director. He is a past recipient of WSB’s Gaumnitz Junior Faculty Research Award. The post WSB’s Manzoor and Tong Receive American Family Funding Initiative Award appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
09 Jun 2022, 11:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Greater Employee Interdependence May Mitigate Racial Discrimination in Service Interactions |
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Managers seeking to reduce racial discrimination in their service interactions should find ways to build interdependence among employees, a recent study by Jirs Meuris, an assistant professor of management and human resources at the Wisconsin School of Business, suggests. Meuris looked at one form of police-citizen interactions—cite-and-release decisions—to find out whether more interdependent employee work roles influenced racial discrimination in these decisions. During a cite-and-release decision, officers decide to give suspects of misdemeanor offenses either a citation (a summons to show up in court at a future date and released, viewed as the more desirable option) or suspects are cited and taken immediately to jail. The results showed that white suspects were more likely to be cited and released than minority suspects for the same crime, a finding that aligns with prior research in the field. As racial diversity increased in the officers’ department, this disparity widened. Meuris argued that this can happen because increases in racial diversity can result in conflict among employees, which could spill over outside of the workplace. However, when the officers involved were part of a community policing initiative that promoted the interdependence of their work roles, increases in racial diversity did not increase racial disparities in cite-and-release decisions because interdependence decreases the degree to which racial diversity leads to conflict. “The paper was based upon this assumption that if we want to reduce racial discrimination in police interactions, we just need more diversity among officers. I realized that if we could take some of the ideas we have in management about diversity in organizations and transfer them to police departments, then maybe we could improve outcomes in these areas that are important to us as a society.” Jirs Meuris Meuris says the study was a welcome “return to his roots” (he holds a bachelor of criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park), and was sparked in part by how most of the existing organizational behavior research on diversity relates mainly to performance and turnover. “The paper was based upon this assumption that if we want to reduce racial discrimination in police interactions, we just need more diversity among officers,” Meuris says. “I realized that if we could take some of the ideas we have in management about diversity in organizations and transfer them to police departments, then maybe we could improve outcomes in these areas that are important to us as a society.” Study design The study used cite-and-release data taken from three separate U.S. Department of Justice data collections. The data set included roughly 200,000 cite-and-release decisions from 93 U.S. police departments, and spanned a nonsequential five-year period between 1997 and 2013. Meuris then focused on six misdemeanors that commonly receive citations. The findings suggested that minority suspects were more often taken to jail for the same offense as their white counterparts who were given citations. Racially diverse police departments without a community policing program where there was a low level of interdependence among officers saw an increase in this disparity between white and minority suspects, while diverse departments with a high level of interdependence from a community policing program did not see this increase. Managers play a key role While interdependence from community policing is specific to police departments, Meuris says organizations from any industry can think along those lines. “In this context, like any organization, we want to have diversity to be successful,” he says. A key takeaway of the study is the need to create a workplace where diverse co-workers can form strong relationships—community policing lends itself to that in this context by centering on a common goal—not just have people co-exist in the same office. Managers have a critical role to play in managing diversity, Meuris says. “If the goal is to reap the benefits of diversity, then that’s going to require helping employees build relationships, make connections, and work together. However, if diversity is not adequately managed and it’s happening solely because ‘it’s the right thing to do,’ it’s less likely to have benefits. It turns out it can have the opposite effect.” Even though the study is highly contextualized, Meuris says, it points organizations in the right direction. “I think the paper helps by saying, ‘If your organization does this, you avoid a pitfall of diversity and are more likely to reap its benefits,’” he says. “Becoming more diverse can have a negative impact on racial disparities in service interactions when organizations don’t also implement ways to break down silos between employees from different racial backgrounds.” Read the paper: “Can Racial Diversity Attenuate Racial Discrimination in Service Interactions? Evidence from Cite-and-Release Decisions within Police Department,” published by Organization Science. Jirs Meuris is an assistant professor in the Department of Management and Human Resources at the Wisconsin School of Business. He is a faculty affiliate at the Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Financial Security. The post Greater Employee Interdependence May Mitigate Racial Discrimination in Service Interactions appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
