Beyond Grey Pinstripes

     

Rice University (Jesse H. Jones)

All Participating Schools

     
Rice University (Jesse H. Jones) P.O. Box 2932 MS 531
Houston, TX, 77005
United States
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Demographic Information

Number of full-time MBA students (2011): 

120

Number of part-time MBA students (2011): 

107

Total duration of full-time MBA program: 

22 months

MBA faculty (Fall 2010): 

127

Females as percent of student body: 

33%
Who Are the Students? See what percentage of the 2010-2011 graduating class came to this MBA program from the private sector, the non-profit sector and government jobs
 
Private Sector (85%)
 
Non-profit (10%)
 
Government (5%)


Description of MBA Program: 

The Jones Graduate School of Business mission statement, "We excel in developing principled, innovative thought leaders in global communities,” focuses on ethics and social responsibility as central themes in the MBA's educational experience and in our faculty’s research initiatives.

 

Rice has a high trust culture that obligates individuals to preserve our legacy of honor. Developing principled leaders starts on day one. Academic integrity in the form of the Rice Honor Code is presented as soon as a student begins the Rice MBA program. Violations of the Rice Honor Code are handled by the Rice Honor Council which handles any abuses reported.

 

Ethical intent is incorporated from the beginning of an MBA’s course work. Although all students take a core course in ethics, other core courses especially those taught during the first semester include ethical components and case studies. In the classroom, faculty present framed ethical issues grounded in their research, introducing students to historical situations.

 

This non-traditional approach has been adopted in order to ensure that students recognize ethical and social dilemmas as they arise in business and are able to address them appropriately. Courses in finance, accounting, global business, and other subjects introduce possible ethical issues; then resolutions are presented and discussed in class. Second year electives easily build upon this foundation.



How does the MBA program 'walk the talk' of social and environmental impact?: 

On October 11, 2007, Rice University President David Leebron signed the American College and Univeristy Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), pledging that Rice Univeristy would develop a plan for becoming "carbon neutral" as a campus.

 

In accordance with ACUPCC, we have developed a greenhouse gas inventory for the university. The most recent greenhouse gas inventory was completed in the spring of 2010 using 2009 fiscal year data, which updates similar inventories for the fiscal years 2008, 2007, 2006, 1998, and 1990. The new inventory was developed in a class entitled "Engineering Solutions for Sustainable Communities" listed as CHBE/ENST 281, co-taught by Prof. Kyriacos Zygourakis, Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Richard R. Johnson, Director of Sustainability.

 

The ACUPCC requires that signatories initiate two or more of a list of tangible actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Rice University has done the following:

  1. Through the Administrators' Forum, Rice has convened a campus energy policy committee that is tasked with developing a comprehensive energy policy for the university. This committee consists of faculty and staff from a broad range of campus departments and functions, and is chaired by the Director of Sustainability, Richard R. Johnson. The committee expects to submit its recommendations in the late spring or early summer.
  2. Rice University is participating in the Waste Minimization component of the national RecycleMania competition. We have adopted numerous waste reduction strategies on campus, from our robust campus recycling program to promoting inter-office resuable envelopes for campus mail to composting virtually all landscaping waste, including grass, leaves, and wood chips from tree pruning.
  3. Rice encourages use of and provides access to public transportation. We operate a fare-free shuttle system, with routes on-campus as well as to the Graduate Student Apartments on Bissonnet, the Rice Village during certain hours on weekends, the Texas Medical Center, and from the Graduate Student Apartments to major shopping areas on the weekend. We also provide free transit passes for students to take the light rail, which has three stations conveniently located adjacent to campus, as well as numerous bus lines with stops along or adjacent to the campus perimeter.
  4. Rice has committed to green building through the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Six LEED projects are currently under construction, including Duncan College, which is intended to be certified at the level of LEED-Gold. Rice has adopted a policy of LEED-Silver minimum certification for appropriate on-campus buildings.

For more information and updates see the following Rice webpage: http://cohesion.rice.edu/facilities/sustainability/index.cfm?doc_id=12144

Academic Department

Course Name: 2nd Year Capstone Course
Instructor: David VanHorn

The Capstone course gives students the opportunity to apply the multi-functional (strategy, finance, marketing, organizational behavior, etc.) knowledge that they have gained in the program and their own professional experience to solve a complex, real-world managerial problem. However, this course provides a unique twist to further challenge the students – the real-world problem is based on a Houston-based, social oriented community organization. Students will work with senior executives at these organizations and the course instructors through the semester to develop thorough and actionable solutions to the strategic challenges facing these organizations. For instance, cases include growth strategies, turnaround strategies, business plans for major programs, alliance/partnership strategies, and entrepreneurial start-ups. Capstone organizations come from many different parts of the community, including education/childhood development, healthcare, social services, and environment/conservation, as well as come in many different sizes.

