December Zine
Welcome to the Smeal Zine!
Here's the latest issue of SMEAL Zine, a monthly electronic magazine designed to keep alumni and friends in touch with the latest news and information from Penn State's Smeal College of Business and its nationally ranked programs and world-renowned research centers.
Ralph Oliva,
Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Business
Markets:
Ralph Oliva, professor of marketing at Smeal and executive director of the college's Institute for the Study of Business Markets, was recently named to the Business Marketing Association's board of directors and executive committee. Prior to joining Smeal, Oliva spent 23 years in business-to-business and consumer marketing at Texas Instruments, where he served as vice president of market communications and design and developed a "virtual university" for marketing. He was responsible for global management of the TI brand, market communications, design strategy, and corporate identity.
More
>>
December 2006
Capstone Course Culminates With 'Corporate Exchange'
For most of the fall semester, the more than 700 students enrolled in Smeal's capstone BA 411 course have managed a simulated business, competing for market share and profits in the $100 million electronic sensor industry. On Dec. 1, the top 20 percent of these students will present their shareholders' reports and defend their business strategies in front of a panel of alumni judges. For more information on "The Corporate Exchange," visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/nov06/corpex.html.
Smeal Alumni Society Board Connects Alumni And Students
The Smeal Alumni Society Board, which has its next meeting April 12-13, is made up of Smeal alumni who want to remain connected to the college, network with fellow alums, and share their career experience with current students. Drawing from the breadth and depth of Smeal's academic program, the diverse group of successful alumni offers its members the opportunity to take on a leadership role in the college through the management of a variety of student mentoring initiatives, strategic task forces, and an awards and recognition program. Alumni interested in getting involved, should contact the Alumni Relations Office at 814-865-7831. For more information, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/alumni/alumorgs/directors.
Penn State, Smeal Student Win Currency Trading Competition
Penn State won the team competition and a Smeal freshman took first place in the undergraduate division of this year's Texas A&M Inter-University Forex Trading Competition, beating out about 100 students and 15 different North American universities. Participants were given a simulated $50,000 Global Forex Trading account to trade international currencies on the foreign exchange market. Over the month-long competition, Smeal freshman Brett Crell grew his account more than any other undergraduate, garnering him a first place trophy and a $700 check. For more information, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/nov06/gftcomp.html.
Report Examines How Consumers View Products With Unlikely Attribute Combinations
When a new hybrid car is marketed as being fuel efficient and powerful, how does the consumer interpret these two attributes that seemingly contradict each other? A new report from Smeal examines how consumers reconcile paradoxical product attributes and how far marketers can go in assigning unlikely attribute combinations and still have their products remain credible in consumers' eyes. Smeal professors Ujwal Kayande, Gary Lilien, and Duncan Fong joined John H. Roberts of the London Business School to examine "brand incoherence," a phenomenon that occurs when two attributes that appear to be mutually exclusive are used to describe a product. For more on the study, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/nov06/kayande.html.
Two Executive MBA Scholarships Available To Nonprofit Employees
The Smeal Executive MBA Program, currently in its fifth year, is offering two $25,000 competitive scholarships to be awarded to two incoming students in the class of 2009 who are employees of nonprofit organizations. To be eligible, candidates must submit a 500-word essay describing how the Philadelphia-based Executive MBA Program will help further the work of their nonprofit organization or cause. The submission deadline is March 30, 2007. For more on the scholarships or the Smeal Executive MBA Program, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/execmba or contact EMBA Managing Director Jake Ray at 866-999-EMBA or jakeray@psu.edu.
Undergrad Competition Changes Name, Keeps Focus
The unique academic competition at Smeal that for six years has had students responding on their feet to global business challenges has a new name: The Next CEO. The competition—formerly called Smeal Survivor—and the special preparation leading up to it remain the same as in previous years. Only the name has changed. The Next CEO requires contestants to pose as chief executives of multibillion-dollar global corporations to answer questions about how their companies should respond to complex business crises and world events. Corporate executives judge the students on their performance and award significant prizes. For more information, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/thenextceo.
Study: Disclosure Of Advertising Tactics Reduces Odds Kids Will Drin
A new Smeal research report finds that modest in-school lessons revealing the goals and effects of alcohol advertising can reduce the likelihood that adolescents will drink. Dozens of research studies done over the past 20 years have found a correlation between alcohol advertising and underage drinking. To counter the effectiveness of those ads, a team of researchers led by Marvin E. Goldberg, Irving and Irene Bard Professor of Business Administration, designed a weeklong intervention to educate children about the persuasive tactics used by advertisers. They found that the students who learned about advertising strategy and critical thinking expressed more critical attitudes toward alcohol advertising and stronger intentions not to drink in the future. For more information, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/nov06/goldberg.html.
Women In Business Seeks Alumnae For Reunion
Women in Business, last year's Penn State Student Affairs Undergraduate Outstanding Student Organization of the Year, celebrates its 10th anniversary next year and its current leadership is looking for former members to invite to the anniversary reunion this spring. Event details are still being arranged. However, Women in Business alumnae who would like to receive reunion information should send their contact information to Jack Latham, coordinator of student and corporate services, at jml49@psu.edu. For more information on Women in Business, visit http://www.clubs.psu.edu/up/wib.
Smeal Team Takes Third In Wall Street Journal Biz Quiz
A team of Smeal undergraduates took third place at the Fisher Biz Quiz National Challenge, held Nov. 4 at Ohio State's Fisher College of Business. Teams from 11 business schools competed by demonstrating their awareness of business news, issues, and trends as reported in The Wall Street Journal. Smeal's team of Shawn Gordon, Vicki Korchagin, and Matt Simonetti won two categories during the preliminary round of the competition and advanced to the finals to compete against two other schools in front of an audience in a quiz-show format. For more details, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/nov06/bizquiz.html. For more on CMTOC, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/cmtoc.
Smeal Fills Two Professorships
Smeal recently hired a new chaired professor and another faculty member was appointed to a named professorship. Michael Rothkopf, professor of management science and information systems at Rutgers Business School, has been named the next Smeal Chaired Professor of Supply Chain and Information Systems. Raghu Garud, professor of management and research director of the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship, has been named the new Alvin H. Clemens Professor of Entrepreneurship. For more details, visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/releases/nov06/faculty.html.
Media Round-Up
Members of the Smeal College faculty are contacted regularly by the world's news media. In November, faculty members were featured in media outlets such as Fortune, The New York Times, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. For a complete list, please visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/news/innews/index.html.
Programs and Events
Penn State
Executive Programs is currently accepting reservations for its upcoming
programs. Please visit http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/date.html for more
information or click the links below for some of the specific programs being
offered.
February 12-16
Essentials Of Supply Chain Management
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/mesc1.html
February
18-23
Executive Coaching Certification (Week One)
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/ecc.html
March
11-14
Coaching Skills For Managers And Executives
http://www.smeal.psu.edu/psep/csme.html