09 Jun 2022, 13:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB’s Anita Mukherjee Featured on Freakonomics MD |
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Anita Mukherjee, an assistant professor of risk and insurance at the Wisconsin School of Business, was a featured guest on a recent episode of podcast Freakonomics MD. Hosted by Dr. Bapu Jena and titled “How Will We Handle the Heat?,” the episode examined how rising temperatures are impacting the planet on both a global and individual scale. Mukherjee shared her expertise, including a recent study on heat and prison populations—a demographic that often has no choice or option of controlling the physical environment. Using data from Mississippi’s Department of Corrections, Mukherjee and co-author Nicholas J. Sanders of Cornell University examined what prison systems refer to as “infractions,” she told Jena. “These are the behavioral incidents in prison, which can include new crimes. So, we categorize them as violence, aggressive behavior, disobedience, refusal to work, riotous behavior. And we really only find effects on the violence. Now, it could be a reporting issue—maybe on very hot days, guards just spend their energy only reporting the violent incidents and don’t bother recording refusal to work. It suggests that heat has a unique relationship to violence, and not just general disobedience, which we weren’t fully expecting.” Mukherjee said that their study may hold wider implications about heat and behavior that extend beyond just the prison setting. “So, the question is: What is the effect of heat potentially outside prison? Because our study is only really estimating the effects inside prison. The effects of heat on violence are likely to be higher in our study than for people not in prison for a couple of different reasons. One is that people in prison may already have a higher likelihood for violence than people outside prison.” Mukherjee’s research avenues cover both U.S. and emerging market settings and include social insurance, financial literacy, and legal policies on vulnerable populations, particularly in relation to aging and health. She was recently named a TIAA Institute Fellow and is a member of the G53 Financial Literacy and Personal Finance Research Network at George Washington University’s Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center. Mukherjee is also an affiliate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Financial Security, the Institute for Research on Poverty, the Center for Demography and Ecology, the Center for Demography of Health and Aging, and the University of Wisconsin Law School. Read the working paper: “The Causal Effect of Heat on Violence: Social Implications of Unmitigated Heat Among the Incarcerated,” available through the National Bureau of Economic Research The post WSB’s Anita Mukherjee Featured on Freakonomics MD appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
08 Jul 2022, 11:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: 5 Things to Know About Business Analytics at WSB |
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How do you keep pace with a rapidly changing field like business analytics? If you’re an educator, you innovate. You listen. And you definitely don’t rest on your laurels. Cody Baldwin, director of the Master of Science-Business: Analytics (MSBA) program at the Wisconsin School of Business, estimates that he talks to 100 companies a year about WSB students and the MSBA program. In these conversations, Baldwin says some common themes emerge about what employers are looking for. “We see how we can build those elements into the program to make our students more competitive,” he says. “We’re getting feedback that ‘this is excellent. We need people like this.’ That tells me that we’re on the right track.” Launched in 2019 as part of WSB’s investment in creating a market-responsive, flexible graduate portfolio, the program’s enrollment grew 100% last year and is on track for further expansion. Not only was the response overwhelming—Baldwin says they received nearly 700 applications for only 120 available spots—but this year’s final cohort was 47% male, 53% female students, not always the norm for tech programs. Here are five things to know about Wisconsin business analytics: The program holds a 100% placement rate. The one-year MSBA program placed 100% of its graduates last year, Baldwin says, and is on pace to replicate that performance again this year. May 2022 MSBA graduates landed at top companies such as Amazon, JPMorgan Chase & Co., American Family Insurance, Generac, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, Target, and Goldman Sachs, to name just a few. A sampling of the types of jobs MSBA graduates secured include analyst, data engineer, inventory analyst, business intelligence analyst, senior economic