Course Name: Action Learning Project (ALP) for New Living, a B-Corp
Instructor: Kimball Kehoe, Ph.D.

Overview of company: New Living is a mission driven company focused on creating and supplying healthy, green building materials and making them affordable and accessible to everyone, and owns a four-story, 100,000 square-foot former furniture store building in the Midtown neighborhood of Houston. New Living is chartered as a Benefit Corporation (B Corp), and has made a legal commitment to being a vehicle for social, environmental and economic change.

Problem statement for the ALP project: New Living is a growing green building and home retail business in Rice Village. The company also owns a four-story, 100,00 square-foot warehouse building in Midtown, adjacent to a light rail stop, where some light production of locally made building materials has begun in a small portion of the building. The intent is to determine how to strategically finance rehabilitating, opening, and operating a factory/retail concept in the building, and, in doing so, creating a model for 21st century urban production, distribution, and green jobs.

Reason for ALP Project: New Living has a unique opportunity to begin producing a substantial amount of its products and materials – countertops, furniture, and cabinetry - in the Midtown building. Commercial architects and consumers are demanding more locally produced materials from New Living, plus, the local production reduces the carbon footprint and thereby supports the company’s mission.

Course Name: Business Ethics
Instructor: Margaret Cording, Ph.D.

The Business Ethics Intensive Learning Experience explores the linkages between moral behavior and business. The course is not

about telling you what values to adopt, but how to analyze moral problems that corporations,

managers and employees inevitably face. This course is a conversation; there are no “right” or

“wrong” answers, only strong and weak analysis. Business ethics is a complex and multidimensional

topic, and successful resolution of an ethical dilemma is highly dependent on the

specifics of the company situation and its environment. We will therefore build the analytical skills necessary to critically assess a situation – given a variety of pre-existing facts, constraints, corporate histories, personalities, objectives, etc. – and develop well-reasoned arguments and

conclusions.

Course Name: Business Government Relations
Instructor: Douglas Schuler, Ph.D.

A study of how public policy influences the private competitive environment of the firm. Examines how business and government influence public policy at the local, state, federal and international levels of government. Examines political power, the major political institutions/stakeholders, the politics of activism, political ethics, business management of public policy issues and the integration of political intelligence into competitive business strategies.

Course Name: Competition, Carbon and Electricity Policy
Instructor: Charles Griffey

MGMT 612 covers the changes that have occurred over the last twenty years in the electric power industry and the challenges and profit potential of efforts to reduce the industry’s emissions of carbon dioxide. The course will use original source materials to explore the impacts of policy choices on companies and consumers. We will cover economics, finance, engineering, and public policy, and a background in those disciplines will prove useful.

Course Name: Complexities of People and Organizations
Instructor: Jennifer George, Ph.D.

Complexities of People & Organizations is a seminar focused on contemporary issues in organizational behavior. We will read five books that focus on critical issues that we all face in our work lives and alternative ways in which we can deal with these issues. In our seminar meetings, we will critically discuss what we have read for each class, reflecting on the authors’ perspectives and views as well as our own. It is often said that in these busy times we live in, all of us (including managers and leaders), do not engage in enough self-reflection about what we are doing, why we are doing it, what choices we may or may not have, and why we make the choices and decisions that we do. As Professor Joseph Badaracco recently said in a Harvard Business Review article, “…leaders should learn more about themselves if they want to succeed…you should reflect on how well you can manage yourself…the best reflection involves dialogue with others…” In this seminar, the books we will read will be the springboard for an ongoing dialogue we will have about critical issues we all face. The Seminar will be structured along five key, interdependent themes: the meaning of work, how and why things can go terribly wrong in organizations, alternative approaches to motivating and leading people, work and family, and the realities of managing and leading. Some of the topics we will focus on include the changing nature of work and organizations, the meaning of work in our lives, functions and dysfunctions of alternative ways of organizing, managing, and leading people in organizations, and the intersection of work with the rest of our lives including our families. The issues we will focus on are complex in that there are no right or wrong answers; rather they are nuanced issues that can be viewed from a variety of different perspectives that speak to the complexities and struggles we all face in our work lives and why we end up behaving the way we do.

Course Name: Corporate Crisis Management Strategies
Instructor: Terry Hemeyer

The study of current crisis/issue management with practical application utilizing numerous current and recent real-world situations. Class will research and prepare strategies, make recommendations, then dissect and analyze each crisis/issue situation, the processes, policies and results. This process will enhance strategic thinking, allow the consideration of pros and cons of alternative courses of action and provide a better understanding of the management decision making process. Class time will be interactive with individual and small group participation. Team presentations. Student teams will be assigned numerous real-world crisis/issue situations to research, prepare a strategy, make recommendations and present to the class. The class will then discuss, dissect and analyze each situation.

Assignments will cover many issues in business that could include news media scrutiny, financial performance, environmental problems, competitor attacks, adverse litigation or legislation, diversity or discrimination problems, a natural disaster, accidents, criminal or ethical breaches. A brief writing/presentation will be required from each team relating to what they consider the key learning’s from their presentation.

Course Name: Corporate Governance
Instructor: Gerald Sanders, Ph.D.

The aim of this course is to gain an in-depth understanding of corporate governance and how it influences a firm's strategy and performance. The course covers the theory and mechanisms of corporate governance and comparative systems of governance and how they relate to contemporary trends. We focus on problems in listed firms, how they can be mitigated by regulation, ownership, boards, incentives, and other mechanisms, and how alternative governance models handle their problems. The course will enable students to undertake a corporate governance review of an individual company including an assessment of how ownership, board structure, managerial incentives and system characteristics influence company strategy and performance. We use a combination of readings, conventional cases, and real-time cases and the variety of governance issues and solutions around the globe. The course is appropriate for those who desire to run their own companies, those who are interested in investment portfolio management, and those who aspire to be senior corporate managers.

Course Name: Geopolitics of energy
Instructor: William Arnold

This course examines decision-making in response to geopolitical conditions throughout the life cycle of international energy investments. The focus is on “above ground” (non-technical) risks. These include political, financial, social, and environmental issues that comprise the critical success factors of sustainable investment. We consider the overall framework of geopolitics, interests and demands of host and home governments that may facilitate or impede business, the role of national oil companies as competitors or partners, the structure of multi-country projects, environmental and social issues during project life or arising from acquisitions, and challenges faced at the end of an investment – whether caused by political intervention or on the original timetable. The course will benefit students who intend to pursue careers as leaders in industry, finance, government, diplomacy, international agencies, non-government organizations (NGO’s), media, or in academia. The course will challenge you to understand diverse points of view in order to make decisions and judgments on large, long-term capital investments. You may find that the principles and lessons apply beyond the energy industry.

Course Name: Intensive Learning Experience (ILE): Negotiation
Instructor: Jing Zhou, Ph.D.

Development of analytical and behavioral skills for effective negotiation, including topics such as diagnosing conflict, decision making, adversarial versus cooperative strategies, ethical and cultural factors, and third-party intervention.

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Type of Offering

The Nanotechnology and Sustainability Venture Forum

The Nanotechnology and Sustainability Venture Forum is an event that promotes learning and networking opportunities for entrepreneurs, investment professionals, business executives, and researchers serving the nanotech and sustainable industries. The Rice Alliance is currently seeking applications from early stage companies who are commercializing technologies in these areas and are interested in presenting at this one-day event.

Annual Women in Leadership Conference
Date: February, 2011

Make an Impact: Discover the Business of Giving Back.

The 2011 NAWMBA Women in Leadership Conference promotes the professional development of women. This year marks our 11th anniversary. As in years past, this event is aimed at educating, enlightening, and motivating MBA students and women from across various industries throughout the Houston area on current business topics and women’s issues in the marketplace.

This year’s conference theme is Make an Impact: Discover the Business of Giving Back. The conference is scheduled for Friday, February 11, 2011 and attendees will network with more than 200 Houston area professional women.

PANEL BREAK-OUT SESSION ONE

10:00 to 10:45 a.m.

-Make the Switch: Transitioning from Corporate to Non-Profit Work

-Put your Passions to Work to Do Good!

-Giving is Good Business: Behind the Scenes of Corporate Philanthropy

PANEL BREAK-OUT SESSION TWO

11:00 to 11:45 a.m.

-Make an Impact with any Job Title!