consultant, and data scientist. Its strong consulting practicum is a highlight of the MSBA experience. Baldwin credits Mary Kathryn Malone (MBA ’01), consulting practicum director, with students’ rave reviews about the program’s spring semester consulting practicum experience, and notes that there are currently more companies interested in working with students than the program is able to fill. MSBA students work in small teams on real-world business problems across a wide variety of industries throughout the U.S. and globally. The practicum pulls together all aspects of the MSBA program plus consulting best practices. The projects “give students a taste of what the ‘real world’ will look like when they start work,” Malone says. The projects use actual company data and allow students an opportunity to apply technical skills they learn in the program—everything from cloud computing, programming, machine learning, and data visualization. Two digital elective tracks have been added to the curriculum. WSB’s Marketing MBA was ranked third in the nation this year by the Princeton Review. Launched this spring, the Digital Marketing track equips students for using their analytics expertise in the consumer-focused digital marketing world, with courses such as Digital Marketing Analytics, Marketing in the Digital Age, and Marketing Analytics. Marketing analytics is a booming market, so this presents an exciting opportunity for Wisconsin MSBA students. For more than a decade, WSB’s Risk and Insurance program has been ranked in the top three of undergraduate insurance programs by U.S. News and World Report, as well as being named one of the original Centers of Actuarial Excellence by the Society of Actuaries. Come fall, MSBA students will have the option to leverage this WSB strength by enrolling in a new elective track, Digital Risk and Insurance Technology, that prepares them for managing digital risk. The 9-credit curriculum includes two new courses taught by WSB risk and insurance faculty and one course that allows students to participate in the Creative Destruction Lab-Wisconsin program, which supports startup ventures in risk, health, and insurance technology. “We are excited about this newly developed educational opportunity that we at the Wisconsin School of Business can uniquely bring to students interested in risk management, data analytics and technology, and entrepreneurism and intrapreneurism,” says Dani Bauer, MSBA’s faculty director and the Hickman-Larson Chair in Actuarial Science. The program’s use of cloud technology is a model for other schools. “Cutting-edge technology” is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot, but in this case, it applies. “We’re one of the only programs in the country that has cloud computing as a core feature of our program,” says Baldwin. Cloud platforms like Amazon, Google, and Snowflake are licensed to students, and a new course, “Cloud Technology for Business Analytics,” helps them develop and apply valuable skills in building cloud data pipelines. After presenting at a recent conference about WSB’s cloud technology integration, Baldwin was swarmed. “I had a lot of other universities coming up to me, wanting to know what we were doing. It also won the award for best poster at the conference.” It may be the only place you’ll ever hear “ice fishing” and “business analytics” in the same sentence. No basketball games or escape rooms for this group. When polled about what activities might be fun to do together, ice fishing came in at the top of the list. So, Baldwin and Bauer took the entire cohort ice fishing off of Lake Monona. That was fine with Baldwin, who believes in giving MSBA students a total Wisconsin experience both in and outside of the classroom. “That’s why I like leaning into things like the Wisconsin Idea, leaning into Wisconsin companies, and leaning into Wisconsin activities,” he says. “Because it makes our program unique in that way, too.” 5 Things to Know About Business Analytics at WSB appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
11 Jul 2022, 15:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Auto Financing ‘Pink Tax’ Could Have Female Car Buyers Seeing Red |
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Most buyers are unaware that dealers can mark up interest rates for auto loans regardless of buyers’ risk profiles, potentially leading to gender discrimination. A new study suggests that women pay a higher markup than men for that same financing. Cheng He is an assistant professor in the Department of Marketing at the Wisconsin School of Business. The post Auto Financing ‘Pink Tax’ Could Have Female Car Buyers Seeing Red appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
13 Jul 2022, 12:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: First-ever Leadership at Lambeau Summit Takes Business Badgers Behind the Scenes of Packers Organization |