-Climb the Ladder: Catapulting Your Career Through Service

-Leave your Footprint: Using Business to Preserve the Environment

AFTERNOON KEYNOTE

1:15 to 2:15 p.m.

Shell Auditorium

Beth Sanders Moore

Founder, Cancer Forward

Health Care Symposium: Patient Focused Health Care Management

Two hundred and fifty physicians and health care administrators attended the inaugural Health Care Symposium on December 3rd, 2010 hosted by Rice University Executive Education. Three presentations, all focused on improving patient satisfaction, offered a candid and energizing look at the state of health care in the U.S.

Rice Business Plan Competition

42 Teams from the world's top graduate programs will compete for $1,000,000+ in prizes in the following categories:

Clean Tech

Energy

Life Science/Biotech/Medical Devices

Sustainability

Information Technology

Space Technologies

Social Entrepreneurship

Consumer Goods

For the first time (2011), the $100,000 Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB) Prize for CleanTech Innovation will be awarded. The KPCB prize is intended to encourage business and technology solutions for cleaner power, transportation and water.

The Rice MBA Women's Preview Weekend
Type: MBA Admission event geared to professional women
Date: January, 2011

Women's Preview Weekend (WPW) is a two-day event that offers prospective female students a detailed look at the Rice MBA Full-Time and MBA for Professionals programs.

This is an annual invitation-only event take place in January. Activities include a networking workshop and case simulation led by Jones School faculty members, an alumni panel, a student panel, keynote speakers, and presentations by the Career Management Center and the Admissions Office.

The weekend also includes meals and social activities with current students, staff and alumni. A past agenda can be found at http://business.rice.edu/uploadedFiles/Forms/Admissions/WPW_Agenda.pdf

Annual Energy Industry Directors Conference

Jones Graduate School of Business and Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P. present the Annual Energy Industry Directors Conference, a director education program designed for board members of energy and chemical companies. The conference will feature industry leaders and corporate governance experts who will focus on the issues facing board members across all segments of the energy industry.

350-400 registrants attend the conference yearly with much of the dialogue focusing on state oil companies (geopolitical), and the financial viability of alternative energy.

Key Topics

- Energy Policy and Economic Outlook

- Board Recruitment and Compensation

- Effects of Regulatory Changes including Proxy Access and Dodd Frank

-Legislative Outlook for the Energy Industry in the U.S.

Participatory

Hands On Breakout Sessions includes Strategic Decision Making at the Board Level and Best Practices in Board Processes

8th Annual Energy & Clean Technology Venture Forum
Date: September, 2010

More than 55 energy and clean technology companies from across the U.S. showcased new advancements in traditional energy, as well as clean tech and advanced materials. 500 plus investors and venture capitalists, industry representatives, business leaders, advisors/mentors, service providers, and entrepreneurs attended the seminar to learn about these promising new advancements. The Jones School Energy Club volunteers at this annual event and all MBA students are encouraged to attend.

Attendees developed a heightened understanding of investment opportunities in the industry as they heard from the nation’s most prominent venture capitalists. Industry experts, including professionals and leading scholars, provided insight into how emerging energy and clean technology applications are being utilized by businesses today, and they shared predictions for the future.

Keynote speakers included:

John Dennison, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

Desmond King, President, Chevron Technology Ventures

Ira Ehrenpreis, General Partner, Technology Partners

Venture Capital Feedback Panel Include:

Rajat Barua, Vice President, Lime Rock Ventures

Steve Foster, Partner, Altira Group LLC

Matthew Garratt, Vice President, Battery Ventures

Michael Melnik, Principal, CMEA Capital

David Wells, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

The event culminated with a company showcase and networking reception.

Rice MBA Gala
Type: Fundraiser for the Rice Summer Business Institute

The Rice chapter of NetImpact hosts the annual Rice MBA Gala in April. Last year, more than 270 people attended the student-run fund raising event and helped raised $18,000 for the Rice Summer Business Institute (RSBI), “Money and Business 101,” a program which introduces 45+ high school juniors and seniors from economically disadvantaged Houston communities to the fundamentals of business and the financial markets.

Admission event targeting underrepresented minorities
Type: Diversity Preview Weekend

Diversity Preview Weekend is a two-day event that offers prospective minority students a detailed look at the Rice MBA Full-Time and MBA for Professionals programs. This invitation-only event will take place in January each year. Activities will include a networking workshop and case simulation led by Jones School faculty members, an alumni panel, a student panel, keynote speakers, and presentations by the Career Management Center and the Admissions Office.

Career Services

The Jones Graduate School of Business offers alumni and current students access to high-level postings and full-time positions at top companies through the Annual Career Rodeo, Networking Event and Recruitment Fair held on in March of each year. The event attracts more than 160+attendees and 30+ recruiting companies annually.

The fair kicks off with a networking event of more than 80+ people at the Houston Livestock and Rodeo where company recruiters have a chance to connect with Jones School administrators and students in an intimate and relaxed setting. In the opening session of the fair held at the Jones School, company introductions allow attendees to learn more about the companies and to know their hiring needs which helped to guide registrants through the fair.

Past fairs have been co-sponsored by the Career Management Center, Cooper Industries, Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, and the American Marketing Association-Houston Chapter.

Rice Summer Business Institute
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 7
Contact Name: Jill Foote
Contact Email: jfoote@rice.edu

The Rice Summer Business Institute (RSBI), “Money and Business 101”, introduces junior and senior high-school students from Houston to the

fundamentals of business and the financial markets.

Throughout the course, students address questions

such as:

Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
Business School Housing? Yes
Number of Faculty: 8
Contact Name: Brad Burke
Contact Email: bburke@rice.edu

The Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Rice Alliance) is Rice University’s nationally-recognized initiative devoted to the support of technology commercialization, entrepreneurship education, and the launch of technology companies. It was

Energy Club

The Energy Club at Jones Graduate School of Business facilitates connections between Rice MBA students and the energy industry. Houston, the energy capital of the world, provides a rich background for energy industry resources. Rice MBA students have unique access to knowledge and opportunities in the energy domain, not found anywhere else.

Energy-related events include:

- Energy Education Series :Lectures that explore topics in oil and gas: corporate finance, treasury, strategy, and marketing; service companies and equipment manufacturing; pipelines; renewable sources.

-Energy Trek : Rice MBAs visit companies for discussions with industry executives on a wide range of functions, such as accounting, marketing, human resources, finance, information technology, and operations.

-Rice Energy-Finance Summit :Leaders in energy and finance share their perspectives on current industry issues, facilitating an open exchange of ideas and creating an excellent networking opportunity.

- Oil and Gas Companies Valuation Simulation: A seminar that provides the tools and practical application of the valuation process for an energy company.

Access to energy-related events hosted by the World Affairs Council of Houston

Net Impact

There are many organizations on campus, but only one that focuses on the entire impact businesses have on the community and society. Net Impact focuses on corporate social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability: the future of business!

Net Impact is

Impacting your entire society

Impacting leadership decisions

Impacting the world through the use of business

Net Impact is

An international organization - spanning six continents

A group of more than 10,000 members making a tangible difference in universities, organizations, and communities

An influential network of MBAs, graduate students, and professionals

A group of current and emerging leaders in CSR, social entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, international development, and environmental sustainability who are actively improving the world

Net Impact hosts two events per semester: a speaker series and a community involvement activity.

Net Impact also hosts a keystone event of the Spring - the Rice MBA Gala which benefits the Rice Summer Business Institute, an institute that introduces high school students from Houston to the world of business.

Hispanic Business Student Association

Mission of Hispanic Business Student Association:

-Prepare students to benefit from the growing opportunities of conducting business with Hispanic and Latino communities

-Develop student leadership to leverage connections with key players in the Houston area

-Increase awareness of the richness of Hispanic and Latino heritage, culture, and presence in the business community

Values:

-Celebrate diversity in the Jones School community

-Encourage new and unconventional ideas and approaches to problem solving

-Promote persistence in achieving our individual and collective goals

Jones Graduate School of Business Board Fellows

The Jones School Board Fellows (JSBF) Program matches Rice MBA candidates with Houston community based nonprofit organizations to serve as non-voting board members. Both students and organizations benefit from the Board Fellows program: MBA candidates develop valuable leadership skills and experience working in the nonprofit sector. Organizations gain access to the ideas and energy of future business leaders and establish long-term relationships with the Jones Graduate School of Business.

Fellows attend board sessions and relevant committee meetings under the mentorship of a current board member. As board fellows become familiar with their organizations, he/she may work with the board to develop a strategic project that will identify an issue, target key deliverables, conduct necessary analysis, and ultimately prepare recommendations for review.*

Program Objectives

-Prepare Rice MBA students to be socially responsible leaders through service on non-profit boards.

-Support nonprofits by applying Fellows’ professional experiences and academic background to solve strategic, organizational, and operational issues that enhance the work of the board.