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When it comes to leadership, many of us probably don’t have a clear idea of what the word really means. We may think of it only in terms of larger-than-life heroes, downplaying our own unique skills and abilities and assuming others are the ones with the innate leadership potential. But what if we had the opportunity to learn more about ourselves and about leadership in an exciting and supportive environment, with the shared knowledge and guidance of top leadership experts and industry professionals? This May, 40 Wisconsin School of Business undergraduate students tackled just that. Business Badger Badges or have some prior leadership experience with student organizations in order to be considered. Leadership at Lambeau is one of the badges students can earn upon completion, and the entire badge system is designed so that students can also work toward the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Leadership Certificate. The summit is a “signature experience,” Duffstein says. “When we think about the different ways Business Badgers can customize their experience, this is going to be a highlight for many of them. It’s a memorable experience with strong learning outcomes, networking, and opportunities to connect with people from the business industry.” Leadership with a business lens Leadership at Lambeau is made possible in large part thanks to Leadership Training Camp, a company that provides leadership coaching for professional sports teams, including the Green Bay Packers. John Leffin, leadership and personal development coach with Leadership Training Camp, works with the front office side of the organization in training and leadership development. In partnering with WSB, one of his main goals of the retreat was to “dispel the myth that leaders are born, not made,” says Leffin.  Students (left to right) Taylor Gilmour, Brenna Paul, Anna Good, and Calvin Dong, collaborate during a session. “Everyone can be a leader, regardless of their role or position in an organization. Becoming a great leader requires hard work but is also a lot of fun and incredibly rewarding,” he says. “As a leader, the most important thing you can do is help raise up the next generation of leaders. If you do that, you and your teams will thrive.” The core of the summit was working through the “Playbook,” a customized curriculum adapted to Leadership at Lambeau from Leffin’s similar framework that he uses when working with Packers’ front office personnel. Students formed teams of eight to work through leadership principles from the Playbook, with each team including a WSB facilitator and an industry facilitator. Modules covered topics such as “Difficult Conversations,” “Knowing Yourself,” and “Leading with Integrity.” Each participant received a Playbook, where there were also exercises and case studies to complete and share. The small groups were intentional, Duffstein says, in order to bring out discussion and sharing experiences rather than simply listening to delivered content. “Thinking about ethical leadership and ethical decision-making, for example: When was a time when you were asked to do something that maybe went against your own values?” Working in small groups also gives students a chance to see one another as individuals—and to learn to lead that way. Accenture Leadership Center (ALC). The center was designed to foster future leaders and to provide leadership programming—one of the first of its kind to be housed within a business school. Today, the ALC continues WSB’s investment in leadership through numerous resources available to students, including workshops, sponsoring case competitions, service days each semester, and an annual leadership conference, among many other events and activities.  Cole Navin, left, and Bryce Linssen react during a panel featuring Packers CEO Mark Murphy and members of his finance, HR, and brand teams. “John had this idea: how cool would it be to bring these two amazing brands, the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Green Bay Packers, together?” Duffstein says. Leffin floated the idea, and each side was eager to sign on. “Both organizations are committed to the growth of their people and make significant investments in leadership development each year,” Leffin says. “I felt the leadership program we developed for the front office personnel of the Packers could be used as a base to create a similar offering for UW students. It’s been exciting to see this idea come to life and create a win for WSB, the students, and the Packers.” ‘By far the best’ Duffstein says the feedback from the summit has been superb. Students told her that they were able to open up to each other, to learn, and to share. “I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard, ‘I’ve done lots of these leadership things before and this is by far the best,” she says. “Something in particular that resonated with me was the concept of positionless leadership, or in other words, not needing to be in an executive or managerial role to be considered a leader. It clicked for me that I could still apply a lot of these leadership skills I just learned as an intern.” Bryce Linssen (BA ’24) Leadership at Lambeau has continued to benefit Linssen in his first summer internship. “Something in particular that resonated with me was the concept of positionless leadership, or in other words, not needing to be in an executive or managerial role to be considered a leader,” he says. “It clicked for me that I could still apply a lot of these leadership skills I just learned as an intern. Furthermore, I feel like I now have more confidence as both a student and a member of the workforce knowing that I can provide value and knowledge to a company or organization in such a seemingly small and temporary role.” The plan is to make the retreat an annual event, and Duffstein and the team are considering including students who have been through the experience to mentor next year’s participants. Duffstein says she watched a video recently that is regularly shown to students in WSB’s General Business 110 course on how impactful storytelling can be. It reminded her of the Leadership at Lambeau time they all just shared. “I feel like this is the type of experience where every student came away with a different story. That’s going to be more memorable than, ‘how does it feel to have your strengths and core values clearly defined?’ They may not remember the details of that conversation, but they’re going to remember the story, the experience, the overall lessons.”  Students and facilitators pose for a group photo at Lambeau Field. The post First-ever Leadership at Lambeau Summit Takes Business Badgers Behind the Scenes of Packers Organization appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
22 Jul 2022, 08:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: EdgeUp: Boost Your Strategic Mindset |
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A strong strategy is the key to success in any business—but any strategy is only as good as the leaders who set it. Being able to think strategically, implement the appropriate tactics, and adapt on the fly are all essential pieces of the puzzle, but for new managers (and even some veteran ones), it can be difficult to know where to begin. During this EdgeUp webinar, WSB’s Adam Bock (MBA ’99) provides the inside scoop on how to get the strategic juices flowing and provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about strategy and strategic thinking. Just what exactly is strategy? Ask 10 people to define strategy and you’re likely to receive 10 different answers. While the specifics of strategy may vary from company to company, the term can be generally defined as, “a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall goal.” On the flip side, strategy is not a vision statement, mission statement, or a set of values or principles. Bock says it’s also important to not confuse strategy with tactics. Strategy simply positions an organization for potential success, while tactics are the tangible actions employees can take to get there. Both are important and essential to success, but they are different concepts. Remember: Strategy is your plan, tactics are your actions. Use them both to your advantage! Laying out a plan Think back to your school days. Remember taking tests and feeling like you could only succeed if you chose the right answer? That’s something that sticks with us, and it’s why strategic thinking can be difficult. Charting the right course in business is much more complex and open-ended—and there’s never one right answer. But laying out a strategic plan, in collaboration with others at your organization, is a good place to start. Strategic planning involves defining direction and desired outcomes, setting priorities, and making decisions on allocating resources. To start, Bock suggests exploring three basic questions: As an organization, where are we now? Where do we want to be? And how will we get there? Get the answers down on paper and start developing form there. Remember: The process is part of the solution! A cyclical model of strategic thinking Having a consistent decision-making process is the backbone of strategic thinking. When faced with making a strategic decision, Bock suggests starting with a six-step, cyclical model that begins with anticipation. Before making that decision, you want to anticipate what you think is going to happen. From there, you want to challenge any assumptions, interpret what you learn, make the decision, align the organization to implement the decision, and then learn from it. Repeat the process for the next decision. This use of a cyclical and consistent strategic thinking process ensures a broader perspective, helps leaders apply past learnings to future decision making, and allows for better identification of patterns and trends. Remember: Anticipate, challenge, interpret, decide, align, learn. Then—repeat as needed! The importance of reflection Got your company’s strategic plan set in stone? Great! Now it’s time to start thinking about how it needs to change and evolve. Strategic plans aren’t intended to be static frameworks, and Bock says companies who engage in a continuous process for strategic planning tend to be more successful overall. Consider having short, strategic planning meetings on a regular basis, as opposed to only having these meetings every year or so. Additionally, reflection can be a powerful tool. As a leader, some productive questions to ask yourself include: What data would I need to see to change my mind? Do I need to adjust goals? Have I made flawed assumptions? Remember: Strategic planning is an ongoing process! Adam Bock is an award-winning academic, serial entrepreneur, and experienced strategy consultant. Bock provides executive education and coaching in strategy, entrepreneurship, and innovation through the Center for Professional & Executive Development at the Fluno Center. Adam has co-authored three books on business models and entrepreneurship, and he has published more than 20 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. Bock served as a strategy consultant with Michael Porter’s Monitor Group, serving clients such as AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Heineken, and the State of California. He has served on organizational boards and mentors entrepreneurs around the world. Adam holds bachelors’ degrees in aeronautical engineering and quantitative economics from Stanford University, an MBA from the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and a PhD in innovation and entrepreneurship from Imperial College London. The post EdgeUp: Boost Your Strategic Mindset appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