-Build the Jones School’s reputation of producing socially responsible, community-oriented leaders while making a positive impact on the Houston community.

Responsibilities of a Board Fellow

-Serve as a non-voting board member

-Attend all board meetings and serve on a board committee

-Help with and attend special events, as student’s schedule allows

-Commit approximately the same amount of time to the board as a full board member

-If the student’s schedule allows, the student may complete a board-level project that is designed to meet the needs of the organization

Responsibilities of the Organization

-Provide a mentor who will who will: 1) help orient the Fellow to the workings of the Board, 2) be available to answer questions and address concerns, 3) help identify a project for the fellow.

-Provide a formal orientation to the organization's work and expectations for board members

-Communicate consistently and provide feedback about the progress of the Board Fellow's project

Black Business Student Association

The Black Business Student Association (BBSA) at Rice University, Jones Graduate School of Business is an organization that is dedicated to enabling and empowering diverse and minority business students. Through networking, lectures, and workshops, the Rice University BBSA provides opportunities for students to learn from and with each other, connect with alumni and other community business leaders, and gain the skills and knowledge to succeed in today’s dynamic business environment.

The BBSA works collaboratively with other campus and community organizations to align and strengthen our organizational objectives:

- Educate

-Engage

-Evolve

Events and Activities include:

-Monthly “Staying Connected” Happy Hour (Every 3rd Friday)

-NBMBAA Conference Networking Reception (September 23rd)

-Diversity Preview Weekend (November 11-14)

-Annual Bowling Charity Event (March 3rd)

-Annual Diversity Awards Banquet (March/April)

-Leaders of Tomorrow Mentor Program (Ongoing)

-Leadership Summit Lecture Series (Spring)

National Association of Women MBAs

The National Association of Women MBAs (NAWMBA) is dedicated to empowering graduate women in business in order to propel more women into leadership positions in corporate America and to enhance diversity in the workplace.

The NAWMBA chapter at the Jesse H. Jones School of Business achieves this goal through:

Organizing networking events with alumni, professional women, and local NAWMBA chapter members

Planning the annual Women in Leadership Conference at the Jones School

Encouraging attendance at the NAWMBA National Conference and Career Fair

Providing support through mentoring opportunities

Raising awareness through community outreach

Thank you for your interest in and support of our organization!

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Entrepreneurship club

The Entrepreneurship Club (E-Club) is one of the most active on campus. We are an organization dedicated to fostering the innovative entrepreneurial spirit and vision in the Jones School community. Our members have interests in many different areas of new venture creation, from founding or managing a start-up to investing, advising, or serving as a corporate partner. We feel that learning to build and grow sustainable ventures is a crucial aspect of one’s business education, and we strive to provide our members with a lifelong learning and support network to minimize risk and maximize success.

To these ends, the club offers numerous opportunities for involvement. These include:

Direct involvement in administering the Rice Business Plan Competition, the largest and richest in the world

Guest lectures on constructing a sound business plan

Panel events offering valuable insights from successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists

Visits to successful local start-ups

Networking events with local, national, and international entrepreneurial organizations

The Velocity Entrepreneurial Career Conference

Participation in the annual Venture Capital Investment Competition

A Path Model Examining the Relations Among Strategic Performance Measurment System Characteristics, Organizational Justice, and Extra- and In-Role Performance
Author(s): Sally K. Widener

Economic theory suggests that multiple financial and non-financial measures (i.e., a strategic performance measurement system “SPMS”) be used in compensation contracting to properly direct employees’ attention and motivate behavior aligned with organizational goals. Conversely, linking incentives to the SPMS can result in various dysfunctional behaviors, including game playing by employees, the achievement of unbalanced performance, and the potential of basing compensation on an incomplete performance measurement system. Prior literature has investigated the use of subjectivity in compensation contracting as a means of potentially mitigating these problems; however, subjectivity can introduce other problems including claims of favoritism and bias. Economic theorists have recently begun expanding the traditional agency model to include the notion of fairness or justice. In this study, we obtain data from an organization that uses an SPMS as the basis for the allocation of bonuses and investigate whether characteristics of the SPMS are associated with perceived organizational fairness. Specifically, we hypothesize and show that the extent to which employees perceive that the SPMS reflects a strategic causal model and the degree to which it is technically valid are positively associated with their perceptions of organizational justice. We also provide evidence that heightened levels of organizational justice are the mechanism though which the perceived characteristics of the SPMS are associated with employee performance. The implication is that firms do not necessarily need to introduce subjectivity into the incentive contracting system, but can enhance performance by linking incentive contracts to their SPMS if the system contains characteristics that enhance employees’ perceptions of justice.