25 Jul 2022, 13:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB’s Jan Heide Receives AMA Award for Lifetime Contributions to Marketing Strategy Research |
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[url=https://business.wisc.edu/directory/profile/jan-b-heide/]Jan Heide[/url] (MBA ’82, PhD ‘87), the Michael E. Lehman Distinguished Chair in Business and a professor of marketing at the Wisconsin School of Business, has been named winner of the [url=https://www.ama.org/listings/2022/07/20/strategy-sig-mahajan-award/]2022 Mahajan Award for Lifetime Contributions to Marketing Strategy Research[/url] by the American Marketing Association (AMA) Marketing Strategy Special Interest Group. Heide was selected for the award for his accomplishments and contributions to marketing theory and practice by a three-member committee of leading research scholars. Criteria for award selection include: overall impact on marketing strategy research and practice, research quality, research quantity, and research leadership. The domain of marketing strategy research is broadly defined by AMA to include all firm-level strategic marketing issues, decisions, and problems. [img]https://business.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/BCS_2014-Faculty-Award-Recipient-Jan-Heide_0519-266x266.jpg[/img] Jan Heide Per the AMA, “Heide is one of the most recognized marketing scholars in the world in the domain of B2B relationships. His seminal work on interorganizational governance spans many decades and has won many accolades, inspiring a generation of students and other scholars to pursue research in the domain. He has also guided several doctoral students who continue to impact the field significantly.” Heide was recently designated a [url=https://business.wisc.edu/news/wsbs-jan-heide-named-american-marketing-association-fellow/]2022 American Marketing Association Fellow[/url]. In his nomination letter, 19 AMA members acknowledge that Heide is “one of the most influential marketing theorists and is the most important theorist in the domain of interorganizational relationships and governance over the past 30 years.” Heide is also the recipient of numerous other awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the AMA’s Interorganizational Special Interest Group, three Louis W. Stern Awards for outstanding and significant contributions to the literature on marketing channels and distribution, and the Harold H. Maynard Award for significant contributions to marketing theory and thought. At WSB, Heide has received the Erwin A. Gaumnitz Excellence in Research Award, the Erwin A. Gaumnitz Excellence in Teaching Award, and the Erwin A. Gaumnitz Distinguished Faculty Award. He is a well-respected leader in WSB’s Marketing Department, which has a strong and longstanding reputation for strategy-oriented research. Heide has also received the University of Wisconsin’s system-wide Underkofler Excellence in Teaching Award. Heide will be presented the Mahajan Award for Lifetime Contributions to Marketing Strategy Research award during the AMA Winter Academic Conference in February 2023. Founded in 1937, the AMA publishes the academic journals Journal of Marketing, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, and Journal of International Marketing. The post [url=https://business.wisc.edu/news/wsbs-jan-heide-receives-ama-award-for-lifetime-contributions-to-marketing-strategy-research/]WSB’s Jan Heide Receives AMA Award for Lifetime Contributions to Marketing Strategy Research[/url] appeared first on [url=https://business.wisc.edu]Wisconsin School of Business[/url]. |
27 Jul 2022, 08:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: 3 Reasons to Earn Your Hybrid MBA at UW–Madison |
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If you’re looking to advance your career while you work, UW–Madison’s hybrid MBA program—the Wisconsin Professional MBA is made for you. Fifty-seven professionals representing a variety of industries and locales joined the program for its launch last fall, hoping to level-up their careers, add strategic skills, and better their futures as people and professionals. Students Felicia Kamriani, a senior digital media designer at Google, and Bree Santiago, a Chicago-based senior implementation project manager at Affirm, share what stuck out to them about the inaugural year of the Wisconsin Professional MBA. 1. Working in teams really works in this hybrid MBA program The Wisconsin Professional MBA is built with the busy and ambitious professional in mind. The Wisconsin School of Business designed the program knowing how difficult it is to complete a fully on-campus program while maintaining a high-pressure career and other life obligations.
Felicia Kamriani says that working with her team has been one of the most rewarding parts of her program experience. “It’s very much like the quintessential cross-functional team that you might find in a company where everybody has different skill sets. It really shows how people can lean in and lean out depending on what the topic is,” says Kamriani. She describes her team as social, supportive, and always learning. Taking financial courses at the onset of the program was challenging, but having a finance director on her team helped steady the group and make sure the team had a solid footing, while other team members were introduced to topics for the first time. “It’s very much like the quintessential cross-functional team that you might find in a company where everybody has different skill sets. It really shows how people can lean in and lean out depending on what the topic is.” —Felicia Kamriani Senior Digital Media Designer at Google 2. You have the ability to advance your career right away Wisconsin Professional MBA students see their studies pay off during the first year of the program. Bree Santiago’s company’s upper-level management team communicated that an MBA would help her achieve higher roles, and her enhanced skill set was recognized by her company early on in the program. “It’s boosted my career, and I know it will continue to boost me once my degree is completed. I’ll be able to go into more senior roles off the bat without having to work my way up into that level,” says Santiago. With a goal of completing the program in two years, Santiago is on the fast track to becoming a trusted leader within her organization and her compensation is going up. She credits her Negotiations course for helping her earn more. “I really liked our Negotiations class because it was something that was directly applicable to pretty much anything that you can do. You can take what you learn from these classes and use it right away at your job,” Santiago says. “Especially coming around with those annual raises and promotions, the techniques you learn really help.” Santiago is building a long-term career plan with the help of Wisconsin Professional MBA career coach Jean Sink. Santiago has had two sessions with Sink that have helped her crystalize her goals and put plans into action for getting to her next professional step. Santiago describes the program’s built-in career coaching as a valuable resource that has allowed her to carve out where she is and where she wants to be. “It’s boosted my career, and I know it will continue to boost me once my degree is completed. I’ll be able to go into more senior roles off the bat without having to work my way up into that level.” —Bree Santiago Senior Implementation Project Manager at Affirm 3. The flexible program structure fits with your career and busy life The Wisconsin Professional MBA is 50% online and 50% in person.
“The hybrid model has worked pretty great, especially with my work schedule,” says Santiago. “Sometimes I’m not able to make the Wednesday meetings, but since everything is recorded, I can still go back and review it. Knowing that I do have that option, if life gets in the way, is definitely valuable.” Santiago’s team stays in touch wherever they are via a Microsoft Teams channel. Despite the geographic distance from her teammates, she has been able to build strong relationships and even recommend classmates for roles at Affirm. She plans to help coordinate a meet-up of all Chicago-area Wisconsin Professional MBA students soon, to further build networks and share career opportunities. When it comes to taking what you learn and applying it to your current everyday role, the program is taught in a way that allows you to immediately implement what you learn at work. Kamriani says that her MBA courses have helped her zero in on what is important when facing a work challenge: “there’s usually a lot of information and you have to be able to synthesize what’s important. How can we capture the key takeaways from all of the readings and all of the videos and apply them to real-world scenarios?” Working on the skills of synthesis and decision-making have helped Kamriani when leading meetings at Google and asking questions of her colleagues. The team-based approach in the Wisconsin Professional MBA has given her a newfound understanding of when to lead during a project, helping her to better trust the expertise of her coworkers and also assert herself when the time is right. The Wisconsin Professional MBA enrolls two cohorts each year. You have the option to start your MBA in September or January. Then after your first core year, you get to choose your coursework, taking between one and four additional years to complete your degree. Interested in learning more about the benefits of the hybrid Wisconsin Professional MBA? Schedule a 30-minute admissions consultation The post 3 Reasons to Earn Your Hybrid MBA at UW–Madison appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
28 Jul 2022, 06:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: WSB’s New Marketing Leadership Institute Puts Industry Partnerships First to Advance Marketing Education |
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The Wisconsin School of Business has long been a leader in marketing education. Now, the school builds on that success with the launch of the Marketing Leadership Institute (MLI), a dedicated center for fostering industry partnerships that propel student learning and advance marketing research and practice. marketing career pathways offered through the Wisconsin Full-Time MBA in marketing:
The creation of the MLI aligns with several other investments WSB has recently made in its marketing programs to better position students to address complex challenges in today’s marketplace. As industry and technology evolve at an ever-increasing pace, students need a deep understanding of their chosen marketing discipline, but also cross-functional, foundational knowledge that prepares them to address and anticipate changes in their careers and fields. WSB’sinvestments in the marketing MBA—including the development of a new technology product marketing track—reflect this reality, and now the MLI does as well. Wisconsin School of Business Marketing Summit on September 29-30, 2022, a biennial conference experience designed for alumni, students, and industry friends—and anyone who wants to be an up-to-date marketer. The Summit offers participants the opportunity to network and recruit top MBA talent, hear from leading industry experts, and come together to celebrate the Business Badger community. The post WSB’s New Marketing Leadership Institute Puts Industry Partnerships First to Advance Marketing Education appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
03 Aug 2022, 09:00
| FROM Madison(Wisconsin) Admissions Blog: Donor Support Leads to New Student Opportunities and Faculty Success |
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The Wisconsin School of Business (WSB) Fund ensures that the school is able to invest in top priorities and innovations to enhance our reputation. Philanthropy supports both immediate and long-term strategic goals, including transformational student experiences, experiential learning projects, and impactful faculty research. We are grateful for the gift you made to the WSB Fund within the last 12 months. Your support is critical to our ability to innovate and grow, so we wanted to share with you the following recent milestones that you helped make possible. Record Breaking Enrollment Enrollment at WSB is strong. The undergraduate program received a record number of applications for this fall and expects to enroll its largest first-year class to date, projected to exceed 750 students. WSB remains dedicated to recruiting a diverse student population and we are delighted to report that a projected 30% of our incoming class are from underrepresented populations. Launch of the Marketing Leadership Institute In July, WSB launched the Marketing Leadership Institute (MLI), a dedicated center for fostering industry connections to propel student learning and advance marketing research and practice. Through this innovative new model, students will have access to corporate partnership opportunities, applied learning, and emerging technology that will position them for success in marketing careers such as brand and marketing management, analytics and insight, and technology product marketing. A key element of the MLI is connections to corporate partners through the External Advisory Board (EAB). Board members work closely with MLI leadership, and serve as role models for the next generation of marketing professionals. Corporate partners include Adobe, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, American Family Insurance, and Google. Undergraduate Consulting Certificate This fall, students will have a new opportunity to build their credentials through WSB’s undergraduate consulting certificate, open to all students on campus. The new certificate responds to a growing student interest in consulting careers and was designed in partnership with alumni at leading consulting firms. The certificate curriculum will focus on building foundational consulting skills in project management, business communication, advanced analytics, strategy, organizational change, and technology and will engage industry in an applied case interview analysis course to help students practice these skills. WSB’s Anita Mukherjee Featured on Freakonomics MD The WSB Fund helps ensure we are able to recruit outstanding faculty and support and promote their research. Anita Mukherjee, assistant professor of risk and insurance, was recently featured on an episode of Freakonomics MD, a highly rated podcast hosted by Dr. Bapu Jena. The episode, titled “How Will We Handle the Heat?” examined how rising temperatures are impacting the planet on both an individual and global scale. Mukherjee shared findings of her recent study that linked hotter temperatures with an increase in prison violence—and it may have implications outside prison too. Mukherjee’s research avenues cover both U.S. and emerging market settings and include social insurance, financial literacy, and legal policies on vulnerable populations, particularly in relation to aging and health The post Donor Support Leads to New Student Opportunities and Faculty Success appeared first on Wisconsin School of Business. |
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Hi Generic [Bot],
Here are updates for you:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
 Wednesday, Apr 24, 2024 11:30am NY / 3:30pm London / 9pm Mumbai Watch earlier episodes of DI series below EP1: 6 Hardest Two-Part Analysis Questions EP2: 5 Hardest Graphical Interpretation Questions
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