Journal Title: Accounting, Organizations and Society Volume: 34 Edition: 40606 Page Numbers: 305-321
Microfinance In Cultures Of Non-Repayment
Author(s): Marc Epstein

The microfinance industry seeks to alleviate poverty by providing business loans and related financial services to clients who are too small to be served profitably through the formal financial sector. Microbusiness lending is considered to be among the most powerful tools available for promoting entrepreneurial activity and economic development. However, a significant number of current and potential entrepreneurs remain untouched by microfinance. They live in regions considered to have cultures of non-repayment, which render them "unbankable." By better understanding non-repayment cultures and developing management strategies attuned to the unique attributes of these regions, the microfinance industry can effectively and profitably support these underserved entrepreneurs.

Journal Title: Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship Volume: 15 Edition: Page Numbers: 35-54
One café chain’s Facebook experiment
Author(s): Utpal Dholakia

How much can you really influence consumers when you launch a Facebook page to attract "fans" and to pepper them with messages and offers? Quite a lot, one small cafe chain found

Journal Title: Harvard Business Review Volume: 88 Edition: 3 Page Numbers: 26
Ownership as a form of corporate governance.
Author(s): Robert E. Hoskisson

Firm ownership is an increasingly influential form of corporate governance.Although firms might be owned by different types of owners, most studies examine ownerinfluence on a particular firm outcome in isolation. This study synthesizes research frommultiple disciplines on different types of owners and offers a unifying framework of governancethrough ownership. Using this framework, we describe the motivations of various types ofowners, the tactics owners use to affect firms in which they are invested, and the dominantfirm outcomes these owners seek to influence. We note how heightened managerial awarenessof heterogeneous owner interests increases owner influence on firm-level outcomes. We alsoprovide a roadmap for future study and offer research questions about where scholars mightturn their attention to better understand the role of owners in directing firm actions. Our study draws attention to emerging forms of ownership, such as hedge funds and sovereign wealthfunds, and highlights the changing (and often competing) interests of shareholders and how tis impacts theories of governance.

Journal Title: Journal of Management Studies Volume: 47 Edition: 8 Page Numbers: 1561-1589
Sensemaking in Crisis and Change: Inspiration and Insights From Weick (1988)
Author(s): Scott Sonenshein

When Karl Weick's seminal article, ‘Enacted Sensemaking in Crisis Situations’, was published in 1988, it caused the field to think very differently about how crises unfold in organizations, and how emergent crises might be more quickly curtailed. More than 20 years later, we offer insights inspired by the central ideas in that article. Beginning with an exploration of key sensemaking studies in the crisis and change literatures, we reflect on lessons learned about sensemaking in turbulent conditions since Weick (1988), and argue for two core themes that underlie sensemaking in such contexts: shared meanings and emotion. We examine when and how shared meanings and emotion are more and less likely to enable more helpful, or adaptive, sensemaking, and conclude with some suggestions for future research in the sensemaking field.

Journal Title: Journal of Management Studies Volume: 47 Edition: 3 Page Numbers: 551-580
Sharing the Wealth: Social comparisons and pay dispersion in the CEO's top team
Author(s): William (Wm.) Sanders

The antecedents and consequences of pay dispersion are studied using theory that focuses on the social comparisons that occur among members of the CEO's top team. Results from a sample of large public firms indicate that when members of this elite group were similar on a variety of dimensions, and thus likely to compare their pay, the board allowed less dispersion. In addition, pay dispersion was negatively related to company performance, particularly when it exceeded what could be justified by characteristics of the industry, firm, or team. But the strength of that relationship depended on how uniformly members of the team would benefit from subsequent performance gains. Specifically, the negative effect was particularly strong in firms where major differences in compensation—that is, some executives were given significantly more stock options—combined with a volatile stock price to provide only a few team members with the opportunity to realize very large financial gains in the future. The study demonstrates that the social-psychological factors that affect comparisons among members of the CEO's top team impact the board's pay setting process, which in turn affects pay dispersion, and ultimately firm performance

Journal Title: Strategic Management Journal Volume: 31 Edition: 10 Page Numbers: 1031-1053
Social Networks, Personal Values, and Creativity: Evidence for Curvilinear and Interaction Effects
Author(s): Jing Zhou

Taking an interactional perspective of creativity, we examined the influence of social networks and conformity value on employees’ creativity. We theorized and found a curvilinear relationship between number of weak ties and creativity such that employees exhibited greater creativity when their number of weak ties was at intermediate levels rather than at lower or higher levels. In addition, employees’ conformity value moderated the curvilinear relationship between number of weak ties and creativity such that when conformity was low, employees exhibited greater creativity at intermediate levels of number of weak ties than when conformity was high. A proper match between personal values and network ties is critical for understanding creativity.

Journal Title: Journal of Applied Psychology Volume: 94 Edition: 6 Page Numbers: 1544-1552
Solving the Sustainability Implementation Challenge
Author(s): Marc Epstein

To effectively implement sustainability strategies, companies must have the formal (hard) and informal (soft) systems in place. Too often they do not. Companies need the processes, performance measurement, and reward systems (formal systems) to measure success and to provide internal and external accountability. But they also need the leadership, culture, and people (informal systems) to support sustainability implementation. An alignment among the formal and informal systems along with the organizational structure is critical for success.

Journal Title: Organizational Dynamics Volume: 39 Edition: 4 Page Numbers: 306-315
The Emergence of Ethical Issues during Strategic Change.
Author(s): Scott Sonenshein

Using qualitative data from a Fortune 500 company undergoing a strategic change, I describe the emergence of three ethical issues and build a theory to explain how this emergence unfolds. I find that some employees reframe the meaning of strategic issues as involving ethical implications because of trigger points, ambiguity, and the use of an available employee welfare frame. These employees take the meaning of strategic issues and reinterpret them as either leading to harmful consequences or the violation of a right. I conclude by discussing the theoretical implications for business ethics and sensemaking research, and the practical implications for responding to ethical issues.

Journal Title: Organization Science Volume: 20 Edition: 1 Page Numbers: 223-239
Thinking Straight about Sustainability
Author(s): Marc Epstein

The term corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been widely used as a way to discuss and monitor a company’s social programs and behavior. There are socially responsible scorecards, socially responsible mutual funds, and corporate social responsibility annual reports, to name just a few. CSR has proven to be a useful way to describe a company’s behavior and programs, but it has been less useful as a tool to help executives manage their company’s operations in a responsible and long-term manner.

Journal Title: Stanford Social Innovation review Volume: Edition: Page Numbers: 50-55
Tightening Corporate Governance
Author(s): Duane Windsor

Tightening corporate governance in multinational corporations (MNCs) is difficult because of confusion over the proper conception of governance, competing pressures on and complex attributes of MNCs, and the fact that many prescriptions are untested. This article documents multiple pressures on MNCs and recommends how management should cope with those pressures. Tightening governance directly concerns pressures from investors, exchanges, and regulators for adoption of recommended standards and practices to increase financial transparency and fiduciary accountability. MNCs also face pressures for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Short-term financial performance and longer-term financial viability may conflict with one another and also with the social and environmental components of triple bottom line performance. MNCs are organizationally complex to manage. Geographical diversity peculiarly means great variance in legal systems, other non-market institutions, and MNC governance and CSR approaches across country units. International standards for governance and reporting are not well established; and enforcement occurs largely by stock exchanges and national jurisdictions.

Journal Title: Journal of International Management Volume: 15 Edition: 3 Page Numbers: 306-316
Why Nike Kicks Butt in Sustainability
Author(s): Marc Epstein

Nike possesses a unique combination of strengths and capabilities that enable the company to make rapid advancements in sustainability that are ahead of other firms in its industry, and that increasingly contribute to the financial performance of the company. Nike believes that we are at the beginning of a shift from a service- or knowledge-based economy to a sustainability-based economy, as environmental constraints increasingly influence business choices. Nike is making choices today that are intended to position the firm for effective competition in a sustainability-based economic environment.

Journal Title: Organizational Dynamics Volume: 39 Edition: 4 Page Numbers: 353-356
 Understanding tokenism: Antecedents and consequences of a psychological climate of gender inequity
Author(s): Jennifer (JM) George

Extending tokenism theory, the authors investigate psychological climate of gender inequity asa way to understand how token women experience their work environments. In the first study,responses from a sample of 155 women across varied occupations confirm the expectation that token women tend to perceive

Journal Title: Journal of Management. Volume: 36 Edition: 2 Page Numbers: 482-510